CA CA - Nevada Co, Independence Trail, WhtFem 18-30, UP85674, opal ring, hanky on ankle, Jul'84

[theshadow45]

Nevada City Jane Doe has been unidentified for 39 years today.

 

[dotr]

Nevada County Sheriff's Office asks for public's help in identifying cold case victim

A hiker discovered the woman's body down an embankment in July of 1984.

www.abc10.com

Gabriel Porras December 23, 2023 rbbm
"Based on autopsy reports, she was killed by ligature strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head."
The victim was described as a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair between the ages of 18 to 30 and between five feet to five feet and eight inches tall.''

"It's hard to get an exact height on someone when they're either complete skeletal or near-skeletal remains, based on the lack of the soft tissue," said Sonnier. "We still think it's important to recognize the clothing she was wearing didn't necessarily match the climate and so we are not certain as to whether or not she was from this area."

''Sonnier says the woman's body was with small clothing including size eight pants, size five shoes and a large men's button-up shirt.
She was also reportedly wearing a gold, floral-designed ring with an oval-shaped opal stone.
"One of the more distinctive pieces of clothing she was wearing was a long sleeve, red cotton shirt with an embroidered tiger face on the front of it," said Sonnier. "We believe that's very identifiable and we're hoping that someone out there will recognize that image."

 

[dotr]

Dec 23 2023

Nevada County Sheriff Seeks Public’s Help in 1984 Cold Case of Young Woman Found Strangled Near Independence Trail

Nevada County Sheriff Seeks Public’s Help in 1984 Cold Case of Young Woman Found Strangled Near Independence Trail

goldrushcam.com

Embroidered tiger shirt (above) and Opal ring (below) of missing young woman

''December 23, 2023 - Nevada County Sheriff's Office officials report that nearly 40 years ago, a young woman was strangled to death and discarded down an embankment. For 40 years, this woman’s identity has remained a mystery. Who was she? Where was she from? And why did this happen to her?

It is possible Jane Doe was not from here. Sharing this video may help find the family of someone’s long-lost daughter.

Contact Rory Sonnier at (530) 265-1471 with any information.

Visit Anonymous Tips Online: www.nevadacountyca.gov/192/Sheriffs-Crime-Tip-Form.''

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Nearly 40 years ago, a young woman was strangled to death and discarded down an embankment near the Independence Trail. For 40 years, this woman’s identity has remained a mystery. Who was she? Where was she from? And why did this happen to her? In hopes of identifying Jane Doe and finding her murderer, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office released a video about her murder and shared insights into the victim’s life, including her personal belongings. Watch and share:

Sheriff Seeking Help in Solving 40-Year-Old Murder

On July 8, 1984, a young woman was found strangled to death and discarded down an embankment near the Independence Trail. She has never been identified.

nevadacountyca.gov

 

[carbuff]

Considering her clothing - I'm not sure where she would originally be from, but maybe she was picked up in Reno, or somewhere in the Sierra's? That's the closest area I can think of with a lower temperature. I have to find it again, but I remember there was a case in Reno where a beauty queen was strangled by an electrical cord in bed by a man who broke in. It may be a coincidence but I believe her murderer was active in Reno/the Sierra's around the early 1980's and may have murdered more people.

I think closer "colder" nearby states like Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, etc could be considered. My gut feeling is she was out of town but not super far from home.

That's an interesting possibility.

Being strangled with an electrical cord seems to me to imply there was a residence involved--motel room, victim or perp's home. People don't usually carry electrical cords around to music festivals or hiking trips.

 

[carbuff]

Considering the PMI I think this lady being in town for either Grateful Dead in Sacramento on June 9th/10th or the Mountain Aire Festival in Angels Camp on June 23/24th is a good possibility. I lean more towards the Mountain Aire Festival, that would have probably brought a lot of people from out of town.

I found some partial set lists for the Mountain Aire Festival for 1984. Mountain Aire 1984 Setlists

I don't see anything specific to our girl, but it confirms it was a high-powered festival that likely had attendees from all over the West and possibly all over the country.

According to google maps, it's about 2.5 hours from Angels Camp where the festival was held to the Independence Trail/highway 49 location where her body was found. It's directly up the 49. https://maps.app.goo.gl/4Da1vkKK97AKcQK48

 

[Auntie Cipation]

In my experience (I lived in Nevada County for a few years in the mid-80s, and in the vicinity for even longer) Angels Camp would not be considered "near" Nevada County.

Highway 49 is a winding, twisty highway that would not normally be used to travel between more distant towns. It would be faster in many cases to go back down the mountain to the freeways (I-5 or Hwy 99) for straight-line travel. 49 is much more of a touristy "see the quaint towns of the gold country" drive. Of course for locals it is the means of going from town to town, but Angels Camp is a long way to the south and part of a different section of California. IMO

I think it's much more likely that this girl was, if she was indeed a transient, moving along Interstate 80 between Sacramento and Reno/Lake Tahoe (in either direction), and either voluntarily or against her will (maybe she was hitchhiking?) left the freeway and wandered into the less populated area of nearby Nevada County and then a bit more northward.

 

[carbuff]

In my experience (I lived in Nevada County for a few years in the mid-80s, and in the vicinity for even longer) Angels Camp would not be considered "near" Nevada County.

