Identified! TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, 1 November 1980 - id'd November 2021 - Sherri Ann Jarvis (14)

[janne]

I APOLOGIZE! I see how that was very confusing. Carbuff is correct, I was describing details of the actual convicted serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades. I just found it interesting that the truck driver who happened upon WCJD was also named Rhodes (not positive on the spelling of the latter). Both of whom had ties to Friendwood. I do not know if WCJD was a victim of RBR, and I don’t know if the trucker who found her on November 1st is in ANY way connected to RBR. I was just pointing out the last names. I have been trying to find my files on RBR, and of course when I need them, they’re nowhere to be found (yet), but I know investigators found photos in his apartment of different women. I know there was one photograph of one of his victims that you will easily find by just Googling his name, but I can’t recall if they released any other photos, as it’s been said they were much more difficult to make out. But he kept his victims for days or weeks, so the photos of the girls were taken at different times during captivity. All were taken of them while they were still alive.

I've also read articles suggesting Ben Robert Rhoades kept photos of his victims.

There are at least 3 photos apparently taken by Rhoades' of one of his victims, Regina Walters, readily available on line. I'm not going to post links to them because they are frankly disturbing - they are easy to find if you are so inclined.

A picture of one further potential victim, found in Rhoades' apartment was published as part of an excellent longform article by Vanessa Veselka in GQ (Robert Ben Rhoades: The Truck Stop Killer), however the presumed victim turned out to still be alive when she stumbled across the picture of herself online (Alberta woman recognizes herself in photo found in U.S. serial killer’s truck - APTN News).

Rhoades has been convicted of four murders, Regina and her boyfriend Ricky Jones, as well as another couple, Scott Zyskowski and Patricia Walsh, but is suspected in many more crimes. All four of his victims were picked up while hitch hiking in Texas - I would be stunned if investigators hadn't looked at him as a suspect in the case of WCJD.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Why can't they rule Rhoades in or out based on that bite mark on her shoulder/back I wonder?

 

[carbuff]

Why can't they rule Rhoades in or out based on that bite mark on her shoulder/back I wonder?

I believe he'd had dental work in the interval that made it impossible to tell what his bite was like previously.

 

[MadMcGoo]

This is a little too...I’m not sure the word. I came across a younger Native American girl who had commented on a post in one of the “Indigenous Women” advocate Facebook groups....it was THE PHOTO of the woman, who I now know to be from Canada. Point being, the young girl was claiming that it was her mother who had been killed in a hit and run accident in Denver, CO. when she was young. I even assisted her in notifying other sites that it was her mother. I never could verify the story of her mother being killed in a car accident, and I always share this information with others in order for them to do with what they want. But the girl was VERY adimate it was her deceased mother. So much so, that she posted it on her personal Facebook. I came across the Alberta woman’s story a month or so ago and was absolutely dumbfounded but I did not know to share with, what I knew. Of course, the girl has since ERASED the photo from her Facebook and ALL posts (that I was aware of it could find). Luckily I have screenshots. I’ve encountered my fair share of cons while doing the work I do, but this one has me at a loss. It seems like a very extreme lie to concoct. SO, any advice on how to handle the situation would be very much appreciated!

Another question I had for @daisy6441 , I found some information on the trucker who found WCJD, and I was wondering if you’d verify a DOB for the record you found on him?

I mentioned in my first post on this thread about a Jane Doe that was found in my hometown that was allegedly one of HLL’s victims....well, I found an arrest record today, in that county from that time for a “Rhoades”.... and I think it could be the same guy as the WCJD trucker!

I’ve almost caught up with the first thread on here (and I apologize if I seem to ramble...I am just trying to throw out the ideas that come to me as I go), and I was thinking about the panty hose...I don’t think as young as she was that she would be wearing them AND have her toenails painted. I’d think considering her overall clean cut look, she’d want to show her toes off. JMO.

I think that’s all. For now...

•MMcG•

 

[MadMcGoo]

I believe he'd had dental work in the interval that made it impossible to tell what his bite was like previously.

I hadn’t heard of Rhoades having dental work done, but I know for sure that HLL did. Not saying it didn’t happen, I just haven’t come across that yet. It almost seems like there was a “Serial Killer Club” during these few decades. As awful as that sounds. I’m willing to bet several of them were familiar with one another and exchanged “ideas” so to speak...there are just SOOO many unsolved murders that, even without stretching the imagination, you can somehow find a link or connection. Very scary!

