Boulder Jane Doe--Identified--Dorothy Gay Howard

[Silvia]

Previous messages on Boulder Jane Doe are under "Unidentified Girl, Boulder CO, 8 April 1954." With the ongoing interest in this case, however, I decided to start a new "Boulder Jane Doe" thread. Please also see www.boulderjanedoe.com for a complete archive of articles and progress as well as a separate message board. The TV show "America's Most Wanted" will be airing a segment on Boulder Jane Doe, supposedly sometime in February. My goal is to identify this young woman and return her remains to her family. She was beaten, stripped, and dumped like a sack of garbage down an embankment where she landed on rocks next to Boulder Creek, west of Boulder CO. We have exhumed her body, obtained her DNA profile, and completed a sculptured facial reconstruction. DNA has ruled out two women (Marion Joan McDowell from Toronto and Twylia May Embrey from Nebraska). I welcome all comments and inquiries, either here, at the Boulder Jane Doe website, or directly to me. (My email is listed on www.boulderjanedoe.com) Thanks.

[PonderingThings]

Please read the circumstances of Georgia's disappearance at:
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1727dfwi.html (http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1727dfwi.html)

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/433UFCO.jpghttp://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/GJWeckler.jpg
Jane Doe on Left, Georgia on right

Georgia Jean Weckler
Missing since May 1, 1947 from Fort Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Vital Statistics

* Date Of Birth: 1939-1940
* Age at Time of Disappearance: 8 years old
* Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'3"; 70 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde shoulder length straight hair; brown eyes.
* Clothing: Pink button sweater over a blue T-shirt, blue jeans, blue flowered skirt, rubbers and a brown flowered head scarf.

*********
Possible match?:

1. Georgia disappeared in May 1947, she was 8. Georgia would have been 15 in 1954. Jane Doe is estimated to be 17-20. ... that's close.
2. Georgia has blonde hair, Jane Doe has blonde hair.
3. Georgia disappeared from Wisconsin, Jane Doe was found in Colorado.

>>>>If Georgia was abducted by someone that "raised" her, like a Sharon Marshall situation, it could possibly be her. However, the odds of this being her are extremely slim.

Just putting it out there for consideration http://www.websleuths.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif

[PonderingThings]

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1727dfwi.html (http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1727dfwi.html)
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/433UFCO.jpghttp://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/CoSmith.jpg
Jane Doe on left, Connie on right

Connie Smith
Missing since July 16, 1952 from U.S. Route 44 in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut.
Classification: Missing

# Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: 1942
# Age at Time of Disappearance: 10 years old
# Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'0"; 85 lbs.
# Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde shoulder-length hair.
# Clothing: She was last seen wearing a red windbreaker and blue shorts with a plaid edge. She wore a red ribbon in her hair.

***********************
Possible match?:

1. There is a strong resemblence between the young Connie and Jane Doe
2. Connie was 10 when she disappeared in 1952. She would have been 12 in 1954. Jane Doe is estimated to be 17-20 - this is a DISCREPANCY but I've seen the age estimates being wrong - especially with teenage girls.
3. Connie had Blonde Hair, Jane Doe has Blonde Hair
4. At 10 Connie was already 5' tall... Jane Doe is estimated to be 5'2", would she have grown 2" in 2 years? I think so.
5. Connie went missing from Conneticut, Jane Doe was found in Colorado.
Is it possible that Connie actually ran away and was waiting for someone to pick her up? Please read the details of her disappearance on the Doe Network.

****To me this is almost a "perfect" match... its only the 2 year delay between her disappearance and the time she would have been found dead. Could someone have kept her all that time? I think its possible.

[PonderingThings]

Ok I'm really confused.

I went to the message board on your site, and I see that Talelights has already suggested Connie Smith. There appears to have been 2 dentists who both say it isn't her, but then the records of these reports are currently lost? Also are Connie's remains lost? Is there DNA for Connie?

Your first post, on this thread, says that DNA ruled out two potential matches. So that means you have DNA for the Boulder Jane Doe, correct?

[shadowangel]

Ok I'm really confused.

I went to the message board on your site, and I see that Talelights has already suggested Connie Smith. There appears to have been 2 dentists who both say it isn't her, but then the records of these reports are currently lost? Also are Connie's remains lost? Is there DNA for Connie?

Your first post, on this thread, says that DNA ruled out two potential matches. So that means you have DNA for the Boulder Jane Doe, correct?
Connie Smith has never been located.

[PonderingThings]

Thanks Shadow Angel! I told you I was confused!!! http://www.websleuths.com/forums/images/smilies/bang.gif

Of course Connie Smith's remains aren't lost as she's never been found! ...then what is lost? Her dental records?

Or is the Boulder Jane Doe's remains lost?

I'm having a problems.... http://www.websleuths.com/forums/images/smilies/doh.gif

[shadowangel]

You may be confusing two seperate cases...

The remains of a young girl were found in the AZ desert in 1958. Dubbed "Little Miss X", the girl's teeth were checked against the dental records of Connie, which were provided by the family dentist. At first it was stated the teeth matched, but this was later changed. Talelights is still attempting to discover the truth of the thing--Little Miss X's remains have gone missing. (A treveling salesman by the name Frederick Pope had stated he and a partner had picked up Connie in New England and drove her to AZ where they killed her. Though Pope's story was discounted due to his history of mental health problems, it is intriguing in light of the discovery of Little Miss X. However, Talelights has assured me there is additional evidence to rule her out as a match to Connie).

Pretty much any girl who went missing during the early '50s has, at one time or another, been suggested as a possible match for Boulder Jane Doe. I even forwarded a few possible matches myself.

[PonderingThings]

Ahhhhh THANK YOU!

I think I get it now... Little Miss X is a totally different Jane Doe than the Boulder Jane Doe! They are being mentioned because both Jane Doe's are/have been compared to Connie.

You have NO idea how confusing all of this was!

[talelights]

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1727dfwi.html (http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1727dfwi.html)
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/433UFCO.jpghttp://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/CoSmith.jpg
Jane Doe on left, Connie on right

Connie Smith
Missing since July 16, 1952 from U.S. Route 44 in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut.
Classification: Missing

***********************
Possible match?:

****To me this is almost a "perfect" match... its only the 2 year delay between her disappearance and the time she would have been found dead. Could someone have kept her all that time? I think its possible.
They may look similiar and I really wish it was so. But on November 9, 2005 authorities in Connecticut confirmed that Connie Smith is not Boulder Jane Doe. Dental records do not match.

[Silvia]

I know this is confusing, but I really appreciate your interest. Yes, we have DNA from Boulder Jane Doe. It has been done twice, at two different labs. One lab did a nuclear DNA profile from her leg bone, another did a mitochrondrial DNA profile from one of her teeth. The DNA in itself does not tell us anything, but it is a baseline for comparison with families of missing young women. DNA has ruled out Marion Joan McDowell and Twylia May Embrey. Connie Smith has also been ruled out, but that was done with dental records. (Connie had fillings in her teeth; Boulder Jane Doe did not.) Just yesterday, however, Frank Bender, the sculptor who did Jane's facial reconstruction, was quoted in the North Platte (NE) Telegraph as saying that despite the DNA, he still thinks Jane is Twylia. (See 1/28/06 article posted on www.boulderjanedoe.com.)

[PonderingThings]

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1880dftx.html
(http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1880dftx.html)
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/433UFCO.jpghttp://www.doenetwork.us/cases/images/VCarpenter.jpg

Virginia Carpenter

Lots of problems with this match... but... with an open mind:
1. Virginia had brown hair. If the observation that another person on another thread said holds true, that dyes at the time would turn brown hair blond with a reddish ting, could this be Virginia with dyed hair?

2. Virginia would have been 27 yrs old in 1954, which is way past the 17-20 age estimate for Jane Doe.

3. Virginia is thought to have perished in 1948, when she disappeared. There was even some talk that she might have known the identity of a killer that killed 3 people her family knew. What if she went into hiding. Dyed her hair, moved to Colorado.... only to have the killer find her?

Again... just putting it out there because its available... I still believe Jane Doe is Connie. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Yaya]

Silvia,

Strontium Isotope Analysis can be used in helping to identify the area a person came from if teeth from the victim are available.

Because dentition forms during childhood, the strontium found in tooth enamel will generally reflect where that individual was born and raised. In contrast, bones continue to absorb strontium, and can reveal where that individual spent the last years of his or her life. If the two differ, researchers can suggest that a person spent their childhood in one locale and migrated (or were taken) to another region later in life.

This may be something you could look into. At present it is most commonly used in archeological digs. I don’t know if it has ever been used in a cold case but I think the possibilities are phenomenal. I would love to see this used in connection with cold cases of unidentified persons.

I have 2 emails out at present asking these questions:

Do you have a Strontium Isotope database and if so, what regional areas are maintained in the database?
Do you know of other Strontium Isotope databases being maintained at other Universities?
Are you excepting identified human data sources at this time to add to your database?
Do you except private samples for Strontium Isotope Analysis?
What is the cost to have a private sample tested?
If and when I receive replys I will certainly post them for you here.

[Yaya]

Silvia, do you know if Evelyn Hartley was ever checked as a match?



http://www.filehigh.com/serve/3827/101799.jpg

Evelyn Hartley
Missing since October 24, 1953, from La Crosse, Wisconsin

Date Of Birth: November 21, 1937
Age at Time of Disappearance: 15 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'7"; 126 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; brown, straight hair. Hartley wears eyeglasses, but did not have them on when she disappeared.
Clothing: She was last seen wearing size 16 red denim White Stag jeans, a size 34 plain white Ship n' Shore blouse, and white bobby socks.
There are other pics of her with longer hair on the Doe Network.
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1388dfwi.html

[Silvia]

I definitely would like to know more about strontium isotope analysis. Thanks for any info you can supply. As for Evelyn Hartley, I just don't think she's a match. Boulder Jane Doe was very slender and overall quite a bit smaller than Evelyn. And BJD's hair was curly while Evelyn's was straight. Neither law-enforcement agencies in CO or in WI felt there was enough in common to do a DNA comparison.

