Identified! TX - Houston, UID Female on bike, Oct'84 - ID'd Per Doe
- Thread starter lymom3
- Start date
It bothers me that we don't know if this was a hit & run or just an accident where no one was able to ID the victem. If hit & run I would think a hubby was sitting quiet somwhere not reporting a missing wife. If a regular accident then we look at why she was not reported missing. Was she even local? Her garb, as reported seems to point to someone out for a short ride and not a long cross country bicyclist who would have carried a pack of some sort along.
Could someone, a visitor to the area have unpacked a bike from one of those RVs or from a car rack and decided to ride around and see the sights a bit?
If she was alone and the car rack theory works then someone should have eventually turned up an abandoned car with a rack on it or signs of a bicycle having been tied to it in some manner but in that case I would think she would have had Drivers license in the car with her purse. So was she traveling with others who then thought she had just elected to take off on her own? I would have thought the bike serial number would have helped narrow down the search a bit.
******************
According to yahoo maps there now exists
To the South: There is a park within a half mile or so and a mall within 1 mile and a quarter to a mile & a half.
There is now a beauty salon in the 1050 block of west Rankin road. - Don't know if it was there back in 1984.
I would think if it was there it might recognize her sketch if she was local to that end of the road.
East & a little north, within about 2 mi according to map is a golf course.
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Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse Online Bulletin
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/MPCH/UnidentifiedDetails.asp?id=U9208001
Could someone, a visitor to the area have unpacked a bike from one of those RVs or from a car rack and decided to ride around and see the sights a bit?
If she was alone and the car rack theory works then someone should have eventually turned up an abandoned car with a rack on it or signs of a bicycle having been tied to it in some manner but in that case I would think she would have had Drivers license in the car with her purse. So was she traveling with others who then thought she had just elected to take off on her own? I would have thought the bike serial number would have helped narrow down the search a bit.
******************
According to yahoo maps there now exists
To the South: There is a park within a half mile or so and a mall within 1 mile and a quarter to a mile & a half.
There is now a beauty salon in the 1050 block of west Rankin road. - Don't know if it was there back in 1984.
I would think if it was there it might recognize her sketch if she was local to that end of the road.
East & a little north, within about 2 mi according to map is a golf course.
*******************
Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse Online Bulletin
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/MPCH/UnidentifiedDetails.asp?id=U9208001
annemc2
her name is Suzanne Marie Sevakis
mere said:
UofH is actually quite a ride from the location of the hit and run. I don't know what the area was like back in 1984, but closer to 1994 and thereafter the area where the hit and run occurred is high traffic and higher-crime (but then again, so is most of Houston!). Just let me say that I did some work in the area and wouldn't want to be riding a bike around there. Then again, it might have been very different in the 80s.
reportertype
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It's possible she'd just moved to Houston from somewhere else. I've had friends who would go for a run or a bike ride, etc., to take a break from unpacking or whatever. She might not have even had a job yet. Or she could have been planning to head back to school in the spring and moved early to get settled in. I've had friends who have done that also.
I've done some hunting around, and the bike/serial number is a dead end - the 'free spirit' bikes were manufactured by the (to quote my source) 'jillions' from the 70's through the 80's. Having the model number would provide a more precise dating, but there's no way to trace where the bike was made or sold.
My BIL (who is an avid bicyclist) informs that it would not be unusual for a 'work-out' bike ride to be five to ten miles --- so I think the University is probably still an option here.... I really think she must have been in some kind of transient situation to not have been missed promptly -- a student, or somehow associated with the airport.
I imagine that somewhere in all those files that have never made it onto the web is this young womans name and missing persons file.
I imagine that somewhere in all those files that have never made it onto the web is this young womans name and missing persons file.
Other things that we do not know:
Was she a mother? Signs of having had a baby before?
Any sign of a wedding ring or the pale place where one had been worn?
Where were her documents, her purse and her belongings?
Somewhere a young woman left those things and someone figured she had "left" and disposed of those belongings. A student in a dorm or sleeping room?
If she had rented a whole house or had bought one I would think her identity would have been discovered before now. I think she probably went missing from some place that has lots of people that rent and then suddenly move on like college students.
