NJ NJ - Brielle, WhtFem 18-30, UP2274, hit by train, blue rosary, clothes, scars, Jun'08

I searched and did not see a thread for this Jane Doe yet, so I'm starting one.

http://doenetwork.org/cases/770ufnj.html



Unidentified White Female

The victim was discovered on June 15, 2008 in Brielle, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 20-40 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'3-5'6"; 115-130 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Straight brown hair; hazel eyes. Short fingernails painted silver with white diagonal stripes. A scar on her right abdomen approximately 2 1/4" long indicating a possible appendectomy, a scar on her left hand, and a scar on her right hand.
Clothing: A red sweatshirt, a white t-shirt on top of the red sweatshirt, a white partial button down shirt that was wrapped around her waist, light green underwear, white socks, white Adidas brand sneakers with 3 black stripes. In her possession was a brown tote bag with the words New York. Inside the tote bag was a blue sweatshirt with a winter scene (snow covered trees and a cardinal), black jeans with a zipper on the left and right side of the waist, a sun hat with blue flowers, a black/white bandanna, and blue/yellow scarf with yellow flowers. The tote bag also had a toothbrush, cap, lighter, and area maps.
Jewelry: A blue rosary bead type necklace with a cross and a wooden bracelet with religious icons/saints on it.
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available

Here is her NAMUS profile:

https://identifyus.org/cases/2274

with the following RULE-OUTS:
Mindy Arnett, Michelle Benjamin, Rhonda Brown, Kelli Cox, Clarissa Culberson,
Tina D'Ambrosio, Margaret Hardican-McEnroe, Nelda Hardwick, Jodi
Huisentruit, Danielle Imbo, Sandra Jacobson, Michele Julson, Sherry Milton,
Maura Murray, Leah Peebles, Kyla Porter, Patricia Schmidt, Tiffany Sessions,
Sharon Shechter, Karen Spencer, Margaret Stamper-White, Lisa Stebic,
Nichole Torrez, Tammy Walker, Margaret Warrington, Karen Wells, Jennifer Wix, Carol Wood.

With all these rule-outs, I didn't think I would find any more possible matches.

Then I landed on Svetlana Zueva.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/z/zueva_svetlana.html



WHY:
- UID had bracelet with religious icons common in Eastern Europe/Orthodox religions; Svetlana Zueva is a Russian and/or Eastern European name. This was actually the first thing I thought of upon looking at the description of her jewelry, even before finding Svetlana - perhaps the UID was Russian or Eastern European.
- bears a resemblance to the sketch;
- both have hazel eyes;
- Svetlana is 5'6; UID is estimated between 5'3 and 5'6;
- UID is between 20 and 40; Svetlana is 25.

On Svetlana's profile on NAMPN, below, she is identified as "voluntary missing"; although we don't know her mental state, this could be a factor. The UID was hit by a train - likely a suicide.
http://www.nampn.org/cases/zueva_svetlana.html

The timeframe also makes sense - she could have left California on May 1, 2008 and gotten to New Jersey by June.

I doubt the UID is Svetlana for a few reasons, but traveling coast to coast in 6 weeks without any apparent mode of transportation only to commit suicide by walking (or standing on the tracks at 1:38 a.m. in Brielle, NJ) is too far a strech for me.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/nj_transit_asks_for_help_in_id.html

besides, the UID is described as having gray/blue eyes. Svetlana had hazel eyes and I do not think the two sets of colors could ever be confused.

webrocket said:

besides, the UID is described as having gray/blue eyes. Svetlana had hazel eyes and I do not think the two sets of colors could ever be confused.

Click to expand...

the NAMUS and Doe profiles both state that the decedent has hazel eyes, not gray/blue.

Thank you for bringing "Brielle Jane" to our attention, Future Criminologist! I am rather familiar with Brielle having spent a lot of time in the area when I was younger. It's getting late, I'm tired, and I'll "sleep on" what I've read to see if I can come up with any helpful observations. Right now the first thing that struck me is how many "RULE-OUTS" there have been based on other UID's I read about on WS. LE seems to be actively working to learn Brielle Jane's identity. To me (and I'm not "artsy craftsy"), the wooden bracelet is distinctive. Also, by June 15th the summer has already gotten started on the Jersey Shore, and it's quite possible Brielle Jane had come into the area to work for the summer or to try to find a summer job. Several restaurants in Brielle, a country club, a yacht club, etc. and plenty of lodging facilities and restaurants in Manasquan to the north and Point Pleasant Beach to the south. Is there any reference anywhere to an interview with the locomotive engineer of the train that hit her? Will follow up on that early next week. Thanks again!