[Yaya]

Silvia, I received responses to both my emails today with this information. Here are their responses.

Response #1
It has the potential to work well. It gets more complicated for recent
remains because so much of our dietary intake doesn't come from local
sources.

Do you have a Strontium Isotope database at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and if so, what regional areas are maintained in the database?
Not as such. We have many analyses, but they belong to the individual investigators who have paid for them. Most are published fairly rapidly, so they could be mined from the literature. The bulk of our work is from ancient European and Middle Eastern individuals. We have only recently been involved in modern forensic cases and those results are confidential.
Do you know of other Strontium Isotope databases being maintained at other Universities?
I do not. However, if I was looking for such a thing, I would begin with Doug Price at Wisconsin.
Are you excepting identified human data sources at this time to add to your database?
We're happy to do analyses.
Do you except private samples for Strontium Isotope Analysis?
Absolutely. We can make recommendations about what to analyze the more we know about the question to be answered.
What is the cost to have a private sample tested?
$75 a sample assuming we do all the work.

Please let me know if you need any additional information.
Response #2

Dear Ms. Smith,
Thanks for your interest in strontium isotope analysis. Unfortunately,
it is not always very helpful for modern populations. This is because
the strontium isotope signature in human bones and tooth enamel comes
from the food you eat. If you eat food from the region where you were
living, you will have the local geologic strontium isotope signature in
your bones and teeth. However, most people now eat foods that were grown
in a wide variety of geologic regions, so their strontium isotope
signatures are a mixture of many different regions and can't be used to
track mobility or movement between different geologic zones.

We don't have a strontium isotope database though we are looking into setting one up at ASU in the next couple of years. Labs charge $200-500 per sample for strontium isotope analysis. The geologic literature in the United States would be the place to look for regional strontium isotope signatures. I
work mostly in South America, so I don't know as much about the
signatures in the United States.

Hope this helps!

[Silvia]

Thanks for your information on isotopes. Since I'm in the Denver CO area, I've contacted someone locally who seems knowlegeable on this, too. But it appears that the science is so new, that no one is really sure how it can be applied. It's interesting about the foods people eat and how today's foods are from everywhere (just bought some apples from New Zealand!). However, in researching Boulder Jane Doe who was murdered in 1954, the isotope analysis just might be helpful. For instance, a farm girl from Nebraska would have a different diet from someone from New York City. I really appreciate your help and look forward to any more responses that you might receive.

[shadowangel]

I agree, this technology applied to cases prior to the early '60s may prove extremely helpful. As I stated on the "Mr Bones" thread (unidentified remains from '58), foods would be more "regional" from that era and earlier. Yaya did an amazing job researching and following up on this.

Silvia-I have done some digging on the three girls I had suggested on the original thread...I can't find anything to suggest they were ever found or returned. Donna Hriesik seems a good lead.

[Silvia]

I want to thank everyone who is following this thread and invite you to look at www.boulderjanedoe.com. The website includes all of the articles (since 1954) on Boulder Jane Doe, as well as the progress we've made on the case. An active message board is there, as well. And I'll be happy to answer any questions. We still don't know the date of the upcoming "America's Most Wanted" segment ("sometime in February," we're told), but that will be the first time we get Jane Doe's facial reconstruction out to a national audience.

[PonderingThings]

Here is a case where they used isotopic signatures to determine where a victim came from
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/413ufca.html (http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/413ufca.html)

[talelights]

There is an update on the www.boulderjanedoe.com (http://www.boulderjanedoe.com/) site. AMW has accepted the filming and may air the show sometime soon.

[PonderingThings]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060316-2111-discoveringjanedoe.html

Crime records suggest an unidentified woman whose body was found near this bucolic college town 52 years ago was slain by serial killer Harvey Glatman, who was executed in California in 1959, a sheriff's detective said.

[shadowangel]

I've been looking into this, and have some issues with the theory. First, Glatman had been imprisoned in NY for an assault (no rape) and was released in '51. By all reports, he headed straight for LA. Glatman's murders were all similar. He had a strangulation fixation from early childhood--it has been reported he toyed with strangling himself while masturbating, having once been caught in the act by his father. For the most part, the strangulation-he even had a special rope he used-appears to be his goal in the attacks.
Glatman targeted aspiring actress/models, who he felt would be willing to undress for his camera. He used a gun to subdue the girls, then would loop a rope around their feet and then their necks, pulling tighter and tighter until they died.
His final attempt was 28-year old Lorraine Vigil, whom he had made a date with for some picture-taking. While driving, he pulled a gun on Lorraine and attempted to assault her. She basically kicked his butt, took the gun away and held him until the police came along.
Glatman freely admitted to the murders, giving police the details of the crimes and leading them to the bodies. He made some attempt to conceal the victims, carrying one a mile into the forest thinking "no one would find her out there". He refused an insanity plea, instead going with lttle protest to his death in '59.

BJD was reportedly beaten viciously. In his history of attacks, Glatman never attempted to beat any of his victims, instead using a gun to force cooperation from his victims. Glatman was an avid picture-taker from early in his criminal career. If he were responsible for BJD's death, I think it safe to assume that photos exist somewhere of the attack.

This is the first time in all that has been written about BJD that I have heard the suggestion that she had been hit by a car. I would be curious to know what led to this new conclusion.

[Hollow]

Someone should start a thread about Glatman, very interesting!!!!

[Richard]

I've been looking into this, and have some issues with the theory. ...
BJD was reportedly beaten viciously. In his history of attacks, Glatman never attempted to beat any of his victims, instead using a gun to force cooperation from his victims. Glatman was an avid picture-taker from early in his criminal career. If he were responsible for BJD's death, I think it safe to assume that photos exist somewhere of the attack....
You are probably right about him having kept photos - if not of BJD, than of other unknown/ unidentified cases. This is an instance where police got what they wanted to solve their particular cases, but may have simply filed away possible evidence to another similar crime. It would be nice to know ALL of what is taken during searches, especially when the person is a known (and later) convicted serial killer.

[shadowangel]

Correction to my previous post-He appears Glatman did return to Denver after his prison relase in '51, under "parental custody". He was on parole with irregular checks by a PO until September '56, when he was again a free man at which time he moved to CA.

[Silvia]

I'll try to answer some of the questions that have come up, but please see www.boulderjanedoe.com for more on Harvey Glatman and Boulder Jane Doe. The possibility that Glatman killed her is just a theory, but I believe it's a good one.
When BJD's remains were exhumed (June 04), the first thing the forensic people commented on was that she had a kneecap fracture, consistent with being hit by a car. She also had a skull fracture and numerous broken bones on the left side of her body.
According to HG's own confession, he was actively seeking models in Denver during the time period of BJD's death. (He grew up in Denver, had arrests in Boulder and Denver in 1945, went to the CO State Penitentiary, then to NY state where he ended up in Elmira and Sing Sing. He returned to Denver in 1950 and remained there until 1957 when he moved to CA.)
Of the women that HG disrobed, raped, and drove around in CA (i.e., his known murder victims), he was always concerned (according to his own confession) that they would escape from his car. And, in fact, his last victim did just that and managed to flag down a patrolman. We believe that it's possible (still only a theory) that BJD could have been HG's first victim. After being undressed in his car, she could have tried to escape, then was hit by his car. That would explain the kneecap fracture and her other injuries, as either HG hurled her or his car hit her and knocked her down the 29-foot embankment to the edge of Boulder Creek.

[Rle7]

The name of a young woman found slain a half-century ago in Boulder Canyon may be on one of nine sheets of paper that historical detective Silvia Pettem has fastened together with Scotch tape.

The list is of 43 women who had gone missing from around the country just before April 1954, when Jane Doe's beaten body was discovered by two college students hiking about 300 yards south of the Boulder Falls pull-off. Only one name is in bold print — No. 7, Katherine or Catherine Dyer.

Dyer was 24 when she vanished from her Denver boardinghouse at 1118 Washington St. between midnight and 7 a.m. March 26, 1954.

She was an elevator operator at American Furniture Co. on 16th Street in Denver. She had separated recently from her husband, "Jimmie" Dyer — a now-deceased 1950 graduate of Northern Arizona University and Denver Public Service employee. The missing woman was slender and blonde, which fit Jane Doe's description. She was living within a block of a dating club — the Clara Lane Friendship Society — the same type of club that serial killer Harvey Glatman trolled for victims.

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/county_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2423_4558262,00.html

[Silvia]

We're just hoping that someone will let us know if Katherine (Catherine) Dyer ever showed up. Maybe this will help.

BODY OF EVIDENCE
Persistent sleuths think they may have identified Jane Doe
By John Ingold
Denver Post Staff Writer

Sleuths in Boulder, digging back decades for information, are hopeful they have finally solved the mysteries of the 20-something woman known now only as Jane Doe.

She was found dead 52 years ago, naked, badly bruised and at the bottom of a steep embankment in Boulder Canyon. Her killer was never found, and her name has never been known.

But now, through archival gumshoeing and a little guesswork, Boulder historian Silvia Pettem and a handful of others obsessed with finding those answers think they may have them.

Jane Doe was, perhaps, Katherine or Catherine Dyer of Denver. And she may have been the first victim of serial killer Harvey Glatman.

"We would be just totally tickled if somebody came forward and said, 'I know Katherine Dyer; she wasn't Jane Doe,"' said Dave Frederick, a Colorado native now living in Montana who has worked with Pettem to crack the case. "But we've worked so hard on it, I would be surprised if anybody could say that."

That excitement, though, is tempered by this: Neither Frederick, nor Pettem, nor the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, which is also researching the case, can prove that Dyer is even dead.

