TN TN - Nashville, Sulphur Creek Rd, Blk/Hisp Fem 20-40, UP52531, Vandy clothes, Sep'18

[The4TierBridge]

The NCMEC released a new reconstruction that better reflects the mixed Black/Italian heritage (it reminds me of some cousins actually but they're 100% alive): Have you seen this child? Jane Nashville Doe 2018

 

[Aurora90]

Does the list of exclusions include either Pshara Marie Jones or Danielle Duvall Harper? I know Pshara is a long shot what with her being Vietnamese, but I just wanted to see if anyone has an updated list of exclusions.

Pics of both:

 

[Caring1]

Does the list of exclusions include either Pshara Marie Jones or Danielle Duvall Harper? I know Pshara is a long shot what with her being Vietnamese, but I just wanted to see if anyone has an updated list of exclusions.

Pics of both:

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Neither one is on the list and there are no new exclusions.

 

[JEMB135]

Does the list of exclusions include either Pshara Marie Jones or Danielle Duvall Harper? I know Pshara is a long shot what with her being Vietnamese, but I just wanted to see if anyone has an updated list of exclusions.

Pics of both:

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I think the second woman looks so similar to the new reconstruction!

 

[Quill]

I had just read this for the first time here yesterday and just now she pops up on my Facebook feed.

Her Italian heritage is traced back to the Mississippi Delta.The name is Brunetti. A group in Mississippi is concentrating on this angle because they feel that everyone else is concentrating on her black heritage DNA path.

I found this on their Facebook page. Not sure if I can link their page but is its called MissingSippi: Mississippi Missing Persons.

"Her DNA reveals that she has ties to Mississippi. This young woman was mixed race (Black and White). The Mengarelli, Sagrati, Avaltroni and Brunetti last names (surnames) come from her Italian (White) familial DNA. The last names Hays or Hayes, Butler, and Moore come from her Black/African-American familial DNA.
The Italian side of her family, in the past, are believed to have lived in the Delta. These may have been her grandparents and likely had the last name Brunetti. The African-American side is where most people who are working on her case are getting hung up."

 

[isabeljaelynn]

Could Vandy be Chelsea Michelle COBO, missing May 06, 2016 from Brooklyn, NY? Namus #MP35028
Her mom is Italian..

 

[Quill]

Could Vandy be Chelsea Michelle COBO, missing May 06, 2016 from Brooklyn, NY? Namus #MP35028
Her mom is Italian..

From what I have read, her Italian genealogy is from her paternal side. They have traced that to the Mississippi Delta where there is a long history of Italian families.

 

[Kristen6786]

I have seen Vandy Jane does frequently posted on FB and after seeing they have some surnames, I decided to see what I could find. I did some research on the surnames to see if there were any grandchildren named in obits as surviving members prior to 2018. I have found all the surnames on one family tree/find a grave.
And some other Alvotroni and Hayes connections. Looking to see if UID is a relative of Mary Ann Hayes or Janie Hayes.

 

[isabeljaelynn]

I have seen Vandy Jane does frequently posted on FB and after seeing they have some surnames, I decided to see what I could find. I did some research on the surnames to see if there were any grandchildren named in obits as surviving members prior to 2018. I have found all the surnames on one family tree/find a grave.
And some other Alvotroni and Hayes connections. Looking to see if UID is a relative of Mary Ann Hayes or Janie Hayes.

I made a (big) tree of the Italian side, but it’s almost impossible to know who the parent is. I guess it’s the paternal side, and he doesn’t even know he has a child. Some members of that family was in the army also..

 

[jackornaught]

O.K., you folks really got me hooked into this one.

I'm wondering if the reason they are having so much trouble with building the family tree is because this sweet girl never knew her paternal familiy. It's possible that she grew up with a single mom, was in foster care, or some other situation. Just a possible theory.

 

[dotr]

Interesting article
by Steven HaleJuly 17, 2025

MNPD identifies woman in 40-year-old murder mystery - Nashville Banner

Cold case detective Matthew Filter shares how DNA and genealogy research helped MNPD identify a victim's remains after 40 years.

nashvillebanner.com

''The lack of such a breakthrough is a significant factor in the stalled investigation into what he called the Vandy Doe, a woman believed to be between 21 and 35 years old, whose body was found badly decomposed in September 2018 on the side of the road in the 4400 block of Sulpher Creek Road. The woman, who police said was “black and possibly Hispanic” and “approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall,” was wearing Vanderbilt University apparel when she was discovered.

Since 2019, the MNPD has identified the bodies in 12 UHR cases, according to Filter. Not all of those were solved using FIGG, he said, although it played a role in many. In most of the cases, he said, no missing person report had been filed. In his experience, many cases involve people who have been unhoused for some time. Filter recalled informing families who told him that they assumed their lost loved one was in prison or dead, but didn’t know where to start looking.''

