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

[Chelly]

Sadly, vulerable young women of her age and circumstances, alone in that place and time, were disposable.

 

[daisy6441]

(First of all, hi everyone!)

Does anyone know when they started gathering DNA from convicted criminals in Texas? After reading most of this thread, I felt she might have wanted to look up a long-lost father or brother in prison. But then I figured that if that was the case they probably would have found a DNA match. Unless they died or got out before they started the DNA program.

I don’t think whomever she was going to visit knew she was coming. Her entire trip doesn’t seem well-planned, more like she decided to go in the spur of the moment and completely underestimated the trip.

I agree that it doesn’t really make sense for her to leave the Hitchin’ Post so quickly when it was already late and well past visiting hours at the prison. Does anyone know if they looked into criminals who got out or paroled around that time? Maybe she wanted to get to the prison because the person she was meeting up with was being released. It could explain why she kept going regardless of the time and why no one /inside/ the prison knew her?

I think the police would have looked at any one released that day or the day before when no one in the prison admitted to knowing her. I wonder if they questioned prisoners in other units? I think the person who killed her wasn't connected to the prison and just happened to stumble across her at some point in her journey.

 

[cvaldez1975]

(First of all, hi everyone!)

Does anyone know when they started gathering DNA from convicted criminals in Texas? After reading most of this thread, I felt she might have wanted to look up a long-lost father or brother in prison. But then I figured that if that was the case they probably would have found a DNA match. Unless they died or got out before they started the DNA program.

I don’t think whomever she was going to visit knew she was coming. Her entire trip doesn’t seem well-planned, more like she decided to go in the spur of the moment and completely underestimated the trip.

I agree that it doesn’t really make sense for her to leave the Hitchin’ Post so quickly when it was already late and well past visiting hours at the prison. Does anyone know if they looked into criminals who got out or paroled around that time? Maybe she wanted to get to the prison because the person she was meeting up with was being released. It could explain why she kept going regardless of the time and why no one /inside/ the prison knew her?

this makes sense... release is usually around midnight or early morning. and unfortunately they didn't start taking DNA anywhere until the late 90's I believe.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I think the police would have looked at any one released that day or the day before when no one in the prison admitted to knowing her. I wonder if they questioned prisoners in other units? I think the person who killed her wasn't connected to the prison and just happened to stumble across her at some point in her journey.

Respectfully, I wouldn't assume this. Record keeping has improved since 1980, but even today there are all sorts of record goof ups. We have a long way to go with accurate and timely law enforcement records, and most especially how they are nationally and internationally connected. Back in 1980 the majority was manual, so who knows what shape those records are in.

 

[bringherhome]

Yes that would Springrain,she gave her that name.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Yes that would Springrain,she gave her that name.

I don't think "Walker County Jane Doe" is a bad choice; it's descriptive geographically if nothing else. That said, these nicknames if you will, *are* important. "Buckskin girl" is a perfect example. Her case got a lot of attention just because of that jacket and the moniker.
So the old adage of "what's in a name" really does mean something. If I were going to give this child a moniker (and I do believe her to be a child of 14 and maybe even younger), I would call her "Bluebonnet Doe" as that is the Texas state flower. And sadly, this child was born on earth, to bloom in heaven. : (

 

[bringherhome]

I don't think "Walker County Jane Doe" is a bad choice; it's descriptive geographically if nothing else. That said, these nicknames if you will, *are* important. "Buckskin girl" is a perfect example. Her case got a lot of attention just because of that jacket and the moniker.
So the old adage of "what's in a name" really does mean something. If I were going to give this child a moniker (and I do believe her to be a child of 14 and maybe even younger), I would call her "Bluebonnet Doe" as that is the Texas state flower. And sadly, this child was born on earth, to bloom in heaven. : (

I think ‘Ruthie’is a good name,I told Springrain that if it ended up being her real name that it would be very creepy,lol.

 

[cvaldez1975]

Respectfully, I wouldn't assume this. Record keeping has improved since 1980, but even today there are all sorts of record goof ups. We have a long way to go with accurate and timely law enforcement records, and most especially how they are nationally and internationally connected. Back in 1980 the majority was manual, so who knows what shape those records are in.

also, he may have been scheduled release that day but had a warrant. or he could have got out a few days before. they only communicated by letters then.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I'm dwelling on the fact this poor child was abused with a blunt object, beaten, there was no semen present, and of course the bite mark. Quite a distinct profile. Was the Perp impotent, diabetic, war wounded, or....female? My guess is male and impotent.
Someone upthread was talking about Henry Lee Lucas. He is an interesting list courtesy of Wikipedia of all serial killers. Useful, and chilling:
List of serial killers by number of victims - Wikipedia

 

[Paul B.]

When you consider names that were popular around the time WCJD was born, Ruthie is better than say, Valerie.

 

[bringherhome]

I'm dwelling on the fact this poor child was abused with a blunt object, beaten, there was no semen present, and of course the bite mark. Quite a distinct profile. Was the Perp impotent, diabetic, war wounded, or....female? My guess is male and impotent.
Someone upthread was talking about Henry Lee Lucas. He is an interesting list courtesy of Wikipedia of all serial killers. Useful, and chilling:
List of serial killers by number of victims - Wikipedia

If the attacker was female then it must have been like a butch kind of lesbian because the beating inflicted on her was very brutal.

 

[Alleykins]

If the attacker was female then it must have been like a butch kind of lesbian because the beating inflicted on her was very brutal.