Was she a mother? Signs of having had a baby before?
Any sign of a wedding ring or the pale place where one had been worn?
Where were her documents, her purse and her belongings?
Somewhere a young woman left those things and someone figured she had "left" and disposed of those belongings. A student in a dorm or sleeping room?
If she had rented a whole house or had bought one I would think her identity would have been discovered before now. I think she probably went missing from some place that has lots of people that rent and then suddenly move on like college students.
BlitzkriegBob
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I stumbled across this website, and this particular cold case, completely by accident. While I am not a crime sleuth, I do think I can provide information and clear up some misconceptions concerning the area in which the acccident occurred. I was raised in Houston not far from the accident site, and I was 20 years old and still living in that area at the time. Of course, it's been over 20 years now, but my memory of the area should still be fairly accurate. Please feel free to verify my recollections via www.maps.google.com, as I believe their maps are much more accurate than mapquest. Not to mention that google has an option to view the map as a hybrid, with an aerial overlay, which will make this very helpful for getting an idea of the actual scene of the accident, IMHO.
First off, to clear up some previous misstatements within this thread. The University of Houston is neither close to either of the airports in Houston, nor the accident scene. Rather than being within a 5 to 10 mile (roundtrip I assume) bike ride, it is probably closer to about 20-25 miles one way. Factor in to the equation that Houston was always a dangerous place to ride bicycles and the thought of a leisurely ride from U of H is very unlikely. Being a former avid bicyclist myself, I know first hand how much vehicles hate the idea of sharing the road with a bicycle, and at that time in this particular area, sidewalks were very scarce. If it were a workout or training ride of 45-50 miles, I sincerely doubt an avid cyclist would be wearing Nike gym shorts and riding a Sears bicycle. Secondly, the scene of the accident is also nowhere near Spencer Highway. Spencer Highway runs through Pasadena in far southeast Houston, and this occurred in north Houston. Thirdly, the accident occurred on October 5, and any college in Houston would have started classes either in late August or early September. So I don't think it would have been a student taking a break from unpacking before classes started for the semester. Fourthly, George Bush Intercontinental (or IAH as it's still called by most people from Houston) has always served international flights. I remember flying from there to Spain on a school trip in the late 70s. It is true, however, that the accident site is very close to IAH.
An alternative, for those still pursuing this angle, is that she was a student at (what was then called) North Harris County College. NHCC is approximately 8 miles northeast of the accident site. While it would be easy enough from the campus to head south along Aldine-Westfield and then turn west on Rankin for a bike ride, it would still be unlikely given that both those roads were two-lane blacktops with neither shoulders nor sidewalks...only open ditches. Also both roads had speed limits of 45 MPH with most vehicles travelling faster than that. This part of Houston was still very much undeveloped at that time. You can see even now on the google map that this area is still heavily wooded. At that time (I don't know about now), NHCC was strictly a commuter college and had no student housing. Most of the students were either recent high school graduates who still lived at home or were adults taking continuing education courses. Either scenario lends itself to an assumption that someone, somewhere, would notice this young lady had disappeared.
Now on to a few key details. First, Rankin Road was known at that time as a place where young people (mostly high school students) would go hang out to drink beer and drag race. It was mostly an industrial area, so at night there was usually very little traffic, and the road was nice and straight. Unfortunately,the case history doesn't say what time of day this accident occurred. Secondly, if you look at the google map, you will notice one car dealership at the northeast corner of Rankin Road and Interstate 45, and another about 1000 feet east of the intersection along Rankin. Neither of those were there at this time. However, you will notice a development at the corner of Rankin and Rankin Circle West. That was there back then, and one of the establishments in that development was a gentleman's club.
I would be reluctant to bring up the possibility that she could have worked there, but it is an avenue that probably should have been explored. Can we make the assumption that there is a tendency for young ladies working in those establishments to have come from somewhere else? Maybe trying to escape from somewhere or somebody? I don't know anything about the hiring procedures for those types of businesses, but I imagine that there is a high turnover rate and an employee suddenly ceasing to appear for work might not raise a red flag. The accident site is just west of that development, and in that direction, west of Interstate 45, there were apartment complexes even back then which would be the closest housing of any type.
