Identified! OH - Youngstown, WhtFem UP8465, 30-40, drug paraphernalia, Oct'95 - America Williams

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Namus UP8465

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/8465

Probable year of death:1995 to 1995
Estimated postmortem interval:3 Months


Body conditions: Not recognizable - Mummified

9306
9307



Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 20-30
Approximate Height: 110
Approximate Weight: 63
Hair Color: Brown; Chin to collar-length, straight, fine, dark brown or black hair
Eye Color: Unknown

Physical/medical: Healed fracture of right lower leg (distal third of right tibia)


Clothing & Accessories

Clothing: Levi's 5 pocket Jeans (waist 28, length 32)
Blue short-sleeved shirt with "Golden Age Games - Sanford Florida" written in yellow letters on front and "Post Natural Bran Flakes" written in yellow letters on back Black long-sleeved, button-up (cardigan-style) sweater with blue and gray stripe/swirl designs; Halter-style sports bra with multi-color, swirl design; White or tan bikini style panties with lace trim. Size medium (hips 35-37);
White tube socks with green stripes; drug paraphernalia

Footwear: White and black "Nike Air" high top athletic shoes - size 8

Identifiers
Fingerprints: Fingerprint information is currently available and entered
Dentals: Dental information is available and entered
DNA:Complete - Insufficient DNA for profiling

Case History
Partially mummified and skeletonized remains discovered in an uninhabited public housing apartment. Drug paraphernalia found on the body suggests a history of crack cocaine abuse.
 
City police Detective Sgt. Dave Sweeney, who heads up missing persons’ cases for the department, and coroner’s investigator Theresa Gaetano are trying to find the identity of a woman found Oct. 31, 1995 in a vacant Wirt Street apartment

For the woman found on Wirt Street, investigators have a little more to work with, but not much. Sweeney said her remains were found inside the apartment, which was vacant, by a maintenance crew. The apartment was also in a state of disarray when the woman was found, Sweeney said.

Gaetano said investigators were able to save the woman’s jaw, but she recently sent it out to be tested and investigators determined they could not get any DNA from it. Investigators were able to make a dental chart of the victim’s teeth, however, but that can only be used if they have dental records to compare it to.

The woman is estimated to be white, about 5’2 and about 110 pounds. It is estimated she had been dead for two to three months before she was found, Gaetano said. A cause of death could not be determined.

The woman was wearing Levi’s five-pocket jeans, with a 28-inch waist and 32-inch inseam. She had on a blue, short sleeved shirt that had the words, “Golden Age Games, Sanford, Florida,” on the front in yellow letters on the front. She also had on white and black Nike Air Jordan high top shoes, size 8 and white tube socks with green stripes, and a black button up sweater with a blue and gray striped swirl design.

There was also a crack pipe found near the woman at the time, but it could not be used for testing, Gaetano said.
Youngstown police, coroner’s office seeking help identifying bodies found decades ago | WKBN.com
 
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

This case just came into NAMUS. Everything matches decently enough but it's hard to tell if the dentals match since the jaw isn't shown from a straight ahead angle but it doesn't really look like they match. Unless the teeth that are missing were missing post mortem. I can't tell if the front teeth match but it doesn't really look like it.
 
jules39osu said:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

This case just came into NAMUS. Everything matches decently enough but it's hard to tell if the dentals match since the jaw isn't shown from a straight-ahead angle but it doesn't really look like they match. Unless the teeth that are missing were missing post mortem. I can't tell if the front teeth match but it doesn't really look like it.
Click to expand...
I came to this thread to suggest the same case - it definitely seems possible, but the police would've had to screw up both investigations not to make the connection. Not that it would be the first time.
 
Hopefully someone better at comparing teeth will see this. I can’t decide on the teeth to be honest, but both sets are definitely unique. It says Fran was being held against her will. I wonder what the circumstances were. That might be helpful to know. I suppose her captor(s) could have staged a drug overdose. Overall, I’d say it’s worth submitting!

ETA: added a photo for comparison. SKELETAL IMAGE Attached.
 

Attachments

  • 1694E11C-EFE2-42AB-97B9-7F02A53E097A.jpeg
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MadMcGoo said:
Hopefully someone better at comparing teeth will see this. I can’t decide on the teeth to be honest, but both sets are definitely unique. It says Fran was being held against her will. I wonder what the circumstances were. That might be helpful to know. I suppose her captor(s) could have staged a drug overdose. Overall, I’d say it’s worth submitting!

ETA: added a photo for comparison. SKELETAL IMAGE Attached.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Not much information to go on as far as Fran's disappearance.

It seems extremely odd to me that she was being held against her will but there is no missing persons report made until 2021? That's strange. It seems silly that they wouldn't have compared the two but I suppose it's worth submitting just in case. Thanks for your input and the comparison photo.
 
Murder Inc said:
9ea98247-8ff0-412d-a913-eafe7082da95-thumbnail.jpg
Click to expand...

I have been trying to look into the shirt to see if there's any link. The best I could find was that she had a brother that lived in Florida at the time but I can't link him to Sanford, FL specifically. Maybe just a coincidence.
 
jules39osu said:
Authorities have lead on ID of body found on Youngstown’s North Side in 1995 | WKBN.com
Click to expand...
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Investigators with the Youngstown Police Department and the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office believe they may know the identity of a woman whose unidentified remains were found in 1995.

After a Feb. 24 story on WKBN First News and wkbn.com said authorities were looking to find the identity of a woman who was found in an Otis Street apartment, Detective Sgt. Dave Sweeney, who handles missing persons’ cases for the department, said he and Investigator Theresa Gaetano with the coroner’s office began receiving calls from people saying the woman was America F. Williams, who was about 30 when she went missing.

Investigators can use a dental chart of the victim’s teeth to identify her, but her body was too badly decomposed to get a DNA sample. Sweeney did take a DNA sample from a family member in case technology improves in the future, but Gaetano said what she is looking for now is someone who may have access to Williams’ dental records.
--
It says above that they have fingerprint records for the unidentified woman - but I suppose unless you've run into trouble with the law, most people don't have their prints laying around.

Maybe @othram could connect with this police department? This seems right up their alley!
 
victoriarobinson642 said:
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Investigators with the Youngstown Police Department and the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office believe they may know the identity of a woman whose unidentified remains were found in 1995.

After a Feb. 24 story on WKBN First News and wkbn.com said authorities were looking to find the identity of a woman who was found in an Otis Street apartment, Detective Sgt. Dave Sweeney, who handles missing persons’ cases for the department, said he and Investigator Theresa Gaetano with the coroner’s office began receiving calls from people saying the woman was America F. Williams, who was about 30 when she went missing.

Investigators can use a dental chart of the victim’s teeth to identify her, but her body was too badly decomposed to get a DNA sample. Sweeney did take a DNA sample from a family member in case technology improves in the future, but Gaetano said what she is looking for now is someone who may have access to Williams’ dental records.
--
It says above that they have fingerprint records for the unidentified woman - but I suppose unless you've run into trouble with the law, most people don't have their prints laying around.

Maybe @othram could connect with this police department? This seems right up their alley!
Click to expand...

We would love to help, if possible.
 
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