TX TX - Houston, WhtFem 35-50, 256UFTX, inflam joint disease, painful shoulder, sweater, Feb'90

tifflee

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The Doe Network Case File: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/256uftx.html

File is in NamUs: https://identifyus.org/cases/2113

_____________________________

The Doe Network:
Case File 256UFTX


Reconstruction of Victim

Unidentified White Female


* Located on February 11, 1990 in Houston, Harris County, Texas.
* Estimated Date of Death: Unknown
* Partial Skeletal remains

Vital Statistics

* Estimated age: 38 - 50 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'1"-5'5" (65" est)
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Thick curly brown frosted hair.
* Distinguishing Marks: Severe inflammatory joint disease was in the right shoulder. This condition would have developed over time and would have caused a lot of pain (to the extent that the person would likely have expressed frequent discomfort).
* Clothing: Short sleeved, white pullover sweater (terry cloth type) with thin threads of blue and red.
* Skeletal Findings: Compression fractures of T7-9 and L1, fractured right rib 7 or 8, poorly healed compression fracture of the left humeral head with reactive eroded head and associated glenoid fossa (depression of the shoulder blade), acromion, and coracoid processes.
* Fingerprints: Not available
* Dental: Charts Available. Upper teeth were protruding, several teeth missing (prior to death), no dental restorations.
* DNA: mtDNA & nucDNA Available in CODIS

Case History

The victim was located in a field at 818 Richcrest in Houston, TX.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Texas Department of Public Safety
800-346-3243
--
Harris County Medical Examiner
Jennifer Love
713-796-6827
Email

Agency Case Number:
ML90-1028

NCIC Number:
U-400005056
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
Texas Department of Public Safety
Namus

_____________________________
 
An internet search shows the location Jane Doe was found, 818 Richcrest Drive, Houston, TX 77060, is the current location of Greenbriar Park North Apartments. It looks like they were built in 1983 and are surrounded by other apartments and condominiums.

Other blocks of Richcrest Drive have recently been developed. The 1100 block looks like it has new homes, some dated 2007.

818 Richcrest Drive, Houston, TX - Google Maps


 
This seems like a stretch without more details, but I wanted to mention Elizabeth "Libby" Crawford as a potential match. Her profile on Websleuths is here: [url="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6019945"]SC SC - Elizabeth Crawford, 36, Simpsonville, SC, July 1986 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/url].

Points to note:

  • Jane Doe's date of death is listed as unknown on Doe Network and 1990 on NamUs (her partial skeletal remains were discovered in February 1990). Elizabeth disappeared on July 16, 1986.
  • Jane had thick curly brown frosted hair. Elizabeth had brown hair which was frosted blonde at the time of her disappearance. In her photos, her hair is wavy/curly.
  • Jane is estimated to be 38 to 50. Elizabeth was 34 in 1986. By 1990, she would have been 38.
  • Jane's estimated height is 5'1"-5'5" (65" est). Elizabeth's is 5'3" and 125 lbs.
  • Jane was found in a short sleeve pullover sweater which seems chilly if she died in 1990 like NamUs lists (she was found in February so that would be January or February months). If, like Doe Network suggests, her estimated date of death is unknown, perhaps she died during warmer months. Elizabeth disappeared in the middle of July.
  • Jane was found in Houston, TX and Elizabeth disappeared from Simpsonville, SC. That is around 15-16 hours apart or around 970 miles.
[url="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Simpsonville,+SC&daddr=818+Richcrest+Dr,+Houston,+TX+77060&hl=en&geocode=FagLEgIdNeYY-ymfTFgh_iZYiDGk8v9psW4UMA%3BFVIZyQEdmWJQ-inXd8AfAMpAhjHEyTP7gpJKcA&mra=ls&sll=29.95631,-95.395178&sspn=0.00673,0.010933&g=818+Richcrest+Dr,+Houston,+Harris,+Texas+77060&ie=UTF8&z=6"]Simpsonville, SC to 818 Richcrest Dr, Houston, TX 77060 - Google Maps[/url]


Jane has dentals in NamUs, but there is no mention on if a front tooth is darker than the others. Elizabeth had a son so perhaps someday, her DNA will be submitted to NamUs, if it has not already been.

