Identified! OR - Polk Co, WhtFem UP9457, 45-70, frontal craniotomy, Sept'96 - Kathy Jean Buxton Thomas

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OkieGranny

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http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/09/cold_case_files_authorities_se.html

Authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying the skeletal remains of a woman found in rural Polk County on Sept. 1, 1996. The remains were located in the hills overlooking the Mill Creek area, according to a press release from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office has determined that the bones are of a caucasian female, believed to be 45 or older at the time of her disappearance. She was between 5 feet and 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a slight build and possible curvature of the spine. She most likely had a complete upper denture and black and gray hair, the release states.

In addition, her skull showed a surgical incision in the forehead area that stems from a sinus-related surgery conducted years before her death. The surgery may have left a visible scar.
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NamUs: https://identifyus.org/en/cases/9457
 
http://www.1190kex.com/articles/portland-local-news-123543/police-need-break-in-cold-case-12755859

The decedent's body may have been in the Mill Creek area for as little as a few months up to one year, making the time of disappearance from the fall of 1995 to the summer of 1996.

After extensive searching of missing person's reports from 1995 and 1996 in Polk County and throughout Oregon brought little in the way of leads to the decedent's identity, it is possible the decedent may have been from another state.

Due to the suspicious circumstances found at the scene, the Polk County Sheriff's Office investigated this incident as a homicide. Earlier this year, this case was turned over to the Polk County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Team who has worked with OHSU and the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office to develop medical information regarding the surgical scar...
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NamUs says: " This surgery would NOT have left a scar on the skin of her forehead, although the healed crescent shape may have been seen through the skin as an indentation or depression." She is also described as having "aucasian skeletal characteristics with possible afro-american genetic admixture".
 
NamUs also says: Update 07/07/14: CT scan by neurologist indicated that the excision was only partial thickness and did not perforate the inner sinus wall of the frontal bone.

So if they didn't go into the sinus wall, was it a complete incision? It's very odd, and the "partial thickness defect" (e.g. scar-type thing) is too low for a typical frontal craniotomy procedure. There is no hardware to hold the frontal bone back together, and the "defect" is too clean to be a result of trauma. Usually this kind of surgery is for tumor removal but it looks like removal of the frontal bone is incomplete? And from what I can gather, frontal sinus problems can be complication from the craniotomy, but a craniotomy is not done to treat frontal sinus problems. Just super weird, makes no sense whatsoever.

It will be interesting to see what OHSU thinks about it or if they give us any more information.
 
I recently submitted a match to namus for tami seymour... missing from Sacramento. There is nothing noted about her having any prior surgeries but everything else seems to line up... height, date she went missing compared to date estimated of death.. white female larger nose. If you look at her picture enlarged it looks like she may have some lighter skin between her eyes? Possible scarring from an older surgery? So hard to tell. Could just be the lighting. But my heart really goes out to her family. I hope they get answers
 

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I submitted with namus and I emailed polk county. I live very close to where they found her, so this case really gets to me. Some body has to be missing this poor lady
 
Looks like she will/was supposed to be featured on an upcoming Oxygen show called Jane Doe Murders. Given that her NamUs page is gone, I'm guessing she may be identified but won't be announced until the show airs?

Oxygen Greenlights New True Crime Projects From Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos And BuzzFeed Studios

“The Jane Doe Murders”
In the United States alone, there are nearly 40,000 open cases where a victim of a violent crime remains unidentified — bodies without names and loved ones never returned to their families. Without identification, there can be no justice for the victims’ families, and cases often go unsolved. But now, thanks to groundbreaking new forensic technology, investigators are able to bring a victim’s face to life and uncover new evidence. **In the new special “The Jane Doe Murders,” renowned crime scene investigator Yolanda McClary will delve into an active case from Polk County, Oregon. In the special, Yolanda works alongside Polk County investigators as they work tirelessly until the Jane Doe’s identity is revealed, and in hopes of putting together the pieces of what happened.**
 