Kiln Wood said:

Thank you for bringing "Brielle Jane" to our attention, Future Criminologist! I am rather familiar with Brielle having spent a lot of time in the area when I was younger. It's getting late, I'm tired, and I'll "sleep on" what I've read to see if I can come up with any helpful observations. Right now the first thing that struck me is how many "RULE-OUTS" there have been based on other UID's I read about on WS. LE seems to be actively working to learn Brielle Jane's identity. To me (and I'm not "artsy craftsy"), the wooden bracelet is distinctive. Also, by June 15th the summer has already gotten started on the Jersey Shore, and it's quite possible Brielle Jane had come into the area to work for the summer or to try to find a summer job. Several restaurants in Brielle, a country club, a yacht club, etc. and plenty of lodging facilities and restaurants in Manasquan to the north and Point Pleasant Beach to the south. Is there any reference anywhere to an interview with the locomotive engineer of the train that hit her? Will follow up on that early next week. Thanks again!

Click to expand...

I think it was a good point to bring up the possibly that the UID came to Brielle to look for summer work. Since it on the close to the Jersey shore, it is quite possible that she could be from another country over here for the summer.

My family and I go on vacation to Ocean City MD every year (this year we are going to Myrtle Beach), anyway over the past 5 years or so, most of the people that work in the shops, restaurants, etc at Ocean City are from other countries, some speak NO English whats so ever. I don't remember it being like that 10-15 years ago. In fact, when I was in collage in the 90's, a lot of my friends would move to Ocean City for the summer to work, (I live in PA, near Pittsburgh, which is about 350 miles away)

future criminologist said:

the NAMUS and Doe profiles both state that the decedent has hazel eyes, not gray/blue.

Click to expand...

strange, the State of NJ her with hazel eyes as well:

http://www.njsp.org/miss/ui_monmouth_u480021416.html

I do not think she was working in the area as in summer help. while it is not always sweltering on June 19 in NJ she was wearing a sweatshirt and was carrying another sweatshirt that had a winter scene on it. she was also carrying a scarf.

the image of the UID certainly looks Slavic to me. the presence of the icons would suggest a former Soviet republic as one group of Slavs, i.e. the Poles are almost all Roman Catholic. to my knowledge, there are no significant communities of Russians in NJ (there are some Russian/Ukranians by the NW corner of Newark) but other than that any such Slavs are sprinkled about.

there are loads of Russians/Ukranians in Brighton Beach Brooklyn, which would be my guess where she was from. unless you have ever encountered the communities there, it is very hard to describe. they are very insular and there are various criminal syndicates that work from those communities.

interestingly enough, there once was a thriving Russian community in central NJ located in a place called Cassville, which is now part of Jackson, NJ. Cassville is like 12 miles west of Brielle.

Cassville is the home of Rova Farms, a Russian cultural and community center. attendance at its events have dwindled and I don't see anything that would have been on their calendar in mid-June 2008.

http://www.rovafarm-rcc.org/rovafarmshistory.htm

Lutrica Zasa Steele has been missing from Schenectady NY since the beginning of June 2008. The description matches and many circumstances such as timing, the fact that Lucrita was looking/needing to get away for awhile and winterlike clothing typical for an upstater leads me to believe LE should look into this possible match. My heart goes out to Lutrica's sister, children and other family who are still looking and wondering.

The bracelet with the saint icons is something that I've seen before. It's mass produced and can be ordered easily on Amazon or other internet sites. I could swear that I've seen it elsewhere - in little jewelry shops or specialty stores, but I can't figure out where for the life of me. I don't think that it necessarily provides a Slavic/Russian link, but given the presence of the rosary beads I doubt it was being worn for fashion purposes. I know that icons are also popular in Latin American countries, and although the UID had hazel eyes, let's not forget that there are many, many people that live in South and Central America who are of European or mixed stock and show those physical characteristics.

The clothing/appearance is an odd mix. One one hand, silver and white striped fingernails and the Adidas shelltops (which retail for around $60) make me think the UID is on the younger end of the age range. On the other hand, a t-shirt over a sweatshirt in June isn't something you'd often see on a 20 year old woman. The sweatshirt with the winter scene is something I'd associate with an older demographic as well. I'll need to let this one marinate for a bit, but the clothing just isn't sitting right with me.

Kiln Wood said:

Thank you for bringing "Brielle Jane" to our attention, Future Criminologist! I am rather familiar with Brielle having spent a lot of time in the area when I was younger. It's getting late, I'm tired, and I'll "sleep on" what I've read to see if I can come up with any helpful observations. Right now the first thing that struck me is how many "RULE-OUTS" there have been based on other UID's I read about on WS. LE seems to be actively working to learn Brielle Jane's identity. To me (and I'm not "artsy craftsy"), the wooden bracelet is distinctive. Also, by June 15th the summer has already gotten started on the Jersey Shore, and it's quite possible Brielle Jane had come into the area to work for the summer or to try to find a summer job. Several restaurants in Brielle, a country club, a yacht club, etc. and plenty of lodging facilities and restaurants in Manasquan to the north and Point Pleasant Beach to the south. Is there any reference anywhere to an interview with the locomotive engineer of the train that hit her? Will follow up on that early next week. Thanks again!

Click to expand...

