Yes! Her eyes were certainly very memorable for everyone who saw her! I appreciate the interest in her case, she means a lot to me!
I'm trying to find on my Google Drive all the documents and then I'll share on here for sure! I was able to get into the FB group and see some of the posts that were made and I'm just happy to see someone come forward with information. Her case deserves some TLC! I did watch that awhile back and I was taken aback when I first heard the name! He was in fact an expert witness in this case!! Even before I knew there was a book or documentary series about him/them, I suspected something was...off. These men were responsible for several wrongful convictions (not speculatory) and I believe this was most likely one of them. Aside from potentially putting an innocent man behind bars, I think this Jane Doe's identification has further been prolonged by some of this "expert testimony".
I am a member and I read through a lot of it yesterday. Most of it wasn’t news to me but it was a good refresher. She is one of a few local people whom I’ve exchanged information with and who’d love to see this Jane Doe identified! I don’t get on FB much so I wasn’t aware of this group, but it looks like she might finally be getting some more well needed attention.
Hmmm. This one’s tough. Jane Doe’s earlobes are attached pretty much exactly like Winnie’s. They have similarly shaped faces. Winnie’s height is listed as 5’9”, whereas JD’s is 5’2” and their hair color is different. Looking at the photo her granddaughter posted, it looks to me like Winnie could be shorter than 5’9” (But it’s impossible for me to really tell). In the photo of her sitting on the couch it definitely looks like there is a reddish tint to her hair, which isn’t consistent with JD’s. From the photos I’ve seen, her hair is dark...but the images aren’t of excellent quality. (I’m still trying to determine what I’m allowed to post here). But their hairline looks the same! Winnie had children so it would be nice to know if LCJD did. There’s nothing in anything I’ve seen or read to indicate one way or the other.Winnie Janette Kersey (27yo) might be a match for these remains. I'm not convinced based on mismatched stats such as heights and hair color and the timeline of the two cases but facially, in one of her pictures, I couldn't get beyond the resemblance to the composite of LCJD. Her grandaughter posted a bit of detail on her WS thread. I'll relax a bit better knowing I at least brought her to your attention.
FL - FL - Winnie Kersey, 27, Jacksonville, 3 Dec 1982
Winnie Janette Kersey – The Charley Project
Hmmm. This one’s tough. Jane Doe’s earlobes are attached pretty much exactly like Winnie’s. They have similarly shaped faces. Winnie’s height is listed as 5’9”, whereas JD’s is 5’2” and their hair color is different. Looking at the photo her granddaughter posted, it looks to me like Winnie could be shorter than 5’9” (But it’s impossible for me to really tell). In the photo of her sitting on the couch it definitely looks like there is a reddish tint to her hair, which isn’t consistent with JD’s. From the photos I’ve seen, her hair is dark...but the images aren’t of excellent quality. (I’m still trying to determine what I’m allowed to post here). But their hairline looks the same! Winnie had children so it would be nice to know if LCJD did. There’s nothing in anything I’ve seen or read to indicate one way or the other.
My gut tells me no, but I can’t get over the resemblance either. Especially the middle two photos you posted! I’m going to mention Winnie to someone I’ve been working on this with and get their opinion. If you want to submit her to law enforcement I’d say go for it! If not, I can hopefully get you at least one more opinion.
Thank you YaYa for mentioning Winnie!!
).
Thanks, @MadMcGoo! I'll go into a bit more detail at the risk of falling into the trap of falsely convincing myself that these are her remains. LKA date and DOD are 6 years apart yet Winnie’s age in 1989 still would have been within the estimated age range for LCJD. Imo, New Orleans would be the place of choice for someone to attempt a new start if she wanted or needed to leave Florida, or any place along the Gulf coast for that matter. Her granddaughter mentioned that she thinks Winnie met with foul play either at the hands of someone with whom she had had an intimate relationship or because she may have been working for/with the cops. Along with her past drug use, these are reasons that could suggest she may have left voluntarily and ended up in N.O. Over on Winnie’s thread a WS member pointed out that she lived very close to a bus station and her granddaughter mentioned a witness seeing her leave with others in a car after possibly being put or forced into the vehicle. Either way, both point to her having access to a ride to N.O. (as well as she had 6 years to get there
Winnie’s hair color is listed as blonde on Charley and blonde/strawberry on NamUs. Imo though, in the photo posted on her thread, her hair color appears to be brown or a very dark blonde with a reddish tint as you mentioned but let's remember this is at least 6 years prior to LCJD's death. Her hair is also much longer than shoulder length but maybe her hair had been cut and colored at some point during the 6 year interval. Is it possible to tell if LCJD's hair was naturally brown or color treated in the PM pics you've seen ? Would it have been disclosed if it was dyed brown?
Heights are way off at 5'2" vs 5'9" but a message up thread shows LCJD's height estimated as 5'2" - 5'4". I'm not sure of the accuracy of that estimate given her other profiles only list 5'2" but it does leave the window open for a much less drastic difference in heights. I wonder if Winnie’s height was described by whomever reported her missing or by official documents such as arrest/prison records?
