Identified! FL - Glades Co., WhtFem 509UFFL, 25-45, in canal, nail biter, Mar'81 - Nicki Elkins
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KaylaraOwl
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With those details, and the picture of Nikki, I'm pretty sure this is her. Hopefully they'll have answers soon.
KaylaraOwl
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I hadn't seen the post in this thread about her from a few months ago and sent her in as a match a couple of weeks ago. Oops!
chaddylex
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Ahhhhh..... I think Glades County Jane Doe has been identified!!! The NamUs profile disappeared out of my tracked cases so when I clicked on this linkThe National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) look what I got! Nikki's NamUs profile was modified yesterday, and her profile is still accessible. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
chaddylex
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me too!!
KaylaraOwl
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Oh wow!
What are the odds that two cold cases -- both dating back to ~40 years ago and based out of a single, somewhat-obscure county -- of an MP and a UID with extremely similar distinguishing characteristics would be resolved independently of one another at almost the exact same time (as indicated by the removal of the NamUS profiles)?
Honestly, I'm assuming that this is Nikki.
Honestly, I'm assuming that this is Nikki.
KaylaraOwl
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OMG. I'm so glad she's been identified, but so sorry for her family and loved ones.
chaddylex
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I am hoping they find out who murdered her. I am glad her family will finally have closure.
KaylaraOwl
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I hope they have his DNA after all this time. Otherwise... 
Nicki deserves justice.
Nicki deserves justice.
bombardier
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great job Samantha and Glades County police department
-I wonder why it took so long for these two to be compared, considering the similar tattoo?
-interesting to note that 'blue' eyes can appear 'hazel' after couple days of decomp
-she was gone a month; I wonder if she lost a drastic amount of weight during that time, or if LE made an inaccurate guess when she was found (was it estimated or measured, anyone remember?)
-Nicki must have dyed her hair after going missing; is this something that the medical examiner (or at least ME in the 80s) cannot detect?
-that first facial drawing was not very accurate, but the last recon from Ms. Steinberg was actually very good, if a bit on the older estimate. im just impressed at the improvement! im guessing she had access to postmortem photographs?
-I wonder why it took so long for these two to be compared, considering the similar tattoo?
-interesting to note that 'blue' eyes can appear 'hazel' after couple days of decomp
-she was gone a month; I wonder if she lost a drastic amount of weight during that time, or if LE made an inaccurate guess when she was found (was it estimated or measured, anyone remember?)
-Nicki must have dyed her hair after going missing; is this something that the medical examiner (or at least ME in the 80s) cannot detect?
-that first facial drawing was not very accurate, but the last recon from Ms. Steinberg was actually very good, if a bit on the older estimate. im just impressed at the improvement! im guessing she had access to postmortem photographs?
I think that she did lost weight during that month, i wonder if the ME saw the blonde roots.
great job Samantha and Glades County police department
-I wonder why it took so long for these two to be compared, considering the similar tattoo?
-interesting to note that 'blue' eyes can appear 'hazel' after couple days of decomp
-she was gone a month; I wonder if she lost a drastic amount of weight during that time, or if LE made an inaccurate guess when she was found (was it estimated or measured, anyone remember?)
-Nicki must have dyed her hair after going missing; is this something that the medical examiner (or at least ME in the 80s) cannot detect?
-that first facial drawing was not very accurate, but the last recon from Ms. Steinberg was actually very good, if a bit on the older estimate. im just impressed at the improvement! im guessing she had access to postmortem photographs?
Al Ka
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Just adding direct link to Forensic Artist Samantha Steinberg FB announcement, plus adding photos - Steinberg's Facial Identification Catalogs
(click on image to enlarge)
chaddylex
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Nicki Elkins
Elkins, originally from Virginia, traveled to Florida to visit relatives in early 1981. On Valentine's Day, departed from her family's residence in Miami, Florida, on February 14, 1981, stating she would be visiting her boyfriend, whom she did not identify by name. She was last seen walking from the home with a brown suitcase, which has yet to be recovered. The reason for her departure was allegedly after a disagreement with one of her family members. She possibly spent time in the city of Naples before arriving in Miami. Before the connection was made between her and the Jane Doe, investigators did announce that there was a possibility she had been murdered.
Elkins' was located in a small canal, face down, in Moore Have, Florida, near the county line separating Glades and Hendry Counties. It was estimated that she died about a day before, but decomposition had already rendered her unrecognizable.
Some reported seeing the then-unidentified female at the Uncle Joe's Fish Camp or the Trucadero Bar in Clewiston, Florida around the time she was murdered. The remains were thought to belong to a woman between 25 and 45, until 2020.
Identification
In 2020, the sheriff's office became aware of the disappearance of Nikki Elkins, 16, who ran away from homenearly a month before the victim's body was found. Despite the weight difference, Elkins had a similar tattoo on one of her thumbs, although it is listed to have been on her right.
On September 29, 2020, it was announced via Samantha Steinberg's Facebook page that the identification was successful. The artist had provided an updated facial reconstruction in 2019, prior to the discovery that the victim was much younger than originally estimated.
Elkins, originally from Virginia, traveled to Florida to visit relatives in early 1981. On Valentine's Day, departed from her family's residence in Miami, Florida, on February 14, 1981, stating she would be visiting her boyfriend, whom she did not identify by name. She was last seen walking from the home with a brown suitcase, which has yet to be recovered. The reason for her departure was allegedly after a disagreement with one of her family members. She possibly spent time in the city of Naples before arriving in Miami. Before the connection was made between her and the Jane Doe, investigators did announce that there was a possibility she had been murdered.
Elkins' was located in a small canal, face down, in Moore Have, Florida, near the county line separating Glades and Hendry Counties. It was estimated that she died about a day before, but decomposition had already rendered her unrecognizable.
Some reported seeing the then-unidentified female at the Uncle Joe's Fish Camp or the Trucadero Bar in Clewiston, Florida around the time she was murdered. The remains were thought to belong to a woman between 25 and 45, until 2020.
Identification
In 2020, the sheriff's office became aware of the disappearance of Nikki Elkins, 16, who ran away from homenearly a month before the victim's body was found. Despite the weight difference, Elkins had a similar tattoo on one of her thumbs, although it is listed to have been on her right.
On September 29, 2020, it was announced via Samantha Steinberg's Facebook page that the identification was successful. The artist had provided an updated facial reconstruction in 2019, prior to the discovery that the victim was much younger than originally estimated.