Match! WV - Greenbrier Co, AsianFem Skel 859UFWV, Sep'02 *Karen Tait*

imamaze

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WV-Unidentified Asian Female
Case originally posted by: Shadow205 on LTWH, moved here for discussion.
Greenbrier County
Unidentified Asian Female
http://www.wvstatepolice.com/greenasian.htm
On September 26, 2002, a body was discovered in the Greenbrier State Forest by a passerby. The body was over an embankment along Greenbrier State Forest Road (Harts Run).
The body has been examined and determined to be of Asian descent with a height of 4'2" to 5'2", the age is believed to be between 25 to 33 years of age. More...
Any information please contact the WV State Police, Lewisburg Detachment at (304)647-7600.
 
Hmmm, shorts only made in Mexico. I would think that would be a place to start looking but if she were an illegal alien it could be hard. Unless she was well off enough to be able to take a vacation to Mexico and picked them up...
 
I found this to be interesting. they classified the UID as an Asian woman. according to the link in the original post, she was wearing a pair of "Mercata brand orange shorts which are only sold in Walmart stores in Mexico".

The info on where the shorts were sold is not found in the Namus profile.

https://identifyus.org/cases/2155

they have a DNA sample from the UID. is she possibly Hispanic or would that be something the DNA would have established?
 
this missing person fits most of the criteria, Van Nguyen, age 26 missing from Cincinnati April 18, 2002. Van was between 5'0" and 5'3", weighed about 110 lbs and had black hair.
she was last seen in a vehicle with her 2 children. per the web, the distance between Cincinnati and Greenbrier Co. WV is about 5 1/2 hours drive or like 380 miles.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/10840/1/

so we got the gender, race, height, weight and a reasonable window of time between mid-April when she disappeared and Sept 2002 when she was found and the UID was estimated to have been dead about 2 months or July.

unfortunately they have neither DNA nor dentals for Van.
 
That's a good match. If you go southbound I-75 in Cincinnati, you will hit I-64 in Lexington, KY.

Have you submitted this?
 
I did not Nikon. if WV thought it was a good match then they'd have to get something from Cincinatti authorities to compare. they have no dentals or DNA for Van Nguyen.
 
Doe Network Case 859UFWV http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/859ufwv.html
NamUs UP Case 2155 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2155

Unidentified Female
Date of Discovery: September 26, 2002
Location of Discovery: Harts Run, Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Estimated Date of Death: Two months prior
State of Remains: Skeletal Remains
Cause of Death: Unknown - No signs of trauma​

Physical Description (Listed information is approximate)
Estimated Age: 25-33 years old
Race: Asian, possibly Japanese
Gender: Female
Height: 4'2"-5'2"
Weight: 100 lbs.
Hair Color: Black, straight and coarse.
Eye Color: Unknown​

Distinguishing Marks/Features:
None noted.​

Dentals:
X-rays and photographs available. Tooth #03 two occlusal preps, but not restored. Tooth# 14 lingual prep not restored. Tooth #18 distal amalgam restoration missing. Tooth #31 has temporary restoration.
Fingerprints: Partials available. Mikroseal impression of the left thumb and the left small finger only. On file with the WVSP.
DNA: mtDNA available at FBI NMPDD.
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Red tank top, orange Mercata shorts (which are only sold in Walmart stores in Mexico), and Hanes Her Way panties (size 5).​

Jewelry:
Single yellow metal post-style earring with a clear stone.​

Additional Personal Items:
A pair of green swimming goggles was located near the body.​

Case History

The decedent was located over an embankment along Greenbrier State Forest Road by a passerby on September 26, 2002. The location is 4.7 miles south where Greenbrier State Forest Road and Interstate 64 intersect.

A blue Ford Escort was seen in the area and may possibly be linked to the crime.​
 
Here's a new addition to NamUs who fits pretty closely to the description of this Jane Doe.

Karen Santillan Tait
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/17244/0
29676


* Timeline (26 days from 01-Sep-02 to 26-Sep-02) fits reasonably well with the 2-month estimated postmortem interval.
* Distance: about 113 miles from Waynesboro VA to Harts Run WV.
* Her age range (22-25) overlaps with the UID's age range (25-33)
* Her very short listed height (50-62 inches, or 4'2"- 5'2") matches the UID's very short height range per DoeNet (4'2"-5'2") - (NamUs indicates the UID's height is 5'2")
* Her hair fits the "black and straight" description. Not sure if it qualifies as "coarse".
 
Good eyes, Carl.

I can't find out anything about her case. She was added to NamUs 8/29/12 but was missing Sept 2002? Why so long, I wonder? No news stories show up for her either.

