Identified! TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, 1 November 1980 - id'd November 2021 - Sherri Ann Jarvis (14)

[sunnynz]

You’re right that it has to be something in Sherry’s history that led to this POI, not something in the WCJD investigation.
I wonder if the PI turned up something that didn’t match up with what we now know were her final movements. Like maybe someone told him that they’d last seen her after Nov 1980, or something like that.

That’s a really interesting possibility!

 

[CarlK90245]

Do we know anything about the Hitchin' Post? It is gone now, right? But in it's day. What type of place was it? Did it have any type of reputation? Does anyone know?

The Hitchin Post is still there, as well as the diner, but the diner has been remodeled.

The South End Gulf Station is now a vacant lot adjacent to a church that was not there in 1980. The church owns that vacant lot, as well as the property on which the church stands.

 

[muxxypup]

Do we know anything about the Hitchin' Post? It is gone now, right? But in it's day. What type of place was it? Did it have any type of reputation? Does anyone know?

I've just spent the last 10 minutes searching for posts from older threads on WCJD/Sherry as I remember reading a series of posts from somebody who claimed to work there. I found them, this woman claimed to have worked there in 2000 and to sum up her descriptions and put it simply, it was a very shady place. Here's the first of her series of posts.

TX - TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, Nov'80 #2 *NAME NOT RELEASED*

 

[Beekarina]

Thank you Carl & muxxypup.

Looking on Google. I imagine this was less "built up" in 1980.....

 

[Rbkidk]

I've just spent the last 10 minutes searching for posts from older threads on WCJD/Sherry as I remember reading a series of posts from somebody who claimed to work there. I found them, this woman claimed to have worked there in 2000 and to sum up her descriptions and put it simply, it was a very shady place. Here's the first of her series of posts.

TX - TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, Nov'80 #2 *NAME NOT RELEASED*

Everything Izzy says just make sense knowing what we know now

 

[YaYa_521]

Please Continue on Thread #5

This thread is closed

 

[YaYa_521]

Please continue here….

 

[Beekarina]

My stepfather was a truckdriver, and we had a CB radio in the finished basement of our home. It was a pretty common thing for people to own in the 70s/80s, both in homes and vehicles, prior to cellphones. My father had one too, and he was not a trucker, or anything remotely close.

Anyway, like FridayFan, my friends, sisters, etc and I used to sneak on. Mostly we would "sandbag", but we would also do the CB radio equivalent of prank calls. I'm wondering now if Sherry could have befriended a trucker--or someone else--via CB while she was still in Minnesota? It could have functioned a bit like young girls meeting people online and running away today.

 

[Beekarina]

Just as a random example, Charlotte Erdman (15 yo) disappeared from Watertown, WI a few years before Sherry and she also sent a letter saying which indicated she would stay in touch, but was never heard from again.

 

[Alleykins]

Just as a random example, Charlotte Erdman (15 yo) disappeared from Watertown, WI a few years before Sherry and she also sent a letter saying which indicated she would stay in touch, but was never heard from again.

In 1963, Mary Switalski went missing in IL, sent a letter home, and was never heard from again. I wonder how many other young women followed this same pattern.

 

[Beekarina]

In 1963, Mary Switalski went missing in IL, sent a letter home, and was never heard from again. I wonder how many other young women followed this same pattern.

Some may have left intending never to return, and wrote to assuage guilt? Or maybe they thought they were safe at that point in leaving, and then things went horribly wrong? It's so hard to know, but it's interesting.

 

[Deguello]

So good to see a name finally affixed to this now former Jane Doe. Sure seems like 1980 was the year in which the butcher's bill came due--at least in Texas with regard to serial murders.

What a shame Sherri befell such a bad end--that girl would've been an absolute knockout as an adult. In any event, the location itself is really the key in this instance: based on the descriptions provided in an earlier thread, that was a seedy, shady, dicey place full of all sorts of unsavory characters, and it would've been very easy for a predator to seduce Sherri into his clutches in such a gritty setting. My feeling on this is that Sherri ran into the wrong person at the Hitch 'N Post. Unfortunately, that area wasn't far from the infamous "Texas Killing Fields"--which is a straight shot down I-45 from Huntsville. That was prime territory upon which serial offenders could (and did) operate.

- D

 

[Deleted member 287641]

I suppose it could have been a Sable Starr/Lori Mattix type situation as well, where she was hanging out with older dudes with bad intentions, they were 'cool' because they rode Harleys or played in bands, she was being taken advantage of, but she couldn't see it for what it was because it was exciting to her.

No judgement, I was in a similar situation at a similar age. Manipulated by a mid-twenties 'cool/bad guy' when I was in my teens. He only had one intention and strung me along telling me he loved me and all that... thankfully I got accepted into university so was removed from the situation. He tried to ruin my life in another way and I spent years suicidal thinking he would come after me. I still have the trauma despite living far far away and have moved on with my life as best I can.

I'm so pleased that she has been identified, and hopefully now the killer can be bought to justice.

 

[MadMcGoo]

MOD NOTE

I have had to do some major cleanup on this thread and the previous.

Please keep in mind that Sherry's family may very well be reading these threads. There is absolutely nothing to suggest she was involved in prostitution, trafficking or anything of the sort. Just don't discuss it.

There is also no evidence that "Kathy/Cathy" was Sherry or in any way connected to her. This subject is considered off topic at this time. Should something from LE or MSM be presented on this topic in the future, we will reconsider this topic.

Websleuths is a victim friendly site. Thank you for helping keep it that way.

-Mad

 

[Alleykins]

Thank you @MadMcGoo

 

[Sneaker33]

If I understand correctly, Sherri's parents at the time of her disappearance are her birth mother and the father who raised her. I read her biological father and mother divorced. Others have said Sherri was not heading in the direction of her bio father's location. I do wonder if she had established relationships with her bio father and his side of the family. I don't know his name or whether he had extended family. I bring this up because it is possible Sherri had cousins, aunts and uncles in other parts of the country. Have no idea what age she was when her mother married Mr. Jarvis but if old enough she could have remembered names of possible relatives and playmates from the past. Looking for clues as to what brought her to Texas.

 

[Mark Evans]

Another beautiful picture . Good to remember he like this. RIP.

 

[abbey345]

Another beautiful picture . Good to remember he like this. RIP.

I agree, beautiful picture. Love her dimples and smile. Thanks for posting.

 

[worldwatcher]

Personally,I do think the Ellis Unit prison was some kind of meeting point.
It is hard to believe that,a young girl was going to visit an inmate,without an aldult guidance.
But who knows,right?!

Could be that Sherry hanged out with the wrong crowd.She was so young,and I have been there too...getting caught up with the wrong friends and before you know it,you are caught up in the middle..


Anyway,if you search back,getting back in the 80ss,a lot was going on there, —jawdropping..

This was going on,a few months after her body was found:
WARDEN AND 2D OFFICIAL ARE SLAIN AT TEXAS PRISON; INMATE IS HELD (Published 1981)

It does seem to be coming back ,to the witnesses report,about a young girl,on her own,traveling...-a lot of miles..asking for directions to Ellis prison..

I truly understand how to search in a Dutch database,but this one is new for me,have no clue if ,it is posted before..but thought ,maybe a (re) post might be worthy,in case of interest...

“The Echo , a prison newspaper for inmates in the Texas prison system dated 1933 to 1995. The letterpress copybook of monthly reports has been digitized and is part of the | Texas Digital Archive“

Texas Archival Resources Online

 

[Beekarina]

Do we know if William Bradford was ever considered in connection with this case?