Unidentified decedent
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Unidentified decedent, or unidentified person (also abbreviated as UID or UP), is a corpse of a person whose identity cannot be established by police and medical examiners. In many cases, it is several years before the identities of some UIDs are found, while in some cases, they are never identified.[1] A UID may remain unidentified due to lack of evidence as well as absence of personal identification such as a driver's license. Where the remains have deteriorated or been mutilated to the point that the body is not easily recognized, a UID's face may be reconstructed to show what they had looked like before death.[2] UIDs are often referred to by the placeholder names "John Doe" or "Jane Doe".[3] In a database maintained by the Ontario Provincial Police, 371 unidentified decedents were found between 1964 and 2015.[4]
Causes
There were approximately 14,000 UIDs in the United States as of 2023.[5] A body may go unidentified due to death in a state where the person was unrecorded, an advanced state of decomposition or major facial injuries.[6] In many cases in the United States, teenagers with a history of running away would be removed from missing person files when they would turn 18, thus eliminating potential matches with existing unidentified person listings.[7]
Location
Some UIDs die outside their native state. The Sumter County Does, murdered in South Carolina, were thought to have been Canadian.[8] Both were eventually identified as individuals from Pennsylvania and Minnesota.[9] Barbara Hess Precht died in Ohio in 2006, but was not identified until 2014. She had been living as a transient with her husband in California for decades but returned to her native state of Ohio, where she died of unknown circumstances.[10] In both of these cases, the UIDs were found in a recognizable state and had their fingerprints and dental records taken with ease. It is unknown if the Sumter County Does' DNA was later recovered, since their bodies would require exhumation to recover DNA.[8] Many undocumented immigrants who die in the United States after crossing the border from Mexico remain unidentified.[11]
Decomposition
Many UIDs are found long after they die and are found to have decomposed severely. This significantly changes their facial features and may prevent identification through fingerprints. Environmental conditions often are a major factor in decomposition, as some UIDs are found months after death with little decomposition if their bodies are placed in cold areas. Some are found in warm areas shortly after death, but hot temperatures and scavenging animals deteriorated the features.[6][12][13] In some cases, warm temperatures mummify the corpse, which also distorts its features, though the tissues have survived initial decomposition. One example is the "Persian Princess", who died in the 1990s but, in an act of archaeological forgery, was untruthfully stated in Pakistan to have been over 2,000 years old.[14]
Putrefaction
Putrefaction often occurs when bacteria decompose the remains and generate gasses inside out, causing the corpse to swell and become discolored.[6] In cases such as the Rogers family, who were murdered in 1989 by Oba Chandler, the bodies were deposited in water but surfaced after gasses in their remains caused them to float to the surface. They were deceased a short period of time but were already severely decomposed and unrecognizable, due to putrefaction that occurred while underwater and high temperatures. It was not until a week later that dental records revealed their identities.[15]
Skeletonization
Skeletonization occurs when the UID has decayed to the point that bones and possibly some tissues are all that is found, usually when death occurred a significant amount of time before discovery. If a skeletonized body is found, fingerprints and toeprints are impossible to recover, unless they have survived the initial decomposition of the remains. Fingerprints are often used to identify the dead and were used widely before DNA comparison was possible.[6] In some cases, partial remains limit the available information. Skeletonized UIDs are often forensically reconstructed if searching dental records and DNA databases is unsuccessful.
Burning
Often, someone who tries to conceal a body attempts to destroy it or render it unrecognizable.[16] The currently unidentified Yermo John Doe was killed approximately one hour before he was found, but was completely unrecognizable.[17] When Lynn Breeden, a Canadian model, was murdered and set ablaze in a dumpster, her body was so severely damaged that DNA processing and fingerprint analysis were impossible. She was identified sometime later after her unique dentition matched her dental records, and DNA extracted from her blood at a different scene was matched.[18] Linda Agostini's body was found burned near Albury, