Identified! AL - Opelika, 'Juvenile Jane Doe', BlkFem, UP9834, 4-7, in woods, abused, Jan'12 *reward* - Amore Joveah Wiggins

I just updated my post to include new orleans and 2-3-11. How unlikely would this be. When were the VBS pics taken?

According to the unidentified wikia, sometime in 2011. I looked it up, though, and it looks like that episode originally aired in 1997 and was remastered in 2011, as opposed to actually coming out in 2011. The girl does look similar, but the time frame doesn't add up.
 
I don't think it's that she has no matches on genetic genealogy, it's that they haven't tried genetic genealogy yet, as far as I know. A post from June said that they would only use it as a 'last resort'. Black Does can and have been identified using genetic genealogy, though it is definitely harder to use this method on black people (and Asian people, Indigenous, etc) due to lack of matches.
 
Opelika PD has engaged Othram to attempt a DNA profile for this little girl. Barbara Rae Venter has been engaged for genealogical research. We are in the very early stages here so lots of work to do.

More details here: Who is Opelika Jane Doe (2012)?

Totally great! Thank you all so much! Lots of success with this case!
 
Opelika Jane Doe

To honor Opelika Jane Doe on the 10th anniversary of the discovery of her remains, the Opelika Police Department released 10 pink balloons.
Locks of Baby Jane Doe's hair are seen in this photo shared by the Opelika Police Department.
upload_2022-1-28_17-57-11.png
To honor Opelika Jane Doe on the 10th anniversary of the discovery of her remains, the Opelika Police Department released 10 pink balloons.
upload_2022-1-28_17-57-11.png

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Opelika Police Department released a new forensic 3D image in October 2021 of the unidentified young girl whose remains were found in 2021.
upload_2022-1-28_17-57-11.png

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Opelika Police Department released a new forensic 3D image in October 2021 of the unidentified young girl whose remains were found in 2021.

Opelika Jane Doe is the unidentified young girl whose skeletal remains were found in a wooded area behind a mobile home off Hurst Street in Opelika on Jan. 28, 2012.

The memorial held on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, marked the 10th anniversary of the discovery of her remains.

Detectives from the Opelika Police Department released 10 pink balloons to honor her and three officials close to the case, Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere, OPD Sergeant Alfred White and Lee County Coroner Bill Harris, spoke about the case.

“Ten years ago, I remember when I heard that the OPD had found the remains of a child,” Ventiere said. “I thought to myself, the same thing I thought probably a thousand times over the last ten years, is how can we find a child but we have no idea who this child is.”

Ventiere said during the last 10 years she has seen the dedication and hard work that the OPD and White have put in to solving this mystery.

“There is not one speck of dust on the Baby Jane Doe case file, I can guarantee you that. What they have done for this case and what they continue to do for this case every single day, I find to be inspirational,” Ventiere said. “As the Lee County District Attorney, our office is 100-percent committed to walking with them every step of the way … because we want to solve this just as much as they do.”

White, who started working on the case in 2015, said he doesn’t “doubt for a second” that they will figure out who this little girl is.

“We don’t give up on any murder, and we’re certainly not going to give up on the murder of a child,” White said.

Ventiere, White and Harris said the investigation will continue for this case until it is solved, and they are confident that they are close.

“I think we are very very close to finding out who she is,” Harris said. “This case will never close until we get a conclusion and justice for her and give her a peaceful burial.”

Harris has been a part of the ongoing investigation since the beginning of this case and was the coroner at the time Jane Doe’s remains were found.

Harris and White said some things are in the works that will hopefully give them some more answers soon but that they can’t provide any updates at this time.

A new 3D image was recently released by NCMEC in October 2021 after an assessment from a forensic anthropologist with the Smithsonian in hopes that someone can identify her.

Carol Schweitzer, the case manager and NCMEC’s supervisor of forensic service, said they found signs of malnourishment and abuse, specifically in the left eye, which was scarred and caused blindness.