She disappeared on March 26, 1954, from a Denver home where she rented a room, about two weeks before Jane Doe's body was found. Dyer was 24, slender and blond, like Jane Doe. Dyer was one of the first people detectives considered in 1954 when trying to figure out who Jane Doe was, Frederick said.

"There's nothing concrete to say that Katherine Dyer was any more likely to be Jane Doe than any number of other candidates at this point," said Boulder County sheriff's Cmdr. Phil West. "There's no physical evidence. It's merely a matter of coincidence."

But to Frederick and Pettem, it's one heck of a coincidence. Dyer, when she disappeared, was separated from her husband and living within a block of the Clara Lane Friendship Society, a dating club.

Glatman, who in 1957 moved from Denver to California, where he raped and killed three women before being executed, would sometimes troll dating clubs for victims, Pettem said.

Glatman also kidnapped women in Colorado. Pettem believes Glatman kidnapped Jane Doe and drove her to Boulder Canyon, where she escaped. Glatman, Pettem thinks, then ran Jane Doe down in his car.

West called the Glatman scenario, "an interesting theory."

Pettem and Frederick, in searching for Jane Doe's identity, have made some wrong turns. Pettem said they were looking closely at one missing woman before finding a newspaper article that said she had been found. They focused on a missing Nebraska woman last year, but DNA evidence ruled her out.

Since they cannot find any of Dyer's relatives, they cannot do DNA testing to see if she is a match with Jane Doe.

"I've been involved now for almost a decade, on this quest to try to figure out who Jane Doe is," Pettem said. "My goal all along has been to restore the dignity that was taken from her when she was murdered and return her remains to her family."

So, for now, Pettem and Frederick are not celebrating.

"The celebration is going to come if we can ever take her home," Frederick said.

Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.

[mysteriew]

Great job, Silvia. I'm hoping you are able to get a positive ID on this.

[Silvia]

We're still searching for Boulder Jane Doe. The "America's Most Wanted" program MAY run on June 24, although the producer still has not confirmed the date. As for our most likely missing young woman, we have a middle name. We are looking for Katharine E. Farrand Dyer, born circa 1929 or 1930. We want to find a family member who can tell us if Katharine lived past April 1954 when Boulder Jane Doe's body was found. We WILL get this solved. It's just taking a very long time.

[wondering22]

We're still searching for Boulder Jane Doe. The "America's Most Wanted" program MAY run on June 24, although the producer still has not confirmed the date. As for our most likely missing young woman, we have a middle name. We are looking for Katharine E. Farrand Dyer, born circa 1929 or 1930. We want to find a family member who can tell us if Katharine lived past April 1954 when Boulder Jane Doe's body was found. We WILL get this solved. It's just taking a very long time.


This is really exciting... when they find a family member, will they then also be able to do the DNA tests?

[Silvia]

IF we find a family member and IF Katharine E. Farrand Dyer is still missing, yes, I'm sure the Sheriff's Office will authorize a comparison of Boulder Jane Doe's DNA with that of a family member of Katharine. But finding that family member is proving to be difficult. And, for all we know, Katharine could still be alive!

[Silvia]

The Boulder Jane Doe segment on "America's Most Wanted" has been rescheduled for July 8th. See www.boulderjanedoe.com for the latest information.

[Silvia]

See http://www.co.boulder.co.us/newsroom/templates/?a=472&z=2 for info from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office on a recently discovered (also by hikers in the mountains) Jane Doe. This unidentified female was found in South St. Vrain Canyon near Lyons, which is north of Boulder CO.

[Silvia]

Finally, after months and months of delays, "America's Most Wanted" will air its segment on Boulder Jane Doe on Fox TV, Saturday July 8th. We are all hoping this national TV exposure will bring in some leads to this very cold case. Tune in and stay tuned!

[Hollow]

Silvia, you looked great on America's most wanted tonight. I wanted to post this earlier, but I had to go to work immediately after I watched it. Hopefully the show will generate some tips. Good Luck !!! :)

[mere]

Fantastic segment. Hope some good leads are generated.

[Old Broad]

http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?ID=8670

LONGMONT — The story of Boulder Jane Doe as featured on “America’s Most Wanted” on Saturday evening yielded about 15 workable tips, according to Boulder County Sheriff’s Detective Steve Ainsworth.


“We got about 15 leads,” Ainsworth said. “A couple said she looks like a family member and we got one who was actually a model for Harvey Glatman the day before he was arrested by LAPD


More at link.
Old Broad

[Cambria]

The America's Most Wanted show segment was very good Saturday night. That's great that they have some leads from the show, especially the Glatman connection again. I've always had that theory in the back of my mind ever since reading some past posts on it. To me, Harvey Glatman is a very plausible suspect in this case. Let's hope some of the leads bring an ID and resolution to this case!

[Silvia]

Thank you, all, for your kind words and encouragement. I feel confident that we will eventually identifiy Boulder Jane Doe, thanks to people like all of you.

[Rle7]

Call it one woman's quest to give another a name. Ever since spotting the small gravestone inscribed "Jane Doe" in a Boulder, Colo., cemetery 10 years ago, historian Silvia Pettem has made it her business to identify the woman whose naked, beaten body was found off a steep embankment in 1954. Her killer was never found although some law enforcement officials speculated it might have been the notorious serial killer Harvey Glatman. In 1945, he had been arrested for kidnapping a woman in the area. Glatman was later executed after bungling a kidnapping and confessing to three murders.

Now, after countless dead-ends, missing documents, a stint on "America's Most Wanted," and a reopened investigation into the case, Pettem and others believe the woman is from San Antonio.

But finding her family to affirm it through matching DNA has proved even more difficult than patching together the mysterious journey of Katharine Farrand's life.

"I'm beginning to think I might have to give up," Pettem said recently from her downtown hotel. In town this week to present the case at the annual meeting for the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Pettem had learned both discouraging and inspiring details at the Bexar County court house that day. "I just kind of thought about her while I was walking back and thought, 'if she was here, why is she being so elusive?'"

Pettem sighed, "I'm in it too deep right now."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA20070224.01A.NZ.State.sa_jane_doe24.12a849d.ht ml

[Rle7]

1926-1954 Oct. 14, 1926: Katharine Farrand is born in San Antonio, according to her marriage affidavit. 1948: A listing for a Katharine E. Farrand appears in the Denver city directory.

Sept. 25, 1949: Farrand marries Jimmie Dyer, in Prescott, Ariz. The couples are listed together each year in Denver city directories from 1951 through 1953.

March 26, 1954: Farrand disappears from her Denver home. The 27-year-old is now separated from her husband and working as an elevator operator at American Furniture Co.

April 8, 1954: Two Colorado University students discover the body of a nude, battered woman on the banks of Boulder Creek, just outside Boulder, Colo. She was in her 20s, thin, with strawberry blond hair. Denver police find two case files of missing women whose descriptions resembled the body. One of them is Farrand.

April 22, 1954: Boulder residents paid for the woman's funeral and a small gravestone, on which they inscribed 'Jane Doe.'

1970: According to Boulder's newspaper, the Daily Camera, all records in the Boulder County Sheriff's Department were lost after the incumbent sheriff lost re-election.

1996: Boulder historian Silvia Pettem finds out about Jane Doe at a gravesite re-enactment, becomes intrigued and starts researching her case.

June 2004: Due to Pettem's efforts, the Boulder County Sheriff's Department and forensics experts with the Vidocq Society exhume Jane Doe's skeletal remains. Her skull is reassembled and DNA is collected from her bones. A sculptor begins working on a likeness of her face.

2006: A Boulder County sheriff's detective says the 1954 murder may be tied to serial killer Harvey Glatman, who was executed after confessing to murdering three women. Glatman grew up in Colorado.

The 'Jane Doe' case appears on 'America's Most Wanted' but nets few credible leads.

Feb. 23, 2007: Pettem and the Vidocq Society present their work in San Antonio at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Sources: Silvia Pettem, boulderjanedoe.com, and newspaper articles from the Boulder Daily Camera, Rocky Mountain News, Denver Post and Boulder County Sheriff's Department news releases

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA20070224.01A.NZ.State.sa_jane_doe24.12a849d.ht ml

[Richard]

Links to other WS threads concerning Boulder Jane Doe:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14254

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44628

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35695

[Silvia]

Thanks to all for your continued interest in Boulder Jane Doe and for posting mention of the recent publicity in the San Antonio paper. Go to http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA20070224.01A.NZ.State.sa_jane_doe24.12a849d.ht ml for the entire article or go to www.boulderjanedoe.com and click on the link under "Articles." I'm hoping that someone in the San Antonio area will help in our search to identify Jane Doe so we can return her remains to her family. I am NOT going to give up as was implied in the article. Silvia Pettem

[Stella]

It would be a good idea to check the areas SURROUNDING San Antonio as well. Some of the suburbs and small towns consider themselves part of San Antonio and if I remember correctly, some of the schools outside of San Antonio proper are nonetheless part of its school district.

[WholeLottaRosie]

Some ideas - I wonder about this Farrand that was killed at the air base. Could he have been a husband or a brother? Where was he from? Maybe a search in his home area will reveal a marriage or family of his? Maybe she was from somewhere else and moved to the San Antonio area to be near him, and then after his death moved to Colorado. Do you have the date of death for Danny, other than just 1950?

[Silvia]

You've raised some good points, and we're looking into them. We have Danny's family history, and know that Katharine was not his sister. I have talked with one member of Danny Farrand's family, and she does not believe he ever was married. His short obit (d. 17 Nov. 1950) does not mention a wife. There are no marriage records for Danny Farrand in Denver or San Antonio. He came from Langlade County, Wisconsin (parents were Ned and Verba Farrand), and so far we have not found any marriage records there, either. Remember, Katharine was listed alone as Katharine Farrand in the Denver directory in 1948, then married Jimmie Dyer in 1949. So, if she was married to a Farrand (instead of Farrand being her maiden name), it would have had to have been very briefly in the mid-1940s. Perhaps someone who died in WWII.