Highway 49 is a winding, twisty highway that would not normally be used to travel between more distant towns. It would be faster in many cases to go back down the mountain to the freeways (I-5 or Hwy 99) for straight-line travel. 49 is much more of a touristy "see the quaint towns of the gold country" drive. Of course for locals it is the means of going from town to town, but Angels Camp is a long way to the south and part of a different section of California. IMO

I think it's much more likely that this girl was, if she was indeed a transient, moving along Interstate 80 between Sacramento and Reno/Lake Tahoe (in either direction), and either voluntarily or against her will (maybe she was hitchhiking?) left the freeway and wandered into the less populated area of nearby Nevada County and then a bit more northward.

I don't think she was a transient. Tourist maybe. I think she and a partner went to the festival and then were driving north doing the touristy thing (I've driven 49. Beautiful road.) and he killed her, possibly in a motel room, and dumped her.

I would like to know a lot more about that electrical cord. It's not something most hitchhikers/transients/hikers would be carrying.

 

[otto]

I think this is the case that you are talking about

CA CA - I-80 near Emigrant Gap - White Female 640UFCA, 25-35, Dec 1977

I realize I'm replying to a post from 2011, but based on the first few comments, I mapped what I could figure out. It's 12 years later ...

One of the un-named victims is buried in Auburn City.

I hope that when I get to the last comment, I will see that it's solved.

 

[otto]

Are there other bodies closer to Auburn City, or in the vicinity of the two bodies, between 1984 and today? Murderers sometimes murder closer to home as they continue to get away with it.

Maybe someone from Auburn City attended the concert and the victim got a ride with him, where she was kept few days? Inappropriately wearing several layers of clothing, or no clothing with recent weight loss, suggests alive without food for a few days prior to death. Found with no clothing almost suggests an almost escape - running nude and then strangled.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

@Caring1 Hey could you post the current list of NamUs exclusions for this Jane Doe? I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[cenazoic]

NamUs #MP22091 Lorraine Chance
NamUs #MP10351 Patrick Sturbaum
NamUs #MP6982 Doris Scandalis
NamUs #MP54111 Winifred Long
NamUs #MP38924 Wanda Loe
NamUs #MP18126 Mary Boston
NamUs #MP30882 Donna Lass
NamUs #MP27540 Denise Anderson
NamUs #MP34451 Laura Davis
NamUs #MP12755 Elaine Lehtinen
NamUs #MP7067 Jeraline Anderson
NamUs #MP37683 Gail Cookson
NamUs #MP25291 Victoria Shoupe
NamUs #MP6427 Kelly Morrissey
NamUs #MP9514 Linne Dominelli

 

[Beekarina]

Was thinking about the t-shirt and tigers and learned in 1984, the Detroit Tigers won the World Series. I wonder if this t-shirt could somehow be related? i.e. I know it was not played until October, but perhaps she was a fan? If you look, it does seem it could have read "Tigers" and the stitching from the "s" unravelled:

 

[azure]

Was thinking about the t-shirt and tigers and learned in 1984, the Detroit Tigers won the World Series. I wonder if this t-shirt could somehow be related? i.e. I know it was not played until October, but perhaps she was a fan? If you look, it does seem it could have read "Tigers" and the stitching from the "s" unravelled: View attachment 476475

It's close to their font, as seen on this vintage jacket (year unknown). The only thing I can't get to work is the s.

Poshmark

 

[Beekarina]

Yeah, I do think it more closely resembles a "fashion" type of shirt, like Ed Hardy or something, but when I realized the Tigers were also big in sports that year, felt it deserved consideration. Her clothing fits more with Michigan spring than Nevada Co, although she could have been dressed for travel and higher elevation.

 

[Beekarina]

It could also be a reference to a college or high school as well.

Tigers (sports teams) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

University of the Pacific is the closest one, and it looks like actual Tigers were the vintage norm, but maybe there were other shirts in rotation as well? an example: VTG UOP University Of The Pacific White 80s Tiger Graphic College T Shirt | eBay

 

[dotr]

Only 5'2, missing all the way from MI, but something about her..

• Missing Since09/22/1984

Terry Lynn Sovey – The Charley Project

Terry_Sovey

Terry_Sovey

www.clickondetroit.com

 

[Beekarina]

She was last seen in September though, if that is accurate info? Looks so open and friendly in the pic with overalls and sad in the other.

 

[carbuff]

Was thinking about the t-shirt and tigers and learned in 1984, the Detroit Tigers won the World Series. I wonder if this t-shirt could somehow be related? i.e. I know it was not played until October, but perhaps she was a fan? If you look, it does seem it could have read "Tigers" and the stitching from the "s" unravelled: View attachment 476475

I think you're right about the stitching on the 's' unravelling.

The Detroit Tigers do use a tiger's head in some of their logo merchandise, and they do sometimes use a quite similar script. In 1984 they were mostly using the tiger leaping through the D.

Colleges I found using Tigers: Princeton, Memphis, Louisiana State (very similar tiger but almost always purple), Auburn (sometimes uses similar script), Missouri, Clemson (which uses a quite similar script), DePaul. Nothing real close though.

Image search didn't turn up anything except a couple of other true crime sites looking for the same woman.