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

[Finders]

I'm curious to know why the autopsy report has never been released. This may hold clues and nothing against Huntsville but it is a small town. Perhaps more eyes on the facts could reveal something.

 

[Finders]

I did go to Huntsville earlier this week. The restaurant at the Hitch N Post is now closed. The gas station is still open. I GPS'd the ellis unit from the hitch n post and its not exactly close. The fact that her body was found north of town and the prison is essentially north-east gives me more confidence that she was picked up by a trucker at the hitch n post. Does anyone know the old address of the Gulf Shell? I can't find anything on it.

 

[carbuff]

I'm curious to know why the autopsy report has never been released. This may hold clues and nothing against Huntsville but it is a small town. Perhaps more eyes on the facts could reveal something.

Maybe request it via FOIA?

Some states and provinces have laws against releasing things like autopsy reports except to family members, or other restrictions on distribution.

 

[Kimm11]

Wow! It's closed now? I visited couple weeks ago and it was still open. But It was very old from the inside and smelled old too. So I guess they didn't have many costumers anymore

 

[crystal72]

A lot of people dont think it will happen to them. Or they dont care. Sometimes people would rather risk it then stay in their current situation.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

I was one that thought it wouldn't happen to me & I was very lucky it didn't. I hitchhiker usually w/a female friend all over town (granted it was local but still dangerous) now I realize I wasn't as smart or tough as I thought but thankfully I was lucky but many think the same way-

 

[Finders]

So I just read a book about profiling these types of crimes and this may not be a serial type as I had thought. It could just be a really inadequate guy that just flipped bc he picked her up and he propositioned her for sex and she said no. I seriously wonder sometimes how the human race has made it as far as we have. These people could be everywhere.

 

[Finders]

It was the day I was there. Looked to have been for a bit.

Wow! It's closed now? I visited couple weeks ago and it was still open. But It was very old from the inside and smelled old too. So I guess they didn't have many costumers anymore

 

[Tbone144]

I think this report relates to this case. Not sure on the other 2 girls.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.khou...rders-on-the-n-freeway-be-connected/415790635

They are gruesome murders. Women strangled and dumped on the side of the road. There are four cases with one thing in common: They all happened along the North Freeway in 1980, and police say they could be the work of a serial killer.
Under the twinkle of tail lights, someone hid a dark secret beneath the steady hum of the highway.
"You have brush, you have weeds, it is just the perfect breeding environment for dumping," said Cold Case Detective Darcus Shorten with the Houston Police Department.
She's made a career out of fighting for women.


So far, they've connected four cases along I-45 North. One case where a woman was found murdered just north of the city limits of Huntsville.
The other cases are all closer to Houston. Another woman was found near I-45 & Airtex, and another woman just down the road near Greens.
The final case is in Houston. A woman was found near I-45 at Stokes Street near the 610 Loop.
"There were some identifiers and some specific items that was alarming that were consistent to each other," Shorten said.
Investigators are holding back some details but found all of the victims strangled and some were sexually assaulted the same way.

Related cases on Namus I think. Not sure if they have pages or not.

https://www.identifyus.org/en/cases/1468

Warning Graphic:
https://www.identifyus.org/en/cases/4625

 

[Finders]

This is very interesting. The same type of sexual assault to me is a sure sign of a serial offender.

 

[zeldazonk1976]

Hi everyone; new to the forum and Websleuths/reddit/etc. in general. Attorney from the Midwest fascinated by missing persons/unidentified persons cases. Walker City Jane Doe's story has struck a chord with me, and so I have updated myself via this amazingly thorough forum hoping we all can produce a substantial lead to help put a name to this child. A few thoughts based on what I have read from all of you in the forum thus far:
(1) The Kitty Connection: Has anyone been able to uncover anything more about this or do we assume this is a dead-end/hopeless lead? From my untrained eye, Kitty appears too old/mature to be our girl, but you never know what sort of connections are shared by runaways in the same regions. In my experience, transient youth have far more connections to other transient youth in their area than the general public assumes.
(2) Connections to Aransas Pass/Corpus Christi/etc: I noticed a comment from some time back suggesting, due to our girl's noticeable Hispanic features, that she may have come from a Catholic family. Has anyone dug into Diocesan records (i.e. baptismal notices, records?) As a woman raised in a Catholic family, I know that parishioners are usually very helpful in stories such as these, and someone may know something.
(3) Cathy/Kathy: In my personal opinion, I'm surprised so many do not believe that Cathy/Kathy is our girl. To me, the resemblance is striking, and coupled with the brother/sister who helped bring light to this lead, it seems more likely than not that she is WCJD. About their story: has anyone dug into their stepfather/mother? Perhaps they knew who Cathy/Kathy was traveling with? Also, how long was Cathy/Kathy at the hotel? Connecting Cathy/Kathy with the party that paid for/housed her in the hotel is crucial.
(4) William Lewis Reece/Robert Ben Rhoades: I did some digging on both, and I have some ideas on possible connections but would like to know if anyone else has dug deeper into this. Both were employed as truckers; it seems very plausible that WCJD was stalked/offered a ride by someone who saw her in the restaurant. Both have strangulation/rape/brutal assault as MOs. WLR is younger than Rhoades, and it appears he was in the Oklahoma National Guard at some point/after school, but I am unsure of the time frame. Rhoades seems to me a more likely suspect due to the timeline of his crimes/connections to Texas/life as a trucker.