[WholeLottaRosie]

Okay, I was apparently on the path of the same Danny Farrand. I wonder if she could have been a girl friend or something using that last name. Not sure why I think that. I saw very late last night (this morning) that you posted on a county genelogical website about the same Danny Farrand I had found and realized we had the same one.

Do you have the Ferrands killed in WWII? or in the military? I don't want to duplicate efforts - but, somewhere I found some info on military deaths so will pursue that if you haven't.

I am hoping as I know you are that the article will jog a memory in the SA area.

[talelights]

bumping for BJD

[Cambria]

Update on website. A photographic comparison of Katharine Farrand Dyer was made to the cast of BJD's skull.

http://www.boulderjanedoe.com/index.cfm?go=Progress

[Silvia]

As noted above, Katharine E. Farrand Dyer's photo was recently superimposed over a casting of Jane Doe's skull. This was a very sophisticated process, and there was no way to make a positive ID, only "exclude" or "failure to exclude." In this case, Katharine fit the "failure to exclude" category, which means that her facial features, bone structure, etc. are a good match. Stay tuned to www.boulderjanedoe.com, as the Boulder Sheriff's Office soon will issue a press release. I believe that Katharine is Jane Doe. If no relatives are found for DNA comparison or to claim her, her remains will be reburied in Boulder. Silvia Pettem

[gaia227]

Congrats Silvia - you're hard work and dedication is paying off. It makes a lot of sense that Katherine is Jane Doe. I wish we could know for certain.
Have you been able to determine if all of Katherine's family members are now deceased? How much is known about Katherine's family?

[Cambria]

As noted above, Katharine E. Farrand Dyer's photo was recently superimposed over a casting of Jane Doe's skull. This was a very sophisticated process, and there was no way to make a positive ID, only "exclude" or "failure to exclude." In this case, Katharine fit the "failure to exclude" category, which means that her facial features, bone structure, etc. are a good match. Stay tuned to www.boulderjanedoe.com (http://www.boulderjanedoe.com), as the Boulder Sheriff's Office soon will issue a press release. I believe that Katharine is Jane Doe. If no relatives are found for DNA comparison or to claim her, her remains will be reburied in Boulder. Silvia Pettem

I too believe that Katharine is BJD. Everything just makes sense about it. And since Harvey Glatman was in the area then I believe very strongly that he could have been involved in this. I sure wish you could find SOMEONE from her family to get DNA from. It's got to be terribly frustrating for you. But the fact that she fit the failure to exclude category is a very good thing. Congratulations again on the recent match!

[WholeLottaRosie]

Congrats Silvia - you're hard work and dedication is paying off. It makes a lot of sense that Katherine is Jane Doe. I wish we could know for certain.
Have you been able to determine if all of Katherine's family members are now deceased? How much is known about Katherine's family?

Not Silvia, but answering anyway.

NOTHING is known about Katherine Farrand Dyer's family. No one is sure if Farrand is a maiden name - this seems likely. Or if she were married before her marriage to Dyer. Her current whereabouts are unknown. No one has any information on her family. If they were found DNA testing could be done. No one knows for sure where she was originally from. Go to the website, boulderjanedoe.com. There is a treasure trove of information there, including the majority of articles written about this case.

[knitrocks]

Hi Sylvia,

I have been to your website and have spent quite a bit of time there.

You have done a great job in researching the case. I am guessing Katherine. Has any one given thought that she may have been married before. She may be listed in the Census under a different last name? She disappearred around the right time.

I thought it odd that the early reports gave Jane Doe hair color as red and later reports was blonde with a reddish tinge.

[knitrocks]

Boulder Jane had good teeth. I remember reading that the pathologist stated that she was raised with fluoride in the water.

Fluoride is either found in certain ground waters' wells or added to city water. Couldn't have been too many cities that added fluoride to their water back then. I bet you could find a graphic map of where in US fluoride is found in high concentrations naturally in the water. Might be some point to start looking for her home town.

[Silvia]

Thanks for your interest in Katharine. We do know some things about her, and we know a lot about her late husband. Here are the basics. She and Jimmie Dyer married in Prescott AZ in 1949 while he was a student at what is now NAU in Flagstaff AZ where Katharine worked as a waitress at at truck stop on Route 66. On her marriage affidavit, she gave her maiden name as Katharine E. Farrand, born in San Antonio TX on 14 Oct 1926. (However, we have not ruled out that she could have briefly been married to a man named Farrand.) The 1926 date is suspect, as her landlady said she was 24 when she went missing in Denver in 1954. Whatever the date, there are no birth, census, city directory, etc. records in TX (or anywhere else) that fit.
The first place she showed up (as Katharine Farrand) was in the 1948 Denver city directory. She worked at a soda fountain. In 1949, she was in AZ with her new husband, and in 1950-1953, she and Jimmie were in Denver where she worked as an elevator operator, and he worked for Public Service. According to correspondence written by Jimmie, they separated in 1953, but no divorce records have been found. Katharine was boarding in the landlady's home when she disappeared, 10 days before Jane Doe's body was found. As to her hair, the newspaper quoted the landlady as saying that she tinted her hair. Jane Doe's autopsy called it "light brown almost blonde with a slight reddish tinge." Jimmie married his second wife a year later and mentioned once that he had been married before, but he never even told wife #2 Katharine's name. He is not considered a suspect, but it's believed that he just moved on with his life (and then to wives #3 and #4 who never knew Katharine's name, either.) And, yes, she had good teeth, but the fluoride in the water was just speculation, nothing more. (I didn't have a cavity until I was 35...). Again, see www.boulderjanedoe.com for more info as it becomes available. Silvia

[Cambria]

Silvia - Any idea when the Boulder Sheriff's office press release will be available on the recent casting of BJD's skull with the photo of Katharine Dyer?

[Silvia]

There are some indications that the press release might be tomorrow (April 17th). I sure hope so. In the meantime, see www.boulderjanedoe.com Thanks, Silvia

[Cambria]

There are some indications that the press release might be tomorrow (April 17th). I sure hope so. In the meantime, see www.boulderjanedoe.com (http://www.boulderjanedoe.com) Thanks, Silvia

I went to the website looking for it..I'll check back tomorrow. I'm anxious to see what they say about it. Thanks!!

[WholeLottaRosie]

So am I. I really hope that the photo will spark someone's memory.

[gaia227]

Medusa and Silvia - thank you for your replies and information.

[Cambria]

Update on the BJD site today with photo of Katharine Dyer.

http://www.boulderjanedoe.com/index.cfm?go=Photos

[WholeLottaRosie]

Thanks for posting that Liz. I really do see the resemblance after studying this.

[Cambria]

Thanks for posting that Liz. I really do see the resemblance after studying this.

I do too...I didn't at first. But the more I studied the photo, I could see a resemblance, especially the nose and eyes.

[Silvia]

Finally, here's the press release on Boulder Jane Doe (Katharine Dyer):

http://www.bouldercounty.org/newsroom/templates/?a=1132&z=2

[Silvia]

Please see http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=90261 and click on the video. Thanks, Silvia Pettem

[Cambria]

Thanks for posting the link to the Sheriff's release and the video, Silvia. I sure hope someone recognizes her from the photo and comes forward with info on her family so you can get DNA!

[Dave F.]

This is an excellent question. When we were attempting to duplicate the original investigation, a lot of effort was invested in this possibility.

In 1954 very few communities added flouride, but few had actually tested for flouride levels. either. Current groundwater maps and community water test reports reveal that many water systems in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain States have naturally high flouridation. Nearly all of the potential candidates for Boulder Jane Doe's identity qualified, screening out literally no one.

[windrower]

Results for:
Katharine Farrand, Birth, 1924 - 1928
Exact Spelling: Off
(javascript:DoView('../gedcom/')) U.S. Social Security Death Index - 1 1. Kathryn FARRAND (http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/ssdi/individual_record.asp?recid=455340740&lds=3&region=%2D1&regionfriendly=&juris1=&juris2=&juris3=&juris4=&regionfriendly=&juris1friendly=&juris2friendly=&juris3friendly=&juris4friendly=) - U.S. Social Security Death Index
Birth: 14 Apr 1924 State Where Number was Issued: Texas Death: Sep 1973
prev | next Prepare selected records for download (javascript:DoView('../gedcom/')) Return to top of page (http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/customsearchresults.asp?LDS=3&first_name=Katharine&last_name=Farrand&event_index=1&from_date=1926&date_range=2&date_range_index=2#Top)
This is probably too far-fetched, but I'm posting it anyway.

[Silvia]

Thanks for looking for Katharines! This one, however, "Kathryn Farrand," we have ruled out. She was listed in the SSDI as born 14 April 1924, died Sept 1973. She actually was born as "Ruby Cathrin Powell," in Williamson Co. TX same date (14 April 1924). She had married John Arthur Farrand, and they had at least one child, Carolyn Ann Farrand, born in Travis Co. TX, 19 Nov 1949. Thanks again, Silvia

[UMfanforever]

Did you ever try to talk to Jimmie Dyer before his death in 2002? Surely he would have known something about his ex wife's parents. You don't get married to someone and travel with them without telling them about yourself.. She also went to a college, right? Does this still exist, do colleges ever keep really old paperwork?

[Silvia]

I was not aware of Katharine Dyer until 2004, two years after Jimmie Dyer died. Too bad, as he would have been able to give me the answers. He married his second wife, however, in 1955, a year after Katharine disappeared, and he never even told his 2nd wife of his first wife's name. I've discussed this with her, and she thinks Jimmie and Katharine went their separate ways, and he just decided to move on (without any record of a divorce). Jimmie graduated from what's now Northern AZ Univ. in Flagstaff AZ, but Katharine was NOT a student. Yes, colleges keep their paperwork, and we have official confirmation from the Univ. that Jimmie's spouse was "Katharine E. Farrand Dyer." While he was in class, she worked as a waitress at a truck stop on Route 66.