 

[jackornaught]

Can't get the Beyonce' and Jay-Z concert out of my mind. I've read some articles that the crowd was an absolute cluster. More so, than for a usual concert. Plus, the timing is just to close.

 

[Aurora90]

Ashley B Caldwell# MP144729 was entered into NamUs a few months ago. She was last seen in May of 2017 and has not had contact with her family since. Could this be Vandy Jane Doe?

Charley Project has the following:

Caldwell was last seen with an adult male in Wichita, Kansas on May 28, 2017. She disappeared shortly before she was supposed to testify in an upcoming trial, but it's unclear if that had anything to do with her case. She has never been heard from again.

Caldwell left behind five children. Her family describes her as a very social person who regularly kept in touch, and they think she came to harm. Her case remains unsolved.

Ashley's Physical Characteristics:
Gender: Female
Race: Black (looks possibly mixed race)
Age: 28
Height: 5' 6 according to NamUs, 5'2 according to MSM
Weight: 130 lbs

Below are some photos of Ashley and the Vandy reconstruction again.

 

[GatorFL]

Ashley B Caldwell# MP144729 was entered into NamUs a few months ago. She was last seen in May of 2017 and has not had contact with her family since. Could this be Vandy Jane Doe?

Charley Project has the following:


Ashley's Physical Characteristics:
Gender: Female
Race: Black (looks possibly mixed race)
Age: 28
Height: 5' 6 according to NamUs, 5'2 according to MSM
Weight: 130 lbs

Below are some photos of Ashley and the Vandy reconstruction again.

View attachment 607856View attachment 607866View attachment 607867

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Any Italian ancestry? Otherwise nope.

 

[fsngruv]

Any Italian ancestry? Otherwise nope.

I agree, but if the doe, their parents or grandparents were adopted they might not be aware of their ancestry or being Italian. Same with the missing person, if they or close family were adopted they might know.

I fear our doe has not been reported missing. But perhaps she will be soon? It does happen!

Every time we have an alert on this case I get excited, and I don't want to even mention the amount of time I've spent researching this case. l will always make time to research this case but I would love for her to get her name back.

 

[Melt71]

The Namus case was recently updated but no new ruleouts were added - still the same list of 14 (15 but one name is repeated twice) that was posted quite a few pages back.

A reminder again (the info at Vandy Doe 2018)

Italian names: Mengarelli/Mangarelli, Sagrati, Avaltroni, Brunetti, and Hays
African American names: Moore and Butler
The American regions she is associated with are: Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas.

 

[Melt71]

Any Italian ancestry? Otherwise nope.

The problem is that someone on paper might not have Italian heritage, but with so many NPE stories it's not until DNA is done that an entirely different parent (usually father) is identified. So ruling someone out based on paperwork listing names/heritage may not be productive.

 

[Melt71]

The Namus case was recently updated but no new ruleouts were added - still the same list of 14 (15 but one name is repeated twice) that was posted quite a few pages back.

A reminder again (the info at Vandy Doe 2018)

Italian names: Mengarelli/Mangarelli, Sagrati, Avaltroni, Brunetti, and Hays
African American names: Moore and Butler
The American regions she is associated with are: Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas.

The Namus case was updated again yesterday; no new ruleouts.

 

[redriverblues]

I feel like the Vanderbilt gear could be IMO a distraction/diversion, and - if Jane Doe was murdered - may have been part of the distraction from her identity and circumstances of her death. The fact that Jane Doe has remained unidentified for four years gives me some support in this theory.

Firstly, IMO, I find it unusual that someone would be entirely kitted-out in university clothes; maybe one or two pieces as part of an outfit, but the entire outfit including running belt? It feels like either a) Jane Doe was urgently in need of new clothes and either purchased or was given an entire outfit bought in one place and one time from a store selling Vanderbilt merchandise, or b) attention needed to be diverted away from Jane Doe's background and circumstances and an entire outfit from Vanderbilt would do the trick (heck it's got sleuthers focused in one very specific place, for starters).

I joined Websleuths to say this. I’ve been obsessed with missing people for a few years now but this one is in my “backyard” and something about it haunts me.

As Lanny said, I think the Vandy clothes are a distraction or she just needed new clothes. Maybe someone needed her to “blend in.” If she were a student of such a prestigious university, she would have been reported missing—even if she were an international student.

The familiarity with the rural setting of where she was dumped suggests the killer was local. Police have been unable to determine her cause of death but state no visible trauma, so possibly asphyxiation or drug overdose. My gut tells me she was a trafficking victim from somewhere other than TN.

 

[redriverblues]

I don't believe this young girl has been mentioned as a possible match. I believe she looks quite similar to the NCMEC reconstruction, stats are workable. Her name is Alaiza Whitlow, missing from Decatur, GA since October 2017. Black female, age 16, 5'2, 95 lbs, black hair.

The NCEMC site for searching posters is down at the moment. I did not find an update to Alaiza's case on a google search.

Alaiza Whitlow Namus

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She looks just like the reconstruction