Identified! TN - Knox Co, 'Shotgun Jane Doe' WhtFem 607UFTN, 21-30, Jun'87 - Tena Marie Gattrell

[worm]

I’d concur with an above post about the other 2 people. It’s odd that.2 people in rural Tennessee looking to commit a burglary/home invasion would run into a stranger at random looking to do the same.

 

[Richard]

She was shot by the homeowner during an attempted robbery IIRC. I don't think the homeowner would be charged with anything seeing as they were breaking into his house.

This long thread is rather confusing in many ways. She might have been willingly participating in a home invasion. Or maybe she was being attacked by the two men. Or maybe she was duped in some way by them.

Knowing who she was might now bring some answers.

Although the home owner or resident may well have been within his rights in shooting, the two men in question should definitely have been held responsible and charged with her death.

 

[subaw0067]

I’d concur with an above post about the other 2 people. It’s odd that.2 people in rural Tennessee looking to commit a burglary/home invasion would run into a stranger at random looking to do the same.

It wasn’t random. She was with the two men. Willingly or not, we don’t know.

 

[worm]

It wasn’t random. She was with the two men. Willingly or not, we don’t know.

I’m new to it but didn’t they claim not to know her?

I hope we can find out more about her like had she broken into homes like they were suppose to be doing, or if she was any trouble at all.

 

[subaw0067]

I’m new to it but didn’t they claim not to know her?

I hope we can find out more about her like had she broken into homes like they were suppose to be doing, or if she was any trouble at all.

They didn’t know her name but they picked her up.

 

[DS2021]

[Dbm

 

[DS2021]

Ignore the last message. I posted it in the wrong thread

 

[Richard]

Identified...Identified...Identified

Tena Marie Gattrell (photo as a child) was the unidentified girl known as "Shotgun Jane Doe"
BIRTH 18 Jun 1960 California, USA
DEATH 1 Jun 1987 (aged 26) Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, USA

------------------------------------------
From Doe Network:

Reconstruction of Victim; Center: victim's shirt; Right: victim's tattoo

Date of Discovery: June 1, 1987
Location of Discovery: Knox County, Tennessee
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Shot

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 21-30 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'4 to 5'6
Weight: 100-120 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: She had a tattoo of "BH" on her upper left arm, front; healed collarbone fracture (which didn't receive medical attention); crushed vertebrae (that likely caused back pain); left tibia secured by a metal pin; healed fracture of the fibula, secured by a metal plate manufactured by "Synthes"; horizontal surgery scar on abdomen.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available; Tooth #25 extracted or congenitally missing. Space between # 24 and #26 has closed. Dental radiographs and photographs
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available (mtDNA in FBI NMPDD)

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: A Miami Dolphins football jersey with the number "32.", light blue pants,
Jewelry: Metal Bracelet, Ears were not pierced.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery​

The victim was killed by a shotgun on Jim Sterchi Road in North Knox County in 1987. Authorities speculated at the time that the unidentified woman and two male accomplices were attempting to trick and rob the resident on Jim Sterchi Road by faking a fight outside her front door. The woman kicked the door, awakening the resident and a visitor. The resident called police and fired one shot from a shotgun when the woman attempted to open a screen door. The two men were caught. But they were unable to identify the woman. They said they had picked her up at a Greene County rest stop just before the shooting. She remained unidentified until 202, when she was identified as Tena Marie Gattrell.

Based on Isotope testing done by The Smithsonian Institution Lab, the decedent may have been from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, or Florida.

Information Source(s)​

Knox News
NamUS
Knox Sheriff
The Knoxville News-Sentinel

607UFTN

Tena Marie “Shotgun Jane Doe” Gattrell...

Knoxville TN- Shotgun Jane Doe Age mid 20's 5'5 brown hair & eyes June 1, 1987 - 30 YEARS TODAY! NEW INFORMATION! CAN SOCIAL MEDIA FIND HER FAMILY? KNOX COUNTY JANE DOE CAME FROM ONE OF TEN STATES - PENNSYLVANIA, NEW JERSEY, OHIO, MICHIGAN, INDIANA, ILLINOIS, MINNESOTA, MARYLAND, VIRGINIA & WEST...

www.findagrave.com

 

[HmmMysterious]

I really wish we had a photo of Tena at an older age to compare with her sketch. A sad ending to a sad life

 

[RandyMcDonald]

This long thread is rather confusing in many ways. She might have been willingly participating in a home invasion. Or maybe she was being attacked by the two men. Or maybe she was duped in some way by them.

Knowing who she was might now bring some answers.

Although the home owner or resident may well have been within his rights in shooting, the two men in question should definitely have been held responsible and charged with her death.

I am not sure if they could be charged with anything, at least not with the evidence at hand. If Tena was trying to get in the house for whatever reason—I think it quite possible she might have been trying to get away from the men, if unproven—and the men were either uninvolved or actively trying to take her away, what would you do? Could they be convicted of anything if there was no evidence?

As for the resident, while American gun culture is foreign to me, it does seem like she has legitimate cause for self-defense in shooting Tena. If someone is trying to break into your home and is not paying attention to your warnings, it does seem like self-defense. It is easy to imagine what terrible things could have happened to two young women living in an isolated house.

All in all, a terribly sad story.

 

[Richard]

I am not sure if they could be charged with anything, at least not with the evidence at hand. If Tena was trying to get in the house for whatever reason—I think it quite possible she might have been trying to get away from the men, if unproven—and the men were either uninvolved or actively trying to take her away, what would you do? Could they be convicted of anything if there was no evidence?

As for the resident, while American gun culture is foreign to me, it does seem like she has legitimate cause for self-defense in shooting Tena. If someone is trying to break into your home and is not paying attention to your warnings, it does seem like self-defense. It is easy to imagine what terrible things could have happened to two young women living in an isolated house.

All in all, a terribly sad story.

Indeed it is a sad story. But thankfully she has been identified.

Unfortunately we do not have enough information to understand the full situation.

Regarding responsibility and potential criminal prosecution of the two male companions - that would depend upon what their intentions and actions were and on the laws of the state in which her death occurred. And on the amount of evidence.

In some US jurisdictions persons participating in a crime, such as robbery, rape, breaking into a home, etc, can be charged with some level of murder if one member of their gang - or a potential victim is killed during the commission of the crime.