Identified! TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, Nov'80 #4 Sherry Ann Jarvis

[lonewanderer]

Just also chiming in that as notorious as this case may be to those "in the know", very few people would know it out in their normal, everyday lives. I only found out about this after becoming interested in Does after stumbling across the DNA Doe Project website and spiraling down the rabbit hole until I ended up here.

When I told my parents about WCJD, who are two very knowledgeable people about crime cases since they had the dubious honor of living in California back when all the notorious killers were at work, they had NEVER heard of this case whatsoever, not even from our many relatives who live in Texas. Also of note was my father was of the opinion her response of "Who cares?" when asked about where her parents was that it wasn't just a smartass quip from a teenager, he thought sadly enough (and was probably right) that her parents legitimately didn't give a hoot about where their daughter was or what she was doing. Unless they were young parents, both of them are probably deceased by now, and I wonder if either of them gave a thought about the daughter that they left in someone else's care and never saw again.

Personally, I think the "penpal theory" of why she was visiting someone at the prison seems pretty legit. Most prisons even today don't do the most thorough check with incoming mail, so unless they were scanning every piece of mail, an older man or even a young man in his late teens to early twenties could have easily flown under the radar of having a teenage penpal. That's also assuming she didn't claim she was over the age of eighteen to make herself seem more grown-up. At that age of 14-16, I know I would have totally been sucked into the fantasy of a man I'd never actually met paying attention to me, writing me letters and telling me all about how fantastic and mature I was. This would be even more apparent if her parents weren't in her life or very neglectful. An invitation to visit them in person would have been like catnip. She probably honestly hadn't thought out a plan more than "I'll visit him in person, we'll talk, he'll fall madly in love with me, and make a plan on what to do when he gets out of prison." Teens aren't particularly known for their long-term thinking. If he'd never seen her picture, he may not have put two and two together. Or he did, realized how very bad it would look to be communicating with a young girl, and kept his mouth shut, probably destroying any letters that he might have kept.

I had suggested in an earlier post (along with other theories) that she may have been essentially catfishing someone.

A user replied with really good points about why she would not have the need to do so, she was young and attractive etc. I didn't have much of a reply without sounding like I was totally reaching.

This makes sense as a good response. She may have wanted to seem older. I also don't think about things like how much she would have loved the attention. I am a male and that thought never hit me lol.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Because of her bite mark, wouldnt that have been compared to other caught SK who stalked in Texas?
Or only if they were known to leave bite marks?
Any thoughts or does anyone know how that works?
If it's TRUE about possible DNA on the sandals, that would have been compared too...

We would certainly hope so, but I don't think we should count on it.

 

[PuzzlinEvidence]

Because of her bite mark, wouldnt that have been compared to other caught SK who stalked in Texas?
Or only if they were known to leave bite marks?
Any thoughts or does anyone know how that works?

You would hope LE would have the bite mark compared with any impressions left at other murders/sex crimes. It would presumably require a fair amount of manual investigative work however, since it's not an exact science. As far as I know, dental impressions are not routinely recorded (unlike fingerprints).

I'd assume the best chance for solving this case is, like many others, genetic genealogy. But it has always stuck in my mind, probably because of how young the victim was & the brutality of her murder. It also seems like a case that should be solvable in more traditional ways, since there are two good potential leads: (1) Ellis Prison Farm; (2) Her being from Aransas Pass or Rockport, neither of which is/was particularly big.

For (1), an exhaustive search through prisoners who were held there at any time in the few months prior to her death - assuming such records still exist. Perhaps all these years later someone may be more forthcoming.

For (2), an exhaustive search through Middle School (or High School) photos in 78-80 should turn up something...although for LE it apparently didn't.

 

[rosesfromangels]

You would hope LE would have the bite mark compared with any impressions left at other murders/sex crimes. It would presumably require a fair amount of manual investigative work however, since it's not an exact science. As far as I know, dental impressions are not routinely recorded (unlike fingerprints).

I'd assume the best chance for solving this case is, like many others, genetic genealogy. But it has always stuck in my mind, probably because of how young the victim was & the brutality of her murder. It also seems like a case that should be solvable in more traditional ways, since there are two good potential leads: (1) Ellis Prison Farm; (2) Her being from Aransas Pass or Rockport, neither of which is/was particularly big.

