Identified! VA - Mclean, BlkFem 15-20, UP6470, wooded area behind apart complex, clothes, jewelry, Sep'01 - Patricia Agnes "Choubi" Gildawie

[Moonwalker9]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
504UFVA

504UFVA - Unidentified Female

Victim's sweater and jewelry.

Date of Discovery: September 27, 2001
Location of Discovery: Mclean, Fairfax County, Virginia
Estimated Date of Death: 2000-2001
State of Remains: Skeletal remains.
Cause of Death: Gunshot wound to the head/neck.

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 15-20 years old
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Height: 5'5"
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Hair had been partially dyed red; medium build.

Identifiers
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Red pullover turtle neck sweater with yellow and beige stripes at waist, neck, and cuffs; 18” zipper. Two pieces of leather 16”x4”. Brown leather belt with white plastic stitching at both edges, 30” long, from buckle to tip.
Jewelry: Plastic yellow-beige bangle bracelet. Costume-type ring with large blue stone 3/4"x1/2", with three clear stones in a triangular pattern on each side.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery
Skeletal remains of a black female were found in a wooded area behind an apartment complex. The remains were spread around a slope and water drainage area. Interval between death & discovery, less than a year.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Detective/Homicide Squad
Agency Contact Person: Detective Steve Milefsky
Agency Phone Number: 703-246-7860
Agency E-Mail: Unknown
Agency Case Number: 01270000723

Agency Name: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Agency Contact Person: Stephanie Becker
Agency Phone Number: Unknown
Agency E-Mail: Unknown
Agency Case Number: N2001-46737

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: UP6470

Information Source(s)
NamUs

 

[HopeRains]

Noted in Namus case file and not in above post: Fibers with tag "MARTEX," Westpoint Stevens Inc
That company manufactured/manufactures linens - specifically sheets and towels.

There is also a lot of additional info regarding clothing, etc., found near the body which is not included in the post above.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Mcclean Jane Doe is now an Othram case and in need of funding!

Who is Fairfax County Jane Doe (2001)?

"Summary
In September 2001, skeletal remains of a female homicide victim were found near a drainage ditch in the 1500 block of Lincoln Circle, in Mclean, Virginia. According to NamUs, she was found in a wooded area behind an apartment complex. The skeletal remains were spread around a slope and a water drainage area.

The young woman was described as African American, with partially dyed red hair, standing about 5’5” feet tall. She was believed to be between 15 and 20 years of age, at the time of her death. Her death has been classified as a homicide due to evidence of a gunshot wound on her skull. Investigators believe she could have died months to a year prior to her discovery. Although jewelry and clothing were found at the scene, presumed to belong to the victim, there were no identifying documents or clues to her identity.

With few leads to go on, the case eventually went cold. In 2022, Fairfax County Police Department teamed with Othram to use advanced DNA testing to help generate new investigative leads that could lead to the female victim's identity or at least to the identity of a close relative."

 

[MarziPanda]

I'm excited to see this young girl/woman identified. Glad Othram also takes on lesser known cases. They're just as important.

 

[othram]

I'm excited to see this young girl/woman identified. Glad Othram also takes on lesser known cases. They're just as important.

The lesser known cases are more important because they are not getting the necessary resources. We really try to commit our funding and effort to cases that are unknown, forgotten, or unworkable by others groups.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Mcclean Jane Doe is now an Othram case and in need of funding!

Who is Fairfax County Jane Doe (2001)?

"Summary
In September 2001, skeletal remains of a female homicide victim were found near a drainage ditch in the 1500 block of Lincoln Circle, in Mclean, Virginia. According to NamUs, she was found in a wooded area behind an apartment complex. The skeletal remains were spread around a slope and a water drainage area.

The young woman was described as African American, with partially dyed red hair, standing about 5’5” feet tall. She was believed to be between 15 and 20 years of age, at the time of her death. Her death has been classified as a homicide due to evidence of a gunshot wound on her skull. Investigators believe she could have died months to a year prior to her discovery. Although jewelry and clothing were found at the scene, presumed to belong to the victim, there were no identifying documents or clues to her identity.

With few leads to go on, the case eventually went cold. In 2022, Fairfax County Police Department teamed with Othram to use advanced DNA testing to help generate new investigative leads that could lead to the female victim's identity or at least to the identity of a close relative."

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Who is Fairfax County Jane Doe (2001)?

Fairfax County Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify Fairfax County Jane Doe

dnasolves.com

 

[Aurora90]

I wonder if she could have possibly been this missing female Amber Jenkins? She went missing shortly before this jane doe was found. She was also last seen wearing a tennis bracelet on her left wrist, just like this jane doe...

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Aurora90]

I wonder if she could have possibly been this missing female Amber Jenkins? She went missing shortly before this jane doe was found. She was also last seen wearing a tennis bracelet on her left wrist, just like this jane doe...

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

On second thought, @othram likely ended up assisting with this case because this jane doe doesn't match anyone in the system. I am probably wrong.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Photos were added to NAMUS today of her earring, bracelet, and some of her clothing.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Isn't it horrible to see the clothing covered in mud like that, that once belonged to a teenage girl/ young woman when she went missing?

Due to her age, I think she may have been reported missing but the report might not have made it far enough for a match to be realized, or it may lack identifiers. I think a family has been out there waiting to find out what happened to their child, though.
IMO.