“It’s very difficult to determine exactly how that injury occurred, but we know she sustained the injury several months to a year prior to her death, which created severe damage to the left eye,” Schweitzer said.

With all the resources and interviews that have been conducted by NCMEC and the OPD over the years, Schweitzer said there’s a lot of information that suggests she has ties to the Orlando area and they have been working to get this information to that region in hopes of gaining new leads.

If you have any information on this case, contact the Opelika Police Department at 334-705-5200 or the Secret Witness Hotline at 334-745-8665. Tips can also be submitted through the Opelika Police Mobile App.
“We are her family”: Opelika Police release 10 pink balloons at memorial for Opelika Jane Doe
 
Balloons (and strings) are so dangerous for wildlife and pets when they eventually return to earth :( The sentiment behind the tribute is wonderful but I wish people would consider alternatives like releasing butterflies, or floating wreaths of flowers on a stream or lake.

Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that forensic genealogy is being attempted for this little girl. Her case has stuck with me since I first read about it. Hoping she will finally be identified in 2022.
 
Balloons (and strings) are so dangerous for wildlife and pets when they eventually return to earth :( The sentiment behind the tribute is wonderful but I wish people would consider alternatives like releasing butterflies, or floating wreaths of flowers on a stream or lake.

Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that forensic genealogy is being attempted for this little girl. Her case has stuck with me since I first read about it. Hoping she will finally be identified in 2022.

I'm so glad you said this. Balloons are deadly. I feel awful mentioning and you did a great job explaining why this tribute isn't fitting.
 
It has been ten years since a girl’s remains were discovered in Opelika, and investigators still don’t know who she was or how she died.

Skeletal remains of the girl, who became known as “Baby Jane Doe” were found on January 28, 2012, at a trailer park on Hurst Street in Opelika. Investigators think she was between 4 to 7 years old.


“Baby Jane Doe” – Photo from Opelika Police Dept./Central Alabama CrimeStoppers

Police, other investigators and concerned residents gathered Friday to make the anniversary at the location that her body was found. Pink balloons were released to mark the sad occasion.

“I just can’t wrap my mind around it,” Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere told Alabama News Network. “Every single day, I think how is this possible that we don’t have a name.”

It’s believed the child died between 2010 and 2011 with a focus on the summer or fall of 2011.

She is believed to have had medium length black hair. Her height, weight, and eye color cannot be determined. An anthropological assessment of her bones suggests she had likely been abused and malnourished.

“Somebody knows who this child is,” Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said. Harris remembers getting the call in 2012 that the child’s remains were discovered, which led to a search and the establishment of a command center. The FBI was also brought in.


“Baby Jane Doe” – Photo from Opelika Police Dept./Central Alabama CrimeStoppers

Does he think this case will be solved?

“I feel confident we’re very, very close,” he said.

Central Alabama CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward to help find answers.

“We don’t give up on any murders,” Sgt. Alfred White of the Opelika Police Department said. “We’re certainly not going to give up on the murder of a child.”


If you have any information regarding the identity of Baby Jane Doe, please call Opelika Police at (334) 705-5220 or CrimeStoppers at (334) 215-STOP. bbm
Ten Years Later: Girl's Death in Opelika Remains a Mystery - Alabama News
 
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Lee County Jane Doe, 2012, presumed murder victim, Opelika

On Jan. 28, 2012, the partial skeletal remains of a little girl were found in the woods behind a mobile home park in Opelika, according to Police Capt. Shane Healey. The child, of African heritage, likely died between 2011 and 2012. Authorities determined Opelika Jane was between 4 and 7 years old. She was likely "abused and malnourished" before her death leading authorities to believe she was murdered. Her height, weight and eye color could not be determined from the remains but the FBI Victims Identification Project created a facial reconstruction that shows what she may have looked like. She has not been buried, Healey said. "Her remains are still being analyzed by forensic scientists for clues," he said.

Click here to see her full profile at MissingKids.org.

Anyone with information should call Healey at Opelika Police Department at 334-705-5200 or the FBI Mobile Field Office at 251-438-3674
 

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