Visually, there are many potential matches in their features, as you've pointed out. One thing I've noticed though is the mention of a mole on LCJD's neck. Precisely where is that mole? Have you seen it in the PM pics? I see some type of discoloration on Winnie’s neck slightly to the left side of middle in the couch pic. Also note her hair covers quite a bit of her neck on both sides so it's hard to tell whether she has a mole in those areas. I see no obvious mark on the other pic of Winnie. The composite of LCJD is of such poor quality that it's hard to see her neck but there appears to be a mark of some kind on the right side of her neck. Is this the mole or is this a mark from the strangulation?
Finally, Jennie Miti is the alias LCJD used according to her accused murderer. Jennie vs Winnie Janette Hindman Kersey. Could it be she simply switched the "Wi" for a "Je" and went from Winnie to Jennie? This leaves me wondering considering all the other random feminine names there are that she could have chosen (i.e., Susan, Page, Tammy, Cathy, and a bazillion others).
I'll wait to hear back from you and others on opinions before I submit to LE but I think she'd be worth a mention to them. Thanks again.
An official answer would be nice.
Thank you for going into detail! You bring up some excellent points, I see why you’re torn. I am too. I forwarded Winnie’s info on to my “unverified expert” this morning, so I’ll keep you posted!Thanks, @MadMcGoo! I'll go into a bit more detail at the risk of falling into the trap of falsely convincing myself that these are her remains. LKA date and DOD are 6 years apart yet Winnie’s age in 1989 still would have been within the estimated age range for LCJD. Imo, New Orleans would be the place of choice for someone to attempt a new start if she wanted or needed to leave Florida, or any place along the Gulf coast for that matter. Her granddaughter mentioned that she thinks Winnie met with foul play either at the hands of someone with whom she had had an intimate relationship or because she may have been working for/with the cops. Along with her past drug use, these are reasons that could suggest she may have left voluntarily and ended up in N.O. Over on Winnie’s thread a WS member pointed out that she lived very close to a bus station and her granddaughter mentioned a witness seeing her leave with others in a car after possibly being put or forced into the vehicle. Either way, both point to her having access to a ride to N.O. (as well as she had 6 years to get there
Winnie’s hair color is listed as blonde on Charley and blonde/strawberry on NamUs. Imo though, in the photo posted on her thread, her hair color appears to be brown or a very dark blonde with a reddish tint as you mentioned but let's remember this is at least 6 years prior to LCJD's death. Her hair is also much longer than shoulder length but maybe her hair had been cut and colored at some point during the 6 year interval. Is it possible to tell if LCJD's hair was naturally brown or color treated in the PM pics you've seen ? Would it have been disclosed if it was dyed brown?
Heights are way off at 5'2" vs 5'9" but a message up thread shows LCJD's height estimated as 5'2" - 5'4". I'm not sure of the accuracy of that estimate given her other profiles only list 5'2" but it does leave the window open for a much less drastic difference in heights. I wonder if Winnie’s height was described by whomever reported her missing or by official documents such as arrest/prison records?
Visually, there are many potential matches in their features, as you've pointed out. One thing I've noticed though is the mention of a mole on LCJD's neck. Precisely where is that mole? Have you seen it in the PM pics? I see some type of discoloration on Winnie’s neck slightly to the left side of middle in the couch pic. Also note her hair covers quite a bit of her neck on both sides so it's hard to tell whether she has a mole in those areas. I see no obvious mark on the other pic of Winnie. The composite of LCJD is of such poor quality that it's hard to see her neck but there appears to be a mark of some kind on the right side of her neck. Is this the mole or is this a mark from the strangulation?
Finally, Jennie Miti is the alias LCJD used according to her accused murderer. Jennie vs Winnie Janette Hindman Kersey. Could it be she simply switched the "Wi" for a "Je" and went from Winnie to Jennie? This leaves me wondering considering all the other random feminine names there are that she could have chosen (i.e., Susan, Page, Tammy, Cathy, and a bazillion others).
I'll wait to hear back from you and others on opinions before I submit to LE but I think she'd be worth a mention to them. Thanks again.
Thanks, Bit. I agree that there are quite a few aspects that don't fit which leads me to think this may not be a match. Most especially the fingerprints. LCJD's prints are on file. I think from Winnie's arrest and imprisonment her prints would have been on file and there would have been a hit once LCJD's prints were run through the system. However, there are also quite a few matching physical features that make me think it could be a match (especially the lips!). It seems like for every "no, not a match" there is also a "yes, might be a match". This is precisely why I think a forensic comparison may be necessary. Something is not sitting right with me. It's like a seesaw from no to yes to no to yes again...
I wish the more advanced sleuthers would do their magic and find arrest/prison records, high school photos, or any other images that might exist out in cyber space or newspaper searches. But then again I could just submit her name and hope like heck investigators do the footwork to determine whether this is Winnie. I get the feeling from some things you've mentioned and I've read that there's some hesitation or push back from LE. If that's correct, may I ask what's the issue? Feel free to PM me if you'd be more comfortable. I have some ideas about that but I'm not comfortable posting it out in the open just yet. Thanks for the info on the mole. Do you mind saying whether you see a mole on LCJD's chest down by her right breast area. I ask because it appears Winnie has one in this pic but that could also be a random mark on the photo or something else that just happened to be on her chest when the pic was taken.
*testing* Trying to get images to upload
Seems to me there would have been some sort of signs of trauma when she was found but what do I know...
