Identified! FL - Big Coppitt Key, 'Valentine Jane Doe' 49UFFL, 16-25, Feb'91 - Wanda Deann Kirkum *killer died*
- Thread starter Snufamonbobball
- Start date
Bumping info.
49UFFL
Estimated Age: 14-25 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'4" to 5'7"
Weight: 130-145 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark brown, straight and cut just above the collar.
Eye Color: Brown to green
Distinguishing Marks/Features: She was a non-smoker. Her ears were pierced four times each. She may have carried a baby to full-term. She had stretch marks on her abdomen. She was suffering from ovarian and fallopian tube cysts, which may have caused her abdominal pain. She had two tattoos: the word "Love" encircled by a heart on her upper left arm/shoulder; and a cross with sun rays emitting from the center located between the thumb and forefinger of her left hand. She had antemortem skeletal markers of anemia.
Identifiers
Dentals: Available. She had excellent dental care. One filling was present. Around age 10, she had two top teeth extracted.
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Found near her body - a blue/purple/red striped knitted Forenza long-sleeved cardigan sweater, blue Big Yank knee-length denim shorts, a bikini top, and black Clicks moccasin-style shoes with red stitching, leather fringe down the back seam, and some turquoise-style bead work (size 6 1/2B), sold by Baker Shoes in 1989.
Jewelry: She wore a Timex watch with a silver band on her right wrist. She had two earrings in her left ear - one silver ball and one white imitation pearl. She had four earrings in her right ear - description not available.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Circumstances of Discovery
Windsurfers camping in the area near Bahia Honda State Recreation area, located near mile marker 35 on US 1 in the Florida Keys, discovered the victim's nude body on a dirt trail in a heavily wooded area south of Bahia Honda Channel Bridge near a recreational area known as the “horseshoe” on West Summerland Key. The area was frequently used as an illegal campground.
She had been beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled with her bikini top.
49UFFL
Estimated Age: 14-25 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'4" to 5'7"
Weight: 130-145 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark brown, straight and cut just above the collar.
Eye Color: Brown to green
Distinguishing Marks/Features: She was a non-smoker. Her ears were pierced four times each. She may have carried a baby to full-term. She had stretch marks on her abdomen. She was suffering from ovarian and fallopian tube cysts, which may have caused her abdominal pain. She had two tattoos: the word "Love" encircled by a heart on her upper left arm/shoulder; and a cross with sun rays emitting from the center located between the thumb and forefinger of her left hand. She had antemortem skeletal markers of anemia.
Identifiers
Dentals: Available. She had excellent dental care. One filling was present. Around age 10, she had two top teeth extracted.
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Found near her body - a blue/purple/red striped knitted Forenza long-sleeved cardigan sweater, blue Big Yank knee-length denim shorts, a bikini top, and black Clicks moccasin-style shoes with red stitching, leather fringe down the back seam, and some turquoise-style bead work (size 6 1/2B), sold by Baker Shoes in 1989.
Jewelry: She wore a Timex watch with a silver band on her right wrist. She had two earrings in her left ear - one silver ball and one white imitation pearl. She had four earrings in her right ear - description not available.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Circumstances of Discovery
Windsurfers camping in the area near Bahia Honda State Recreation area, located near mile marker 35 on US 1 in the Florida Keys, discovered the victim's nude body on a dirt trail in a heavily wooded area south of Bahia Honda Channel Bridge near a recreational area known as the “horseshoe” on West Summerland Key. The area was frequently used as an illegal campground.
She had been beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled with her bikini top.
My probably cockamamie theory is that she was vacationing to Key West for Valentines Day with a significant other. The trip may have been planned with good intentions, but things went extremely poorly between the two while they were there, leading to this happening. The way she was killed (such as how badly she was beaten up in her PM photos) looks to me as something done in a fit of rage, but that's just me. I think it's also possible that this was planned and that she was taken on the trip under the pretense of a romantic getaway when the actual goal was to "get rid" of her.
