While many true crime cases from decades past remain unsolved, these tragedies are only compounded when a victim is unable to be identified. Many families of John and Jane Does never have the closure of knowing what happened to a missing loved one, and victims’ real names and stories remain unknown.
Fortunately, however, we have come a long way in developing and using technology to identify victims and give them the justice and recognition they deserve. Genealogical research, nonprofit organizations like the DNA Doe Project, and even social media have changed everything and have helped crack hundreds of cases. Though some of these cases still have many unknowns, and continue to be investigated, these Jane Does finally had their real names returned decades later, proving that justice and closure can still be found even in the coldest of cases.
The Person That Found ‘Bossier Doe’ Is Now A Person Of Interest In Her Murder
John Chesson and his children were walking in the woods of Bossier Parish, LA, on January 28, 1981, when they came upon the decomposed remains of a young woman. Estimates placed her date of death four to six weeks prior to her discovery. No one came forward to identify her and she was nicknamed “Bossier Doe.” Authorities had no idea who she was or whether she was even from the area. However, the brutal nature of the crime left them determined to find her identity and get her justice.
Thirty-four years later, a Facebook profile a detective made for Bossier Doe generated new leads that pointed to a missing Michigan teen by the name of Carol Ann Cole. DNA tests confirmed that Bossier Doe was in fact Cole. Cole had moved to San Antonio,TX, with her mother in 1980 and went missing after attending a party in the Shreveport, LA, area. Cole had allegedly been in some trouble with the law at the time. Despite her family reporting her missing, incorrect dental records sent in by Cole’s mother had previously ruled out Bossier Doe as Cole.
While there’s been several persons of interest in her case, no one has been formally accused. Chesson, the man who found Cole’s body, became a person of interest after his daughter, Frances Aucoin, stated that he had picked up Cole while she was hitchhiking. Cole allegedly stayed with the family, then suddenly disappeared. Aucoin believes her father to be responsible and that he led them to the body out of guilt. Chesson was convicted of murdering his mother-in-law in 1997 but never admitted to any wrongdoing in Cole’s case before he passed in 2016. While authorities are reportedly investigating Chesson, as well as other possible suspects, Cole’s family doesn’t believe Chesson is responsible and the case remains unsolved.
Cole’s sister, Linda Phelps, expressed the mixed feelings of finally learning her sister’s fate, saying, “All I can think right now is wow. I finally found Carol Ann… Definitely not the way I wanted to find my sister…There was a sense of relief, but also a deep sadness.”
A Photo Resembling ‘Pima County Jane Doe’ Was Found In The Possession Of A Convicted Murderer
The last time Bill Gerow saw his sister, Brenda, she was getting on the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle and moving out West. It was 1980 and his “flower child” sister was dating a man named Jack Kalhauser. But it turned out Brenda didn’t know Kalhauser at all. She didn’t know that when they left New Hampshire, Kalhauser was actually jumping bail – he’d been charged with armed assault with intent to murder. In addition, Kalhauser had already been convicted of a murdering another man in 1971 as a teenager, but had only served a short sentence.
According to Bill, the last time he heard from Brenda, she called him from Arizona: “It wasn’t a joyful phone call. She said, ‘I’m coming home.’ I said, ‘Is everything alright?’ She said, ‘No, I’m coming home and I’ll see you soon… I can’t talk right now.’” Bill tried to report his sister missing, but was told she likely didn’t want to be found.
On April 8, 1981, a pair of hunters in Pima County, AZ, stumbled upon the body of a young woman who’d been strangled and left down a desert wash. All that investigators could figure out was that she was young, between the ages of 17 and 25. Known only as “Pima County Jane Doe,” clues remained sparse, until a young woman named Diane van Reeth went missing in 1995.
Van Reeth had recently filed for divorce from her husband, Donald Stecchi, when she didn’t show up for work one day. Investigators soon learned that “Donald Stecchi” was in fact John “Jack” Kalhauser. Kalhauser was eventually sentenced to 20 years for van Reeth’s murder, but during the investigation, a mysterious photo turned up in Kalhauser’s wallet. It was of a young blond woman holding flowers. Kalhauser refused to say who she was.