My Dad was stationed in NJ and we lived in the Shore area so I have spent time in Brielle, as well, when I was in high school. The train stops are in Manasquan and Point Pleasant so she would not have gotten off a train in Brielle at a stop. She may have jumped from the train and been hit by the train going in the opposite direction. I don't know if the exact location of the body has been stated in the article but when the train is coming from Point Pleasant and going to the north, it does go slowly in the Glimmer Glass area. Perhaps she didn't have the money for the fare and that is about the area where the conductor would be taking tickets/payment.

There are agencies out of NYC and North Jersey that do bring students to the area from Europe to work for the summer. My mom brought home from the beach one day 4 kids from Ireland; they had come over to work in a hotel in Belmar and the hotel owner hired cheaper help. My mom found these kids stranded on the boardwalk with their luggage; they stayed with us all summer, found other jobs and some had even visited my parents since that summer. The possibility that she came to work for the summer is valid

I was struck by the resemblance to Danielle Imbo who has been missing since 2005. The age, height, weight and eye color are spot on...However, Danielle had a tattoo of flowers on lower back and that is not mentioned on this unidentified...Conversely, an appendectomy scar is not mentioned on Danielle's physical information...

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/show/806


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http://doenetwork.org/cases/images/770UFNJ.jpg

Could this Jane Doe be Casey Brooks? I know CB is presumed to have died after jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, but what if she didn't? Surviving that fall is uncommon, but certainly not impossible. CB's family calls the suicide an impulsive act. What if she jumped, then changed her mind, and fought for her life, somehow escaping the water? Then, too ashamed to go home, she sets out on her own, only to end up in NJ a few months later, where she meets her death with the train.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/brooks_casey.html

I see a resemblance. A few of you mentioned that the JD has a Slavic look to her, and I agree. Casey was born in Poland. this is probably a long shot, since physical injuries from the fall would have likely required a hospital visit, and might have still be healing at the time of JD's death, but I wanted to at least put this out there

webrocket said:

I doubt the UID is Svetlana for a few reasons, but traveling coast to coast in 6 weeks without any apparent mode of transportation only to commit suicide by walking (or standing on the tracks at 1:38 a.m. in Brielle, NJ) is too far a strech for me.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/nj_transit_asks_for_help_in_id.html

besides, the UID is described as having gray/blue eyes. Svetlana had hazel eyes and I do not think the two sets of colors could ever be confused.

Click to expand...

Oh, yes, they can. My youngest has eyes like that -- If you look closely they're blue-gray with flecks of green and brown, but depending on the lighting and what he's wearing, they can look blue, gray, green, brown, or sometimes even kind of reddish (if he's wearing or standing near something orange). I think he lists them as hazel on his driver's license.

micheleonelonly said:

Could this Jane Doe be Casey Brooks? I know CB is presumed to have died after jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, but what if she didn't? Surviving that fall is uncommon, but certainly not impossible. CB's family calls the suicide an impulsive act. What if she jumped, then changed her mind, and fought for her life, somehow escaping the water?

Click to expand...

People that survive jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge are usually injured, often severly. I doubt someone would be able to swim to shore and travel across the country after such a jump. Casey's body was most likely carried out with the tide and lost in the ocean. This happens fairly often with the bodies of GGB jumpers.

Lutrica Zasa Steele is a strong potential match with a striking resemblance to this Brielle, NJ unidentified person. Lutirca's eyes are considered both blue and hazel, her height and weight match along with the timeline. I posted this potential match a few months back but since I was new I did not contact law enforcement. Can any seasoned websleuther advise on the next step or possibly call the right people? Thanks in advance for any help.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/steele_lutricia.html

Lutrica Steele, 27, Missing Since 5/1/08, Schenectady, NY - Help Find The Missing

I just figured out how to post side by side images

The NamUs casefile for this UID has a postmortem side-view in the images section.

Warning - Postmortem Photo in Images Section of this Link
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2274

This woman has kind of a "ski-lift" nose, that looks much different from Lutretia's nose IMO. And I don't see much resemblance with regard to her overall look.

Also, Lutretia had tattoos. The Jane Doe has none. And since they did mention scars, one would expect that they would have noted tattoos if there were any.

I was about to mention the tattoos, also. If it was one small tattoo, I could see that it might have been overlooked or damaged, but Steele has some serious ink.

here is an interesting possible match - Jamie Diane Seymour. Jamie was 5'6" (upper end of range for UID), 115-135 lbs (virtually the exact same range as the UID), 24 y.o. (was 21 when last seen in 2005), brown hair, hazel eyes and was last seen in Jackson NJ (one county over from where the UID was struck by a train).

Jamie had been rather transient and if you google her name, she had been arrested in 2003 in Georgia.

Jamie had pierced ears and the profile for the UID is silent on that. also there was a surgical scar on the UID and no such information for Jamie, however, they have very little info on Jamie so I can't say if there is no scar or whether it was an omission (or had emergency surgery in the three years she was missing)

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/seymour_jamie.html