TX TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, Nov'80 #3 *NAME NOT RELEASED*

[Jdart14]

What would have been the newspaper serving Huntsville in 1980?[/QUOTE

Huntsville item maybe

 

[Jdart14]

Haven’t been on in a while. Just wanted to check in and send some love to our girl....hope y’all are doing well. Keep digging!!!

 

[Jdart14]

I know that it does not get us any closer to finding the identity of our girl but does anyone here have an opinion on the Arrest of Thomas Darnell in the cold case of Laura Purchase? She was also strangled and assaulted.....not far down I45 around the same timeframe.

 

[Tbone144]

I know that it does not get us any closer to finding the identity of our girl but does anyone here have an opinion on the Arrest of Thomas Darnell in the cold case of Laura Purchase? She was also strangled and assaulted.....not far down I45 around the same timeframe.

I was wondering that same thing.

 

[MKGANDY]

when WCJD was found she was found North of Huntsville on I45. she was was first seen at the South End Gulf Station its address would have been state highway 75 then the Hitchin Post its address was also on 75. at the time 45 was under construction

 

[Jdart14]

when WCJD was found she was found North of Huntsville on I45. she was was first seen at the South End Gulf Station its address would have been state highway 75 then the Hitchin Post its address was also on 75. at the time 45 was under construction

Agree...even if you consider 75 it’s only about 30-40 min north to Huntsville. Old 75 is still open today. Quite a different view than I45 today.

 

[carbuff]

For research, maybe the research librarians at the Huntsville library could find local articles about her?

 

[daisy6441]

Could it be possible The smokey Blue stone pendant she wore could have represented a birthstone like September? I know mood rings, Birthstones, and crystals were popular during the 1970s. Maybe she was born in September 1964 or 1965

They don’t say the exact color. It was lost so all we have is a description saying brown/smokey/bluish depending on the source.

 

[Paul B.]

What radio stations served Huntsville? And TV?

 

[Tbone144]

What radio stations served Huntsville? And TV?

Houston is the closest large city, about 70 miles away.

major affiliates are:
KPRC NBC
KTRK ABC
KHOU CBS
FOX 26

Radio would be tougher to find back in the day.
Ive found a couple:
KILT-FM as a former call sign from 1967-1984
KUHF is public radio started in 1950


Huntsville Radio stations in particular are
FM
KSHU 90.5 owned by the University
KPIA-LP
KSAM
KVST

AM
KHCH

which of those were around when she was found, I don’t know, hope that helps.

 

[Wossy]

For research, maybe the research librarians at the Huntsville library could find local articles about her?

You could always go to the Walker County Sheriffs Department and ask for a copy of the original police report. Its a 50/50 chance they will share anything with you but its worth a try if you want to dig deep into her case.

I did find a article on Newspaper.com on a 26 year old who was in prison for strangling a 14 year old dated August 22, 1980. But I couldn't find nothing at all related to her.

 

[Paul B.]

You could always go to the Walker County Sheriffs Department and ask for a copy of the original police report. Its a 50/50 chance they will share anything with you but its worth a try if you want to dig deep into her case.

I did find a article on Newspaper.com on a 26 year old who was in prison for strangling a 14 year old dated August 22, 1980. But I couldn't find nothing at all related to her.

I’m getting the sinking feeling that the contemporary media might have thought “Some sort of teenage prostitute” about WCJD and not covered her as much as she needed.

 

[daisy6441]

For research, maybe the research librarians at the Huntsville library could find local articles about her?

I can’t find anything online from the time. The library might be the only place they exist.

 

[carbuff]

I can’t find anything online from the time. The library might be the only place they exist.

That's what I was thinking. And most librarians love tracking articles down for people.

 

[CCJD]

The only thing I've ever found in the news is from the Fort Worth-Star Telegram, dated 2/15/1981 in an article about the "Chain of prostitute slayings in Texas investigated". Pertinent portion attached.

full article for those with a subscription:
15 Feb 1981, 24 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram at Newspapers.com

 

[Paul B.]

Its very wink wink the wording - “we won’t say she’s a prosty but we suspect that she was. Arseholes.

 

[Wossy]

The only thing I've ever found in the news is from the Fort Worth-Star Telegram, dated 2/15/1981 in an article about the "Chain of prostitute slayings in Texas investigated". Pertinent portion attached.

full article for those with a subscription:
15 Feb 1981, 24 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram at Newspapers.com

That’s a great find. Crazy they thought she might have been as old as 22 in 1981.

 

[MKGANDY]

You could always go to the Walker County Sheriffs Department and ask for a copy of the original police report. Its a 50/50 chance they will share anything with you but its worth a try if you want to dig deep into her case.

I did find a article on Newspaper.com on a 26 year old who was in prison for strangling a 14 year old dated August 22, 1980. But I couldn't find nothing at all related to her.

I'm sure thats been tried by someone in the last 40 years but it being a ongoing homicide investagation the are probably tight lipped I also have reservation that the necklace is missing it might be the only thing they have for someone to identify it.

 

[Paul B.]

That’s a great find. Crazy they thought she might have been as old as 22 in 1981.

Without the science yet to come all they could do was guesstimate in 1981. Being suspicious she was a prostitute was icky of them.

 

[annemc2]

The only thing I've ever found in the news is from the Fort Worth-Star Telegram, dated 2/15/1981 in an article about the "Chain of prostitute slayings in Texas investigated". Pertinent portion attached.

full article for those with a subscription:
15 Feb 1981, 24 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram at Newspapers.com

Re WCJD: "She had been sexually molested in the same way as the others. She had not been raped."

I haven't had access to Newspapers or the Startlegram for awhile so can't see the entire article. Are there more like this that were left nude, on highways, with evidence of "sexual molestation" but no "rape?" I know our terms are different now, but weren't there rumors (I'm not sure of anything official) that say WCJD was sodomized with a bottle or something?

I wonder if most of the local prostitutes were known to the police and a few other "unknowns" were just grouped into the article? Like I said, times have changed and this would not be the case now so it's frustrating how the cases are all grouped together with that headline.