In 2012, the body of Pima County Jane Doe was exhumed to gather new evidence and create a facial reconstruction. After the reconstruction, cold case investigators suddenly noticed a haunting similarity to the photo that was found in Kalhauser’s possession. The photo was released on social media and eventually found its way to Bill. A DNA test confirmed that Pima County Jane Doe was Brenda Gerow.
Kalhauser has been named a person of interest in Gerow’s case, but as of 2022 has not been charged. According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, he was released for the van Reeth killing in 2019.
A Photo Resembling ‘Pima County Jane Doe’ Was Found In The Possession Of A Convicted Murderer
The last time Bill Gerow saw his sister, Brenda, she was getting on the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle and moving out West. It was 1980 and his “flower child” sister was dating a man named Jack Kalhauser. But it turned out Brenda didn’t know Kalhauser at all. She didn’t know that when they left New Hampshire, Kalhauser was actually jumping bail – he’d been charged with armed assault with intent to murder. In addition, Kalhauser had already been convicted of a murdering another man in 1971 as a teenager, but had only served a short sentence.
According to Bill, the last time he heard from Brenda, she called him from Arizona: “It wasn’t a joyful phone call. She said, ‘I’m coming home.’ I said, ‘Is everything alright?’ She said, ‘No, I’m coming home and I’ll see you soon… I can’t talk right now.’” Bill tried to report his sister missing, but was told she likely didn’t want to be found.
On April 8, 1981, a pair of hunters in Pima County, AZ, stumbled upon the body of a young woman who’d been strangled and left down a desert wash. All that investigators could figure out was that she was young, between the ages of 17 and 25. Known only as “Pima County Jane Doe,” clues remained sparse, until a young woman named Diane van Reeth went missing in 1995.
Van Reeth had recently filed for divorce from her husband, Donald Stecchi, when she didn’t show up for work one day. Investigators soon learned that “Donald Stecchi” was in fact John “Jack” Kalhauser. Kalhauser was eventually sentenced to 20 years for van Reeth’s murder, but during the investigation, a mysterious photo turned up in Kalhauser’s wallet. It was of a young blond woman holding flowers. Kalhauser refused to say who she was.
In 2012, the body of Pima County Jane Doe was exhumed to gather new evidence and create a facial reconstruction. After the reconstruction, cold case investigators suddenly noticed a haunting similarity to the photo that was found in Kalhauser’s possession. The photo was released on social media and eventually found its way to Bill. A DNA test confirmed that Pima County Jane Doe was Brenda Gerow.
Kalhauser has been named a person of interest in Gerow’s case, but as of 2022 has not been charged. According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, he was released for the van Reeth killing in 2019.
- Though Friends Of ‘Pyjama Girl’ Knew Who She Was, A Mistake In Dental Work Led To Her Going Unidentified For A Decade On September 1, 1934, the badly burned body of a woman was found wrapped in a sack and in a towel 5 miles west of Albury, Australia. The woman was wearing Asian-style pajamas, and this detail led to the media dubbing her “Pyjama Girl.” Unlike many Jane Doe cases, several people claimed to know the identity of the woman and told police the victim was Linda Agostini. The police, unfortunately, were misled by inaccurate dental records that did not match Agostini to the remains. Pyjama Girl’s body was therefore preserved in formalin in a zinc-lined bath at the University of Sydney and was shown to hundreds of people in an attempt to solve the case.Police questioned Agostini’s husband, Antonio Agostini, at the time of the murder, but he claimed that his wife had left him and that he was unaware of her whereabouts. Since the dental records didn’t match, police couldn’t confirm the body was Linda and therefore stopped looking at Antonio as a suspect. It wasn’t until a decade later in 1944 that the errors in matching the dental records were discovered. This, along with the prior statements of those who recognized her, led authorities to formally ID Pyjama Girl as Linda Agostini. Once this news came to light in March 1944, her husband was once again questioned by police. Antonio eventually confessed his role in his wife’s murder and subsequent attempt to burn the remains to get rid of the evidence. He was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison and hard labor.