[UMfanforever]

Did she live alone at this boarding house in Denver? You mentioned in an article this Emily Adams person being a friend, how did you find out about her? Did you talk to her? Wonder if Katharine was the type that would frequent a lonely hearts club, per reading about an article on Glatman.

[UMfanforever]

I was not aware of Katharine Dyer until 2004, two years after Jimmie Dyer died. Too bad, as he would have been able to give me the answers. He married his second wife, however, in 1955, a year after Katharine disappeared, and he never even told his 2nd wife of his first wife's name. I've discussed this with her, and she thinks Jimmie and Katharine went their separate ways, and he just decided to move on (without any record of a divorce). Jimmie graduated from what's now Northern AZ Univ. in Flagstaff AZ, but Katharine was NOT a student. Yes, colleges keep their paperwork, and we have official confirmation from the Univ. that Jimmie's spouse was "Katharine E. Farrand Dyer." While he was in class, she worked as a waitress at a truck stop on Route 66.

I was reading your comments in another article, and it does seem like she didn't want to be found.

[UMfanforever]

I was not aware of Katharine Dyer until 2004, two years after Jimmie Dyer died. Too bad, as he would have been able to give me the answers. He married his second wife, however, in 1955, a year after Katharine disappeared, and he never even told his 2nd wife of his first wife's name. I've discussed this with her, and she thinks Jimmie and Katharine went their separate ways, and he just decided to move on (without any record of a divorce). Jimmie graduated from what's now Northern AZ Univ. in Flagstaff AZ, but Katharine was NOT a student. Yes, colleges keep their paperwork, and we have official confirmation from the Univ. that Jimmie's spouse was "Katharine E. Farrand Dyer." While he was in class, she worked as a waitress at a truck stop on Route 66.

Dang. I appreciate your dedication.

[Silvia]

Good questions! I found out about Emily Adams from relatives of Katharine's late husband Jimmie Dyer. And I found Emily Adams in the Denver City Directory for 1947. However, Emily is now deceased. Katharine lived next door to Emily ca. 1947-1948. Then they both moved to Flagstaff, and Katharine married Emily's brother Jimmie. Then Katharine and Jimmie moved to Denver and lived together from 1950 to 1953. In 1953, they separated. Katharine was one of 4 tenants in a family's home, i.e. the boarding house, but no one there is still alive. WITHIN ONE BLOCK was the Clara Lane Friendship Society, one of two "lonely hearts" or dating clubs in Denver. Yes, absolutely, I think that's where she met up with serial killer Harvey Glatman.

[Cambria]

Here is an article from last week in the Cleveland Examiner about Harvey Glatman and BJD.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1384316~_Lonely_Hearts_Killer__confessed_to_3_murd ers.html

[WholeLottaRosie]

Bumping up for BJD. Anything new? Silvia - what happened to the forum on the BJD site?

[Silvia]

Thanks for asking about www.boulderjanedoe.com. The website is still there, but I had to deactivate the message board, as it was getting 10-20 spam messages per day. I'm sure there is a way around that problem, but the message board served its purpose, and people with questions are welcome to email me directly.

[WholeLottaRosie]

Arghh. I hate spammers.

What could someone be doing now to help you?

[shadowangel]

On November 8th, 1961, 16 year-old Sandra Lee Smith was walking from her home in Aurora, CO, to a baton-twirling class. A man in a red and black Ford sedan with Wyoming plates stopped and offered her $5 for her help in locating an address. The man, calling himself "Dr. Allen", then forced her into his car. He drove a short distance into the country and beat her savagely. The man then forced her into the trunk of his car, drove another short distance, and again beat Sandra. He then shot her twice in the head with a .22 handgun, once in the eye and once in the temple.
Miraculously, Sandra survived the attack. She crawled from the field where she had been left, and along a roadway. She was later found by hunters, and taken for medical attention. Sandra lost her eye and all her toes due to frostbite, but survived the ordeal.
Sandra was able to give police details of her attacker. Another girl in the area also reported being approached by a man meeting the same description, calling himself "Dr. Truman Allen".
Through the information given by Sandra and other details not released, police were able to indentify a suspect.
Alfred Wesley Ratzloff, 42, originally from Kansas, was living in the Casper WY. He had been arrested for robbing a bank in Kansas in 1957, but was ruled incompetent to stand trial and placed in a state hospital. Police in the Denver area put out an all-points bulletin for Ratzloff. A car meeting the description of the one he was operating was reported in Kansas. As police closed in, a house in a residential area of Witchita exploded on November 30th. Inside, severely injured but alive, was Alfred Ratzloff.
Ratzloff eventually confessed to the attack on Sandra, and was the state hospital in Pueblo in May of '62.

Before and during the time of the trial, authorities from Colorado, New Mexico and Texas questioned Ratzloff about other murders that were similar in nature to the attack on Sandra. He was not charged in any of the cases.

Boulder is some 35 miles from Aurora.

[Silvia]

Medusa kindly asked what people could do to help in the Boulder Jane Doe case. We would love to find a blood relative of Katharine E. Farrand Dyer, born 14 Oct 1926 in San Antonio TX. However, this information that she provided on her marriage affidavit may be false (or she could have been using a fake name, or been adopted, or her birth not recorded), as no one "fits" as her family. We have eliminated so many names that were close, etc. I now believe that she didn't have a family when she disappeared, and that's why her body never was claimed. However, anyone who thinks he/she may have found a connection, please email me at pettem@earthlink.net. Thanks.

[WholeLottaRosie]

Thanks, Silvia! Will keep trying on it. Question, do you have a subscription to Newspaper Archives? I am working on searching there, but, if someone else is already doing so, hate to waste time duplicating efforts?

[Silvia]

Thanks for offering to search on Newspaper Archives. I appreciate it! I do have a subscription to Ancestry.com that includes newspaper searches, but I don't know if that's the same as subscribing directly to Newspaper Archives. Is it? Anyway, I am glad for any help to find the family of Katharine E. Farrand who married Jimmie Dyer. Thanks again.

[shadowangel]

The more people look in the archives, the better...Different search terms can yield vastly different results. Keep in mind, the search engine hits on direct matches....If the copy is of low quality (one of the 'r's in 'Farrand' doesnt show up in the newsprint) the search engine may not return a hit. Likewise, different wording on search phrases will result in different hits.

[shadowangel]

Has it ever been mentioned or discussed as to whether there was indication that BJD had even given birth?

[Silvia]

In Boulder Jane Doe's original autopsy, on the day her body was found, the pathologist said that there was "no indication of a past pregnancy." Also, after exhumation, when a forensic anthropologist reassembled her remains, he said he could tell from her pelvic bones that she had not given birth. (FYI: Katharine E. Farrand Dyer did not have any children.)

[shadowangel]

Thanks, Silvia. I found another missing woman, last known to be in Casper Wyoming in early '54, but she had had a child in '50. (Then again, I'm assuming the child mentioned was hers by birth and not marriage).

[Silvia]

Can you provide more info on the WY woman (with the child)? Name, etc.? I am keeping a list, whether they seem like good candidates for Boulder Jane Doe or not. Thanks.

[shadowangel]

Her name was Donna Lowe. There wasn't a lot of info I could find, it was an article from the '70s about her mother in MI still looking for information on her.
Donna left her husband in SC in early '54, enroute to WA to stay with her father. Her husband was supposed to follow her sometime later, but it appears he never did. Donna was known to have been in a hotel in in Casper WY in early '54. At some point, and it isn't specified where, she left her 4 year-old son at a police dep't and told him to tell the police that his mommy couldn't care for him anymore.
Donna was though to have taken up with an unnamed Korean War veteran. According to the article, her mother never heard from her after she left SC.

[Cambria]

I have a subscription to newspaperarchives.com. I looked briefly for info on Katharine under Farrand and Dyer but couldn't find anything yet. I will look again a little later when I have some more free time.

[Silvia]

The problem with newspapers.com is that they don't include the Denver CO papers of the early 1950s, which is where Katharine disappeared from in 1954. I've read months of the actual papers on microfilm and never found any mention of her again, after having disappeared shortly before Jane Doe's body was found.

[Cambria]

The problem with newspapers.com is that they don't include the Denver CO papers of the early 1950s, which is where Katharine disappeared from in 1954. I've read months of the actual papers on microfilm and never found any mention of her again, after having disappeared shortly before Jane Doe's body was found.

I know..they only have certain papers and if you do happen to find a paper you're looking for, then they don't have the dates you need! Sometimes I think about cancelling my subscription but I always keep it just on the slim hope I'll find something!

[WholeLottaRosie]

I have a subscription to newspaperarchives.com. I looked briefly for info on Katharine under Farrand and Dyer but couldn't find anything yet. I will look again a little later when I have some more free time.

I have spent HOURS and have found nothing. But, I really believe this will be solved, so I keep on when I have time.

[Cambria]

http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=11338

[Stella]

Ms. Farrand-Dyer's photo should be sent out to all wire services where newspapers, big and small will hopefully publish it. It must be just a matter of the right person or persons seeing the photo or recognizing her name and telling authorities.

[Silvia]

The following has just been published in the Boulder Daily Camera:
We are continuing our search for family of Katharine E. Farrand Dyer.

Thanks to all, Silvia

"Jane Doe" reburied in her former grave, by Silvia Pettem

Boulder's historic Columbia Cemetery is nearly full, so it's rare to have a burial and rarer still for a body or human remains to be interred a second time. But history was repeated on Sept. 9, when Jane Doe was returned to her former grave. The female murder victim was remembered by an "extended family" of people who continue to care for her. Again she rests in peace.