 

[annemc2]

Does anyone else get more of a "vintage" vibe from these clothes? They have more of a 70s- early 80s feel to them for me. It's really hard to make out what the shoes really look like. Maybe she liked a more retro look and bought items from thrift stores? For some reason none of the things pictured look like they are from 2001.

 

[bombardier]

Does anyone else get more of a "vintage" vibe from these clothes? They have more of a 70s- early 80s feel to them for me. It's really hard to make out what the shoes really look like. Maybe she liked a more retro look and bought items from thrift stores? For some reason none of the things pictured look like they are from 2001.

They look more old-school to me too, especially that leather belt.
Also, two different shoes? Considering her remains/items were dispersed, I wonder if one of the shoes (and perhaps more of the items) is not hers and was just in the area.

 

[bombardier]

One ruleout;
Lelisia Slade, DLC 1988 from FL
@Aurora90, I wouldn't write any potential IDs off just because it seems obvious, a lot of obvious IDs get missed that way! My one hang up with Amber is the PMI would be at most 15 days, and the degree of decomp/remain dispersal does seem more indicative of ~4 months PMI.
*edit* looking more into Amber, this blogger brought up an interesting point; her DLC is simultaneously listed as Sept 11 and July 3, 2001. With that discrepancy (which would create a possible 3 month PMI), I think it's worth submitting...

 

[HopeRains]

Considering her remains/items were dispersed, I wonder if one of the shoes (and perhaps more of the items) is not hers and was just in the area.

Quite possibly. Below are items as listed in the Namus case file, found both On the Body, and Near the Body. Some of the items "near the body" may be more directly related to the person who killed her and put her/left her in the woods, for example the polo shirt, the fabric with the MARTEX label (sheet/towel manufacturer). Her sweater reminds of those made by Benneton, couldn't tell you the "decade" but they often used these types of colors.

 

[Melt71]

Identified as 17yo Choubi Gildawie

MSN

www.msn.com

Veronique Duperly spent most of 1975 plastering posters of her younger sister’s high school yearbook picture onto street corners all around Fairfax County. Next to the photo, she typed: “Missing 17-year-old Choubi Gildawie.”

“God, I remember putting them things up,” said Duperly, now 66. “Nobody ever called.”

Duperly said she lost hope decades ago that she would reunite with her sister, Patricia Gildawie, who went by the nickname “Choubi.”

But using forensic genealogy testing, detectives with the Fairfax County Police Department linked remains found 21 years ago near a drainage ditch at Lincoln Circle in McLean to Gildawie. Last month, detectives told Duperly what happened to her sister: Evidence shows the 17-year-old girl was shot in the head sometime in the mid-to-late 70s in the then-wooded McLean Street, which is now the site of an apartment complex.

(snip.... extensive article)

police initially began their investigation into the remains found in McLean in September 2001 with faulty information. A report by a medical examiner and anthropologist at the time said the victim was likely an African American woman. Gildawie was White. The report also said the body was in the woods for a year or two — which authorities now believe was incorrect.

Maj. Ed O’Carroll, head of the Fairfax Police Major Crimes Bureau, said DNA was critical to connecting Gildawie to the crime.

“Not only were they off by the time frame, but they were also off by the race, which really threw detectives off in their search,” he said. “We now think she was murdered not long after she was known alive, which was 1975.”

Kristen Mittelman, the chief development officer at Othram, said DNA profiles are precise and help avoid these discrepancies.

Othram used an online fundraiser to raise money to create a DNA profile for Gildawie’s case, just as they did for Sommers. Their scientists then placed Gildawie on Duperly’s family tree by using other profiles found in their DNA database, and other private databases that share their information with police.

The dark side of our genealogy craze
Duperly was stunned that genealogy could give her family long-awaited answers, she said. When police got in touch with her, she already had a profile of her own with Ancestry.com.

She gave her lab results to Fairfax County detectives. Police confirmed she and the victim were sisters within 15 minutes.

 

[othram]

Case is solved: After 22 years, Fairfax County Jane Doe ('01) is Identified


Couple surprising things here:

1. The murder victim is not African American. She is white and originally from France.
2. She was found in 2001 but as many noted, the clothing and personal items indicated that she might have been from an earlier decade. In fact, this woman went missing in 1975.

Totally crowdfunded by people like you and we are so grateful (as is her family). If you want to see other cases that need funding, check this out:


Pending Cases

 

[MarziPanda]

Feels like just yesterday that Othram announced they were working this case! Just goes to show that medical examiners can be wrong. And sometimes very wrong! Everyone makes mistakes and it's not an exact science. There's no reason why Does and missing people matches should be ruled out purely on race when the remains were skeletal. DNA should always be used.

Good job on bringing Choubi back to her family.

 

[othram]

Feels like just yesterday that Othram announced they were working this case! Just goes to show that medical examiners can be wrong. And sometimes very wrong! Everyone makes mistakes and it's not an exact science. There's no reason why Does and missing people matches should be ruled out purely on race when the remains were skeletal. DNA should always be used.

Good job on bringing Choubi back to her family.

Non-DNA methods are not precise enough for fine-grain analysis of biogeographical ancestry, especially when you have partial or damaged skeletal remains. You are right, more DNA testing is needed.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Rest in peace, Choubi.