FL FL - Sanibel Island, WhtFem, 30-50, #UP5316, floating in the Gulf, Oct 1995

[Northfloridafaces]

(Many apologies if this has been posted, but I promise I've looked all over for it!)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Demographics
Sex: Female
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 30-50
Estimated Year of Death: 1995
Estimated PMI: Weeks
Height: 5' 1"(61 inches) , Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Found: October 7, 1995
NamUs Case Created: June 10, 2009
ME/C QA Reviewed: June 11, 2009

Location Found
General Location: Pine Island Sound (+/-) 50ft south of York IslandSanibel, Florida
County: Lee County
GPS Coordinates: 26°29.82 N x 82°05.72 W
Circumstances of Recovery: found floating in pine island sound approx 50 feet from york island
Details of Recovery

Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

Physical Description
Hair Color: Blond/Strawberry
Head Hair Description: Dark blond with red tinge
Eye Color: Unknown or Missing

Distinctive Physical Features
Description:
red nail polish on fingernails

Piercing:
right ear x 2
left x 1

Scar/mark:
During life this woman had a left temporal craniotomy

Other distinctive physical characteristics:
might have been a smoker


Clothing and Accessories
Clothing: On the Body
red or maroon scrub top "V" neck pullover. Lettering on the back was from Charleston S.C. V.A. Hospital, Size M

Jewelry: On the Body
the left wrist had a small timex watch, the band appears to be of nylon type material and has red stripes running the length of the band; yellow metal cameo type ring with a 2 mm round ivory colored stone; light weight bracelet

 

[Northfloridafaces]

I want to think that the clothing is important here. I know that its obvious enough that it must have been looked into, but the fact that she was wearing scrubs is just so bizarre unless she's in the medical field. Maybe she didnt work at the V.A. hospital, but chances are, she was wearing scrubs for a reason. Unless they mean like a hospital gown?

 

[Northfloridafaces]

Mary Elizabeth Sloan – The Charley Project
44 year old nurse from Ohio. Her car was later found at a GreyHound Bus Station in West Virginia.
Thoughts? I would imagine a C-Section would be mentioned in the Doe report...

 

[PayrollNerd]

Scar/mark:
During life this woman had a left temporal craniotomy.

This woman had brain surgery. That had to be documented somewhere and her family would know about it.

 

[Bit of hope]

What I collected on this case.

- Found in Lee County, Florida October 07, 1995 ,
- 30 to 50 year old,
- white female
- probable year of death 1995.
- Female found floating in Pine Island Sound, Approx. 50 feet from York island. The victim was located in the waters near Pine Island on October 7, 1995, Tucked in a sleeping bag and placed inside a sail bag, the body was discovered near the York Island, a tiny island south of St. James City off Pine Island, after a strong storm.
- Dark blond with red tinge (blond strawberry).
- Eye color unknown
- 61 height estimated, weight unknown. Approximate Height and Weight: 5'1-5'3"; 115 lbs.
- During life this woman had a left temporal craniotomy (operation where a flap is removed to get to the brain)
- Pott's fracture of right leg, that was surgically repaired with two orthopedic screws
- fracture of right arm, and fracture of left clavicle.
- Red or maroon scrub top "V" neck pullover. Lettering on the back was from Charleston S.C. V.A. Hospital, Size M.
- Right ear pierced x 2 left x 1.
- Might have been a smoker.
- Investigators with the Lee County, Fl., Sheriff's Office contacted officials at the Charleston South Carolina, V.A. (veterans affairs) Medical Center to find out if there were any records of similar surgeries performed on a woman. No such records were found.
- The left wrist had a small Timex watch, the band appears to be of nylon type material and has red stripes running the length of the band; yellow metal cameo type ring with a 2 mm round ivory colored stone; light weight bracelet

Ruled out (sorry can't recall the date)

Billie Jean Hall 1960 Florida

Patricia Leventhal 1959 Florida

Colleen Voitik McHugh 1963 Illinois

Nancy Willis 1961 Tennessee

Sorry for repeating info.