Shortly Before Her Demise, ‘Walker County Jane Doe’ Asked Numerous People For Directions To A Nearby PrisonWhen the body of a teenage girl was discovered on the side of Interstate 45 in Huntsville, TX, on November 1, 1980, she had only been deceased for a few hours. The only leads authorities could find came from a a manager and two workers at the nearby South End Gulf gas station and a Hitchin’ Post truck stop. They told authorities they had seen the young girl the day before her remains were found and that she had been asking for directions to Ellis Prison Farm, a state penitentiary on the outskirts of town. A waitress at the truck stop had reportedly asked her if her parents knew where she was, to which the girl responded, “Who cares?” For over 40 years her identity remained a mystery. After intensive DNA testing and reconstruction that took over a year, Walker County Jane Doe was connected to a small set of people who were blood relatives. Authorities sifted through the individuals and narrowed it down until they were able to find her siblings. Her family was eventually contacted, and after further testing and investigation, it was confirmed that the body was that of 14-year-old Sherri Ann Jarvis.Sherri was from Stillwater, MN. She had a pattern of running away, as well as truancy, which led to her being put in a state-run crisis home. She ran away for the last time in early 1980, and the last contact she had with her family was through a postcard that she had sent them from Denver, CO. Her family searched for her for years and even hired a private investigator to attempt to locate her. How she ended up in Texas, why she was trying to visit the prison, and who killed her remain a mystery.After she was identified, Sherri’s family released a statement, saying:We lost Sherri more than 41 years ago and we’ve lived in bewilderment every day since, until now as she has finally been found. Sherri Ann Jarvis was a daughter, sister, cousin and granddaughter. She loved children, animals and horseback riding… She was deprived of so many life experiences as a result of this tragedy. She was denied the opportunity to experience romance and love, marital bliss, the heartache and pain of loss, the pure joy of having children or growing old and being able to reflect on such milestones afforded an abounding lifetime… You are with mom and dad now, Sherri, may you rest in peace.
After Four Decades, ‘Buckskin Girl’ Became One Of The First Jane Does To Be Identified From A Public Genealogy Database“Buckskin Girl” was found strangled in Troy, OH, on April 24, 1981. The young redhead was found wearing a fringed suede jacket from which her nickname stemmed. Her physical characteristics, including good dental work and good hygiene, seemed to indicate that she was not a runaway or living on the street; instead, it seemed she came from a family with means. She was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Ohio with no personal information on her grave marker, and for 35 years, things remained that way. Although they circulated her composite picture, authorities weren’t able to catch a break. It wasn’t until 2016 that, with help from the DNA Doe Project, authorities were able to connect samples of her DNA to a first cousin. This cousin informed them that she had a female cousin who had gone missing in the early ’80s. Buckskin Girl was revealed to be 21-year-old Marcia King. King had left her home in Arkansas in 1980, presumably to travel around the US, and because she was an adult, her family didn’t formally file a missing persons report. King’s identity was one of the first in the country to be solved thanks to genealogical records. Investigators have been able to construct a timeline of her last weeks, including her involvement with a religious organization called the Way, which some have compared to a cult. Unfortunately, the events leading to her demise and the assailant remain unknown.
- In 2022, ‘Little Miss Nobody’ Was Identified As An Abducted Child After 62 YearsFor 62 years, a deceased little girl found in Arizona was only known as “Little Miss Nobody.” The child’s body was found off of Highway 93 near Yavapai County, AZ, on July 31, 1960. When authorities inspected the remains, they believed the child to be around 7 years of age, and as such, they dismissed reports of missing children younger than 7. In 2022, thanks to advances in technology and DNA, Little Miss Nobody’s DNA matched to a few people in the area. Subsequent investigation led authorities to relatives of the girl. It was then discovered that the child was Sharon Lee Gallegos, a 4-year-old who had been abducted on July 21, 1960. Sharon was behind her grandmother’s house playing with other children when a couple in a sedan kidnapped her from the town of Alamogordo, NM. The couple had allegedly been stalking the little girl for days. Ten days after her kidnapping, her body was found. She was estimated to have been deceased for at least a week.Now that Sharon has her name back, her relatives have given her a proper burial. The case remains unsolved but police say the investigation is ongoing.