That is about all that I can add. I hope I provided meaningful information for somebody, somwhere. If there's one thing I'd like to point out, it's the importance of carrying identification even while riding your bicycle. As previously stated, I was once an avid cyclist, and I had a little pack that attached to my seat post in which I could carry a spare tube and a few bike tools. Even more importantly, I used it to carry my house key, my driver's license, and a $20 bill. While I was lucky enough to never have needed my driver's license, I made use of that $20 on one long weekend ride when I had not one but two flats. The second occurred when I was still about 10 miles from home but that didn't take too long sitting in the back of a cab thanks to the $20.
First off, to clear up some previous misstatements within this thread. The University of Houston is neither close to either of the airports in Houston, nor the accident scene. Rather than being within a 5 to 10 mile (roundtrip I assume) bike ride, it is probably closer to about 20-25 miles one way. Factor in to the equation that Houston was always a dangerous place to ride bicycles and the thought of a leisurely ride from U of H is very unlikely. Being a former avid bicyclist myself, I know first hand how much vehicles hate the idea of sharing the road with a bicycle, and at that time in this particular area, sidewalks were very scarce. If it were a workout or training ride of 45-50 miles, I sincerely doubt an avid cyclist would be wearing Nike gym shorts and riding a Sears bicycle. Secondly, the scene of the accident is also nowhere near Spencer Highway. Spencer Highway runs through Pasadena in far southeast Houston, and this occurred in north Houston. Thirdly, the accident occurred on October 5, and any college in Houston would have started classes either in late August or early September. So I don't think it would have been a student taking a break from unpacking before classes started for the semester. Fourthly, George Bush Intercontinental (or IAH as it's still called by most people from Houston) has always served international flights. I remember flying from there to Spain on a school trip in the late 70s. It is true, however, that the accident site is very close to IAH.
An alternative, for those still pursuing this angle, is that she was a student at (what was then called) North Harris County College. NHCC is approximately 8 miles northeast of the accident site. While it would be easy enough from the campus to head south along Aldine-Westfield and then turn west on Rankin for a bike ride, it would still be unlikely given that both those roads were two-lane blacktops with neither shoulders nor sidewalks...only open ditches. Also both roads had speed limits of 45 MPH with most vehicles travelling faster than that. This part of Houston was still very much undeveloped at that time. You can see even now on the google map that this area is still heavily wooded. At that time (I don't know about now), NHCC was strictly a commuter college and had no student housing. Most of the students were either recent high school graduates who still lived at home or were adults taking continuing education courses. Either scenario lends itself to an assumption that someone, somewhere, would notice this young lady had disappeared.
Now on to a few key details. First, Rankin Road was known at that time as a place where young people (mostly high school students) would go hang out to drink beer and drag race. It was mostly an industrial area, so at night there was usually very little traffic, and the road was nice and straight. Unfortunately,the case history doesn't say what time of day this accident occurred. Secondly, if you look at the google map, you will notice one car dealership at the northeast corner of Rankin Road and Interstate 45, and another about 1000 feet east of the intersection along Rankin. Neither of those were there at this time. However, you will notice a development at the corner of Rankin and Rankin Circle West. That was there back then, and one of the establishments in that development was a gentleman's club.
I would be reluctant to bring up the possibility that she could have worked there, but it is an avenue that probably should have been explored. Can we make the assumption that there is a tendency for young ladies working in those establishments to have come from somewhere else? Maybe trying to escape from somewhere or somebody? I don't know anything about the hiring procedures for those types of businesses, but I imagine that there is a high turnover rate and an employee suddenly ceasing to appear for work might not raise a red flag. The accident site is just west of that development, and in that direction, west of Interstate 45, there were apartment complexes even back then which would be the closest housing of any type.
That is about all that I can add. I hope I provided meaningful information for somebody, somwhere. If there's one thing I'd like to point out, it's the importance of carrying identification even while riding your bicycle. As previously stated, I was once an avid cyclist, and I had a little pack that attached to my seat post in which I could carry a spare tube and a few bike tools. Even more importantly, I used it to carry my house key, my driver's license, and a $20 bill. While I was lucky enough to never have needed my driver's license, I made use of that $20 on one long weekend ride when I had not one but two flats. The second occurred when I was still about 10 miles from home but that didn't take too long sitting in the back of a cab thanks to the $20.
annemc2
her name is Suzanne Marie Sevakis
Excellent post, Bob - thanks for the information. I can tell you put a lot of time into it. It frustrates me how little info is given out on many of the cases out of Houston (like the time of the accident, as you mentioned). Thanks again for your thoughtful post.