For (1), an exhaustive search through prisoners who were held there at any time in the few months prior to her death - assuming such records still exist. Perhaps all these years later someone may be more forthcoming.

For (2), an exhaustive search through Middle School (or High School) photos in 78-80 should turn up something...although for LE it apparently didn't.

From all reports, it sounds as if LE and the immediate community was herculean in their efforts to identify this poor girl. However, LE science has progressed since 1980, and I would think a re-set would be helpful. That's assuming there are resources available to do such a deep study. I have a hunch the monster who murdered her is already in prison.

Great first post Puzzlin'. Welcome to WS!

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[faithx]

I wonder if long-haul truck driver Roy Michel Nellsch killed WCJD. In May 2019, he kidnapped and attempted to rape a woman who he picked up on I-24 near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, which is close to the Tennessee border. She put up an amazing fight and was able to escape, and Nellsch was arrested shortly after. He was indicted by a federal grand jury for kidnapping and child in February 2020. I don't think he has gone to trial yet in either of the state or federal cases, so new information hasn't been released since then.

Nellsch was a trucker for over 40 years. He told investigators that he picked up women that were stranded or hitchhiking 3 or 4 times a year. In 1980, he was 23 years old.

Given what was found in his truck, it is reasonable to suspect he is a serial killer:

"A subsequent search of the truck by law enforcement produced, among other items, two handguns; a stun gun; handcuffs; bags containing numerous pairs of women’s underwear and bras and numerous electronic devices, including a digital camera, laptop computers, cell phones, and media storage devices. A subsequent examination of the electronic devices found over 10,000 images and videos of child , including videos depicting violence against small children and a ledger with lists of names, ages, locations and descriptions of women and children."

Hair and blood were also found.

Long-Haul Trucker Indicted For Kidnapping And Child Crimes

Truck driver indicted on federal charges claiming he kept ledger of names of women and children

 

[Sweetluv]

Read up on the I 45 (Texas) serial killer truckers...labeled The Texas Killing Fields. Downright scary!
I wish cold case detectives would pick this case up and breathe new life into it. Someone might remember something.

 

[Finders]

I have requested multiple times for the dnadoeproject to pick up her case. I hope they do, eventually!!

 

[Sweetluv]

I have suggested her to Othram as well. They are AMAZING!

 

[cvaldez1975]

I wonder if long-haul truck driver Roy Michel Nellsch killed WCJD. In May 2019, he kidnapped and attempted to rape a woman who he picked up on I-24 near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, which is close to the Tennessee border. She put up an amazing fight and was able to escape, and Nellsch was arrested shortly after. He was indicted by a federal grand jury for kidnapping and child in February 2020. I don't think he has gone to trial yet in either of the state or federal cases, so new information hasn't been released since then.

Nellsch was a trucker for over 40 years. He told investigators that he picked up women that were stranded or hitchhiking 3 or 4 times a year. In 1980, he was 23 years old.

Given what was found in his truck, it is reasonable to suspect he is a serial killer:

"A subsequent search of the truck by law enforcement produced, among other items, two handguns; a stun gun; handcuffs; bags containing numerous pairs of women’s underwear and bras and numerous electronic devices, including a digital camera, laptop computers, cell phones, and media storage devices. A subsequent examination of the electronic devices found over 10,000 images and videos of child , including videos depicting violence against small children and a ledger with lists of names, ages, locations and descriptions of women and children."

Hair and blood were also found.

Long-Haul Trucker Indicted For Kidnapping And Child Crimes

Truck driver indicted on federal charges claiming he kept ledger of names of women and children

is this the trucker whom the FBI posted items wanting to identify them?

 

[rosesfromangels]

I have suggested her to Othram as well. They are AMAZING!

They absolutely are

 

[leilarose68]

I have requested multiple times for the dnadoeproject to pick up her case. I hope they do, eventually!!

It's been stated a few times on this thread but DDP has said that someone else has her case. In other words, a different genealogist/genealogy group has her case. Othram and Barbara Rae-Venter say it isn't them. And DDP has known about WCJD for years since so vast numbers of people have mentioned her to them.