Jane Doe was the name given to a slender young woman whose naked and beaten body was found by two hikers in Boulder Canyon on April 8, 1954. Her face had been ravaged (by animals) beyond recognition, and intense publicity failed to bring forward anyone who knew her. Local citizens called her their "mystery girl," and they raised the funds for a plot, gravestone, and Christian funeral.

"We don't know who she was or what religion she followed," stated Coroner George Howe at the time. "We can only do what we think is right."

Fifty years later, in June 2004, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office exhumed Jane Doe's remains in the hopes that she could finally be identified with modern forensics. Her casket had disintegrated underground, and each bone was removed piece by piece -- a two-day process that resembled an archeological dig.

The victim's DNA was extracted from one of her teeth, and the subsequent profile was funded by another generation of generous donors. The process ruled out two missing women -- Marion Joan McDowell and Twylia May Embrey. A forensic anthropologist reassembled Jane Doe's skull, and a forensic artist sculpted a facial reconstruction, shown to a national audience on the television show "America's Most Wanted."

A group of six researchers, connected by the Internet but spread out all over the country, then began to whittle down a list of missing young women, finally settling on Katharine E. Farrand Dyer. The Denver elevator operator's physical description matched that of the victim, and she had been reported missing 13 days before Jane Doe's body was found. After that, her trail stopped cold.

Five months ago, a forensic anthropologist at Michigan State University compared Dyer's photograph to a cast of Jane Doe's reassembled skull. The two images matched so closely that Dyer could not be ruled out as Jane Doe.

Investigators today have much more information on Jane Doe than did their predecessors in 1954, but no family members of Dyer's have been found, so no DNA comparison has been made.

The Sheriff's Office was in charge of the re-interment, in coordination with Boulder City Parks officials who maintain Columbia Cemetery. Crist Mortuary generously provided a casket and vault and arranged for the opening and closing of the grave. A brief graveside service was officiated by Rev. Andy Wineman, a chaplain from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

Red gladioli from Sturtz & Copeland Florists were placed on her grave and replicated the same flowers sent "to someone's daughter" in 1954.

Although Dyer's name cannot be engraved on her stone until a positive DNA identification is made, the case remains open and a search for the victim's family continues.

To reach Silvia Pettem, write her at the Camera, P.O. Box 591, Boulder 80306, or e-mail pettem@earthlink.net.

[shadowangel]

For all the searching I've done, all I've been able to find is a reference to a "Miss Katherine (not Katharine) Farrand", in a Florida paper dated June 1947. Her father was Hiram Farrand, who had a "summer home in Berlin, NH".

[Silvia]

Thanks for all of your searching. We found this one, too, and have ruled her out. Yes, Katherine Louise Farrand was the daughter of Hiram A. and Elizabeth Allen Farrand. This Katherine was born 14 April 1909 and died 22 March 1994. The Katharine Farrand we are looking for was born (according to her marriage affidavit) 14 Oct 1926. (Or, possibly, the year could have been in error and she could have been born as late as 1930.) Thanks.

[Cambria]

Here's another new article. Thanks for releasing a new photo of Katharine Farrand Dyer in the article, Silvia.

Mysterious murder victim reburied in Colorado

By P. SOLOMON BANDA – 2 hours ago
DENVER (AP) — The exhumed remains of a mysterious woman killed in 1954 have been reburied without an answer to who she was, but some people believe they're close.
Investigators argue the remains are those of a Denver woman who had been reported missing just days before the battered, nude body of a woman in her 20s was found along a Boulder Canyon creek on April 8, 1954. There is even speculation that she may have been the victim of a serial killer.

More at link.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0pGVQNojZjb_7qu8KiYqv25S6MgD93HK7L80

[WholeLottaRosie]

I saw that article in a paper in the St Louis area. Nice to see it is getting wide spread release, with the picture of KFD. Maybe someone will recognize her. I keep hoping!!!

[UMfanforever]

Pretty impressive getting an AP article. congrats, Silvia!

[Silvia]

Thanks, all of you, for following the Boulder Jane Doe case. The victim was reburied in her former grave in September 2008. Despite extensive publicity, no family members have come forward, nor have my fellow researchers and I found any family members of Katharine Farrand Dyer for DNA comparison. My book on this case – "SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe" – will be released by Rowman & Littlefield in October.

[Cambria]

Thanks, all of you, for following the Boulder Jane Doe case. The victim was reburied in her former grave in September 2008. Despite extensive publicity, no family members have come forward, nor have my fellow researchers and I found any family members of Katharine Farrand Dyer for DNA comparison. My book on this case – "SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe" – will be released by Rowman & Littlefield in October.

Silvia - I'm sorry no one has come forward. As long as the case remains out in the public eye there is still a chance someone from her family may yet be found. Thanks for all the hard work you have done on this case. I look forward to your book being published.

Mary Beth

[WholeLottaRosie]

Thanks, all of you, for following the Boulder Jane Doe case. The victim was reburied in her former grave in September 2008. Despite extensive publicity, no family members have come forward, nor have my fellow researchers and I found any family members of Katharine Farrand Dyer for DNA comparison. My book on this case – "SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe" – will be released by Rowman & Littlefield in October.


I am sorry that no one has come forward, but, I do look forward to reading your book - maybe the publicity surrounding the publication will result in someone seeing it that knows something.

[Silvia]

Today, April 8, 2009, is the 55th anniversary of the day that two students found Jane Doe's body on the rocky edge of Boulder Creek, nine miles west of Boulder, Colorado. Of course we know a lot more about this murder victim today. Throughout the recent investigation, she gained an extended family of people who care. I will place red roses on her grave today on behalf of us all.

[Cambria]

Today, April 8, 2009, is the 55th anniversary of the day that two students found Jane Doe's body on the rocky edge of Boulder Creek, nine miles west of Boulder, Colorado. Of course we know a lot more about this murder victim today. Throughout the recent investigation, she gained an extended family of people who care. I will place red roses on her grave today on behalf of us all.

Wow...55 years! Unbelievable...I'm really sorry no one has come forward from Katharine Farrand Dyer's family because I thought that was a solid lead. It still is, I guess, until it is ruled out entirely. But I still wish you could locate someone from her family for DNA testing.

Thanks for placing the red roses on her grave and for all the hard work you have done on this case, Silvia. I look forward to your book in October.

[UMfanforever]

Today, April 8, 2009, is the 55th anniversary of the day that two students found Jane Doe's body on the rocky edge of Boulder Creek, nine miles west of Boulder, Colorado. Of course we know a lot more about this murder victim today. Throughout the recent investigation, she gained an extended family of people who care. I will place red roses on her grave today on behalf of us all.

You are appreciated. Will you take a look at some other cases? :)

[Silvia]

Thanks for the kind words. Sure, I'd be glad to look at other cases. Did you have a specific one in mind? (For more info on Boulder Jane Doe, see my website www.silviapettem.com) Thank you, Silvia

[UMfanforever]

Thanks for the kind words. Sure, I'd be glad to look at other cases. Did you have a specific one in mind? (For more info on Boulder Jane Doe, see my website www.silviapettem.com (http://www.silviapettem.com)) Thank you, Silvia

Oh ,I don't know ,any of the ones I've posted on but no one seems to reply to. This one is particularly interesting:
Lori Zimmerman (Lorraine Zimmerman) Murdered 4/6/1984, MD - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

But there are many many others in the Cold Cases section too.

[gaia227]

Hi Silvia - you are from Lancaster, PA, correct? Are you familar with Lindy Biechler's murder in 1975? She was 19 yrs old and was found stabbed to death in her home. In the weeks leading up to her death she had become convinced someone was stalking her and was terrified to the point of having friend and/or family stay with her during the evenings until her husband got home. After her death her grave was vandalized and then a letter was sent to the police department from a person who claimed to be the killer. Police have treated this letter as valid because it contained specific info.
Anyway - I don't want to hi-jack this thread. I thought you might be interested in this case since you are from Lancaster. Lindy Biechler(19) Murdered in her home, 1975, Still Unsolved - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

[Anubis]

So there was nothing ever left behind by Ms. Dyer that they could try and get trace evidence off? Seems like a perfect fit.

[Silvia]

During the past few years, Katharine Farrand Dyer has been thought to have been Boulder Jane Doe. Now, she has turned up alive, at age 84, in Australia! See Boulder Co. Sheriff's Office Press Release and also my press release on the bottom of my Jane Doe Archives 2 page: http://www.silviapettem.com/JANE%20DOE%20archives2.html

After getting over the shock, we are refocused on missing girls pre-April 1954. Any comments are welcome. Thanks! Silvia

(p.s. Thanks for the previous comments to me. Sorry I didn't answer them directly.)

[outofthedark]

It's a relief that Farrand is alive and okay, but disappointing that the investigators have to go back to square one

What I'm curious about is what Farrand's motive is for using so many aliases in her life

[Balthazar]

Silvia, How do you know this really is Katherine Ferrand Dyer and not a hoax? How was this woman's identity confirmed?

[Silvia]

Thanks for your questions. There will be a lot more of this story to come, as we're still in the process of trying to figure out why Katharine used several alias, etc. I don't know. As to proof that this was not a hoax, the Australian caretaker emailed me divorce papers that postdated the April 1954 finding of Boulder Jane Doe. Then, information in Katharine's address book led me to her surviving sister who was able to document some of her post-1954 addresses and activities. The Australians, the sister, and I exchanged photographs of Katharine and her husband (now deceased), which then were checked out by the Sheriff's Office. Still, who would think to look for Katharine in Australia!

[AMF]

This makes two missing women who have been found thanks to the search for Boulder Jane Doe so it's not all lost. I can't wait to hear more of Katharine's story because it must have been quite an adventure! And now we can get back to the search and see what else can be found. Thanks Sylvia for all you do and I'm looking forward to the book!