I snagged the Doenetwork page in case it becomes unavailable. 29UFOR

DN_LOGO_cases.png

29UFOR - Unidentified Female

29UFOR1.jpg
29UFOR2.jpg
29UFOR3.jpg
29UFOR.jpg

2-D Re-approximation; Reconstruction of victim by Sandra Mays; View victim's cranial scar here


Date of Discovery: September 1, 1996
Location of Discovery: Salem, Polk County, Oregon
Estimated Date of Death: 1-8 years prior
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues
Cause of Death: Homicide

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 45-70 years old
Race: White with possible Black admixture
Sex: Female
Height: 5'3"
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Black, graying of medium length.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Slight build. Wide-set nose. She had a crescent-shaped healed cranial scar on her forehead, indicating she had been the subject of a successful past right-sided approached bi-frontal craniotomy. This surgery would not have left a scar on the skin of her forehead, although the healed crescent shape may have been seen through the skin as an indentation or depression. The surgery was possibly performed in the 1960's. A CT scan performed in July 2014 by neurologist indicated that the excision was only partial thickness and did not perforate the inner sinus wall of the frontal bone. She was beginning to suffer arthritis in her lower spine.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Most probably had a complete set of upper dentures due to the characteristics of her palate.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: None.
Jewelry: None.
Additional Personal Items: The body was wapped in a blue tarp, fastened by rope.

Circumstances of Discovery
Three hunters found the victim's skeletal remains off Mill Creek Road, a logging road about 22 miles west of Salem.

The body was originally wrapped in a blue tarp tied with a light-colored rope and covered with sticks. By the time the hunters came across the skull in a clearing, the bones had been widely scattered by coyotes.

Investigators recovered 97 percent of the skeleton. They also found strands of medium-length black-gray hair along a path from the logging road - an indication that the woman had been dragged about 75 yards.

The bones revealed no signs of trauma or gunshot wounds.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Polk County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Dr. Veronica Vance
Agency Phone Number: 971-673-8220 or 971-673-8300
Agency E-Mail: nici.vance(at)state.or.us
Agency Case Number: 96-7115

Agency Name: Polk County Sheriff's Department
Agency Contact Person: Detective John Williams
Agency Phone Number: 503-623-9252; Fax Number: 503-623-2060
Agency E-Mail: williams.john(at)co.polk.or.us
Agency Case Number: 14-14513 - CCSO

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 9457

Information Source(s)
NamUs
Koin.Com
The Statesman Journal News Archive

Admin Notes
Added: Prior to 2005; Last Updated: 1/29/18

Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team

** Listed information may be estimated.

Return Home
 
My name is Tina and I am the daughter of Kathy Jean Buxton Thomas. She was 43 years old when her body was found. I found out in November 2019 after receiving calls from investigators and detectives in Oregon. I knew my birth place was in Roseburg Oregon; but other than that, I was fairly unaware of what was about to unfold when first speaking to the detectives. We, my sister and I, were told that there was an ongoing investigation regarding this case and that our biological mother, Kathy, had been a Jane Doe for many many years in the state of Oregon.
I was adopted as a little girl along with my brother and sister. We were ultimately connected to this case as the technology of DNA and ancestral research advanced over the years. Adoption records, genealogy, countless interviews, phone calls and persistence lead investigators to her biological family in Oklahoma. This, in turn, revealed that she had 3 children that were adopted and now adults with their own families living in Oklahoma.
As this story will unfold-from Oklahoma to Oregon and back to Oklahoma, many layers of sadness, happiness, and moments of surreality, have affected our lives in ways that words can't begin to explain. Therefore, we've agreed to be included in the documentary of her story and murder. This happened to not only our mother, but ultimately it happened to us. She was taken from us when we were just babies and yet again many years later when she was murdered.

