Identified! TN - Knox Co, 'Shotgun Jane Doe' WhtFem 607UFTN, 21-30, Jun'87 - Tena Marie Gattrell

assaf1981

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The Doe Network:
Case File 607UFTN
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/607uftn.html

Reconstruction of Victim

Unidentified Female


The victim was discovered on June 1, 1987 in Knox County, Tennessee
Estimated Date of Death: Hours
Cause of Death: Shot
Recognizable Face


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

Vital Statistics


Estimated age: 21-30 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'4"-5'6" (65" Est); 100 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair.
Tattoos: A unknown tattoo on the left upperarm in front.
Clothing: A Miami Dolphins football jersey with the number "32.", light blue pants, white socks, and tennis shoes
Jewelry: A silver chain on her left wrist.
Skeletal Findings : Fibula, Right, Both
Fingerprints: Not Available
Dentals: Not Available
DNA: Pending


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Case History
The victim was killed by a shotgun on Jim Sterchi Road in North Knox County in 1987. Authorities speculated at the time that the unidentified woman and two male accomplices were attempting to trick and rob the resident on Jim Sterchi Road by faking a fight outside her front door.

The woman kicked the door, awakening the resident and a visitor. The resident called police and fired one shot from a shotgun when the woman attempted to open a screen door.

The two men were caught. But they were unable to identify the woman. They said they had picked her up at a Greene County rest stop just before the shooting.
She remains unidentified.



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

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Knoxville Police Department
865-215-7317
OR
University of TN
Lee Jantz
865-974-4408
Email
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case #:
UT87-8F

NCIC #:
U-170023083
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
Knox News
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
UDRS
 
What does "recognizable face" mean I wonder? I'm also curious as to the other 2 guys' story that they didn't know who she was...just dosn't make sense they wouldn't have at least a nickname or a first name. You meet someone out of the blue, talk them into helping commit a crime, and you don't get any sort of name?
 
What does "recognizable face" mean I wonder? I'm also curious as to the other 2 guys' story that they didn't know who she was...just dosn't make sense they wouldn't have at least a nickname or a first name. You meet someone out of the blue, talk them into helping commit a crime, and you don't get any sort of name?

You are right. This is unusual.
 
What does "recognizable face" mean I wonder? I'm also curious as to the other 2 guys' story that they didn't know who she was...just dosn't make sense they wouldn't have at least a nickname or a first name. You meet someone out of the blue, talk them into helping commit a crime, and you don't get any sort of name?

I find that a little confusing too. Maybe because she was shot with shotgun, they wanted to make clear that her face was still 'recognizable'? Thats just a guess though. I don't recall ever seeing that phrase used before.
 
Can a shotgun bullet actually go through a screendoor?????

Yeah, absolutely. I think the bullet or pellet or whatever they call it breaks up at some point (when it hits maybe?). Basically its a cartridge with tons of tiny little metal balls inside. The balls spread out and cause a ton of damage so they're really dangerous to people (or whatever live thing they hit?).
They don't go as fast as regular bullets I think but still strong enough to go through a screen door and then a person.
 
Can a shotgun bullet actually go through a screendoor?????

Of course they can.

Not much sympathy here (with me) regarding this woman who decided to participate in a home invasion with 2 other criminals.

I am betting the 2 men know exactly who she is.

Added: What confuses me is that the home owner shot the woman and called the police....why was only skeletonal remains found? I am guessing she obviously did not die at the scene but I am confused. Did she flee, then die or did her partners carry her away.
 
Added: What confuses me is that the home owner shot the woman and called the police....why was only skeletonal remains found? I am guessing she obviously did not die at the scene but I am confused. Did she flee, then die or did her partners carry her away.

I'm pretty sure her remains weren't skeletal- it says the date of death was 'hours' prob. meaning she was found or examined within hours of death, they caught the 2 guys pretty quickly too.

Do you mean the 'Skeletal Findings' thing? I think that may mean there was something unusual about her right fibula bone= maybe it had been broken at one point?
 
Of course they can.

Not much sympathy here (with me) regarding this woman who decided to participate in a home invasion with 2 other criminals.

I am betting the 2 men know exactly who she is.

Added: What confuses me is that the home owner shot the woman and called the police....why was only skeletonal remains found? .

Skeletal? Where does my summary say 'skeletal'?
 
