Identified! NJ - Mercer Co., WhtFem 288UFNJ, 18-30, J. Rifkin Victim, Mar'89 - Heidi Balch

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http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/mpdetails.asp?id='M10/16/20014:53:27PM'

Case Number: M8809003Case Type: Endangered - Foul Play PossibleLast Seen in: Midland (Midland County)Last Seen on: 2/2/1980Height: 5' 8 " Weight: 120 lbs. Age Missing: 19 Eye Color: BlueHair Color: BrownDate of Birth: 12/26/1960Race: WhiteSex: FemaleState Missing From: TexasCountry Missing From: USACircumstances: Ms. Booth has pierced ears and a birthmark on the right side of her stomach. She was last seen wearing a white, button-down blouse, pink vest and blue jeans. Ms. Booth was not wearing shoes when she disappeared. Her 1975 maroon and white AMC Pacer was found abandoned approximately 2 miles south of IH-20 on SH 349 (Rankin Highway).

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/288ufnj.html

Unidentified White Female



  • Discovered on March 5, 1989 in Mercer County, New Jersey.
  • She was a victim of homicide.
Vital Statistics



  • Estimated age: 18 - 30 years old
  • Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0"-5'9"; 100 - 140 lbs.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: Dirty blonde to light brown hair; blue eyes. Mole on left chin; 1' to 1.5" scar over left eye. Ear lobes scarred from piercing. Blood type A.
  • Dentals: All teeth had been extracted except for 3rd molars which were incompletely erupted or impacted.
  • Other: Her name may be Susie.
Case History
Click to read.

I could'nt find this posted anywhere on here. I left some of the details out. You will have to click on the link to read it.

I just wanted to have someone look at the pictures and compare the faces. Let me know what you think.
 
I think they look a lot alike. About 8 year time difference, but that could be explained by her lifestyle. So sad - What Jane Doe went through.
 
The disappearance of Kristy Lynn Booth has been discussed in two other threads here in Cold Cases. Here are some links to those discussions:

Kristy Lynn Booth 19, Missing 2 Feb 1980 from Midland, Texas - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

LINK:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36069&highlight=Kristy+Lynn+Booth

Unidentified Female Oklahoma, Found April 18, 1980 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

LINK:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36069&highlight=Kristy+Lynn+Booth
 
I had to let out a "WOW" when I did the side by side comparison. So tragic and sad an ending, if it is her.

I think it's worth submitting, if for nothing else than the facial similarities.

Awesome job sleuther!
 
The disappearance of Kristy Lynn Booth has been discussed in two other threads here in Cold Cases. Here are some links to those discussions:

Kristy Lynn Booth 19, Missing 2 Feb 1980 from Midland, Texas - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

LINK:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36069&highlight=Kristy+Lynn+Booth

Unidentified Female Oklahoma, Found April 18, 1980 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

LINK:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36069&highlight=Kristy+Lynn+Booth

Thank You Richard.
 
I had to let out a "WOW" when I did the side by side comparison. So tragic and sad an ending, if it is her.

I think it's worth submitting, if for nothing else than the facial similarities.

The nose appears similar but Booth doesn't have a mole on the left side of her chin though. The scar may be the result of a mishap but it is my understanding that moles that size usually only develop during childhood or senior years, not young adulthood. It doesn't look like a pigment discoloration caused by a burn either. I know that HIV can induce skin conditions that may look like moles or birthmarks but that only occurs in later stages of the disease and there would be more than one blotch, which would have been noted. I could be wrong though.
 
The nose appears similar but Booth doesn't have a mole on the left side of her chin though. The scar may be the result of a mishap but it is my understanding that moles that size usually only develop during childhood or senior years, not young adulthood. It doesn't look like a pigment discoloration caused by a burn either. I know that HIV can induce skin conditions that may look like moles or birthmarks but that only occurs in later stages of the disease and there would be more than one blotch, which would have been noted. I could be wrong though.

So you think the nose looks similar too?
I think the mole could have been a very small freckle. She has a red tint to her hair and the tell tale sign (blue eyes) anything on her skin that is the tiniest minute freckle or spot could change given enough sun exposure, Pregnancy and or Birth control are all contributing factors.
I was just wondering about her facial features,thats all. Minus the mole.
 
Do you know what kind of picture that is of Kristy? She isn't smiling ,she looks sad in her eyes...
 
I have this on my MySpace and on LTWH forum. One of our volunteers, Shayna Mechelle suggested this as a possible match....what do you all think...eye color is off, but...could be wrong info on either side, we have seen that before. The mole and comparison of pics has got me wanting to look further...thoughts?


http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/288ufnj.html
White Female 18-30 3/5/89 Mercer County, NJ
Unidentified White Female


Discovered on March 5, 1989 in Mercer County, New Jersey.
She was a victim of homicide.