 
Althea Lanelle Rogers fits the description.
256UFTX.jpg
rogers_althea.jpg

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/rogers_althea.html

According to Althea's Charley Narrative, all four of her wisdom teeth and two of her upper molars have been removed, and she had a root canal on an unspecified tooth.

According to NamUs, the UID is missing all four wisdom teeth antemortem and two upper molars (2 and 15) are missing antemortem. The UID is also missing an upper bicuspid (#4) and two lower non-wisdom teeth (19 and 26) antemortem. It's possible that the root-canal tooth was either #4, 19 or 26, and these three teeth fell out subsequent to her last dental appointment.

In addition ...
* Her height (5'4") is within range (5'1" to 5'5")
* Her age (35) is slightly, but not excessively below the lower limit of the age range (38 - 50)
* Her LKA (Georgetown TX) is about 190 miles from Houston.
* The remains were found about 4 years and 4 months after her DLC.
* It's difficult to tell from the B&W photo whether her hair was frosted, but it does appear to be two-toned.

It's not clear from her B&W photo whether her front teeth protrude.
 
Good find, CarlK! You are great at reading the dentals. The nose and high cheekbones are quite similar between the two.
 
can anyone explain the reconstruction of the UID? the recon does not look white at all to me and unfortunately it makes it difficult for me to look beyond that when trying to compare faces.
 
webrocket: Perhaps the person who created the reconstruction did not have another color clay or failed to properly match?

Just to add to the information gathered here, there are two reconstruction photos up on the Harris County Sheriff's Office site, one of which I did not see on Doe Network. Neither seem to be up on NamUs.

You can see them here: http://www.hcso.hctx.net/FieldOps/csu/Unident2.pdf. It looks like lighting makes all the difference. It looks like the same wig, but the photo on the right is a lot "frostier" in color. Skin tone is also a noticeably different shade. The flyer has slightly different measurements from Doe Network which I pasted below.

These photos are an artist’s conception and should not be considered an exact likeness.

Case Number: 9002110985
Medical Legal Number: ML 90-1028
Date Found: 02/11/1990
Estimated Date of Death: Unknown
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 38-50
Height: 5’ 3” - 5’ 7”
Weight: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Hair Color: Lt. Brown
Location Found: Harris County, TX
Clothing: Short sleeved white shirt with thin threads of blue and red.
Miscellaneous: Upper teeth slightly protruded; several teeth missing (prior
to death), no dental restorations.

If you have information contact:
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division at
(713) 967-5810

 
it might have just been the lighting. what a difference with that second angle. thanks
 
Althea Lanelle Rogers fits the description.
256UFTX.jpg
rogers_althea.jpg

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/rogers_althea.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/rogers_althea.html

According to Althea's Charley Narrative, all four of her wisdom teeth and two of her upper molars have been removed, and she had a root canal on an unspecified tooth.

According to NamUs, the UID is missing all four wisdom teeth antemortem and two upper molars (2 and 15) are missing antemortem. The UID is also missing an upper bicuspid (#4) and two lower non-wisdom teeth (19 and 26) antemortem. It's possible that the root-canal tooth was either #4, 19 or 26, and these three teeth fell out subsequent to her last dental appointment.

In addition ...
* Her height (5'4") is within range (5'1" to 5'5")
* Her age (35) is slightly, but not excessively below the lower limit of the age range (38 - 50)
* Her LKA (Georgetown TX) is about 190 miles from Houston.
* The remains were found about 4 years and 4 months after her DLC.
* It's difficult to tell from the B&W photo whether her hair was frosted, but it does appear to be two-toned.

It's not clear from her B&W photo whether her front teeth protrude.

I just spoke with Theresa Dean of TX DPS. She took a look at Althea Rogers' dental charts, and said that she saw certain characteristics (i.e., fillings) in Althea's charts that weren't found in the UID's charts.

So assuming that the charts are entered correctly, it looks like this is a rule-out.