Pinkhammer
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Could this girl be another victim of serial killer Robert Browne, who was active in Texas in the time frame mentioned?
KT Can
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Bob - Thank you so much for your post! You saved me some typing as I was just about to post most of the same things until I scrolled down a little further and saw that you had already typed out a lot of my own words. Muchos gracias! This case has ALWAYS bothered me because I've known about it FOREVER and I still can't believe no identification has been made.
I actually grew up and still live off of Aldine Westfield, approximately 4 miles from North Harris County Community College (not a a room/board school), and approximately 10 miles from Rankin Road, specifically the 300 block. I was only 14 in 1984 but unfortunately I was somewhat of a wild child and spent a lot of time at the Rankin Road "dragstrip" and at Greenspoint Mall in the 80's, Greenspoint Mall being the next exit south off of I-45 after Rankin Road. Let me just say that you have a good memory Bob and you are right on about everything!
Althought the Aldine Westfield/FM 1960 area is BOOMING with new construction the Rankin Road area on both sides of I-45 is EXACTLY the same as it was in 1984 and I know this for a fact because up until a year ago I worked in the 800 block of Rankin Road an drove past the accident site everyday for 10 years - that is why I have never been able to forget this girl!
The topless bar is definitely a plausible connection. There are actually 3 topless bars on Rankin and it seems to me that they have all been there since the 80's. The Houston Dolls Cabaret is literally at the corner of Rankin Road & I-45, the St. James Club is in the 500 block of Rankin and the Trophy Club is in the 1000 block of Rankin only on the other side of I-45. This means that there are/were 3 topless bars within 1/2 mile of the accident seen. I wish we knew the time of the accident, although the poor girl could have just been riding her bike to one of these clubs during the day on her day off to pick up a check or something, who knows.
Anyway, just some more thoughts.... there are/were TONS of apartments in this general area, the closest being at least 1-2 miles from the accident scene. And by tons, I means tons. This was "apartment area", not "subdivision area". I myself, along with my much older siblings, my divorced parents and pretty much every friend I have known has lived in an apartment in this general area at some point since 1981. We all had our "first" apartments in this area as these were really the closest choices for apartment living up until the mid 90's. Apartments hadn't started to move out to the "suburbs" at that time, and by suburbs I'm just talking the 10-12 miles from Rankin Road to where I grew up and currently live which is only 25 miles from downtown Houston. That being said, none of these apartments were EVER ones that I or anyone else considered SAFE, EVER. The nickname for Greenspoint Mall has always been Gunspoint Mall if that gives you any indication.
Additionally, any route utilizing the address of 300 Rankin IS NOT a route that someone who lived in any one of these apartment complexes would have chosen for a "leisurely" bike ride. There were/are too many other options/routes. Rankin & I-45 is an extremely BUSY intersection/road off of a MAJOR freeway. It would be very UNUSUAL to see someone riding thier bike in the 300 Block of Rankin Road, even today, especially a cyclist just out for thier daily exercise. There are no shoulders on this road and ditches on the side. This says to me that there was a reason this girl had to be on this particular road at that time. She was either coming or going from somewhere and she did not have a car to utilize. The bicycle, being a boys bike, also doesn't fit with someone who was out "exercising". It would seem that a "cyclist" would have the proper equipment and although the clothing she was wearing fits with someone who was out with the intention of exercising, the accident location does not fit so I think that her clothing shouldn't cloud our judgement as to the type of person she was or what she may have been doing.
Airport connection... although close to IAH, 300 Rankin Road is still approximately 10 miles away and there were no decent hotels near this spot at the time. I know numerous flight attendants and people who work for the airlines since I live close to IAH, and they have all the accomodations they need right by the airport, including apartments.