I think that since we're pretty certain she is not from Key West or even Florida, for that matter, the only reason why she would be there is for Valentines Day, a holiday where she (or anyone) would likely not be traveling alone. Also, if not for Valentines Day, I don't really see any reason why anyone would decide to make a spontaneous visit to Florida in the middle of February.
I think that since we're pretty certain she is not from Key West or even Florida, for that matter, the only reason why she would be there is for Valentines Day, a holiday where she (or anyone) would likely not be traveling alone. Also, if not for Valentines Day, I don't really see any reason why anyone would decide to make a spontaneous visit to Florida in the middle of February.
carbuff
Well-Known Member
Anybody from Canada and the northern US would make a spontaneous visit to Florida in the middle of February because it is WARM in Florida in February and it is FRIGID in the north. Not to mention the snow.
Very true; I was gonna say, "I'm not sure why anyone would make a spontaneous decision to visit FL in the middle of February other than to get away from cold weather", but I wasn't sure if it that would be the best motive at the time.
I think the timing (the fact that she happened to be out of town on Valentines Day in particular) might be important for other reasons. Maybe she had been visiting for an extended period of time and just happened to be killed on or very near Valentines Day, but it doesn't look like she'd been in the area for long at all.
Edited again to add: I live in FL and yes, the temperatures can be crazy in February. I remember a few weeks back, when it was still technically winter, temperatures were in the mid 80s where I live. Fun fact, Florida also has a mini secondary severe weather season in the winter, at least some of the more northwestern parts.
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Northfloridafaces
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I've been a little bit obsessed with this case since I read about it, which is actually why I made an account here!
I'm really interested on updates about Amber Potts. She still hasn't been added to the exclusions list, so I'm not sure what exactly is going on there...
I feel like the fact that she was seen hitchhiking is pretty important. Its unlikely that her initial dissapearence was by force, and we know that she was likely traveling alone. That, combined with the fact that she is probably not a local, leads me to suspect shes a runaway. To be fair, though, thats not the only conclusion you could draw from that.
What really gets me about this case is how much information we have.
Considering the fact that she was seen the day before her remains were found, and that her PMI was estimated to be 24 hours, we have a pretty set time frame for when the crime occured. We have a pretty distinct face, tattoos, and medical information. Because of how recent her death was, we have all of these details about hair color and clothing. I feel like, because of this, and the fact she remains a Doe case, people are not looking for her... at least not looking in FLORIDA for her. This is partly why I like the Amber theory- she dissapeared far from where the Valentine Doe was found. I think that if she is reported missing (and I'm hopeful that she was), than she is from well out of state, or that she was expected to be traveling elsewhere. I think that its fairly likely she is from out of country, especially if shes on the older side of the age estimate. This is, again, supported by her clothing.
I'm really not convinced that this has anything to do with Valentines day at all. Well, perhaps on the side of the killer, but if she was alone as reported, I think she appearence that day was more coincidental.
Probably didnt really contribute anything helpful, but theres my current thoughts on the case.
Edit: grammar
I'm really interested on updates about Amber Potts. She still hasn't been added to the exclusions list, so I'm not sure what exactly is going on there...
I feel like the fact that she was seen hitchhiking is pretty important. Its unlikely that her initial dissapearence was by force, and we know that she was likely traveling alone. That, combined with the fact that she is probably not a local, leads me to suspect shes a runaway. To be fair, though, thats not the only conclusion you could draw from that.
What really gets me about this case is how much information we have.
Considering the fact that she was seen the day before her remains were found, and that her PMI was estimated to be 24 hours, we have a pretty set time frame for when the crime occured. We have a pretty distinct face, tattoos, and medical information. Because of how recent her death was, we have all of these details about hair color and clothing. I feel like, because of this, and the fact she remains a Doe case, people are not looking for her... at least not looking in FLORIDA for her. This is partly why I like the Amber theory- she dissapeared far from where the Valentine Doe was found. I think that if she is reported missing (and I'm hopeful that she was), than she is from well out of state, or that she was expected to be traveling elsewhere. I think that its fairly likely she is from out of country, especially if shes on the older side of the age estimate. This is, again, supported by her clothing.
