Identified! MI - Ada, BlkFem 22-45, UP2681, healed broken nose, leg warmer, Jul'97 - Stephanie Renee Judson

[imamaze]

Originally posted by: Komak in LTWH board, moved here for discussion...


Police call clay model of woman found in Ada part a 'last ditch' effort to solve 12 year old cold case

In the 12 years since a park maintenance worker found a woman's skeletal remains in an Ada Township roadside park, a DNA profile, dental records and computer-generated photos of her possible appearance have failed to reveal her identity.

Now, police are hoping a three-dimensional clay model of her face, built around the woman's skull, will solve the 1997 cold case.

"Why not use the latest technology we have?" said state police Detective Sally Wolter, part of the Kent Metro Cold Case Team. "We're hoping this might do the trick."

Police revealed the model Tuesday and images showing three different hairstyles.



Police reveal clay model of woman believed murdered to help solve 12 year old case

GRAND RAPIDS -- Police are hoping a clay model of a woman's face, who is believed to have been murdered and left in Ada Township Park, will help them solve a 12-year-old cold case.

Officials with the Kent Metro Cold Case Team today revealed the model in an afternoon press conference.

No one has been reported missing matching the black female's description, and police say a national database of dental records offered no leads.

State police say the model, based on the woman's skull, is a "last-ditch" effort to identify her and bring her family closure.

 

[masnitram]

Here is the Doe Network Link: I didn't see this posted anywhere else on the forum....

http://http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/139ufmi.html

Unidentified Black Female

Located on July 31, 1997 in Grand Rapids, Ada Township, Kent County, Michigan.
The approximate time of death is March-August 1996.
Partial Skeleton


Vital Statistics


Estimated age: 22-45 years old

Approximate Height and Weight: 5'2-5'8"

Distinguishing Characteristics: Her hair and eye color are unknown. She had a healed fracture on the left side of her nose at the bridge.
Dentals: Dental charts and x-rays are available. All but two of the teeth were recovered. Several teeth showed a lack of dental care. Dental restorations are present in teeth 14, 15, 18, 19. Tooth #2 has a large untreated caries that has destroyed at least half of the crown of the tooth. Tooth #16 is peg shaped and should be very identifiable in a premortem x-ray. She had a tooth that was glued back into place.

Clothing: No clothing was found at or near the scene of discovery.




Case History
The skeletal remains of this victim were located in a wooded area behind a roadside park in Ada Township, five miles east of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Police found a dark blue leg warmer near the remains, but no evidence of any other clothing.





Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Kent County Sheriff Department
616-336-3125
--
Kent County Medical Examiner's Office
616-632-7247

Agency Case Number:
97-C095.JUL

NCIC Number:
U-049467871
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information: Missing Children...HELP Center
NamUs

 

[Stephani]

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/2569/5/
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/2568/6/
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/2545/8/

A couple possible matches...long shots...all would of been missing a long time before being found outside of Grand Rapids. The nose injury could've occurred after they were declared missing. No really good dental info on Namus for these MPs either...

 

[masnitram]

Lydia Thompson, from Chicago, has a very strange/tragic story. Unfortunately Namus doesn't list any available dental information. I'm looking into her story a little more however, for what its worth, here is a link to her case..

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4603/241/

 

[webrocket]

Lydia Thompson, from Chicago, has a very strange/tragic story. Unfortunately Namus doesn't list any available dental information. I'm looking into her story a little more however, for what its worth, here is a link to her case..

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4603/241/

just saw this thread and Lydia Thompson was the closest match I could find.

did anyone contact LE with the possible match?

 

[masnitram]

just saw this thread and Lydia Thompson was the closest match I could find.

did anyone contact LE with the possible match?

I haven't contacted LE regarding this case. I have been checking into it periodically for other possible matches...but haven't really found anything worth noting.

 

[masnitram]

just saw this thread and Lydia Thompson was the closest match I could find.

did anyone contact LE with the possible match?

I sent the case manager on Namus- Sarah Krebs and email regarding Lydia Thompson.

 

[reasypeasy]

Lydia Thompson, from Chicago, has a very strange/tragic story. Unfortunately Namus doesn't list any available dental information. I'm looking into her story a little more however, for what its worth, here is a link to her case..

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4603/241/

That is a tragic story.

I don't know though, they don't seem the sort of family to be quite that far behind in caring for the mother's dental needs? Married, two kids sensibly spaced in age, a business to run, providing assistance to an otherwise homeless relative, at least one other relative who sees that help as a matter for concern. It all screams "respectably lower middle class" to me, and maybe they might fall behind in dental care and need a few fillings, but a tooth with its crown nearly destroyed will get most lower middle class people running to the dentist if they care about their appearance. Her photo looks like she cares about her appearance.