 

[Bit of hope]

(Many apologies if this has been posted, but I promise I've looked all over for it!)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Demographics
Sex: Female
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 30-50
Estimated Year of Death: 1995
Estimated PMI: Weeks
Height: 5' 1"(61 inches) , Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Found: October 7, 1995
NamUs Case Created: June 10, 2009
ME/C QA Reviewed: June 11, 2009

Location Found
General Location: Pine Island Sound (+/-) 50ft south of York IslandSanibel, Florida
County: Lee County
GPS Coordinates: 26°29.82 N x 82°05.72 W
Circumstances of Recovery: found floating in pine island sound approx 50 feet from york island
Details of Recovery

Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

Physical Description
Hair Color: Blond/Strawberry
Head Hair Description: Dark blond with red tinge
Eye Color: Unknown or Missing

Distinctive Physical Features
Description:
red nail polish on fingernails

Piercing:
right ear x 2
left x 1

Scar/mark:
During life this woman had a left temporal craniotomy

Other distinctive physical characteristics:
might have been a smoker


Clothing and Accessories
Clothing: On the Body
red or maroon scrub top "V" neck pullover. Lettering on the back was from Charleston S.C. V.A. Hospital, Size M

Jewelry: On the Body
the left wrist had a small timex watch, the band appears to be of nylon type material and has red stripes running the length of the band; yellow metal cameo type ring with a 2 mm round ivory colored stone; light weight bracelet

So happy to see she has a new recon.

 

[Tabirey]

Sounds like she may have been in an extremely bad accident. You'd think she'd be easy to identify.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Sounds like she may have been in an extremely bad accident. You'd think she'd be easy to identify.

Or domestic violence based on the “tucked in a sleeping bag placed in a sail bag?” Partner owned a boat?

 

[Northfloridafaces]

- Female found floating in Pine Island Sound, Approx. 50 feet from York island. The victim was located in the waters near Pine Island on October 7, 1995, Tucked in a sleeping bag and placed inside a sail bag, the body was discovered near the York Island, a tiny island south of St. James City off Pine Island, after a strong storm.
- During life this woman had a left temporal craniotomy (operation where a flap is removed to get to the brain)
- Pott's fracture of right leg, that was surgically repaired with two orthopedic screws
- fracture of right arm, and fracture of left clavicle.
- Investigators with the Lee County, Fl., Sheriff's Office contacted officials at the Charleston South Carolina, V.A. (veterans affairs) Medical Center to find out if there were any records of similar surgeries performed on a woman. No such records were found.

Ruled out (sorry can't recall the date)

Billie Jean Hall 1960 Florida

Patricia Leventhal 1959 Florida

Colleen Voitik McHugh 1963 Illinois

Nancy Willis 1961 Tennessee

Thank you for all that info!

 

[Northfloridafaces]

Or domestic violence based on the “tucked in a sleeping bag placed in a sail bag?” Partner owned a boat?

I agree with the domestic violence theory. With all of those fractures, and the fact that she was "hidden" and dumped... its a sad thought.
It does make me wonder if she was ever even reported missing. If she'd been cut off from friends and family (like in many abusive situations), she may not have had anyone to report her.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I needed to educate myself on this topic. Now I know why they think it was two weeks post death and the nail polish was a factor.
Putrefaction - Wikipedia

Putrefaction is ordinarily slowed by the body being submerged in water, due to diminished exposure to air.

Approximate timeline

• 1–2 days: Pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, and livor mortis are the first steps in the process of decomposition before the process of putrefaction.
• 2–3 days: Discoloration appears on the skin of the abdomen. The abdomen begins to swell due to gas formation.
• 3–4 days: The discoloration spreads and discolored veins become visible.
• 5–6 days: The abdomen swells noticeably and the skin blisters.
• 10–20 days: Black putrefaction occurs, which is when noxious odors are released from the body and the parts of the body undergo a black discoloration.
• 2 weeks: The abdomen is bloated; internal gas pressure nears maximum capacity.
• 3 weeks: Tissues have softened. Organs and cavities are bursting. The nails fall off.
• 4 weeks: Soft tissues such as the internal organs begin to liquefy and the face becomes unrecognizable. Leads to skeletonization where the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments degrade exposing the skeleton.

 

[Northfloridafaces]

Lurline Michelle Bergeron – The Charley Project
She would have only been 19, but I noticed that she has a surgical scar on the left of her head...

 

[Northfloridafaces]

I needed to educate myself on this topic. Now I know why they think it was two weeks post death and the nail polish was a factor.
Putrefaction - Wikipedia

Putrefaction is ordinarily slowed by the body being submerged in water, due to diminished exposure to air.

