Identified! VA - Annandale, WhtFem 245UFVA, ~60, 'NO CODE, DNR, No Penicillin', Dec'96

[princess_thundercloud]

New to this! Just amazed by how many rule outs there have been for this UP. Been following this one for a while.

 

[ThePhantom]

Every year around Christmas I come back to this case -- and just marvel at the fact that someone could be so alone in this world, that she could sit down in a cemetery and die, and in spite of having her picture on TV and in the newspaper, not a soul recognizes her. Maybe she was from another country and here on business. And per her request, they cremated her, the final nail on the coffin so to speak.

 

[princess_thundercloud]

Every year around Christmas I come back to this case -- and just marvel at the fact that someone could be so alone in this world, that she could sit down in a cemetery and die, and in spite of having her picture on TV and in the newspaper, not a soul recognizes her. Maybe she was from another country and here on business. And per her request, they cremated her, the final nail on the coffin so to speak.

Oh I know. It breaks my heart.

 

[Trident]

Every year around Christmas I come back to this case -- and just marvel at the fact that someone could be so alone in this world, that she could sit down in a cemetery and die, and in spite of having her picture on TV and in the newspaper, not a soul recognizes her. Maybe she was from another country and here on business. And per her request, they cremated her, the final nail on the coffin so to speak.

I think she is a woman who had no family left, probably retired for a while. I think she altered her appearance, hair, glasses, whatever. I believe she went somewhere far away from where she once lived, maybe somewhere she once seen, somewhere that she knew she would not be recognized. Obviously, she was done with this life and did not want to be identified, perhaps there was no reason for it, no one left to care. In this country our older/elderly people are not honored, cared about, and often not even remembered. Getting old is not fun, especially if you have no one who cares about you.

My opinion only

 

[ThePhantom]

Well stated, Trident, and I couldn’t agree with you more!!

 

[carbuff]

I hope she found peace at the end.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Loneliness is more common than we like to think, and festive seasons -like Christmas- emphasizes this.

I've been a volunteer for several years doing charity Christmas celebrations, and you'd be surprised to see the amount of unlikely kind of people who participate; small families, well-integrated immigrants, young people, successful people, you name it -I've seen them. The one thing they seem to have in common is the loneliness. The Christmas season is extremely family-oriented and it's easy to be left out if you don't have any family, close friends, or social network. It's hard times coming up for some of us in the few months left of the year, and I can see where Annandale Jane Doe (probably) is coming from.

 

[Bit of hope]

Loneliness is more common than we like to think, and festive seasons -like Christmas- emphasizes this.

I've been a volunteer for several years doing charity Christmas celebrations, and you'd be surprised to see the amount of unlikely kind of people who participate; small families, well-integrated immigrants, young people, successful people, you name it -I've seen them. The one thing they seem to have in common is the loneliness. The Christmas season is extremely family-oriented and it's easy to be left out if you don't have any family, close friends, or social network. It's hard times coming up for some of us in the few months left of the year, and I can see where Annandale Jane Doe (probably) is coming from.

According to a lot of people you are probably right...I'm not into Christmas at all and yes there are a lot of people out there feeling lonely, especially on the so called family days. But I'm not. In fact let me alone on Christmas and I will feel totally ok. Just another day....Annandale Jane Doe (or the red headed lady, that's what I call her) took her life, we will never know why... I could let it go, respecting her choice not to be identified...forever gone without a name, but a little flame in me says...I wanna know who she was.

 

[Bit of hope]

I decided to go ahead and submit Anna as a possible match to Annandale JD. I'll let you all know if I hear back.

Hi EmiLove, did you ever hear anything back on Anna Francis Leatherwood? Suppose not.... or is she already on the exclusion list?

 

[Richard]

I wonder what the status of the investigation is now that this case is almost 22 years old.

Was she cremated as she requested? Or was she buried by the state of Virginia somewhere? Was DNA sampling done which could today lead to some answers?

 

[Tssiemer]

The files are probably in the back of a closet in the basement of the Sheriff’s office? I doubt this is a high priority. She wanted to kill herself and remain anonymous. She got what she wanted. I say we leave her alone.

 

[dotr]

Patricia Mae Lopaka?
Missing Person Case
Date of Last ContactJanuary 1, 1983

Height 5' 1" (61 Inches)
Weight 175 lbs

 

[jsto240]

Bump for the Jane doe, maybe next year will bring some movement.

 

[folieadeuxnola]

.. bump ..

 

[ThePhantom]

I believe she was cremated. I don't think DNA was taken and there's nothing left to take now. In all these years no one has recognized her in spite of her picture appearing in the Washington Post and TV for several years after her death. It makes me feel like she had no living family left, or perhaps became estranged from whatever family she may have had, or, I've wondered if she might be from somewhere else. But really, I think she was from the area and kept to herself. I believe I read she was well groomed and was wearing nice clothes. So I've always wondered why absolutely no one recognized her when she was found -- no one at a hair or nail salon, drycleaners, grocery store, dentist or doctor's office, apartment complex or neighborhood, deli etc. Can someone truly be that anonymous? Sadly, I guess so.

 

[jsto240]

Yes sadly during cremation all DNA is destroyed.
Is there an article saying she was cremated?

We have to be realistic, but sometimes all it takes is one person looking at one photo at the right time and things start moving forward.

 

[CCJD]

I believe she was cremated. I don't think DNA was taken and there's nothing left to take now.

Respectfully snipped

They have her DNA.
"Investigators have the woman's DNA and found several of her personal belongings in the area, but they haven't been able to identify her. Police released a composite sketch of the woman and a video profiling her case on their Facebook page Monday."
Police Need Help ID'ing Woman Who Took Her Own Life in 1996

 

[carbuff]

It's back in the middle part of this thread somewhere. If I recall correctly, she was cremated as she requested, but there were biological samples still available.

The files aren't in the back of a filing cabinet. If there's a new submission or other lead, they will follow it.

I've seen her PM photos. The reconstruction is very accurate, in my opinion.

Most likely she was from another part of the country where they've never even heard of her death.

 

[ThePhantom]

I did not know they had her DNA -- wow-- I wonder under what circumstances they (whoever "they" is -- the police?) would be willing to submit her DNA for analysis. Since her death wasn't a homicide -- I guess there isn't much chance -- ? You know, I often think of the "Mall Man" case, in which a young man jumped to his death from a parking garage. His identity remained unknown for about five years I think. I, along with many others, spent copious amounts of time trying to uncover his identity. His photo was on various FB pages and was also shown on television and in the newspaper with no results. The victim's family hired a private investigator who uncovered "Mall Man's" identity. What struck me about this case was that his family did not live that far from where he was found. And I realized that in spite of all the social media in existence today, that if someone doesn't know where or how to look for a missing family member/friend, the person could be so close, yet remain so far away.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

It's Christmas eve, and I'm bumping for Christmas Tree Lady.
There are many of us thinking about you tonight.

Merry Christmas ♡