It looks like a strong possibility, on height, ethnicity, timeline LKA to UID discovery, and geographical proximity. Only a small percentage of adult women are that diminutive. I don't see her on NamUs list of exclusions for this UID. I wish we knew what she was wearing when she disappeared. Is Karen a Pinay? She sure looks it. Maybe no family in the US, leading to the long interval to be listed as missing?

On the basis of the knowledge we have at this time, I'd submit.
 
I'm still trying to figure out how an Asian woman was wearing shorts that were only sold at Walmarts in Mexico.
 
The possibility that she bought it in Mexico doesn't mean that she lived in Mexico.

People of all demographics go down to Mexico for vacation. Perhaps she went to Cancun for a weekend, or took a cruise down to Puerto Vallarta.
 
WAYNESBORO — A former Waynesboro woman whose body was found in West Virginia in 2002, but not identified until October, is now at the center of an investigation that stretches all the way to the Philippines.

"Karen Tait’s body was discovered in 2002 in the Greenbrier State Forest in West Virginia, but the body went unidentified for more than nine years. In 2011, Tait was listed as a missing person and her DNA profile was entered into an FBI database. A match was quickly ascertained, police said."

http://www.newsleader.com/article/2...lice-seek-help-2002-homicide?odyssey=nav|head



Here's a new addition to NamUs who fits pretty closely to the description of this Jane Doe.

Karen Santillan Tait
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/17244/0
29676


* Timeline (26 days from 01-Sep-02 to 26-Sep-02) fits reasonably well with the 2-month estimated postmortem interval.
* Distance: about 113 miles from Waynesboro VA to Harts Run WV.
* Her age range (22-25) overlaps with the UID's age range (25-33)
* Her very short listed height (50-62 inches, or 4'2"- 5'2") matches the UID's very short height range per DoeNet (4'2"-5'2") - (NamUs indicates the UID's height is 5'2")
* Her hair fits the "black and straight" description. Not sure if it qualifies as "coarse".
 
Another explanation of why the WV UID could be Asian and wearing shorts only marketed in Mexico is the wide availability of Goodwill clothing stores, second hand shops, and yard sales.

Glad that she was indentified so that her family can have some closure. Now to find out the manner of her death...

Edited to Amend:

Follow the link : http://www.newsleader.com/article/2...lice-seek-help-2002-homicide?odyssey=nav|head


The victim was 19 when she married her husband who was 48. They married in the Philippines and moved to the US two years later. After another 2 years of marriage, she died.
Police ruled it a homicide. Husband did not report her missing and said he thought she went back to her home country (yeah right). The husband is currently in jail for child *advertiser censored* charges.
He hasn't been charged with the homicide (yet). They are looking for the car the couple owned years ago (presumably because it contains evidence).

She looks pregnant in the photo and appears to be at a baby shower.
 
I e-mailed this possible match to Pamela Reed on August 30. However, I don't know if it was on their radar prior to my e-mail.

I will leave the flag as Identified for now. I e-mailed Pamela Reed again to see if it was my e-mail that resulted in the match. If she says it was, I will change the flag to Match!
 
Carl, I guess our vow of silence is not necessary now.
Carl and I were PMing periodically for some time on this, and decided that silence was the best policy. It is a relief that Thomas Tait is still in custody.
She is a Pinay as I thought. God rest her soul.
 
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20095839/police-homicide-newser


From today's article:

Just a few weeks ago, DNA helped West Virginia police finally identify the body as Karen Santillan Tait, who was not reported missing until last year.

Karen lived in an apartment on Fairfax Avenue in Waynesboro with her husband Thomas Neal Tait. He is currently jailed on child *advertiser censored* convictions. Police say it is the investigation of that case that led to questions about Karen's disappearance.

Here is the original report of the husband's arrest (that led LE to question Karen's disappearance).

http://www.nbc29.com/story/19047656...nts-of-possessing-child-*advertiser censored*

Officers say they found more than 80,000 images of children being sexually abused on his computer. Many of images depict children under 2 years old being assaulted by adults.
The investigation took a year-Karen was reported missing in 2011 even though her remains were found in 2002. The link includes a photo of the husband.
 
What a devastating story. And to think that that child had to live with that B***ard, unprotected for so many years. :cry:

There is still a lot of further investigation that needs to be done in this case.

Anyone who knew Karen and/or Thomas Tait, especially between 2000 and 2002, when they lived at 908 Fairfax Ave., Apt. 1 in Waynesboro, Va., are asked to contact Cpl. Alyssa Campbell at 540-942-6511 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-322-2017.

Investigators also are trying to find information about a 1990 blue-gray Cadillac DeVille with the Vehicle Identification Number 1G6CD5339L4366432. Police say the car was owned by the Taits during that time period and is visible in at least one photo of the couple in an unknown wooded area.

http://www.register-herald.com/todaysfrontpage/x1920496107/Decade-old-remains-identified-as-Va-woman
 

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