Identified! KY - Harlan Co., WhtFem UP5880, 16-22, off Little Shepherd Trail, Jun'69 - Sonja Adams

[bflocket]

This is that same map I put up before (sorry, wanted to make it smaller but didn't have the patience). She would have been found at around the lower-left part of the 1679-symbol.
Laden Trail (where Rebel Rock is, I just didn't know its name) is probably the closest thing to where she was found. I think it's safe to say that she didn't arrive with an over-the-road trucker. You'd need a small car or more likely a small 4x4 to make it up Laden Tr, and the same for Little Shepherd Trail back then.

 

[fred&edna]

This is that same map I put up before (sorry, wanted to make it smaller but didn't have the patience). She would have been found at around the lower-left part of the 1679-symbol.
Laden Trail (where Rebel Rock is, I just didn't know its name) is probably the closest thing to where she was found. I think it's safe to say that she didn't arrive with an over-the-road trucker. You'd need a small car or more likely a small 4x4 to make it up Laden Tr, and the same for Little Shepherd Trail back then.

There's a map?? I can't see one.

 

[cj327]

Here is a link to the google view of the area described, roughly a mile N of 2010.

http://goo.gl/maps/nFKBj


ETA: What strikes me is how quickly the body was found. The area was so remote and she was 50 ft from the road. Maybe there was a pullout, or a particularly scenic spot that led to not one, but two different people stopping there and walking away from the road within the span of a few weeks. I just think of all the remote places that I have driven past, growing up in east TN a few hours south of there.

 

[carbuff]

Here is a link to the google view of the area described, roughly a mile N of 2010.

http://goo.gl/maps/nFKBj


ETA: What strikes me is how quickly the body was found. The area was so remote and she was 50 ft from the road. Maybe there was a pullout, or a particularly scenic spot that led to not one, but two different people stopping there and walking away from the road within the span of a few weeks. I just think of all the remote places that I have driven past, growing up in east TN a few hours south of there.

That's why I was wondering whether she was next to that connecting road, But it doesn't sound like the connecting road is used much.

 

[cj327]

Saw a video on youtube of Rebel Rock. This would be about a mile from where the body was found. Only relevant in that it gives you an idea of the landscape if you have never been to that part of the country. I hiked to a number of similar rocks in TN and KY, located on the tops of small mountains or ridges.

Rebel Rock - YouTube

 

[bflocket]

This website has a story about an older (1920's) murder in the area of this murder. A teacher was murdered going across the mountain (by convicts working on roads? that was a "guess" 60-yrs ago and decades after the murder- who knows...). I found this searching around for stuff about Rebel Rock. It just so happens that my grandpa (and several of his MANY siblings) went to the school where she taught. And I'd never heard anything about it.

I just can't get over how this line was part of a story from a real newspaper:
"The Negroes' trial was moved from the county and they were cleared..."

http://www.angelfire.com/ky/mossierose/mc56.html

 

[bflocket]

Here is another website that discusses a battle (which I've never heard of) in the area. I am putting it out as it has a nice (still) pic of Rebel Rock.

http://bencaudill.com/documents_msc/millcliff/millcliff.html

 

[nerosleuth]

I found some links that will give everybody a better idea regarding the road and terrain at the Little Shepherd and Laden Trails.

The first link gives a written description about riding a motor scooter on the trails:


Modern Vespa

http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic67023


The second link is a video of a scenic drive during the fall driving on the trails:


Little Shepherd's Trail HD

Little Shepherd's Trail HD - YouTube


The third link is Google Street View taken after the fall season when the trees are already bare. If you use the standing person icon and place it at the junction of Little Shepherd Trail & Laden Trail, you will get another picture that gives you a 360 view of that area:


Google Street View

Putney, KY - Google Maps

 

[CarlK90245]

I am hearing that an exhumation of this Jane Doe is in the works.

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.middlesborodailynews.com/news/home_top-news/150692554/Murder-victims-body-exhumed

Hoping to identify the victim of a murder which occurred in Harlan County in 1969, Kentucky State Police exhumed a woman’s body on Wednesday...

“Our purpose here today is exhume her body to provide DNA and hope to put a name with her because for 45 years now she’s pretty much been an unidentified female, a Jane Doe to us, and upon doing that we hope to bring closure to some family out there that has a missing loved one from this time period,” Howard said.

Howard said he knows of no one who has come forward as a possible DNA match.

 

[nerosleuth]

Police dig up unidentified body from 1969 cold case


Police say in 1969, an unidentified girl was found murdered near the Little Shepherd Trail. To this day, her name remains unknown, as does her killer.

Wednesday, state police and others dug up her grave in Harlan and removed her body.

Police are sending the remains to University of North Texas for the DNA testing. Once the DNA is recovered, they will enter it into the national missing person's database.

Source:

http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headl...ified-body-from-1969-cold-case-284028641.html

 

[MissJ]

Any missing women from the area?

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.harlandaily.com/news/home_top-news/151157821/Haunted-book-turned-cold-case-hot

Todd Matthews, who is the director of communications and case management for NamUs, says if local author Darla Jackson had not written the book “Harlan County Haunts,” it is likely the new effort to identify the person would not have happened...