I'm really not convinced that this has anything to do with Valentines day at all. Well, perhaps on the side of the killer, but if she was alone as reported, I think she appearence that day was more coincidental.
Probably didnt really contribute anything helpful, but theres my current thoughts on the case.
Edit: grammar
Welcome to Ws Northfloridafaces!
Here is Amber's thread if you are interested..
CANADA - Canada - Amber Potts-Jaffary, 16, Etobicoke, Ont, 26 Nov 1988
Noting..
Snowbirds in Florida: Follow the quintessential Canadian trip south
Jan 19 2019 rbbm.
"Over three million Canadians migrate to the Sunshine State every year. Driving to Florida is long and unforgiving, but after you’ve done it many times, it becomes routine, almost something to look forward to. The budget hotels are for kicking back, watching American TV and taking advantage of free WiFi. The chain restaurants along the highway are for ordering giant bowls of pasta and deep-fried cheese. Stopping at casinos occupies some time at night, and, to break up the day, there’s shopping at Target, the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Ala. or the Cracker Barrel gift store, where you can find, for example, a pink shirt with flamingos wearing Santa hats on it or fun snacks for the road."
Welcome to Websleuths. I'm from north Florida as well and it's nice to see other people from my state on here.
Well, it's almost certain that she came from somewhere far away from where she was killed. I think that she probably hadn't been in Florida for long, based on her clothing. If she was in Florida for a month (for example), I think that it's more than likely that she would have had time to find clothing that was more appropriate for the climate. However, if she really was a runaway or otherwise transient, it's also probable that she simply did not have the money to purchase any new clothing after arriving in Florida.
I think it's definitely a significant possibility that VJD ran away or disappeared from a location very far from where she was murdered. Something I question, though, is the length of time that passed between her running away and being killed. The possible pregnancy and the tattoos might have happened in the months or years following her initial disappearance, but the fact that her teeth still looked to be in good condition suggests to me that she might not have spent a lot of time out on the street without proper care after disappearing.
Speaking of teeth, I've read in other UID cases that it's possible to estimate country of origin based on dental care. That could provide some crucial information if it's a viable option in this case.
Also, her method of travel would be a problem as well. I'm not sure how likely it is that she managed to hitchhike all the way down from wherever she lived initially to the Florida Keys. She could have taken a series of public transportation or even a plane (especially if she was out of the country) and then begun hitchhiking once she got close enough to her destination. US-1 South runs right from Miami to the Florida Keys, so Miami could have been her starting point upon arriving in Florida.
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Northfloridafaces
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Back again! I've been sifting through Canadian missing databases for the last few days, and found a good amount of potential matches (of varying degrees, mind you- was trying to keep in mind that she might have grown, ect, since disappearing). I gotta say, the Canadian reports are a lot less consistant and available than the US. So theres a lot of conflicting info about these people.
And thank you everyone who welcomed me!
Anyways, heres my list, and some of my thoughts on them:
Betsy is slightly short, and her weight is lower than Valentine. Hair may be darker, but that might be the photo. Its not impossible that she gained some weight or even grew, considering her age, and I think she bears some resemblance to Val.
Justice for Native Women: Betsy Owens, Missing from Manitoba since 1988.
I think Kathy looks fairly similiar to Doe, in my (admittadly pretty bad) opinion. The circumstances are off though. Walking into the woods sounds like a more generally lost move than runaway.
Canada's Missing | Case details
So heres the thing- Lori is too tall according to the Doe Network. But I'm including her because the RCMP reports her 5"6. Her sister has a facebook page, and alludes to her being a runaway, which would make sense. If the idea that Doe is pregnant is only because of the stretch marks, it could actually just be that Lori lost a lot of weight quickly in those years.
The Doe Network: Case File 349DFMB
If Myrna was still growing, I would say shes a fair option. She was 5'1 and 15, so its unlikely. But I'm including her anyways. I think its the mouth.