ETA: She called me back and said that her comparison was from UID to MP (i.e., the UID had fillings in 14 and 18 not found in the MP), and she realized that she looked at it in the wrong direction. In other words, it is not technically a rule-out because it is possible that Althea had a dental appointment subsequent to the time that the dental x-rays in their possession were taken.

However, she also said that both Althea and the UID have had DNA at UNT for a long enough time that there probably would have been a hit if there was a match. She will double check this though.
 
Thank you for following through on Althea, CarlK! She certainly looks like a strong candidate so it will be good to know for sure.

I emailed Jennifer Love at the Harris County Medical Examiner to see if there was ever a comparison against Elizabeth Crawford. I am hoping she can find out more details on Elizabeth to either rule her in or out based on Jane Doe's medical ailments. Ms. Love replied today with:
I have followed up with the Simpsonville PD and I am awaiting a call back. Thank you for submitting this potential match. I will keep you updated.
I will post if I find out more.
 
The UID's teeth resemble Constance Streif's smiling photograph. The photo isn't very clear, but I can still make out several similarities.

Constance was almost 23 when she disappeared in 82 placing her at 30 in 1990 which is still almost a decade younger than the UID's age estimation (which is of course problematic) However, she does appear to have thick brown wavy frosted hair, her height is close, and she did disappear from Bell County, TX, which is about 3 1/2 hours from Houston.
 

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Been so busy I haven't had a chance to post this update, but Dr. Love from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences emailed me a month ago to say that UNT ruled out Jane Doe and Elizabeth Crawford as a match based on DNA.
 
I know Elizabeth Crawford was ruled out, but I wanted to update that Dr. Jennifer Love of the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is amazingly dedicated. Libby is not one of her cases and not even in her state - just a possible match I submitted against the Jane Doe in this thread (one of Dr. Love's cases). Dr. Love quickly followed up with Simpsonville Police Department, got Libby's DNA compared to this Jane Doe's via UNT, then kindly updated me on UNT's result that it was not a match. All in less than a month.

When I followed up to simply ask if having Libby's DNA tested by UNT meant it automatically went into CODIS as well, she offered to check with UNT to see if Libby is in CODIS. This week, she emailed me back to say that Libby's family reference sample is in CODIS, but UNT had zero case file information by which they could eliminate "spurious" hits. She even took the time to explain what spurious hits are. She asked for the investigating agency in charge so that she could contact them and get more information about Libby into the system. Otherwise, Libby has a blank file - no date she went missing, no height, no circumstances of disappearance... nothing.

Dr. Love is doing this for someone who is not one of her cases and not even in her state. And, all of this because someone emailed her out of the blue about a long shot match.

I think it is professionals like Dr. Love who keep me hopeful even after frustrating weeks of trying to contact this agency here or that department there or yet another point person.

Just updating here because this is the thread that started it all in terms of Dr. Love being such a help. Thank you to Dr. Love and her team! I have high hopes this Jane Doe and others in Texas will be identified because of their efforts and willingness to listen to tips from the general public like us.
 
NamUs lists three rule-outs:

First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Teresa Barnett 1956 Texas
Francine Frost 1938 Oklahoma
Patricia Schmidt 1964 Virginia
 
Contradiction noted:

DoeNetwork says: "Dental: Charts Available. Upper teeth were protruding, several teeth missing (prior to death), no dental restorations." This is also repeated by Harris County Sheriff's Office.

NamUs says: "Tooth 7 has a composite filling, all other fillings are amalgam". There are six teeth marked as "F" for filling on the NamUs dental chart.
 
DNA in NamUs now says: "Status: Complete - Insufficient DNA for profiling"

I am confused as Doe Network previously said: "DNA: mtDNA & nucDNA Available in CODIS"

One more rule-out has been added in NamUs as of the end of 2012.
The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent:
First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Teresa Barnett 1956 Texas
Francine Frost 1938 Oklahoma
Patricia Schmidt 1964 Virginia
Billie Willard 1941 North Carolina
 
Bumping this from my phone so I can read it later on my laptop. (My eyesight is going to pot!)
 

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