Approximate timeline

• 1–2 days: Pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, and livor mortis are the first steps in the process of decomposition before the process of putrefaction.
• 2–3 days: Discoloration appears on the skin of the abdomen. The abdomen begins to swell due to gas formation.
• 3–4 days: The discoloration spreads and discolored veins become visible.
• 5–6 days: The abdomen swells noticeably and the skin blisters.
• 10–20 days: Black putrefaction occurs, which is when noxious odors are released from the body and the parts of the body undergo a black discoloration.
• 2 weeks: The abdomen is bloated; internal gas pressure nears maximum capacity.
• 3 weeks: Tissues have softened. Organs and cavities are bursting. The nails fall off.
• 4 weeks: Soft tissues such as the internal organs begin to liquefy and the face becomes unrecognizable. Leads to skeletonization where the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments degrade exposing the skeleton.

Fantastic work!!!! Thank you!!!

 

[PayrollNerd]

Circumstances of Recovery: found floating in pine island sound approx 50 feet from york island.

If she was dropped off a boat into the gulf, whoever did this to her thought they went out into the gulf far enough that she wouldn’t be found. However, I don't put a lot of stock in this theory. Sept in Florida is peak hurricane, tropical depression, rainy season weather. You better have a BIG boat if you're going offshore.

If they did not use a boat, they could have dragged her to the water in one of the little coves in the preserve areas. The tides would have shifted her away from the mangroves eventually.

Additionally, Hurricane Opal was skirting the coast a few days prior to her being found Oct 7, 1995. That means the weather was cool, rainy, windy that day. Who the heck was going to be out on the water then? People here love to walk the beach after a storm to see what it churned up. I’m pretty sure Opal helped our missing lady find her way back to land. See the little red dot on the hurricane photo. That’s where she was found.

Timeline of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season - Wikipedia

 

[Northfloridafaces]

Maria Oliveras Negron – The Charley Project

Not any details about scars or surgeries, but take a look at her description... 5'0", 115 lbs, blonde, 51 years old, and missing from South Florida. Shes not on Exlusions, as far as I can tell (or NamUs for that matter).

Last seen Oct. 20th, 17 days before the Doe was found.

 

[Northfloridafaces]

Maria Oliveras Negron – The Charley Project

Not any details about scars or surgeries, but take a look at her description... 5'0", 115 lbs, blonde, 51 years old, and missing from South Florida. Shes not on Exlusions, as far as I can tell (or NamUs for that matter).

Last seen Oct. 20th, 17 days before the Doe was found.

Figured I'd go ahead and email them about it.
We'll see if they respond. Probably wont see it until Moday, at the earliest, though.

 

[Bit of hope]

I needed to educate myself on this topic. Now I know why they think it was two weeks post death and the nail polish was a factor.
Putrefaction - Wikipedia

Putrefaction is ordinarily slowed by the body being submerged in water, due to diminished exposure to air.

Approximate timeline

• 1–2 days: Pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, and livor mortis are the first steps in the process of decomposition before the process of putrefaction.
• 2–3 days: Discoloration appears on the skin of the abdomen. The abdomen begins to swell due to gas formation.
• 3–4 days: The discoloration spreads and discolored veins become visible.
• 5–6 days: The abdomen swells noticeably and the skin blisters.
• 10–20 days: Black putrefaction occurs, which is when noxious odors are released from the body and the parts of the body undergo a black discoloration.
• 2 weeks: The abdomen is bloated; internal gas pressure nears maximum capacity.
• 3 weeks: Tissues have softened. Organs and cavities are bursting. The nails fall off.
• 4 weeks: Soft tissues such as the internal organs begin to liquefy and the face becomes unrecognizable. Leads to skeletonization where the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments degrade exposing the skeleton.

Thanks for this interesting info. I think she would not be found that quick if it wasn't for a severe storm.

 

[Podengo]

I’ve broken both bones in my leg, my upper and lower arm, my foot, my collar bone and cracked my orbital socket. No one has ever laid a hand on me abusively, I was just a wide open kid with a love of tree climbing and horseback riding. (Well, the two leg bones were from flipping a riding mower, lol). I think the fact that her injuries were treated probably mean accidents and not abuse, just my opinion. I can’t see how her medical history hasn’t identified her, though.

 

[Bit of hope]

I would like to know what the cause of death was.

 

[Laughing]

I was thinking horseback riding, too! Vehicle accident is certainly possible. Someone (other than us) should be looking for her, rather looking in '96 I suppose.

OK, if she wasn't a patient:

Who took off the VA scrub top before our decedent wore it???

Were there any numbers in that top, indicating date of manufacture, anyway?

Did an employee wear it home? Patient transferred to a different facility?

VA keeping secrets?

JMHO YMMV