I think where it says recognizable face it was supposed to so UNrecognizable face because this is what the attached article states:

'Shotgun female' --Around 2:30 a.m. June 1, 1987, a 12-gauge shotgun slug blew through the front door of a North Knox County home, ripping the face off a woman raising a ruckus on the porch.
 
I think where it says recognizable face it was supposed to so UNrecognizable face because this is what the attached article states:

'Shotgun female' --Around 2:30 a.m. June 1, 1987, a 12-gauge shotgun slug blew through the front door of a North Knox County home, ripping the face off a woman raising a ruckus on the porch.


Ahh, thanks- that makes way more sense:) I couldn't figure out why they would put 'recognizable', it had me a little confused.
 
Ahh, thanks- that makes way more sense:) I couldn't figure out why they would put 'recognizable', it had me a little confused.

Another puzzling item on this case is the fact that dentals are not available??? :-o

WHY WOULD THEY NOT BE AVAILABLE?
 
Skeletal? Where does my summary say 'skeletal'?


"YOUR" summary says
Skeletal Findings : Fibula, Right, Both

I was thinking only skeletal remains were found because of that.

Another poster said something may have been "unusual" about those bones.

I have lived in Knox Co. (only for a month, many years ago) and never heard of this case. It seems interesting.
 
Another puzzling item on this case is the fact that dentals are not available??? :-o

WHY WOULD THEY NOT BE AVAILABLE?

I suppose since she was shot in the face and it was unrecognizable, it could be that the area was too damaged by the shotgun blast for them to get accurate dentals?

There are a number of other explanations though. Its not too unusual especially in older cases for some of the case info and things that would ID the person to either be missing or not available for some reason. Or it could just not have been entered into whatever system/source Doe Network got their info from.
 
Originally posted by: RainLily, moved here for discussion...

Knox County Sheriff
TN-1987 Unidentified White Female
On June 1,1987 an unidentified white female was killed in what was believed to be an attempted robbery. The unidentified female suffered a single gunshot wound to the face with a 12 guage shotgun.
Caucasian female
Age 20-25 years old (range of 20-30 years)
Height: 5,5 (Aproximately)
Weight: 100-120 pounds
Hair: Brown
More...
If you have any information, please call the Knox County Sheriff's Cold Case Investigations Unit at 215-3742 or e-mail us at coldcases@knoxsheriff.org
 
I hadn't read about this Jane Doe before, and while it's a shame she died this way, I can't fault the homeowner either. He had every reason to believe there was something violent going on right outside his door and the woman had already opened the screen door to gain entry.

That said, she still deserves a name. I agree with those who doubt the two men just met her shortly before the crime. Even if you were in the mindset to commit a home invasion, would you enlist the help of a stranger if you didn't know whether she'd panic and refuse to go through with it? Would you admit to someone you just met that you were planning to commit a robbery? Something's odd about that, though it's also true that not all criminals would even consider such things.

As far as I know, "skeletal findings" is a category that refers to anything bone-related found during x-rays, i.e. signs of arthritis, unusual vertebrae or previous breaks. It doesn't have anything to do with whether the body was found soon after death or years later as skeletal remains. I'm clueless as to what "fibula, right, both" means. Maybe she had previous fractures?

"Recognizable face" is less clear. I see it used on IdentifyUs.org when someone has been found within a few days after death, sometimes with an accompanying post-mortem photo and sometimes without. My guess is it means there are at least some recognizable facial features although the face might not be suitable for a post-mortem photo because of injuries or decomposition.
 
I started typing another post this morning then switched to my other computer..

I wondered about the shirt. I have multiple pages open looking to see who was good enough on the Dolphins to get a shirt made with their number (32) but didn't really come up with much.

Dolphins shirts are hard to get in some states. My hubby is a fan. I wonder if it was bought local or if it was her's or someone gave it to her. I wish I could find more of her online, larger pic of the shirt. I asked hubby if he knew who wore 32, he did not. The shirt probably doesn't matter, but you never know. It does not look like a Dan Marino jersey I found from 1984

Apparently her face was just reconstructed right before this post was originally made
blog? It says: Jul. 25th, 2008 at 11:58 PM I put her skull back together last Wednesday.

What was left of it link to comments page

She had an injury history, I'll say that. Both legs plus wrist & clavical have been broken as well as back problems.
 
I agree. They both have a tattoo on the upper left arm. The only think that is off is the age. But imo in the picture Tammy looks much older than 13.
 

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