Amateur Sleuths Tracked Down ‘Lavender Doe’ And Her Family, Who Never Knew What Became Of HerOn October 29, 2006, two men came across a badly burned body near Longview, TX. Given the date, the men initially thought the body was a mannequin in some sort of Halloween prank. Authorities released a few details regarding her clothing, including the lavender color of her shirt. This detail left the young woman with the nickname “Lavender Doe.” For years, Lavender Doe was yet another unknown young girl with no family and no closure. That all changed in 2018, thanks to to the tenacious and relentless pursuit of truth on behalf of internet sleuths. The three sleuths, who are all volunteers with the DNA Doe Project, devoted countless hours to Lavender Doe’s case, scouring public records and piecing together a family tree of her ancestors dating back over a century. It eventually led them to her name.With help from local authorities, Lavender Doe was revealed to be 21-year-old Dana Lynn Dodd. The group had finally managed to narrow down Dodd’s genealogy to match with close cousins. These cousins were unaware of any family member who’d gone missing. Further digging revealed that a distant uncle of the cousins had a daughter with a woman from East Texas who would have been around Dodd’s age when she died. The woman, Dodd’s mother, had passed a month before Dodd’s body was found. The volunteers eventually tracked down Dodd’s half sister, Amanda Gadd, and her high school best friend, Bobbie Lynn Hodge, who’d never forgotten her. Gadd described Dodd’s unstable home life, with parents who’d abandoned her. Gadd had taken Dodd in during her high school years, but troubles of teen rebellion, school, and drugs soon followed her. Dodd later stayed with Hodge, but at 18, Hodge found out she was pregnant. While her friend was turning to harder drugs, Hodge decided to get clean for her baby, and kicked Dodd out. Dodd left town to join a traveling magazine sales crew. Hodge recalled, “When she left, she said, ‘You’re my last person. Nobody else will help me.’”While Dodd’s family and friends had searched for her on the internet and liked to imagine that she had a happy life somewhere, Dodd’s life was taken by Joseph Wayne Burnette. Burnette confessed that he’d picked Dodd up in a Walmart parking lot after she’d approached him with magazines, had intercourse with her, and killed her after he found her attempting to steal money from him. He had left $40 in the pocket of her jeans after he killed her because in his words, “That was money she had earned.”Dodd’s loved ones now have given her a grave marker with her real name. Hodge found herself wondering, “If I wouldn’t have kicked her out, like, where would we be now?” before saying, ”I’d be right there with her… I would probably be dead too.”
Investigators Knew ‘Cali Doe’ Was From A Warm Climate Based On Her Tan LinesIn November 1979 the body of a teenage girl who’d been shot to death was found in Caledonia, NY. A farmer came across the young woman’s body in a cornfield; she was completely clothed but had no identification on her. Inquiries into local missing women turned up no matches, leading the young woman to be dubbed “Cali Doe.” While there weren’t many leads for authorities to follow, they did feel confident in their belief that Cali Doe was not from the area due to the tan lines on Cali Doe’s body. It was late autumn in New York, so tanning didn’t make sense. Pollen on her body was also determined not to be from the area but rather somewhere closer to Florida or Southern California. For nearly 35 years, Cali Doe’s identity remained unknown. It wasn’t until 2015 that her family published information on her disappearance online after discovering that there was no information regarding her case on the internet. Livingston County authorities had a composite of Cali Doe released and internet sleuths were able to connect the dots. Cali Doe was discovered to be Tammy Jo Alexander, a teenager from Florida who’d only just turned 16 before she was found slain. DNA tests run with samples from Alexander’s sister confirmed her identity. Due to her unstable home life and previously running away, Alexander’s family and friends didn’t look for her upon her initial disappearance.They believed she did not want to be found. While her identity is now known, her case remains unsolved.
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Amateur Sleuths Tracked Down ‘Lavender Doe’ And Her Family, Who Never Knew What Became Of Her
On October 29, 2006, two men came across a badly burned body near Longview, TX. Given the date, the men initially thought the body was a mannequin in some sort of Halloween prank. Authorities released a few details regarding her clothing, including the lavender color of her shirt. This detail left the young woman with the nickname “Lavender Doe.”
For years, Lavender Doe was yet another unknown young girl with no family and no closure. That all changed in 2018, thanks to to the tenacious and relentless pursuit of truth on behalf of internet sleuths. The three sleuths, who are all volunteers with the DNA Doe Project, devoted countless hours to Lavender Doe’s case, scouring public records and piecing together a family tree of her ancestors dating back over a century. It eventually led them to her name.