This is a very unusual case that is not a typical "story of finding your biological family". We found out that my biological mother left this world over 25 years ago, approximately. Myself, along with my sister and brother, had no idea that she was murdered and in our minds believed that she was living a life with another family and had just moved on. Our story along with hers has unfolded into a type of "novel" that continues to add new pieces to the puzzle as each day passes.
The documentary of our mother will air on December 13th, 2020; which is also her birthday. Kathy Jean Buxton-Thomas would have been 67 years old. Please understand, I joined this group as a way for healing to begin, awareness to be broadened, and for those that are maybe "just curious", to understand that these are real stories. I'm not looking to be felt sorry for or to be thought of with anything other than "strength". I've been strong my whole life due to knowing that I was adopted and may never know my true "biological" history. Now I do and I'm so thankful and blessed that through all of the inexplicable circumstances that brought this information to light, I now know who I came from. I'm not discounting what my adoptive family has given me in any way at all. But I'm beginning to feel more complete in "just knowing".
 
Tlgrubb said:
My name is Tina and I am the daughter of Kathy Jean Buxton Thomas. She was 43 years old when her body was found. I found out in November 2019 after receiving calls from investigators and detectives in Oregon. I knew my birth place was in Roseburg Oregon; but other than that, I was fairly unaware of what was about to unfold when first speaking to the detectives. We, my sister and I, were told that there was an ongoing investigation regarding this case and that our biological mother, Kathy, had been a Jane Doe for many many years in the state of Oregon.
I was adopted as a little girl along with my brother and sister. We were ultimately connected to this case as the technology of DNA and ancestral research advanced over the years. Adoption records, genealogy, countless interviews, phone calls and persistence lead investigators to her biological family in Oklahoma. This, in turn, revealed that she had 3 children that were adopted and now adults with their own families living in Oklahoma.
As this story will unfold-from Oklahoma to Oregon and back to Oklahoma, many layers of sadness, happiness, and moments of surreality, have affected our lives in ways that words can't begin to explain. Therefore, we've agreed to be included in the documentary of her story and murder. This happened to not only our mother, but ultimately it happened to us. She was taken from us when we were just babies and yet again many years later when she was murdered.

This is a very unusual case that is not a typical "story of finding your biological family". We found out that my biological mother left this world over 25 years ago, approximately. Myself, along with my sister and brother, had no idea that she was murdered and in our minds believed that she was living a life with another family and had just moved on. Our story along with hers has unfolded into a type of "novel" that continues to add new pieces to the puzzle as each day passes.
The documentary of our mother will air on December 13th, 2020; which is also her birthday. Kathy Jean Buxton-Thomas would have been 67 years old. Please understand, I joined this group as a way for healing to begin, awareness to be broadened, and for those that are maybe "just curious", to understand that these are real stories. I'm not looking to be felt sorry for or to be thought of with anything other than "strength". I've been strong my whole life due to knowing that I was adopted and may never know my true "biological" history. Now I do and I'm so thankful and blessed that through all of the inexplicable circumstances that brought this information to light, I now know who I came from. I'm not discounting what my adoptive family has given me in any way at all. But I'm beginning to feel more complete in "just knowing".
Click to expand...


Thank you so much for sharing your powerful story, Tina. My deepest condolences for the loss of your biological mother, Kathy. Indeed you seem like a strong, thoughtful person who has been processing a very complicated, surreal, emotionally intense situation with a lot of grace. I wish you well on your path to healing & look forward to learning more about Kathy and the rest of your family next month. Thank you for the necessary reminder that every unidentified person is a real person with a real life story and family behind them. All the best to you and your family
 
Last edited:
leilarose68 said:
It looks like the story of Kathy Jean Buxton Thomas will be shown January 3rd at 7PM ET on the Oxygen network. It will be a two-hour special.

'The Jane Doe Murders': Exclusive First Look at the True Crime Special

Her Body Has Gone Unidentified For Decades — Can 'The Jane Doe Murders' Give Her Name Back?
Click to expand...
"In our Polk County, Oregon, case for 'The Jane Doe Murders,' our assignment was to identify who Doe was based on her DNA profile."
Hudson genealogist helps identify Oregon ‘Jane Doe’ in true crime TV show premiering Sunday | RiverTowns
 
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