VA VA - Zuni, WhtFem 50-55, UP136606, passenger in MVA, Jul'49

[Romulus]

Unidentified Person/NamUs #UP136606
Female, White/Caucasian
Date Body Found: July 10, 1949
Location Found: Zuni, Virginia
Estimated Age Range: 50-55 Years
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 60
Estimated Age Range (Years): 50-55
Estimated Year of Death--
Estimated PMI: 15 Minutes
Height: Cannot Estimate
Weight: Cannot Estimate

Location: Zuni, Virginia
County: Southampton County

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Circumstances of Recovery: Passenger of a tractor trailer involved in a motor vehicle accident.

 

[DS2021]

This article claims she was a hitchiker picked up in petersburg, about 40 miles from Zuni

This article estimates she was between the ages of 18 and 25.

Im not seeing any strong potentials in namus

Zuni Jane Doe

Clipping found in The Virginian-Pilot published in Norfolk, Virginia on 7/12/1949. Zuni Jane Doe

www.newspapers.com

 

[victoriarobinson642]

This article claims she was a hitchiker picked up in petersburg, about 40 miles from Zuni

This article estimates she was between the ages of 18 and 25.

Im not seeing any strong potentials in namus

Zuni Jane Doe

Clipping found in The Virginian-Pilot published in Norfolk, Virginia on 7/12/1949. Zuni Jane Doe

www.newspapers.com

I'm no anthropologist but I feel like there's a pretty big difference between young adult vs middle aged.

 

[Catlady_Ellen]

I’ve read as many newsarticles as I could find. She was a hitchhiker going to Norfolk and was picked up by a 23-year old trucker at the intersection of Route 301 and 460. He picked her up at around 3:30am and they had a short conversation but she fell asleep before he learned her name or what she was going to do in Norfolk. Unfortunately the trucker fell asleep while he was driving and rear-ended a car, the truck flipped over and caught on fire. He made it out, she didn’t, though he tried to go back and save her.

While Namus estimates her as 50 - 55, the medical examiner estimated her to be 18 - 25 (as mentioned earlier by someone else), and the trucker said she seemed to be 30 - 35. The newspapers also give a physical description:

Race: White
Hair: Brown
Height: 5 ft 2 in
Age: early 30’s?
Clothes: White blouse and black skirt
Other: she seemed to have a problem with her right leg, she walked as if it was stiff at the joint. She said it was due to a broken leg. She had a small frame

I hope she gets identified, despite the case being 76 years old there might still be living people who knew her and wonder where she went

 

[Nate_Bro]

I’ve read as many newsarticles as I could find. She was a hitchhiker going to Norfolk and was picked up by a 23-year old trucker at the intersection of Route 301 and 460. He picked her up at around 3:30am and they had a short conversation but she fell asleep before he learned her name or what she was going to do in Norfolk. Unfortunately the trucker fell asleep while he was driving and rear-ended a car, the truck flipped over and caught on fire. He made it out, she didn’t, though he tried to go back and save her.

While Namus estimates her as 50 - 55, the medical examiner estimated her to be 18 - 25 (as mentioned earlier by someone else), and the trucker said she seemed to be 30 - 35. The newspapers also give a physical description:

Race: White
Hair: Brown
Height: 5 ft 2 in
Age: early 30’s?
Clothes: White blouse and black skirt
Other: she seemed to have a problem with her right leg, she walked as if it was stiff at the joint. She said it was due to a broken leg. She had a small frame

I hope she gets identified, despite the case being 76 years old there might still be living people who knew her and wonder where she went

Have you got links for the articles still?

 

[Catlady_Ellen]

Have you got links for the articles still?

Yes! I only kept some of them, but I made sure they had all info that was available in the other articles. Sorry for late reply, I haven’t been on this site in a while

Newspaper articles:

Jul 11, 1949, page 2 - Richmond Times-Dispatch at Newspapers.com™

Jul 11, 1949, page 3 - Suffolk News-Herald at Newspapers.com™

Jul 11, 1949, page 15 - The Richmond News Leader at Newspapers.com™

Jul 11, 1949, page 11 - Ledger-Star at Newspapers.com™

Jul 12, 1949, page 13 - The Virginian-Pilot at Newspapers.com™

Jul 17, 1949, page 1 - Suffolk News-Herald at Newspapers.com™

Jul 19, 1949, page 13 - The Virginian-Pilot at Newspapers.com™

 

[Catlady_Ellen]

On a few occassions I have gone through missing persons to try and find a match, I’ve looked on NAMUS, The Doe Network, and The Charley Project, but all of the people who look similar to the description given in newspapers are (in my opinion) unlikely. I looked at people who went missing 1947 - 1949, and then a few more years before and after when I didn’t find anything.

Based on this I personally think this might unfortunately be a woman who was never reported missing. I have had trouble fully believing that - she wanted to go to Norfolk for a reason, I think that surely she must’ve known someone there. But for some reason she might never have been reported missing. Then there’s the possibility that she was missing but declared dead and her case was closed, when I have more free-time I’ll try to look at missing persons cases from this time with people matching this woman’s description, and see if I find any cases that were closed without the missing person being found.

In my opinion, the most likely is that she was simply never reported missing. In the 40’s people didn’t keep contact like today, so this woman’s family might not have been alarmed as quickly as we would be today (if she had a family).

Honestly I just have so many questions about this woman, and it breaks my heart that she might never be identified.