Or she could have been jealous, people can become raving lunatics when in a jealous rage.
However, I think it was a male made impotent by being grossed out by something she may have said or done, like vomiting on herself (could be one possible reason why her clothes are missing, they could have stunk to high heaven) or telling him she was having her period. I recall those being self-defense tactics I learned at a rape prevention seminar I attended in the late seventies when we had a rash of attacks in our town. The lecturer said women were able to thwart attacks by throwing up, stating they were menstruating, pregnant or had a venereal disease. I clearly recall the man demonstrating by sticking his finger down his throat, though not all the way, to show us how to make ourselves vomit.

 

[proctorelites]

I just checked back and noticed something that surprised me. When I opened this thread I clicked to the Porchlight thread from the beginning. James Rhoades was the trucker who found WCJD? He is a serial killer right? I have been reading this thread over a long period of time and never saw him named as the actual person who found her body. That man was brutal. Have they checked his log? Maybe she was not the teenager from the night before, maybe she came with him? His log would show the route he was driving over the period prior to that. All of the people that have been reading here I am sure I was not the only person to note his name. Is it the same person? Am I missing a major part of the thread? Sorry guys I've been reading over time and may have forgotten or missed something about that.
The Porchlight poster was Monkalup and he posted this report from East Texas Today magazine
report Whose Child is This?
by Michael L. Hargraves it was posted in 2006 on Porchlight.

 

[daisy6441]

I just checked back and noticed something that surprised me. When I opened this thread I clicked to the Porchlight thread from the beginning. James Rhoades was the trucker who found WCJD? He is a serial killer right? I have been reading this thread over a long period of time and never saw him named as the actual person who found her body. That man was brutal. Have they checked his log? Maybe she was not the teenager from the night before, maybe she came with him? His log would show the route he was driving over the period prior to that. All of the people that have been reading here I am sure I was not the only person to note his name. Is it the same person? Am I missing a major part of the thread? Sorry guys I've been reading over time and may have forgotten or missed something about that.

No the serial killer was Robert Ben Rhodes. The man who found WCJD was from Friendswood, Texas. I have also wondered though if WCJD was the same girl they talked to. I think they recognized the shoes she was carrying.

 

[proctorelites]

No the serial killer was Robert Ben Rhodes. The man who found WCJD was from Friendswood, Texas.

Ok, I read a story about him last night and thought they spelled it with an a. I didnt even look before posting either, sorry. It just made alarm bells ding in my head big time. Thank you for the clarity

 

[daisy6441]

Ok, I read a story about him last night and thought they spelled it with an a. I didnt even look before posting either, sorry. It just made alarm bells ding in my head big time. Thank you for the clarity

Its been suggested before since RBR was in Texas that they might be related. I found an article yesterday stating the man who found her was from Friendswood so I did a little research and found he had a daughter about the age of WCJD.

 

[Jdart14]

This may have been discussed. I wonder is it possible she got confused about this: Ellis Prison in Huntsville or could she have gotten it confused from Ellis County Jail? It's 2to 2.5 hours north. Did the detectives consider this and ask inmates at Ellis Co. Jail in Waxahachie,Tx.? I know adults that say prison when they mean jail. There's a big difference but some ppl think of jail as jail, regardless of local county or prison. She could've asked someone far earlier and they said "oh you mean the prison" and gotten her all mixed up. That may be random idk. I just wonder did they consider checking the jail inmates there.

I don't know if Ellis Co. (Waxahachie) had a jail built in 1980 or if they were using cells inside the court house? Our local jail was in the back of the courthouse. It was on the back side and labeled as the county jail. In the 90's they built a large jail that stands independent of the courthouse miles away now.

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Interesting thought. Not sure if any follow up was Done on this. it likes like in 1980 ellis county had a good sized jail. It was also modified in 1974 when a juvenile addition was built.

 

[Moonwalker9]

I kind of wonder exactly where she was found. According to nameus they dont know they exact spot and doenetwork states "A truck driver passing by the Sam Houston National Forest found the unclothed body of the victim. She was lying face down on the shoulder of I-45 north, a half mile south of FM 1696 exit, 2 miles north of Huntsville"

When I check the "General Location" from nameus it seems like it's not close to the roadside which makes me wonder if the perp knew the location well enough to take the time to dump her there instead of just close to the road of the highway, Was he local? maybe a cop? Perhaps he's still in the area. The location of the body makes a huge difference IMO.

Google Maps

 

[Finders]

Perhaps the prison was just a reference point. The timeline suggests she wasn't really going to the prison.

 

[Jdart14]

November 1, 1980 Huntsville, Texas, United States 30.770025°N 95.6401154°W

I kind of wonder exactly where she was found. According to nameus they dont know they exact spot and doenetwork states "A truck driver passing by the Sam Houston National Forest found the unclothed body of the victim. She was lying face down on the shoulder of I-45 north, a half mile south of FM 1696 exit, 2 miles north of Huntsville"


When I check the "General Location" from nameus it seems like it's not close to the roadside which makes me wonder if the perp knew the location well enough to take the time to dump her there instead of just close to the road of the highway, Was he local? maybe a cop? Perhaps he's still in the area. The location of the body makes a huge difference IMO.

Google Maps

November 1, 1980 Huntsville, Texas, United States 30.770025°N 95.6401154°W



This is what’s given on wiki. Not sure on the accuracy. BUT the AREA has changed a lot since then. AS well as the highway