With help from local authorities, Lavender Doe was revealed to be 21-year-old Dana Lynn Dodd. The group had finally managed to narrow down Dodd’s genealogy to match with close cousins. These cousins were unaware of any family member who’d gone missing. Further digging revealed that a distant uncle of the cousins had a daughter with a woman from East Texas who would have been around Dodd’s age when she died. The woman, Dodd’s mother, had passed a month before Dodd’s body was found.
The volunteers eventually tracked down Dodd’s half sister, Amanda Gadd, and her high school best friend, Bobbie Lynn Hodge, who’d never forgotten her. Gadd described Dodd’s unstable home life, with parents who’d abandoned her. Gadd had taken Dodd in during her high school years, but troubles of teen rebellion, school, and drugs soon followed her. Dodd later stayed with Hodge, but at 18, Hodge found out she was pregnant. While her friend was turning to harder drugs, Hodge decided to get clean for her baby, and kicked Dodd out. Dodd left town to join a traveling magazine sales crew. Hodge recalled, “When she left, she said, ‘You’re my last person. Nobody else will help me.’”
While Dodd’s family and friends had searched for her on the internet and liked to imagine that she had a happy life somewhere, Dodd’s life was taken by Joseph Wayne Burnette. Burnette confessed that he’d picked Dodd up in a Walmart parking lot after she’d approached him with magazines, had intercourse with her, and killed her after he found her attempting to steal money from him. He had left $40 in the pocket of her jeans after he killed her because in his words, “That was money she had earned.”
Dodd’s loved ones now have given her a grave marker with her real name. Hodge found herself wondering, “If I wouldn’t have kicked her out, like, where would we be now?” before saying, ”I’d be right there with her… I would probably be dead too.”
Investigators Knew ‘Cali Doe’ Was From A Warm Climate Based On Her Tan Lines
In November 1979 the body of a teenage girl who’d been shot to death was found in Caledonia, NY. A farmer came across the young woman’s body in a cornfield; she was completely clothed but had no identification on her. Inquiries into local missing women turned up no matches, leading the young woman to be dubbed “Cali Doe.”
While there weren’t many leads for authorities to follow, they did feel confident in their belief that Cali Doe was not from the area due to the tan lines on Cali Doe’s body. It was late autumn in New York, so tanning didn’t make sense. Pollen on her body was also determined not to be from the area but rather somewhere closer to Florida or Southern California.
For nearly 35 years, Cali Doe’s identity remained unknown. It wasn’t until 2015 that her family published information on her disappearance online after discovering that there was no information regarding her case on the internet. Livingston County authorities had a composite of Cali Doe released and internet sleuths were able to connect the dots. Cali Doe was discovered to be Tammy Jo Alexander, a teenager from Florida who’d only just turned 16 before she was found slain. DNA tests run with samples from Alexander’s sister confirmed her identity.
Due to her unstable home life and previously running away, Alexander’s family and friends didn’t look for her upon her initial disappearance.They believed she did not want to be found. While her identity is now known, her case remains unsolved.
‘Lime Lady’ Was Covered In Quicklime To Destroy The Evidence – It Ended Up Acting As A Preservative
On April 18, 1980, two fisherman were heading to the North Canadian River in Jones, OK, when they discovered the body of a young woman. The woman had been slain and covered in quicklime, a chemical that can cause an increased rate of decomposition. The substance, however, proved to have the opposite effect when combined with water from the river. The quicklime ended up preserving the woman’s body, earning her the nickname “Lime Lady.”
Authorities were unable to identify her for nearly 40 years despite various attempts at uncovering her story. It wasn’t until 2019, when Kylie Tigard submitted her DNA to 23andMe, that authorities received a match for Lime Lady’s DNA. Tigard turned out to be a cousin of Lime Lady. From there, authorities were able to uncover that the woman found murdered in Oklahoma was 21 year-old Army Specialist Tamara Lee Tigard from Las Vegas, NV.
Tigard had allegedly disappeared from her Las Vegas home after going out for a walk. She was found dead approximately 10 days later. Tigard’s parents had both passed and therefore no one reported her missing. Her relatives, albeit distant, ensured Tigard was given a proper burial and laid down to rest next to her parents under a marker bearing her real name.