 

[Susikatze]

I also dont think it is Parabon.

It really makes me wonder. I see DNA as the only way to solve her case right now. The two "leads" (Aransas Pass and the prison) may be red herrings.

It's been stated a few times on this thread but DDP has said that someone else has her case. In other words, a different genealogist/genealogy group has her case. Othram and Barbara Rae-Venter say it isn't them. And DDP has known about WCJD for years since so vast numbers of people have mentioned her to them.

 

[carbuff]

I also dont think it is Parabon.

It really makes me wonder. I see DNA as the only way to solve her case right now. The two "leads" (Aransas Pass and the prison) may be red herrings.

I think it's probably one of the other Texas facilities. UNT and Harris County are the best known, but there are several more local labs as well as some private, certified places in addition to Othram.

Since DNA tracing has been shown effective, everybody is trying to get their cold cases in line and the backlogs are pretty long. It's opening up opportunities for a lot of new people to get into the field.

 

[Adrian_Almost_Sleuth]

I have suggested her to Othram as well. They are AMAZING!

Nearly all the "big" unidentified cases (at least the women) have been identified, with Woodlawn (Margaret Fetterolf) this past week. It's getting pretty ridiculous that this UID hasn't been identified. It's a no brainer that @othram deserved to take on this case considering their spot on track record as of late. Who's even in charge of this case to begin with? They should hand it off to a party that actually gets results.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Nearly all the "big" unidentified cases (at least the women) have been identified, with Woodlawn (Margaret Fetterolf) this past week. It's getting pretty ridiculous that this UID hasn't been identified. It's a no brainer that @othram deserved to take on this case considering their spot on track record as of late. Who's even in charge of this case to begin with? They should hand it off to a party that actually gets results.

I actually posted a similar comment to Othram recently. I am duly impressed with the volume of results they keep producing. I agree, it's time for Othram to be authorized to work on WCJD!

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Springrain]

Nearly all the "big" unidentified cases (at least the women) have been identified, with Woodlawn (Margaret Fetterolf) this past week. It's getting pretty ridiculous that this UID hasn't been identified. It's a no brainer that @othram deserved to take on this case considering their spot on track record as of late. Who's even in charge of this case to begin with? They should hand it off to a party that actually gets results.

I have to agree. With all the strides forensic genealogy and specifically organizations like DNA Doe Project and Othram have made, I'm sure WCJD can be brought home.

Cali Doe was Tammy Jo Alexander. Buckskin Girl was Marcia King. Racine County Jane Doe was Peggy Lynn Johnson. Beth Doe was Evelyn Colon. Sumter County John Doe was James Freund. Sumter County Jane Doe was Pamela Buckley. Mount Vernon Jane Doe was Veronica Wiederhold. Woodlawn Jane Doe was Margaret Fetterolf. There's more, but these are some of the most well-known ones. I wish WCJD's case would be handed off to an organization that can handle it and solve it with relative ease.

 

[Sweetluv]

Hopefully, our girl is in the hands of DNA lab....I dont believe they would disclose that (?)

 

[fhesse]

Does anyone know if her teeth were ever used for isotope analysis? I know the police did some DNA testing a few years ago and used her lower jaw for that purpose. So it is possible that they did that as well. That would be interesting because it could shed light on the question in which region of the US she spent her life.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Does anyone know if her teeth were ever used for isotope analysis? I know the police did some DNA testing a few years ago and used her lower jaw for that purpose. So it is possible that they did that as well. That would be interesting because it could shed light on the question in which region of the US she spent her life.

Hi fhesse, welcome to WS and your first post!
According to her wiki article, which is actually very thorough with numerous references, she was exhumed in 1999 for another forensic exam, and a DNA sample taken. The case was apparently reopened in 2015, and DNA testing on the sandals occurred. Why she hasn't been identified is certainly baffling. I would like to see Othram take this case over

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Triss]

Does anyone know if her teeth were ever used for isotope analysis? I know the police did some DNA testing a few years ago and used her lower jaw for that purpose. So it is possible that they did that as well. That would be interesting because it could shed light on the question in which region of the US she spent her life.

I have a love-hate relationship with isotope testing. It can be far off sometimes.
No idea if LE did isotope analysis for this Jane Doe, though.