Identified! NJ - Blairstown, Cedar Ridge Cemetery, 'Princess Doe', WhtFem 14-18, 36UFNJ, peacock skirt, Jul'82 - Dawn Olanick *charges* #2

Richard

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2004
Messages
11,474
Reaction score
19,054
"Blairstown Princess Doe" Unidentified girl murdered July 1982 Blairstown, NJ

BLAIRSTOWN NJ UNIDENTIFIED GIRL
DOB: Jan 1, 1968 (Approximation)
Found: Jul 15, 1982
Age at time of discovery: 14 (Approximation)
Age Now: 36
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Unknown
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
Weight: 110 lbs (50 kg)
Found: BLAIRSTOWN, NJ, United States
NCMEC-Unidentified

Circumstances:
On July 15, 1982, the remains of a white female were found at the north end of Cedar Ridge Cemetery on State Hwy 94, in Warren Co., NJ. This homicide victim, between 14 and 18 years of age, is believed to have been deceased for up to one week before her discovery. Her hair was shoulder-length. Her weight was estimated between 100 to 120 lbs. Her eye color couldn't be determined.

Clothing and Accessories:
She was wearing a red V-neck shirt with yellow piping on the front portion of the shoulder and blue and black piping around the neck, sleeves and waist. She had a wrap around skirt colored red, white and blue with a border print of peacocks on the lower portion. She had a gold chain with white beads and a 14K gold cross with ornate design.

The image shown in the linked poster is a computer-assisted facial reconstruction done by forensic artists at the NCMEC. The "DOB" and "Age" fields are approximations.

At one time, a woman called NCMEC and said she was working at a local motel (near Blairstown) when the "Princess" checked in - about two nights before she was probably murdered. She did not recall the name, but did recall "Princess" was looking to be a hotel maid and said her father was dentist and that she was a runaway from FL. Dental charts of "Princess" were compared with those of Emma Vaughn, a missing girl from Orlando, Florida, but there was no match.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT--
Warren County Prosecutor's Office (New Jersey), Attn.: Sgt. Steve Speirs Jr. -1-908-475-6624

Link
NCMEC Redirection

Thread #1
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Credit to the cousin who showed up a the news conference with her picture, but I hope this family opts not to spend the money to move her to Long Island. Leave her where she is, and I hope someone starts a funding cause for this updated gravestone:

Dawn Olanick
Princess of Blairstown
Remembered always and loved without condition
 
Credit to the cousin who showed up a the news conference with her picture, but I hope this family opts not to spend the money to move her to Long Island. Leave her where she is, and I hope someone starts a funding cause for this updated gravestone:

Dawn Olanick
Princess of Blairstown
Remembered always and loved without condition
Love this!! As I said earlier, she really is deserving of the title of royalty since she bravely stood up to a crook like Kinlaw. The outcome, of course, wasn't what we wanted--if only she could have run a little quicker, if only someone knew of her plight and could have given her a safe space, if only she could have hid in that grocery store--but she stood her ground as best she could in an era before cell phones.

She's always got our support here!!
 
Something that's been on my mind...I wonder if Kinlaw tried to trick her into thinking what she was doing for him wasn't what it was and she discovered it, then knew it went against her beliefs? I know she was found with a cross pendant. Not trying to start any sort of discussion on religion here, but I would imagine she would be against what Kinlaw was doing based on her religion.

I'd imagine he duped her into thinking she could be employed in some capacity...you're kicked out of your home, you need an income, you're 17 so you'd have to work odd jobs anyhow since a lot of places require a minor to have consent for work (not sure how NJ worked in 1982 but we have work permits for teens here in PA which need signed off by adults, including school officials--plus you're limited with how many hours you can work in most circumstances). However, those permits aren't required for jobs like babysitting, mowing lawns, etc...the self-employment type jobs many teens do on their own and can get a lot of money for.

EDIT: I hope they can get Kinlaw to open up on this a little more. If they could get Franklin Delano Floyd to speak, anything is possible...
 
