TX TX - Iola, near Bull Creek Bridge, WhtFem 13-19, UP4611, 1904 coin ring, mechanic's cloth, Oct'81

[carbuff]

Something I'm wondering about is the previous injuries that this Jane Doe is described as having. In addition to the broken ribs and sternum that are often cited as possible evidence of previous abuse she also had several broken toes that had healed. I'm by no means an expert, but when I heard that the first thing that came to my mind was 'car accident' rather than abuse. Here's my reasoning: the airbags in a car could easily cause trauma to the chest when deployed, even more so if you're either the driver or front seat passenger. Foot injuries are also very common, particularly in head-on collisions while sitting in the front because the lower extremities will absorb the shock of the impact. Does that make sense?

Airbags weren't real common in 1981. Even seat belt usage was sporadic. They existed, but in 1981 it would be much more common to sustain chest injuries from crashing into the steering wheel because you weren't wearing your seat belt. And yes, broken toes and other leg injuries.

 

[theshadow45]

Airbags weren't real common in 1981. Even seat belt usage was sporadic. They existed, but in 1981 it would be much more common to sustain chest injuries from crashing into the steering wheel because you weren't wearing your seat belt. And yes, broken toes and other leg injuries.

Thank you for pointing that out carbuff, I guess that I'm showing my age by not even considering that (I wasn't even an idea in 1981). For me, airbags have always been a given but that's obviously not the case. More likely crushing injuries from hitting the steering wheel or dashboard if you were in a car accident in that time period.

 

[carbuff]

I noticed something odd about the ring. It appears to be a reproduction of what's known as a St. Gaudens double eagle--the $20 gold piece designed by sculptor St. Gaudens and widely considered the most beautiful coin ever minted. It was authorized in 1904 but not minted until 1907. (There are 1904 double eagles, but they're liberty head, not the St. Gaudens design.)

I'm not a coin expert by any means, but I couldn't turn up any instance of a reproduction with the 1904 date instead of the 1907 one.

I also couldn't find a coin ring with the exact design of this one. There are lots of places that sell coin rings of various kinds and lots that sell blank rings that let you insert your own coin, but not one exactly like it.

From her Namus page https://identifyus.org/cases/4611:

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping.

 

[Bit of hope]

Again a young lady lost "in space". Thanks for bumping theshadow45. How come nobody is missing her? Or just not being aware of this UID. Maybe after all this years family (if they are still around) gave up hope or just tried -in some way- to go on with their lives....always a bold one...

 

[theshadow45]

Again a young lady lost "in space". Thanks for bumping theshadow45. How come nobody is missing her? Or just not being aware of this UID. Maybe after all this years family (if they are still around) gave up hope or just tried -in some way- to go on with their lives....always a bold one...

I don't think it's so much that nobody is missing her, but more likely they're unaware of this UID and that she's probably someone who fell through the cracks. One thing that stays with me about this case is the extensive, expensive high quality dental work IJD's described as having. What I took from that is that at some point during her life she was well taken care of, not someone you'd expect to turn up nameless and seemingly have no one missing her. It's just that the right person hasn't found her yet.

 

[Alleykins]

I agree, Shadow. If this Jane Doe was an adult, her disappearance may not have been suspicious and her friends and family may have had no reason to suspect something was wrong. Maybe, as years went by, the passing of so much time without word from her would raise a red flag, but then what? Before the internet and the explosion of social media, it wasn't easy or inexpensive to track down someone if you didn't have their address or phone number. People forget we didn't have the same level of instantaneous and low cost communication back then as we do today.

 

[carbuff]

People used to move around more, too. When I was in high school, it was said that the average American family moved something like every 2.4 years. There were kids in our school who were there for less than a year as the parents moved to follow the jobs.

I can remember one day sophomore year (1968 or 69) going into English class after the weekend and the desk in front of me was empty. Teacher asks, "Where's Doug?" We all look at his desk. Books and everything gone. Teacher goes to the office to check, comes back and reports, "His father's orders came through. His mother said they're on their way to Thailand." Literally over the weekend. And that wasn't the only time, though it was the only time it involved a friend of mine.

It wasn't just that it was hard to find people. Unless you were close friends or relatives, you didn't even expect to stay in touch.

 

[Alleykins]

People used to move around more, too. When I was in high school, it was said that the average American family moved something like every 2.4 years. There were kids in our school who were there for less than a year as the parents moved to follow the jobs.

I can remember one day sophomore year (1968 or 69) going into English class after the weekend and the desk in front of me was empty. Teacher asks, "Where's Doug?" We all look at his desk. Books and everything gone. Teacher goes to the office to check, comes back and reports, "His father's orders came through. His mother said they're on their way to Thailand." Literally over the weekend. And that wasn't the only time, though it was the only time it involved a friend of mine.

It wasn't just that it was hard to find people. Unless you were close friends or relatives, you didn't even expect to stay in touch.

And I learned about this childhood friendships from pre-internet as an adult: you may think you're close to someone or important to them, but then they totally forget about you after they move away, and don't return your letters. On top of that, you learned they only have vague recollections of you when you reconnect, as if you were only casual acquaintances.

 

[theshadow45]

Iola Jane Doe has been unidentified for 37 years today.

 

[carbuff]

Ruled out: Carlene Brown, Kathryn Collins, Rebecca Doisy, Ann Elinwood, Barbara Monaco, Deanie Pyle Peters.

Unidentified Person Case

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping.

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping for Iola Jane Doe.

 

[EmilyHTX]

I'm unsure if it's been brought up previously, but Mary Leah Rodermund has some similarities to IJD. Height, weight, hair color. But I'm unsure of the similarities/dissimilarities in previous injuries and dental work of IJD and Mary Rodermund.

MLR was in Morgan City, LA and it's a 7 hour drive on a major highway to where IJD was found. Her story involved some type of kidnapping/ransom calls, but there's very little information otherwise.

The ring is a hang-up for me and it's caused some frustration with less detailed MP reports. I can't imagine that IJD had/has no one out there who knew her and misses her.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping.

 

[theshadow45]

Does anyone think that Iola Jane Doe might be a good case for DNA Doe Project to take up or would her young estimated age prevent her from being a good candidate?

 

[Bit of hope]

Does anyone think that Iola Jane Doe might be a good case for DNA Doe Project to take up or would her young estimated age prevent her from being a good candidate?

I think that every case would be a good case. Considering her age I don't see her as a child-child persé, if you know what I mean. I believe the reason for not taking some cases by the DNA Doe Project is the risk that a child was killed by a family-member, what would complicate the situation/search/findings very much.

 

[theshadow45]

Iola Jane Doe has been unidentified for 38 years today.

 

[dotr]

543UFTX
543UFTX - Unidentified Female

Reconstruction of the victim; victim's ring.

Date of Discovery: October 29, 1981
Location of Discovery: Iola, Grimes County, Texas
Estimated Date of Death: 1976 to 1981
State of Remains: Partial skeletal
Cause of Death: Blunt trauma to the head

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 13-19 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'1" to 5'5"
Weight: 110 lbs
Hair Color: Red/Dark auburn
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: The victim was right-handed; had previous and healed fractures to the ribs, breastbone and toe area. No evidence of prior childbirth.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Extensive dental work, incliding 13 fillings.


Suggested by a poster on this thread..
CA - CA - Kimberly Kahler, 15, Venice, 1 Jan 1980
Kimberly Ann Kahler

• 
• 

Kimberly, circa 1980

 

[Alleykins]

Does anyone know if her ring was worth something or was valuable back then, or would it have been considered more of a costume piece?