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

[detective24-7]

I'm not sure about the waitress. I think at one point it was said she viewed the body or photos of it. Is there any account directly from the waitress that we can read?

I will try and find what i've come across about mentioning the waitress confirming it was the same girl. Going from off the top of my head, I don't think there was much detail accounted for besides "the waitress who spoke to her the evening prior confirmed it was the girl who asked for directions to the prison unit the evening prior..." and something about the waitress mentioned the girl she gave directions to had a necklace with some smokey stone and was carrying her sandals. It was stated as if the journalist was reporting the interview rather than reading what the waitress literally said.

 

[daisy6441]

I am betting minors wouldn't be allowed to visit prisoners but that could be why she was claiming to be 19. Maybe she was trying it out to see if she could get away with it. Or maybe she didn't even know and thought she could just show up. I see several homes near the prison on google maps but they may not have been there back then. It is pretty isolated. The Estelle Unit is in that area too.

 

[cherrymeg]

This is something that is constantly asked and wondered - you would think there would be a list, either a requirement for the prisoner to add who they are expecting/allowing to visit or a sign in sheet of who comes and goes. I don't know if we've ever been able to confirm if they had this the year/month WCJD attempted going.

If the time is accurate that she was estimated to have left Hithin Post, I don't think she made it to the prison. That's just too late in the evening/night where I think she would've have just opted to try and make it the next day or it would've been closed for visitors by the time she got there (given the assumption she was visiting an in mate and not an employee).

I'm pretty sure someone answered the visitation questions. I could be wrong. Even if they did have approved visitors that doesn't mean she was using her real name or ID.

 

[cherrymeg]

If she was trying to visit someone in prison that day or even the next day she might have been in kind of a rush. Usually visitation hours are only at certain times of the day and last around an hour or so. Maybe it was different in 1980 but I kind of doubt prisons allowed walk-ins then. No one has mentioned her seeming in a hurry or worried about time. She needed someone to draw her a map. If she had contact with an inmate wouldn't they give her the info she needed?

 

[Feme98]

Google maps tells me it is about a 5 hour walk (abt 15 miles) from the Hitchin Post to the Ellis Unit. Only about 20 minutes by car. Do you think the waitress would have pointed this out to her? She might have been talking to people in the parking lot trying to get a ride because she knew she was so far away.

It's possible that she asked for a ride due to this, since she was seen getting out of another car before getting into the store, it's possible that she asked for different rides with different drivers. Just a thought.

 

[daisy6441]

It's possible that she asked for a ride due to this, since she was seen getting out of another car before getting into the store, it's possible that she asked for different rides with different drivers. Just a thought.

And for that reason there could be a dozen people who talked to her instead of just two. Supposedly, the police never tracked down the driver of the blue car that dropped her off at the gas station. Potentially she could have been with that person for an hour or more depending on where they picked her up. They could have known a lot about her.

 

[cherrymeg]

And for that reason there could be a dozen people who talked to her instead of just two. Supposedly, the police never tracked down the driver of the blue car that dropped her off at the gas station. Potentially she could have been with that person for an hour or more depending on where they picked her up. They could have known a lot about her.

A long car ride makes it harder to lie if you are talking. Even if you lie about your age and name some truths have to come through. Findingthis person would be hard , right?

 

[daisy6441]

If she was trying to visit someone in prison that day or even the next day she might have been in kind of a rush. Usually visitation hours are only at certain times of the day and last around an hour or so. Maybe it was different in 1980 but I kind of doubt prisons allowed walk-ins then. No one has mentioned her seeming in a hurry or worried about time. She needed someone to draw her a map. If she had contact with an inmate wouldn't they give her the info she needed?

I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out the person she was going to see didn't know her. The penpal angle has been brought up multiple times. Its possible she simply read about someone in the newspaper and decided she wanted to meet them. She wouldn't be the first woman to fall in love with an inmate and try to start a relationship. There were some big names in the Ellis Unit at the time.

A long car ride makes it harder to lie if you are talking. Even if you lie about your age and name some truths have to come through. Findingthis person would be hard , right?

The police tried to find the person but they claimed they never tracked them down. In all honesty there is so much traffic on the 45 that this person could have been from anywhere and traveling to anywhere. We still haven't been able to determine how big of a news store it was at the time. The person who dropped her off might have never even heard of her death.

 

[Feme98]

And for that reason there could be a dozen people who talked to her instead of just two. Supposedly, the police never tracked down the driver of the blue car that dropped her off at the gas station. Potentially she could have been with that person for an hour or more depending on where they picked her up. They could have known a lot about her.

It's possible that a new lead or witness report might come in the future.

 

[Paul B.]

What do you guys/gals think of the long-haul trucker possibility?