I apologize for how lengthy this post is and if I have covered something that has been vetted thoroughly. I look forward to discussing with people.

 

[carbuff]

Welcome to Websleuths, Zeldazonk

That's a good summary of where the case stands at the moment, I think. You ask a lot of good questions.

 

[CarlK90245]

I can respond to your quetion re: the Cathy/Kathy angle

(3) Cathy/Kathy: In my personal opinion, I'm surprised so many do not believe that Cathy/Kathy is our girl. To me, the resemblance is striking, and coupled with the brother/sister who helped bring light to this lead, it seems more likely than not that she is WCJD. About their story: has anyone dug into their stepfather/mother? Perhaps they knew who Cathy/Kathy was traveling with? Also, how long was Cathy/Kathy at the hotel? Connecting Cathy/Kathy with the party that paid for/housed her in the hotel is crucial.

The stepfather is now deceased. Their mother was still alive as of about a year ago, when this angle came to light. Their mother was the one who took the photo and had it in her photo album, and remembered that she had the photo when the brother/sister brought it up. She has already told them whatever she remembered from those few days.

We don't know how long "Kathy" and the couple were at the motel. The brother/sister and the mother and stepfather were only there for a few days, and from what I understand, Kathy and the couple remained there when they left.

 

[Roselvr]

I'm curious to know why the autopsy report has never been released. This may hold clues and nothing against Huntsville but it is a small town. Perhaps more eyes on the facts could reveal something.

I doubt it would get released via FOIA but surely someone could try. We had asked a few questions last year, they would not share certain things. Her shoes are being held back.

 

[paul1980]

it's thirty-seven years ago, the window for catching the guy is either getting smaller or has closed. Something's up... why are they so keen to hold thing back?

 

[Alleykins]

it's thirty-seven years ago, the window for catching the guy is either getting smaller or has closed. Something's up... why are they so keen to hold thing back?

Agreed. I know there is no statute of limitations on murder, but after so much time has past, let's say 30 years or so, what harm could it do to release information? Similar to what you said, the window of opportunity to catch the perpetrator narrows with each passing decade, so why bother being secretive after so long?

 

[bringherhome]

I did go to Huntsville earlier this week. The restaurant at the Hitch N Post is now closed. The gas station is still open. I GPS'd the ellis unit from the hitch n post and its not exactly close. The fact that her body was found north of town and the prison is essentially north-east gives me more confidence that she was picked up by a trucker at the hitch n post. Does anyone know the old address of the Gulf Shell? I can't find anything on it.

Did you take any pics of the building?

 

[bringherhome]

Agreed. I know there is no statute of limitations on murder, but after so much time has past, let's say 30 years or so, what harm could it do to release information? Similar to what you said, the window of opportunity to catch the perpetrator narrows with each passing decade, so why bother being secretive after so long?

Honestly I don't think they care....I mean it's people like us that are keeping her case alive and moving forward.

 

[Finders]

Did you take any pics of the building?

I didn't. In all honesty, it felt weird to be there. After all the reading on her case that I've done, it felt surreal to be there. I will go back next time I am close to Huntsville and I will take pics. Any particular requests?

 

[bringherhome]

I didn't. In all honesty, it felt weird to be there. After all the reading on her case that I've done, it felt surreal to be there. I will go back next time I am close to Huntsville and I will take pics. Any particular requests?

Wow that would great....just some shots of the outside and if possible inside....to think that was her last stop.

 

[Finders]

I should be going there this Thursday. I'll get pics.