Really happy to hear that she was identified after 40 years as a jane doe. This was the first ever case that was put into the namus database and also one of the first I ever read of. The similarities between the reconstruction and the actual photo are stunning. Rip Dawn Olanick.
 
Really happy to hear that she was identified after 40 years as a jane doe. This was the first ever case that was put into the namus database and also one of the first I ever read of. The similarities between the reconstruction and the actual photo are stunning. Rip Dawn Olanick.
See, I guess that's subjective, because I see very little similarity between the reconstructions and Dawn's photos, but I attribute that to the trauma she suffered to her face. The artists did the best they could do, given her circumstances.
 
Credit to the cousin who showed up a the news conference with her picture, but I hope this family opts not to spend the money to move her to Long Island. Leave her where she is, and I hope someone starts a funding cause for this updated gravestone:

Dawn Olanick
Princess of Blairstown
Remembered always and loved without condition
Any idea how much something like that would cost?
 
See, I guess that's subjective, because I see very little similarity between the reconstructions and Dawn's photos, but I attribute that to the trauma she suffered to her face. The artists did the best they could do, given her circumstances.
The hair in the NMEC reconstruction is completely different but the smile, eyes and expression look SO alike to me. I wonder how alike it would look with the right hair.

148
350
 
The hair in the NMEC reconstruction is completely different but the smile, eyes and expression look SO alike to me. I wonder how alike it would look with the right hair.

148
350
I agree too. The recons got the eyes and smile correct, but the head shape/chin shape, hair color, nose, and even her eyebrows were off.
 
It makes me so emotional that Dawn fought so bravely against Arthur Kinlaw because she did not want to be forced into prostitution and wouldn't let it happen. Even in her final moments, she was courageous enough to go against him and hold her ground. She had defensive wounds on her arms and hands. She fought back against that monster, hard. I only wish things had turned out better for her - that she had gotten away safely, that she was just off happily living her life. She would be approaching 58 if she was alive today. :( RIP Dawn.
 
I agree too. The recons got the eyes and smile correct, but the head shape/chin shape, hair color, nose, and even her eyebrows were off.
I think the other photos of Dawn fit her recons quite well, with the face/chin shape, nose, lips/mouth, eye shape. But the hair colour is truly throwing me off.

She was so beautiful, such a sweetheart.
 
I think the other photos of Dawn fit her recons quite well, with the face/chin shape, nose, lips/mouth, eye shape. But the hair colour is truly throwing me off.

She was so beautiful, such a sweetheart.

No matter how good the reconstruction, things like hair style and color, lips and tip of nose, and expression are guesses--educated guesses by skilled professionals, but still estimates. Only rarely do we get enough information for a really lifelike version, unfortunately.
 
No matter how good the reconstruction, things like hair style and color, lips and tip of nose, and expression are guesses--educated guesses by skilled professionals, but still estimates. Only rarely do we get enough information for a really lifelike version, unfortunately.
Exactly, we have to look at these reconstructions knowing that there will always be discrepancies and they're never going to look exactly like how the person looked IRL. I still think NCMEC and Carl K did a good job with Dawn's reconstructions :D But I also like studying faces and portraiture, maybe I'm just more used to recognising facial features. I can understand people who don't see a resemblance between them.
 
Is there a Go Fund Me for such a marker? Has anyone heard? I'd be glad to chip in a few bucks if there is!
 
Is there a Go Fund Me for such a marker? Has anyone heard? I'd be glad to chip in a few bucks if there is!
I guess we have to wait and see if the "family" wants to move her back to Long Island, no? I would be willing to donate what I can to have a new stone made if she stays in Blairstown.
 
According to the report linked below it doesn't sound as if they plan to move her (but that's my interpretation) - it seems they just want a headstone with her now-known information.


Police said the investigation into her murder continues. Olanick is buried in the very cemetery where her body was found. Her family plans to give her a proper headstone so she finally can be laid to rest.

 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
76
Guests online
3,785
Total visitors
3,861

Forum statistics

Threads
592,285
Messages
17,966,681
Members
228,735
Latest member
dil2288
Back
Top