Matthews’ radio show was called “Missing Pieces” and Jackson was the featured guest on Episode 94, which aired in 2008. During the program Matthews, who said he had been to Harlan County before, told Jackson he was not aware there was a “Jane Doe” case here until reading her book... Matthews said the Pine Mountain case predated the state medical examiner’s office, so they were not aware of the case automatically...

Matthews said he is hopeful the bone samples collected at the recent exhumation will provide DNA samples. “We managed to get her into NamUs, and now potentially we can make an ID with the free resources provided. And I’m hopeful that KSP will be able to develop an active homicide investigation.”

 

[fred&edna]

I think this is her NamUs case (and, currently, there are two "rule outs")

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/5880

 

[EmmaliLucia]

I think she could have been a hitch hiker, there is also one other possibility but I don't know how plausible it could be.

So for runaways and hitch hikers we have:
Niki Britten

Darlene Polizzi

Ruth Egnoski

And also there is this possibility: Linda Puegeot had her car stolen and was supposedly murdered in Pennsylvania. The man who murdered her claimed he shot her to death but he could have lied about the brutality of how he killed her in hopes that he would not get as severe a sentence. He then hides her body and a few days (And probably several states) later he kills her daughter and hides her body elsewhere. This is her Charley Project

 

[fred&edna]

Darlene Polizzi

(RSBM... just saving space)

Darlene's age, height, weight (and possibly hair color) match this UID... but little else (imo). However, I believe she has family in Kentucky (gleaned from research I've done in the past) and I'm wondering if this even slightly increases the possibility of a match??

Thoughts, anyone?

 

[~Lyric~]

I just came across a place that is cold cases in Harlan Ky and its some kind of forum, so I don't know if I can post that link here,
but it has some great information!. I googled Darla Jackson Harlan Ky and came up with the site.

I'm going to post this here, if I'm not allowed than I'm sure it will be deleted:

Column not copyrighted:
ME/C Contact Information
Name: Emily Craig
Agency: Kentucky Medical Examiner Office
Phone Number: 502.564.4545 x 223
E-mail Address: emily.craig@ky.gov

Case Information
Status: Unidentified
NamUs-UP #: 5880
Case Number: FA-2009-54
NCIC Number: N/A
Date Found: 1969-06-01 00:00:00
Date Entered: 2009-09-17 11:10:00
Date Modified: 2009-09-17 14:28:00
GPS Found: N/A
Address Found: Pine Mountain
Harlan, KY
40831
Harlan County

Demographics and Circumstances
Estimated Age: Adult - Pre 30
Minimum Age: 16 years
Maximum Age: 22 years
Race: White
Ethnicity: N/A
Sex: Female
Weight (lbs.): 112, Estimated
Height (inch): 63, Estimated
Condition: Putrefaction
Probable Year of Death: 1969
Est. Postmortem Interval: 0-12 Weeks
DNA Profile Status: Sample available - not yet submitted
Circumstances of Death: Nude body found on top of rural Pine Mountain about 50 feet off the Little Shepherd Trail. An order ticket from a Cincinnati restaurant was found nearby.

Body Details
Scars And Marks: (1)Apparent burn scar, 3/4 inch wide, on right leg midway between knee and thigh. Scar begins on outside (lateral side) of leg and continues around to the back side of leg. (2) Scar three inches above right knee on the outside (lateral side) of the knee. Scar is 1 and 1/2 inches long with two clamp marks. (3) Scar is three inches long and located just below and beside the "clamp scar" mentioned above.
Body Parts Inventory: All Parts Recovered

Fingerprint Classification
RT N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
LT N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Fingerprint Comments
N/A

Clothing, Hair, Eyes
Head Hair: medium length light brown, tinted to auburn in some places

Dental
Dental Summary: One or More Teeth Present, Filling or Crown Present, Upper Jaw Present, Lower Jaw Present
Upper
Right 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Upper
Left

Lower
Right Lower
Left
32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17

Dental Comments: Dental information gleaned from old notes taken in 1969. OA= All 3rd molars had erupted and two were pulled, but no indications as to which two had been pulled. OP= Noted as missing, and presumed to be missing postmortem since healed sockets were described for #4, #5, #6, #19. Severe decay noted in #29 and #30.

 

[nerosleuth]

I corresponded by e-mail a few years ago with Harlan County native Darla Saylor Jackson, who is the author of Harlan County Haunts.

I was also told by the author who talked to the detective handling the case during the 1970's that the restaurant ticket was from a regional family restaurant chain from the Cincinnati area.

I was told by the author that the order ticket found near the body was from a Frisch’s restaurant in the Cincinnati area.

The detective did not reveal which Frisch’s restaurant location in the Cincinnati area the order ticket was from or the date on the order ticket.

It could be possible that the order ticket was a receipt from the Frisch’s restaurant in the Cincinnati area.

 

[carbuff]

How far is it from Cincinnati to this spot? Is it an easy drive?

 

[fred&edna]

How far is it from Cincinnati to this spot? Is it an easy drive?

Currently, google tells me the drive is approx 4 hours. However, in 1969 the roads were different. The first part of the drive would have been fairly easy, but after exiting Mountain Parkway the road to Whitesburg (or Harlan) would have been two-lane with curves, and then the drive up Pine Mountain to Little Shepherd Trail was all curves. (Not sure how old I was, maybe 6-7 and I remember getting carsick :yuck: )

Important to note that this is just my best guess/recollection (others here may remember things much better).