 

[cherrymeg]

What do you guys/gals think of the long-haul trucker possibility?

As the killer or as a witness? I think it works for both. Truck drivers on that route should be looked into. They might be easier to track down than people that were passing through.

 

[cherrymeg]

Did they ever mention if she had a purse, backpack or something with her when she was spotted by waitresses or people at the rest stops? If she was traveling far she would possibly have a change of clothes. She could have lost them in her travels or had to leave somewhere quickly. Her shoes were red wedges? Something she might have taken off because they weren't comfortable? Was her yellow shirt weather appropriate for Texas?

 

[Feme98]

Did they ever mention if she had a purse, backpack or something with her when she was spotted by waitresses or people at the rest stops? If she was traveling far she would possibly have a change of clothes. She could have lost them in her travels or had to leave somewhere quickly. Her shoes were red wedges? Something she might have taken off because they weren't comfortable? Was her yellow shirt weather appropriate for Texas?

From the waitress’s account, she walked in with her sandals on hand, carried no purse and walked with a dirty pullover. I’m not sure if she entered with company or alone but she did ordered a milkshake then asked her for directions to the prison, that she was seeing a friend and that she was 19.

 

[Friday Fan]

It was noted that she was strangled with pantyhose. I don't think she was wearing pantyhose (if she was the girl seen by the waitress) because if she was carrying sandals, the waitress would have certainly noticed that she was walking on pantyhose! I would have noticed! Walking on concrete with pantyhose is something you notice and remember~

 

[cherrymeg]

It was noted that she was strangled with pantyhose. I don't think she was wearing pantyhose (if she was the girl seen by the waitress) because if she was carrying sandals, the waitress would have certainly noticed that she was walking on pantyhose! I would have noticed! Walking on concrete with pantyhose is something you notice and remember~

Have they ever tested the panthose for DNA? I never thought much about how she was killed. I also assumed she had a bag or purse if she was hitchhiking just for at least a second outfit. It doesn't sound like people noticed one. Either no one mentioned it because it seemed normal unlike walking barefoot, she had her things in a safe place or she had her stuff in a car she traveled in. If her clothes are gone those probably aren't her pantyhose .

 

[cherrymeg]

From the waitress’s account, she walked in with her sandals on hand, carried no purse and walked with a dirty pullover. I’m not sure if she entered with company or alone but she did ordered a milkshake then asked her for directions to the prison, that she was seeing a friend and that she was 19.

It sounds like she was lying about her age. If you say 18 it's too obvious. Saying 19 or 20 makes it less likely anyone will press you about your age because they would assume you would say 18 or 21. MOO. If she was lying about being 19 that might mean she thought people like family or CYS/DHS etc. was looking for her and that if the cops were called she would be returned to parents or a foster home.

 

[daisy6441]

Have they ever tested the panthose for DNA? I never thought much about how she was killed. I also assumed she had a bag or purse if she was hitchhiking just for at least a second outfit. It doesn't sound like people noticed one. Either no one mentioned it because it seemed normal unlike walking barefoot, she had her things in a safe place or she had her stuff in a car she traveled in. If her clothes are gone those probably aren't her pantyhose .

The lack of a purse or bag seemed strange to me too. Either she lost it or she wasn’t the kind of girl who liked carrying one. I think she must not have lived too far from Huntsville and thought she could get there and back quickly. It might have taken a lot longer than she expected once she left home.
As for the sweater it just depends. Some years it is hot as hell on Halloween and some years it’s super cold.

 

[daisy6441]

A

What do you guys/gals think of the long-haul trucker possibility?

According to what was reported she was only seen in cars or talking to people in cars. Even though the Hitchin Post was called a truck stop it seems that local people also frequented the restaurant. Last people we know she was seen talking to were the men in the station wagon.

 

[Feme98]

It sounds like she was lying about her age. If you say 18 it's too obvious. Saying 19 or 20 makes it less likely anyone will press you about your age because they would assume you would say 18 or 21. MOO. If she was lying about being 19 that might mean she thought people like family or CYS/DHS etc. was looking for her and that if the cops were called she would be returned to parents or a foster home.

The waitress also said that she didn’t believe she was 19. I don’t know if she called LE to report a possible runaway.

 

[Feme98]

The lack of a purse or bag seemed strange to me too. Either she lost it or she wasn’t the kind of girl who liked carrying one. I think she must not have lived too far from Huntsville and thought she could get there and back quickly. It might have taken a lot longer than she expected once she left home.
As for the sweater it just depends. Some years it is hot as hell on Halloween and some years it’s super cold.

I’ve always thought of the pullover and sandals as a partial hot day, perhaps October 31st 1980 was a warm day.