U of H.... rule that connection out completely. Not a chance. Too far from 300 Rankin Road. This is not the part of town you would choose to live if you were going to UH.
I actually have a lot more thoughts that seem to kep coming to me but I've got to get to bed so I'll ponder this some more and post again later....
I actually grew up and still live off of Aldine Westfield, approximately 4 miles from North Harris County Community College (not a a room/board school), and approximately 10 miles from Rankin Road, specifically the 300 block. I was only 14 in 1984 but unfortunately I was somewhat of a wild child and spent a lot of time at the Rankin Road "dragstrip" and at Greenspoint Mall in the 80's, Greenspoint Mall being the next exit south off of I-45 after Rankin Road. Let me just say that you have a good memory Bob and you are right on about everything!
Althought the Aldine Westfield/FM 1960 area is BOOMING with new construction the Rankin Road area on both sides of I-45 is EXACTLY the same as it was in 1984 and I know this for a fact because up until a year ago I worked in the 800 block of Rankin Road an drove past the accident site everyday for 10 years - that is why I have never been able to forget this girl!
The topless bar is definitely a plausible connection. There are actually 3 topless bars on Rankin and it seems to me that they have all been there since the 80's. The Houston Dolls Cabaret is literally at the corner of Rankin Road & I-45, the St. James Club is in the 500 block of Rankin and the Trophy Club is in the 1000 block of Rankin only on the other side of I-45. This means that there are/were 3 topless bars within 1/2 mile of the accident seen. I wish we knew the time of the accident, although the poor girl could have just been riding her bike to one of these clubs during the day on her day off to pick up a check or something, who knows.
Anyway, just some more thoughts.... there are/were TONS of apartments in this general area, the closest being at least 1-2 miles from the accident scene. And by tons, I means tons. This was "apartment area", not "subdivision area". I myself, along with my much older siblings, my divorced parents and pretty much every friend I have known has lived in an apartment in this general area at some point since 1981. We all had our "first" apartments in this area as these were really the closest choices for apartment living up until the mid 90's. Apartments hadn't started to move out to the "suburbs" at that time, and by suburbs I'm just talking the 10-12 miles from Rankin Road to where I grew up and currently live which is only 25 miles from downtown Houston. That being said, none of these apartments were EVER ones that I or anyone else considered SAFE, EVER. The nickname for Greenspoint Mall has always been Gunspoint Mall if that gives you any indication.
Additionally, any route utilizing the address of 300 Rankin IS NOT a route that someone who lived in any one of these apartment complexes would have chosen for a "leisurely" bike ride. There were/are too many other options/routes. Rankin & I-45 is an extremely BUSY intersection/road off of a MAJOR freeway. It would be very UNUSUAL to see someone riding thier bike in the 300 Block of Rankin Road, even today, especially a cyclist just out for thier daily exercise. There are no shoulders on this road and ditches on the side. This says to me that there was a reason this girl had to be on this particular road at that time. She was either coming or going from somewhere and she did not have a car to utilize. The bicycle, being a boys bike, also doesn't fit with someone who was out "exercising". It would seem that a "cyclist" would have the proper equipment and although the clothing she was wearing fits with someone who was out with the intention of exercising, the accident location does not fit so I think that her clothing shouldn't cloud our judgement as to the type of person she was or what she may have been doing.
Airport connection... although close to IAH, 300 Rankin Road is still approximately 10 miles away and there were no decent hotels near this spot at the time. I know numerous flight attendants and people who work for the airlines since I live close to IAH, and they have all the accomodations they need right by the airport, including apartments.
U of H.... rule that connection out completely. Not a chance. Too far from 300 Rankin Road. This is not the part of town you would choose to live if you were going to UH.
I actually have a lot more thoughts that seem to kep coming to me but I've got to get to bed so I'll ponder this some more and post again later....
Ms Suzanne
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Hi
they say this Unidentified Jane Doe was Identified.I am very curious of who she is.Does anyone know who she is?She was found 10-5-1984 in Harris county Texas.the doe Network said she was Identified.
suzanne
they say this Unidentified Jane Doe was Identified.I am very curious of who she is.Does anyone know who she is?She was found 10-5-1984 in Harris county Texas.the doe Network said she was Identified.
suzanne