As you have pointed out, we need that dental info.

 

[masnitram]

That is a tragic story.

I don't know though, they don't seem the sort of family to be quite that far behind in caring for the mother's dental needs? Married, two kids sensibly spaced in age, a business to run, providing assistance to an otherwise homeless relative, at least one other relative who sees that help as a matter for concern. It all screams "respectably lower middle class" to me, and maybe they might fall behind in dental care and need a few fillings, but a tooth with its crown nearly destroyed will get most lower middle class people running to the dentist if they care about their appearance. Her photo looks like she cares about her appearance.

As you have pointed out, we need that dental info.

Until Webrocket mentioned that Lydia was the best option he found, I was rather skeptical...not that I'm convinced now, but the sheer creepiness of her brother-in-law and how chaotic things seemed to get for Lydia during the time before she went missing made, perhaps to her even, the need for dental work not as important at that moment. Again....as we've said, that dental info is really needed here...

*right after posting I received a reply from Sarah Krebs, Casemanager from Namus...

Sam, I will send the investigator in charge Lydias information and see if we can get her ID'd. Thanks for the tip, we always appreciate the Webslueths help!

-Sarah

-Detective Trooper Sarah C. Krebs
Michigan State Police
-Violent Crimes Task Force
-Forensic Art Unit
477 Michigan Ave
Detroit, MI 48226
313-215-0675
313-468-3627 cell
313-237-4406 fax

 

[carbuff]

In respectably lower middle class families who fall on hard times, it's not uncommon for the mother to sacrifice her own health to the needs of the family -- "I'll take care of that later." Not saying that's the case here, but it wouldn't be an uncommon reaction.

Wonder if the brother has any known ties to Michigan?

 

[masnitram]

In respectably lower middle class families who fall on hard times, it's not uncommon for the mother to sacrifice her own health to the needs of the family -- "I'll take care of that later." Not saying that's the case here, but it wouldn't be an uncommon reaction.

Wonder if the brother has any known ties to Michigan?

I know he lived in Gary, IN at one point....Ada, MI is 3 hrs from Gary,IN where the UID was found. Gary, IN is only about 45 min from the Michgan border...so it is possible.

 

[reasypeasy]

The recons look just a bit like the photo of Carolyn Denise Brown from charleyproject, doenet etc, but she was killed in Florida twelve years before the Doe was found.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/brown_carolyn.html

 

[webrocket]

the UID is in Namus with 8 rule outs, Lydia is not on the list. odd that NONE of the rule-outs are from east of the Mississippi:

https://identifyus.org/cases/2681

Jennifer Barton 1955 Texas
Laronda Bronson 1964 Washington
Rhonda Burse 1955 Washington
Tonya Clemmons 1957 Washington
Lisa Jameson 1968 Arizona
Barbara Jolly 1957 Washington
Virginia Rambus 1965 Washington
Gladys Williams 1951 Washington

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Bringing over the recon from the article the OP posted.

 

[CarlK90245]

Here is a new MP casefile for a black woman from Grand Rapids.

Kathleen Dennis

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14696/9

She fits pretty close to all of the parameters for this Jane Doe:

* Height: Her listed height of 5 feet 3 inches (i.e., 63 inches), is consistent with the Jane Doe's height range (5'2-5'8" according to DoeNet)

* Age: She was 28 years old, and within the Jane Doe's age range of 22-45.

* Timeframe: Her DLC (10-Jul-95) is reasonably close. The body was found in 31-Jul-97 and had been estimated to have been there since Mar-96 to Aug-96 (according to DoeNet) or "Years" (according to NamUs).

* Resemblance is pretty good.

 

[CarlK90245]

I sent an e-mail to Sara Krebs, asking her to check the probable errors in height and ethnicity, and to see if Kathleen Dennis has been compared to this Jane Doe.

ETA: She already made the height and ethnicity corrections. That was quick.

 

[CarlK90245]

Reply from Trooper Krebs:

Dosen't sound like the dental is going to match on K. Dennis and UP2681.

 

[carbuff]

No new ruleouts since 2011

Namus now says "1990 to 1997" for date of death.

I like that they show her with short hair and with braids. Makes it easier to picture what she might have looked like living.

 

[j123]

It might be because I still don't know exactly what to look for, but the difference between the two reconstructions is astounding. The first one looks like photographs of an actual person, and at the same time, I don't think I would gravitate toward her if I was looking for who the clay model might be, either.

 

[carbuff]

I'm not very good at faces either so I try to go with the circumstances and physical characteristics. We've had so many cases where a really strong facial resemblance has turned out to be no match, and matches where the reconstructions bear only passing resemblance to the living person, that I don't place a lot of stock in it any more.