Canada's Missing | Case details
Okay, I think Charlene and Valentine have some eerie similarities. And Charlene was hitchhiking. In the photo, she even has noticably nice teeth, and if her moth was closed, it looks like her lips would match Val. She probably has the most similiar nose as of yet, which is whats so distinct about Doe.
Canada's Missing | Case details
Unlikely. Doesn't look like Val, but she was in foster care. Doesn't sound like she ran away, but I'm including her as a possibility. Tbh I'm not sure why lol.
The Doe Network: Case File 1321DFNF
Face shape is similar, but features are angled differently. It could be because the images are at different angles. Its mentioned that she had freckles which isnt mentioned with Doe... and she would be in her early thirties at the TOD.
Justice for Native Women: Corine Moosomin, Missing from Saskatchewan since 1986.
Not identical, but something about her feels familiar to Valentine. Lacking that nose though.
Missing Children Database: Melanie Temperton
Still considering Amber!
Missing Children Database: Amber Potts-Jaffary
On the short side, but was also a hitchhiker. I can see resemblance to Doe- I think if her face was more relaxed, it would be much closer.
MissingKidsALERT.ca Profile
And thank you everyone who welcomed me!
Anyways, heres my list, and some of my thoughts on them:
Betsy is slightly short, and her weight is lower than Valentine. Hair may be darker, but that might be the photo. Its not impossible that she gained some weight or even grew, considering her age, and I think she bears some resemblance to Val.
Justice for Native Women: Betsy Owens, Missing from Manitoba since 1988.
I think Kathy looks fairly similiar to Doe, in my (admittadly pretty bad) opinion. The circumstances are off though. Walking into the woods sounds like a more generally lost move than runaway.
Canada's Missing | Case details
So heres the thing- Lori is too tall according to the Doe Network. But I'm including her because the RCMP reports her 5"6. Her sister has a facebook page, and alludes to her being a runaway, which would make sense. If the idea that Doe is pregnant is only because of the stretch marks, it could actually just be that Lori lost a lot of weight quickly in those years.
The Doe Network: Case File 349DFMB
If Myrna was still growing, I would say shes a fair option. She was 5'1 and 15, so its unlikely. But I'm including her anyways. I think its the mouth.
Canada's Missing | Case details
Okay, I think Charlene and Valentine have some eerie similarities. And Charlene was hitchhiking. In the photo, she even has noticably nice teeth, and if her moth was closed, it looks like her lips would match Val. She probably has the most similiar nose as of yet, which is whats so distinct about Doe.
Canada's Missing | Case details
Unlikely. Doesn't look like Val, but she was in foster care. Doesn't sound like she ran away, but I'm including her as a possibility. Tbh I'm not sure why lol.
The Doe Network: Case File 1321DFNF
Face shape is similar, but features are angled differently. It could be because the images are at different angles. Its mentioned that she had freckles which isnt mentioned with Doe... and she would be in her early thirties at the TOD.
Justice for Native Women: Corine Moosomin, Missing from Saskatchewan since 1986.
Not identical, but something about her feels familiar to Valentine. Lacking that nose though.
Missing Children Database: Melanie Temperton
Still considering Amber!
Missing Children Database: Amber Potts-Jaffary
On the short side, but was also a hitchhiker. I can see resemblance to Doe- I think if her face was more relaxed, it would be much closer.
MissingKidsALERT.ca Profile
Wow, some of Myrna Montgrand's features are very similar to those of VJD, in my opinion. I'm not sure how likely that this is a match, though, due to the slight age discrepancy and the fact that not all of the features, such as the distance between the eyes, match up perfectly.
Also, when looking at VJD's reconstructions, especially the original reconstruction in black and white, I can definitely see some racial admixture, although it isn't as pronounced in her newest NCMEC reconstruction. I think you might be on to something by looking at missing aboriginal women from Canada. I also think some Hispanic or perhaps even Asian ancestry is not out of the question, either.