Anna from Denver

[anthrobones]

So what does Katharine look like today?

[anthrobones]

What about this one: The Doe Network: Case File 758DFON (http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/758dfon.html)

[Silvia]

This makes two missing women who have been found thanks to the search for Boulder Jane Doe so it's not all lost. I can't wait to hear more of Katharine's story because it must have been quite an adventure! And now we can get back to the search and see what else can be found. Thanks Sylvia for all you do and I'm looking forward to the book!

Anna from Denver
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, the search for Jane Doe found two women – Twylia May Embrey of Nebraska and now Katharine Farrand Dyer. Both changed their names and started new lives far from home. Now I'm wondering how many other young women of the 1950s did the same thing?

[Silvia]

So what does Katharine look like today?
I'm hoping the family and friends will agree to the release of Katharine's photos throughout the years. She was pretty, and she took the name "Katharine" (not her birth name) because friends compared her looks to that of actress Katharine Hepburn. In some photos, she seemed to be wearing a lot of makeup. In the latest (probably about age 80), there still is resemblance in her facial features. It would be interesting to see photos of Katharine Hepburn as an older woman and see how they compare.

[Silvia]

What about this one: The Doe Network: Case File 758DFON (http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/758dfon.html)

This is Marion Joan McDowell, the young woman abducted near Toronto in December 1953. She was the first woman we looked at as a possible Boulder Jane Doe. She has been ruled out by DNA. (DNA from Jane Doe's remains was compared to DNA from Marion's brother.) Marion's disappearance is a huge unsolved mystery.

[Cambria]

During the past few years, Katharine Farrand Dyer has been thought to have been Boulder Jane Doe. Now, she has turned up alive, at age 84, in Australia! See Boulder Co. Sheriff's Office Press Release and also my press release on the bottom of my Jane Doe Archives 2 page: http://www.silviapettem.com/JANE%20DOE%20archives2.html

After getting over the shock, we are refocused on missing girls pre-April 1954. Any comments are welcome. Thanks! Silvia

(p.s. Thanks for the previous comments to me. Sorry I didn't answer them directly.)

Wow....this is unbelievable! I also was positive Katharine was BJD. I bet you WERE totally shocked by this discovery. I'm happy KFD has been found alive, and one mystery is cleared up; however, this means back to the drawing board for you, Silvia, and your team of investigators. Thanks again for the update.

[anthrobones]

I'm hoping the family and friends will agree to the release of Katharine's photos throughout the years. She was pretty, and she took the name "Katharine" (not her birth name) because friends compared her looks to that of actress Katharine Hepburn. In some photos, she seemed to be wearing a lot of makeup. In the latest (probably about age 80), there still is resemblance in her facial features. It would be interesting to see photos of Katharine Hepburn as an older woman and see how they compare.

Katharine: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/07/01/images/2003070105330101.jpg

[anthrobones]

Who else has been ruled out?

[anthrobones]

Some of these are a stretch, but just throwing them out there:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2054dfor.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/799dfpa.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2220dfpa.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/532dfct.html

[Richard]

BOULDER, Colo. (Aug. 21) - Investigators say a woman they believed might have been killed in 1954 and found along a Boulder creek actually has been living in Australia for the last 46 years.

The Boulder County sheriff's office announced Thursday the woman they thought was the most likely candidate for Boulder's infamous "Jane Doe" murder case was located last week.

They found her after "a bit of dumb luck" through an Internet contact in Queensland, Australia.

Investigators thought Katharine Ferrand Dyer, now 84, might have been the victim in the unsolved homicide.

The author of a book about the case, scheduled to be released in September, contacted Dyer's siblings in the U.S., the News of Australia reported. The relatives said Dyer left Colorado for "personal reasons."
She moved to California and Hawaii before settling in Australia.

The sheriff's office says they're relieved Dyer is alive but discouraged that they're "back to square one" with their investigation.

The sheriff's office reopened the "Jane Doe" murder case in 2004.

[Silvia]

Some of these are a stretch, but just throwing them out there:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2054dfor.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/799dfpa.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2220dfpa.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/532dfct.html

Thank you for the above. Connie Smith (the 4th one) has been ruled out as Jane Doe. Connie had fillings in her teeth, while Jane Doe had none.

[Silvia]

Who else has been ruled out?

We are in the process of compiling a new list, but we welcome all suggestions! Thanks.

[Cambria]

Some of these are a stretch, but just throwing them out there:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2054dfor.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/799dfpa.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2220dfpa.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/532dfct.html

Betty McCullough has a thread here in the Cold Case section. When I first posted it, I put the link to an article in the paper that had brought the case to my attention in the first place. In the comment section below the article, someone suggested that Betty might be BJD. I know the possibility has been looked into, but don't know for sure if it was ever ruled out. There was also some discussion about Betty possibly being BJD on her thread in the Cold Case section. Sorry, but I'm using someone else's laptop now and I can't copy the link for Betty's thread into this post. But if you click on Search and type in her name, there are 2 links for her on WS, one in the Cold Case section and one in Missing Kids.

[Balthazar]

Thanks for your questions. There will be a lot more of this story to come, as we're still in the process of trying to figure out why Katharine used several alias, etc. I don't know. As to proof that this was not a hoax, the Australian caretaker emailed me divorce papers that postdated the April 1954 finding of Boulder Jane Doe. Then, information in Katharine's address book led me to her surviving sister who was able to document some of her post-1954 addresses and activities. The Australians, the sister, and I exchanged photographs of Katharine and her husband (now deceased), which then were checked out by the Sheriff's Office. Still, who would think to look for Katharine in Australia!

Prior to the mid - late 1970's the Australian population was heavily skewed with males greatly outnumbering females. As a result, the Australian government actually "campaigned" overseas to get foreign females to move to Australia. In fact, in some areas of Australia, this is still going on today! Here's an article from Greg Norman's hometown, Mt. Isa from 2008 requesting Ugly Duckling women to move there because men outnumber women by 5 to 1!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/2577869/Australian-mayor-calls-for-ugly-women-to-populate-town.html

Interestingly enough, the shortage of women in Australian small towns such as Mt. Isa has been reversed in Australia's coastal cities, where women outnumber men by far:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26420609/?gt1=43001

My husband's grandmother is among those women who migrated to Australia (from Scotland) as a "mail order" bride. Even in our parents generation, having the opportunity to get married was not guaranteed. In fact, Australian men of that generation greatly resented the presence of US Navy men in Brisbane during WWII because they were attracting (and marrying) the available Australian females. The phrase "Overpaid, oversexed and over HERE!" comes from this occurrence. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/extras/ww2/yanks.htm

[WholeLottaRosie]

Wow. Amazing to find KFD. So, Silvia, is your book still coming out on schedule?

[Silvia]

Wow. Amazing to find KFD. So, Silvia, is your book still coming out on schedule?

Yes, "Someone's Daughter" is at the printer's and will be out in late Sept. or early Oct. The focus remains on Jane Doe. Thanks for asking.

[WholeLottaRosie]

Yes, "Someone's Daughter" is at the printer's and will be out in late Sept. or early Oct. The focus remains on Jane Doe. Thanks for asking.


I look forward to getting it and reading it. Will you be doing autograph plates - some authors do, where if I send you a self addressed stamped envelope you will send one? Pretty please?

[Silvia]

I look forward to getting it and reading it. Will you be doing autograph plates - some authors do, where if I send you a self addressed stamped envelope you will send one? Pretty please?

I hadn't thought about autograph plates, but I will be selling copies (for the same retail price) and will be glad to sign them per individual request and mail them to those who order. Please email me directly at pettem@earthlink.net for more information. Thanks!

[WholeLottaRosie]

I hadn't thought about autograph plates, but I will be selling copies (for the same retail price) and will be glad to sign them per individual request and mail them to those who order. Please email me directly at pettem@earthlink.net for more information. Thanks!


Done!

[Silvia]

The book on the Boulder Jane Doe case is now available. Ask for it at your favorite bookstore, order it from Amazon.com, or contact me directly (pettem@earthlink.net) to purchase a signed copy. And thanks for caring about this still-unidentified murder victim.

[Silvia]

Here's the latest:
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_13590397

Thanks, Silvia

[Cambria]

Here's the latest:
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_13590397

Thanks, Silvia

Wow, keeping my fingers crossed that this DNA is a match so she can finally be identified! Thanks for the update.

[kitbits]

crossing everything here...

[Silvia]

The book on the Boulder Jane Doe case is now available. Ask for it at your favorite bookstore, order it from Amazon.com, or contact me directly (pettem@earthlink.net) to purchase a signed copy. And thanks for caring about this still-unidentified murder victim.

http://www.dailycamera.com/books/ci_13619945

[Texas Mist]

<snip>

Identity gives important link in piecing together 1954 homicide
By Brittany Anas, Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 10/28/2009 01:17:53 PM MDT

Photo of Dorothy Gay Howard, who has been identified as Boulder's "Jane Doe." The picture was taken when she was 17, circa 1953. (Boulder County Sheriff's Office)
Boulder County's famed “Jane Doe” — the homicide victim whose identity has been a mystery for more than five decades — was identified today by the sheriff as a woman who went missing from Arizona.

Sheriff Joe Pelle announced that the woman's identity has been confirmed as Dorothy Gay Howard, who was reported missing from Phoenix, Ariz., in March 1954. She was 18 years old at the time of her disappearance.

more here

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_13658937

[kitbits]

<snip>

Identity gives important link in piecing together 1954 homicide
By Brittany Anas, Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 10/28/2009 01:17:53 PM MDT

Photo of Dorothy Gay Howard, who has been identified as Boulder's "Jane Doe." The picture was taken when she was 17, circa 1953. (Boulder County Sheriff's Office)
Boulder County's famed “Jane Doe” — the homicide victim whose identity has been a mystery for more than five decades — was identified today by the sheriff as a woman who went missing from Arizona.