•MMcG•

 

[MadMcGoo]

OTish... I know I’ve come across a compiled spreadsheet/Doc of rule outs but can not find it....does anyone have that link handy? I want to compare it to some of the not-so-obvious MP I’ve found. TIA

•MMcG•

 

[carbuff]

I hadn’t heard of Rhoades having dental work done, but I know for sure that HLL did. Not saying it didn’t happen, I just haven’t come across that yet. It almost seems like there was a “Serial Killer Club” during these few decades. As awful as that sounds. I’m willing to bet several of them were familiar with one another and exchanged “ideas” so to speak...there are just SOOO many unsolved murders that, even without stretching the imagination, you can somehow find a link or connection. Very scary!

•MMcG•

It might have been HLL. I don't follow serial killers closely.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I've also read articles suggesting Ben Robert Rhoades kept photos of his victims.

There are at least 3 photos apparently taken by Rhoades' of one of his victims, Regina Walters, readily available on line. I'm not going to post links to them because they are frankly disturbing - they are easy to find if you are so inclined.

A picture of one further potential victim, found in Rhoades' apartment was published as part of an excellent longform article by Vanessa Veselka in GQ (Robert Ben Rhoades: The Truck Stop Killer), however the presumed victim turned out to still be alive when she stumbled across the picture of herself online (Alberta woman recognizes herself in photo found in U.S. serial killer’s truck - APTN News).

Rhoades has been convicted of four murders, Regina and her boyfriend Ricky Jones, as well as another couple, Scott Zyskowski and Patricia Walsh, but is suspected in many more crimes. All four of his victims were picked up while hitch hiking in Texas - I would be stunned if investigators hadn't looked at him as a suspect in the case of WCJD.

Regina... gosh, those are some of the most ominous and terrifying photos I’ve seen! Especially knowing her heartbreaking fate!

 

[Mockturtle22]

Side by side with Mary Rodermund. This is way way closer than I would have thought. Click to enlarge.

Missing Person Case

That nose is distinctly different though.

 

[Mockturtle22]

I don't, but I am quite certain I read it in earlier posts on this thread.

Thought I had read that people witnessed her with a car, and that she may have left the purse in the car and then the person took off... like perhaps WCJD was expecting them to stay and wait and they simply did not. Interesting. This case has begun to haunt me almost as much as Arroyo has started to.

 

[detective24-7]

Thought I had read that people witnessed her with a car, and that she may have left the purse in the car and then the person took off... like perhaps WCJD was expecting them to stay and wait and they simply did not. Interesting. This case has begun to haunt me almost as much as Arroyo has started to.

I've read, watched, researched, etc. all sorts of true crime and disturbing current events over the years. For some reason, this one grabbed me and is haunting me also like none others ever have.

 

[Bit of hope]

OTish... I know I’ve come across a compiled spreadsheet/Doc of rule outs but can not find it....does anyone have that link handy? I want to compare it to some of the not-so-obvious MP I’ve found. TIA

•MMcG•

Here is her full story (also in detail what happened to her, so be warned) and rule outs (I'm not sure if all the ruleouts are on that list)

http://www.theinfolist.com/php/SummaryGet.php?FindGo=Walker_County_Jane_Doe

 

[RookieInvestigator]

I don't think it was the killers first time killing....I just read the link above and it may have provided one of his signature techniques...It stated he stuff items inside the victim...I've read about many cases, but I don't recall hearing about a case where that happened...It's possible it happened before and LE didn't release the info to the public...

My impression is that first time killers are disorganized and leave a lot of clues..I think this killer left very little evidence...

I just remembered the McDuff case...I wonder what happened to his accomplice, Green, after he left prison...I think they grabbed a victim from a gas station...

 

[MadMcGoo]

I don't think it was the killers first time killing....I just read the link above and it may have provided one of his signature techniques...It stated he stuff items inside the victim...I've read about many cases, but I don't recall hearing about a case where that happened...It's possible it happened before and LE didn't release the info to the public...

My impression is that first time killers are disorganized and leave a lot of clues..I think this killer left very little evidence...

I just remembered the McDuff case...I wonder what happened to his accomplice, Green, after he left prison...I think they grabbed a victim from a gas station...