Northfloridafaces
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I'm glad to hear that you think she could be Aboriginal- VJD has always seemed a little familiar to me, and I realized she has some "Canadian" features (like much of my family). That is, First Nation features.
I do agree that theres some other ethnicity in there as well. My bet would be on Asian. Chinese or Philippino if I had to guess?
Northfloridafaces
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Heres a few more that I that I've been looking at today...
Unfortunately, Sharon probably was killed by her kidnapper. But if what he says is true, then perhaps she could be Valentine.
Sharon Baldeagle – The Charley Project
I think they look pretty alike! But she would be a few years older than Valentine.
Justice for Native Women: Linda Jackson, Missing from Washington since 1983.
Would have been older... but I'll include her because they share a lot of features.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Another "older than Val, but looks similar" lol
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Unfortunately, Sharon probably was killed by her kidnapper. But if what he says is true, then perhaps she could be Valentine.
Sharon Baldeagle – The Charley Project
I think they look pretty alike! But she would be a few years older than Valentine.
Justice for Native Women: Linda Jackson, Missing from Washington since 1983.
Would have been older... but I'll include her because they share a lot of features.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Another "older than Val, but looks similar" lol
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Northfloridafaces
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Okay, I promise I'm done for today. I wanted to be able to compare their faces without flipping back and forth between browsers. Thank you @ClaireNC for posting the updated exclusions list- I always forget to check it, and finally realized Delphine was already on there!
But yeah, I've been looking at faces all day, so everyone is starting to look the same. I'd appreciate if anyone wanted to look into some of these girls and provide a second opinion! Either to rule them out, or make them a stonger candidate.
Edit: Added photo
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Sharon baldeagle looks really similar but the story doesn’t really line up. Great work though, don’t have time right now to go through the others in detail.
SpanishMossAntiques
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Make sure you look for Valentine's tattoos - and that the subject you're investigating had given birth. I lived in the Keys then, and helped out on this case. The murder suspect(s) must have been familiar with the area she was killed in - a tourist would have a hard time finding it. The area was popular with people who were 'hippy camping', homeless, those who wanted to do drugs, wind surfers, etc.
SpanishMossAntiques
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I submitted a request to the DNA Doe Project to see if they would want to take her case to hopefully identify her. I've been trying to ID this young lady since 1991 (I worked in a different LE Agency, but was good friends with the homicide investigator - he and I discussed her case many times over the years: We originally thought for sure she'd be identified quickly; I suspect though that she was not reported missing by anyone). She most likely has a child out there someplace... She was most likely not from the Keys, and probably not Florida based up her clothing and lack of tan lines.
Northfloridafaces
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Don't worry, I definately am keeping an eye out for her tattoos and pregnancy! I was initially searching for that specifically, but I realized that theres probably some discrepancy between Valentine and her missing persons case. If such identifiers matched up, chances are, she would have already been identified. So right now, I'm kind of looking for cases where: A) It seems like not all the details got reported to law enforcement. Perhaps it was a failure of investigation, the family didn't know what was important to report, or were estranged from the girl. B) These occured after her dissapearance. In this case, there would need to be some time in between her disappearance and murder, and she would need to have left willingly (although I wouldn't nessesarily rule out human trafficking).
I'm not sure if you would have this information, but I thought I'd ask anyways- is it only stretch marks that lead authorities to believe she had been pregnant? I noticed that her report states that "she may have" had a baby, and I'm not sure how to read that. To me, it suggest that they aren't sure if thats the case, but theres some evidence if that. But that also could be because she had a baby after she went went missing. Or they just mean, "evidence shows that she had most likely had a baby".
Moonwalker9
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Tavia Elizabeth Bailey – The Charley Project
They do look alike but the dates are wrong as well as the height.
They do look alike but the dates are wrong as well as the height.
Northfloridafaces
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Hey, thats actually a really good one! She fits well within the age range actually- would have only been about 21 at the time of Val's death (range is 14-25 if I remember right). If she was only 15, I dont think its impossible for her to have grown a little bit, either.
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