Sheriff Joe Pelle announced that the woman's identity has been confirmed as Dorothy Gay Howard, who was reported missing from Phoenix, Ariz., in March 1954. She was 18 years old at the time of her disappearance.

more here

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_13658937

WOW!!!! that's such great news and gives hope for other UIDs. Kudos to Sylvia for all of your perseverance! It's wonderful that Dot has her name back & that her family has some sort of 'closure'. Wonderful!

[kitbits]

hmmm...dear admin folk, i was wondering...could this possibly be flagged up with an 'Identified' tag? it really is big news! after all, 55 years is a long time & it really does give one hope :)

[Cambria]

WOW! Unbelievable. Silvia, I can't even begin to imagine what you are feeling now. You have done such incredible work on this case. I'm so glad this was finally solved. Dorothy was a beautiful young woman.

Thanks again for all your hard work on the case!

[AMF]

Boulder Jane Doe, now Dorothy or Dot, has been an inspiration for many of us. Her family probably knows that the search for Dorothy's identity actually lead to several other missing women being found. It's as if even through all these years, Dorothy's spirit, had a purpose in leading investigators to look for several other missing women and allowing their families to finally know where they were. Dorothy can now rest in peace. It's wonderful her family wants her to stay in Boulder near those who have adopted her and taken care of her memory. God Bless you Dorothy. And bless Sylvia because it's been her persistence and drive that made this possible. This is amazing. Makes all of us websleuthers want to get busy another case!!

[spamelope]

That's great news on here for a change! Congrats to Silvia and Steve Ainsworth and all those who toiled for so many years in trying to find the name of this beautiful young woman. RIP Dot.

[believe09]

Here is another story:
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=125931&catid=339

[Cambria]

That's great news on here for a change! Congrats to Silvia and Steve Ainsworth and all those who toiled for so many years in trying to find the name of this beautiful young woman. RIP Dot.

Yes, definitely kudos go to the Boulder Co. Sheriff Dept. for their persistent work on this case too!

[WhyaDuck?]

LE Press Release:

Positive Identification of Victim in 1954 "Jane Doe" Homicide case

http://www.bouldercounty.org/newsroom/templates/bocosheriff.aspx?articleid=1880&zoneid=2

[gaia227]

Wow! I can't believe she has finally been identified!

Congrats to you Sylvia. If it were not for you Dorothy would have remained a missing person and Jane Doe's case file would have continued gathering dust. I can't imagine how you are feeling right now. To put so much time, emotional and physical energy into something like this and see it all pay off like this is certainly a feeling I don't think I have ever had.

RIP Dorothy.

[Julessleuther]

I saw this on the news last night. My condolences to the Howard family, but it must also be a relief to know what happened to their sister/aunt. COngratulations Silvia on your tremendous hard work! This gives us hope on finding the indentities of the hundreds of other Jane/John Does out there!

[WhyaDuck?]

I am convinced that you folks working so hard on the unidentified are the greatest thing about WS, IMO.

Congrats, Sylvia, and a big THANK YOU to all you sleuthers.

[Stella]

Put your hands together for Frank Bender as well. The reconstruction looks just like Dorothy!

[joellegirl]

Wow, what amazing news!

[Lady Stardust]

Why is she still listed on Doenetwork?
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/433ufco.html

[kitbits]

Why is she still listed on Doenetwork?
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/433ufco.html

they might not be aware of it yet...it's ok to inform them of updates. i had to let the Charley Project know about that young woman Dawn that Snuf solved--I emailed over this weekend & the site admin hadn't been informed yet.

does anyone know if Doe has been contacted? happy to do so...

it also may be that they are aware but haven't had a chance to update yet.

[kitbits]

p.s. lady stardust...I love bartleby :D

[Lady Stardust]

they might not be aware of it yet...it's ok to inform them of updates. i had to let the Charley Project know about that young woman Dawn that Snuf solved--I emailed over this weekend & the site admin hadn't been informed yet.

does anyone know if Doe has been contacted? happy to do so...

it also may be that they are aware but haven't had a chance to update yet.


Ok, she is now listed as identified.

[kitbits]

Ok, she is now listed as identified.

yep, just saw that :)

[Balthazar]

My condolences to the Dorothy Gay Howard's family. I hope this discovery will bring about some degree of closure.

Silvia, my hat is off to you for doggedly pursuing this and finding the answer. WTG to all Websleuths members who contributed to this research.

[MeoW333]

Here's an updated article:
http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_13791337

[Richard]

Positive Identification of Victim in 1954 "Jane Doe" Homicide case

MEDIA RELEASE Wednesday, October 28th, 2009


TO: Boulder County Area Media

FROM: Cmdr. Rick Brough, #303-441-3631

RE: Positive Identification of 1954 “Jane Doe” Homicide Victim
Case #04-2822


Sheriff Joe Pelle announced today that a positive identification has been made of the victim in a decades old homicide investigation.

The battered and naked body of “Jane Doe”, an unidentified female homicide victim, was found along the banks of Boulder Creek near Boulder Falls, eight miles west of Boulder, on April 8th, 1954. Despite an intensive investigation at the time, she was never identified. Her body was buried in Boulder’s Columbia Cemetery in a simple grave beneath a donated headstone that read
“Jane Doe – April 1954 - Age About 20 Years”.

In 2004, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, prompted by local Boulder historian Silvia Pettem, resurrected the investigation. With funds contributed by the community, the donated expertise of several forensic authorities, and Pettem’s able assistance as a researcher, Sheriff’s detectives made significant progress in furthering the investigation, utilizing modern investigative methods. Notably, an exhumation in 2004 and an artist’s recreation of “Jane Doe’s” face from her re-constructed skull provided a DNA profile and an image that caught the public’s attention, respectively. The case received extensive regional publicity and was featured in an episode of “America’s Most Wanted” television program. Still, “Jane Doe’s” identity eluded Sheriff’s investigators and a cadre of private volunteer researchers coordinated by Ms. Pettem.

However, late last week that all changed. The Sheriff’s Office was notified by Dr. Terry Melton, president and CEO of Mitotyping Technologies, LLC, of State College, Pennsylvania, that her lab had made a match between “Jane Doe’s” DNA profile and that of a woman who thought the unidentified murder victim might be her long-lost sister.

“Jane Doe” was positively identified as Dorothy Gay Howard, who was reported as missing from Phoenix, Arizona, in March 1954. She was 18 years old at the time of her disappearance. A photograph accompanies this media release.

Ms. Howard’s great-niece, whose identity is not being released at this time at her request, had been following “Jane Doe’s” saga on-line via Ms. Pettem’s “Jane Doe” web-site, www.boulderjanedoe.com (http://www.boulderjanedoe.com/), but did not pursue her suspicions that “Jane Doe” might be her great-aunt “Dot” as investigators had focused on another likely candidate, Katharine Farrand Dyer. However, when Ms. Dyer was discovered alive and well and living in an assisted living center in Australia last month, Dot’s great-niece came forward and proposed her great aunt as a possible candidate for a match for “Jane Doe”. She provided information about another aunt, a younger sibling of Ms. Howard’s, who in turn provided a DNA sample that was then compared against “Jane Doe’s” profile, establishing a matrilineal family match.

Ms. Pettem, who recently authored the book, “Someone’s Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe” which chronicles her quest to identify the young woman, commented, “In recent years, the search for Jane Doe’s identity has spread around the world, touching the lives of thousands of people, including me. I feel sadness for her tragic death, but relief that her family now has closure. I look forward to Dorothy’s real name on a new gravestone, and I’m proud to have played in solving this mystery”.

Sheriff Joe Pelle commended Ms. Pettem’s skills as a researcher and her persistence in pushing the investigation forward, while complimenting Sheriff’s Detective Steve Ainsworth, who has diligently pursued and documented every lead in the case. Together, they built a compelling circumstantial case for naming serial-killer Harvey Glatman (executed in California in 1959 for the murder of three other women) as Ms. Howard’s murderer. Detective Ainsworth said, “With her identification, a major piece of the puzzle has been added. I’m confident now that we will be able to find the missing links that will tie this all together”.

Ms. Howard’s surviving family members have expressed their preference that she remain interred in Boulder’s Columbia Cemetery. Ms. Pettem, with Sheriff Pelle’s cooperation, has announced a fund drive to purchase a new headstone for Ms. Howard. Donations may be made to the “Jane Doe Fund”, c/o the Boulder History Museum, 1206 Euclid Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302

This media release may be found on the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office web-site at: www.bouldersheriff.org (http://www.bouldersheriff.org/)



http://www.bouldercounty.org/newsroom/articlefiles/1880-DotHoward.GIF

Dorothy Gay Howard, age 17, circa 1953

http://www.bouldercounty.org/newsroom/articlefiles/1880-Jane%20Doe%20Press%20Conference%20Photos%20007.jpg

Forensic artist Frank Bender's recreation of Jane Doe's facial features, 2005

[Silvia]

As Paul Harvey used to say, here's "the rest of the story."
http://www.silviapettem.com/JANE%20DOE%20articles/Epilogue.html?articleid=1880&zoneid=2

Thanks for caring about Boulder Jane Doe (Dorothy Gay Howard),
Silvia

[Silvia]

Update on Boulder Jane Doe/ Dorothy Gay Howard tonight (Jan. 23, 2010) on Fox TV's "America's Most Wanted" (1 of several segments in hour-long show). Afterwards, watch online at http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=amw#

[Cambria]

The AMW episode on Dorothy Gay Howard was very good. Thanks for the heads up, Silvia. I sincerely wish they could find those lost Glatman photos. I agree with Det. Ainsworth, I can't imagine someone throwing historical photos like that away. I hope lots of retired LE officers saw the episode tonight and check their files at home!