I agree with you. I don’t think this was the killer’s first time. I also think the items used to “prevent a mess” is a unique detail. RBR was known to carry white towels with him and more than one of his victims had material similar to a white towel used during and after their sexual assault. One surviving victim stated that he placed a towel on the seat of his truck before assaulting her to prevent a “mess”. This was in the 90’s which was said to be about 15 years into his “spree”, meaning in 1980 he may not have been quite as organized as in later years. I also think the panty hose and the use of a foreign object during the sexual assault could be suggestive of a pattern.

I’ve only recently begun in depth research of this case, but it is one that I can’t get off of my mind!


•MMcG•

 

[TmmEye]

I know this sounds way off, but what if she was with a relative (similar to the Anjelica Castillo case)? If it wasn’t the first kill, maybe he killed his family.

 

[Jdart14]

I agree with you. I don’t think this was the killer’s first time. I also think the items used to “prevent a mess” is a unique detail. RBR was known to carry white towels with him and more than one of his victims had material similar to a white towel used during and after their sexual assault. One surviving victim stated that he placed a towel on the seat of his truck before assaulting her to prevent a “mess”. This was in the 90’s which was said to be about 15 years into his “spree”, meaning in 1980 he may not have been quite as organized as in later years. I also think the panty hose and the use of a foreign object during the sexual assault could be suggestive of a pattern.

I’ve only recently begun in depth research of this case, but it is one that I can’t get off of my mind!


•MMcG'

I agree. There are a couple aspects of this case that are very unique and are probably techniques/habits that were learned by the killer over time. That being said I think that you have taken a good approach MMcG. Finding similar cases and studying possible killer links. I know that doesn't necessarily get us any closer to finding our girls identity, but may shed some light on the killers "hunting grounds" possible areas that they frequented and hopefully home in on some areas to focus spreading the word and getting her picture/story out there to see if anything surfaces.

Many have described that this case "haunts" them. I don't know of a better way to describe it but it absolutely does. I think of it often...almost often enough that it scares a me a little....Its frustrating that we have been unable to advance this so far. I wish that they still had a sufficient DNA sample that they could work from to do some further research. Does anyone know of any cases that authorities have performed a 2nd exhumation? I have not heard of that happening. But I do feel like the best chance of solving this is through science. If it was a matter of funding to get this to happen I would gladly help take up donations and provide some myself as I'm sure a lot of you would also.

Hope you are all doing well today. Is anyone else here from Texas?

 

[MadMcGoo]

I know this sounds way off, but what if she was with a relative (similar to the Anjelica Castillo case)? If it wasn’t the first kill, maybe he killed his family.

I don’t think any ideas are way off! Weirder things happen everyday, so there isn’t much I rule out unless it CAN be ruled out!

I actually ran this story by my mom today, and ironically, she ran away when she was 15...in 1980! (I’ll never tell her age though! ) So she was trying to help me understand a little bit about how things were back then and what a girl her age may have been thinking. Her first question “was she a prostitute?”. No, it’s not likely, so she said that it could have been a similar situation to hers. My mom lived a very sheltered life in a small town, grew up in a devout Christian family, and at the time had begun going to church study groups at different family’s houses and realized she was “missing out” on normal teenage activities. So, she left home. She said at the time, she probably would have responded the same way as WCJD when asked about her parents, “who cares?”. And my mother maintained a good relationship with her parents, so. She said she thought that she had to have somehow met someone in prison and tried to make her way to where she thought he was, and ran into trouble. She was very interested in the shoes that were found (and had a long story about how if you did NOT have these back then, you weren’t ‘cool’) but she called them “YoYos”...and then I remembered working at a costume shop and one of our most rented costume was Sandy’s leather pant outfit from Grease. And we had a pair of vintage leather sandals, made by Candies...which my mother agreed was a popular brand also. She was confused about the inverted nipple detail, and quite disturbed at the details of her death, but that was the best opinion she had. Also, that she was very young, 14-16 was actually what she guessed. We both agreed that something may have happened to her family and she had become a ward of the state or placed in another home and she may have wanted to address the person responsible...which I know had been mentioned before, but we know a 14 year old who was adopted after a horrific crime involving his family and we could absolutely imagine him wanting to ask questions (unfortunately it was a parent who committed the crime).

I also remembered something when it was suggested that WCJD and OS May have been killed by a woman...I went back and read about RBR’s arrest, and wondered if maybe he DID have a female accomplice. Just the circumstances of how he was caught seemed a little brazzen even for an overly confident killer who had gone 15 years without being caught. Just some more food for thought. FWIW

I will have to look into the Castillo, McGuff and Green names that were mentioned...I don’t believe I’m familiar with those.