288UFNJ.jpg
288UFNJ1.jpg



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vital Statistics


Estimated age: 18 - 30 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0"-5'9"; 100 - 140 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Dirty blonde to light brown hair; blue eyes. Mole on left chin; 1' to 1.5" scar over left eye. Ear lobes scarred from piercing. Blood type A. HIV positive.
Dentals: All teeth had been extracted except for 3rd molars which were incompletely erupted or impacted.
Other: Her name may be Susie.
DNA: Avaiable.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Case History
The victim was murdered by Joel David Rifkin in March 1989. He picked her up in Manhattan’s East Village, NY at around 10:00 pm. She was a drug addict and prostitute.
Rifkin beat and strangled her and then dismembered her body. To foil identification, Rifkin severed her fingertips and pulled her teeth with pliers, then jammed her severed head into an old paint can.
Rifkin drove the body parts across the state line to New Jersey, dropping the head and legs in the woods near Hopewell. Then he returned to Manhattan, pitching the arms and torso into the East River. On March 5, 1989, a member of the Hopewell Valley Golf Club in Hopewell Township, NJ found the can containing the victim's head near the 7th tee. Her legs were found in Pequonnock Creek, Jefferson Township, NJ on 4/8/89. Match confirmed by DNA testing.
The case remained unsolved until Rifkin confessed in 1993.


Joel Rifkin, circa 1993
JRifkin.jpg




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Hopewell Township Police Department
609-737-3100
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number:
H02489-14

NCIC Number:
U-347704762
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.




POSSIBLE MATCH?

http://www.lbth.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200503118S

ERicaFranolich.jpg



Name:Erica Jayne Franolich
Classification:Endangered Missing Adult Alias / Nickname:Erica Poprafsky Date of Birth:1960-08-12 Date Missing:1986-10-13 From City/State:Middleburgh, NY Missing From (Country):USA Age at Time of Disappearance:26 Gender:Female Race:White Height:64 inches Weight:100 pounds Hair Color:Brown Eye Color:Brown Complexion:Medium Identifying Characteristics:Mole on left knee, buck teeth. Clothing:Baggy shirt, blue denim overalls. Circumstances of Disappearance:Unknown. Erica was last seen at approximately 9:00pm in the vicinity of Main St. and Rail Road Ave. in Middleburgh, NY. Investigative Agency:New York State Police Phone:(518) 630-1700 Investigative Case #:GDBG02821 NCIC #:M-852561684

Additional Photo_____________

Erica3.jpg
Erica2.jpg
 
IMO, the facial features just don't add up... faces are different shape, Erica's nose is thinner, eyes look different shaped... but, I'm not very good at this so I could be wrong.
 
Face seems larger in composite and bust, but it's just that, not real, but in this case not a total guess...I am trying to concentrate on the description...and the eyes are throwing it off...but not sure it's correct.

Thanks though, some of these busts are really accurate, but some are really off. It's so hard to tell.

I would think because of the time of death to discovery, the artist prolly had a good idea of shape of face because it seems this body was discovered quickly IIRC..so you may be right.
 
I think the eyes, rather than "throwing it off", are the closest part of the potential match. The eyes are unusual, in both. It's the jaw that doesn't quite do it for me. One has a pointy jaw the other one is thicker.
 
I think the eyes, rather than "throwing it off", are the closest part of the potential match. The eyes are unusual, in both. It's the jaw that doesn't quite do it for me. One has a pointy jaw the other one is thicker.

But, how does the person who is drawing the pic or making the bust know if the face is thin or pudgy...this woman head was brutalized, he pulled all her teeth to keep her from being identified...I hate to rule out on shape...I am still thinking about the mole, LOL, it's just stuck on me...
 
Uhm...so a mole on the left knee and a mole on the left chin are close?

The UID's face isn't nearly as long from her hairline to the tip of the chin as Erica's. This alone plays into the shape of the face. There are other tricks to determining the width of a face, too. Did you know your face is exactly five of your own eyes wide, if you are in a normal range of weight? I don't know how they determine the weight tho. Now you have me very curious as to the answer to that question.

No..I don't see it as a match.
 
Christine, if you haven't already I hope you do submit this. It couldn't possibly hurt!!!!
 
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/288ufnj.html

Unidentified White Female
Discovered on March 5, 1989 in Mercer County, New Jersey.
She was a victim of homicide.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 18 - 30 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0"-5'9"; 100 - 140 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Dirty blonde to light brown hair; blue eyes. Mole on left chin; 1' to 1.5" scar over left eye. Ear lobes scarred from piercing. Blood type A. HIV positive.
Dentals: All teeth had been extracted except for 3rd molars which were incompletely erupted or impacted.
Other: Her name may be Susie.
DNA: Avaiable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case History
The victim was murdered by Joel David Rifkin in March 1989. He picked her up in Manhattan's East Village, NY at around 10:00 pm. She was a drug addict and prostitute.
Rifkin beat and strangled her and then dismembered her body. To foil identification, Rifkin severed her fingertips and pulled her teeth with pliers, then jammed her severed head into an old paint can.
Rifkin drove the body parts across the state line to New Jersey, dropping the head and legs in the woods near Hopewell. Then he returned to Manhattan, pitching the arms and torso into the East River. On March 5, 1989, a member of the Hopewell Valley Golf Club in Hopewell Township, NJ found the can containing the victim's head near the 7th tee. Her legs were found in Pequonnock Creek, Jefferson Township, NJ on 4/8/89. Match confirmed by DNA testing.
The case remained unsolved until Rifkin confessed in 1993.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Hopewell Township Police Department
609-737-3100
You may remain anonymous when submitting information. Agency Case Number:
H02489-14 NCIC Number:
U-347704762
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case. Source Information:
Crime Library
New Jersey State Police

Very sad story...cannot believe someone can do this to someone, and the fact that she is still unidentified is sad as well.

He is currently serving a 203 year prison term for his crimes (he killed 17 other women) but it seems like little just IMO compared to what he did.

Lets try and find out who she is!

Pearly
 

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