•MMcG•

 

[MadMcGoo]

Hey there! I’m doing well! Hope you had a good holiday! I spend at least a couple of days browsing through missing sites and even newspaper articles from the area, I’ve come up with quite a list of girls that are not on the ruleout list, but I’m slowly going back and dwindling that list down. But I agree with you, this may be one to be solved with science! My second hope was that IF a suspect in another similar case were caught, they’d do what some of the others do and admit to committing this murder. I honestly feel those are the two most likely scenarios! But I have seen many great things happen in the cold case department lately that NOTHING would surprise me!!!

I just recently read about an agency who had exhumed a body three times, I can’t remember if it was a Doe or if there was a question as to the manner of death, but I do remember them saying it was brutal for all involved. I’m sure it is a possibility just not one that most want to entertain. I wonder what ever became of the testing they did on her shoes? I’ve not heard anything about that.

I’ve often thought about helping fund extensive DNA testing, if it’s a possibility, so I would definitely assist in contributing and know a few who others who would probably help as well!

•MMcG•

ETA: Texas Panhandle, here!

E(again)TA: the victim/woman with RBR’s when he was arrested had bitten him on his should!

 

[Mockturtle22]

Here is her full story (also in detail what happened to her, so be warned) and rule outs (I'm not sure if all the ruleouts are on that list)

http://www.theinfolist.com/php/SummaryGet.php?FindGo=Walker_County_Jane_Doe

Great link! Thanks!

Eventually, I may cover her on my podcast. I recently lost my co-host and am starting over. The good thing about that is that I don't have to consult with anyone really about what I want to do or the style of show I feel up to producing.

For anyone afraid to click, there are no Post mortems.

I've seen the PM's for this Doe... and I think that in some ways, Carl K did a beautiful job with the recreations. The most recent one in particular but I still feel like some times it's better to look at the PM photos when comparing against missing people, vs the composites.


I really want this girl to be identified.... Seems as though no one cared about her enough to even report her though, so far. Which means we may never know... unless somehow they can match up genealogy

 

[TmmEye]

I don’t think any ideas are way off! Weirder things happen everyday, so there isn’t much I rule out unless it CAN be ruled out!

I actually ran this story by my mom today, and ironically, she ran away when she was 15...in 1980! (I’ll never tell her age though! ) So she was trying to help me understand a little bit about how things were back then and what a girl her age may have been thinking. Her first question “was she a prostitute?”. No, it’s not likely, so she said that it could have been a similar situation to hers. My mom lived a very sheltered life in a small town, grew up in a devout Christian family, and at the time had begun going to church study groups at different family’s houses and realized she was “missing out” on normal teenage activities. So, she left home. She said at the time, she probably would have responded the same way as WCJD when asked about her parents, “who cares?”. And my mother maintained a good relationship with her parents, so. She said she thought that she had to have somehow met someone in prison and tried to make her way to where she thought he was, and ran into trouble. She was very interested in the shoes that were found (and had a long story about how if you did NOT have these back then, you weren’t ‘cool’) but she called them “YoYos”...and then I remembered working at a costume shop and one of our most rented costume was Sandy’s leather pant outfit from Grease. And we had a pair of vintage leather sandals, made by Candies...which my mother agreed was a popular brand also. She was confused about the inverted nipple detail, and quite disturbed at the details of her death, but that was the best opinion she had. Also, that she was very young, 14-16 was actually what she guessed. We both agreed that something may have happened to her family and she had become a ward of the state or placed in another home and she may have wanted to address the person responsible...which I know had been mentioned before, but we know a 14 year old who was adopted after a horrific crime involving his family and we could absolutely imagine him wanting to ask questions (unfortunately it was a parent who committed the crime).

I also remembered something when it was suggested that WCJD and OS May have been killed by a woman...I went back and read about RBR’s arrest, and wondered if maybe he DID have a female accomplice. Just the circumstances of how he was caught seemed a little brazzen even for an overly confident killer who had gone 15 years without being caught. Just some more food for thought. FWIW

I will have to look into the Castillo, McGuff and Green names that were mentioned...I don’t believe I’m familiar with those.

•MMcG•

Thanks for the information! I think this might suggest a “school” type - one in the crowd of fame.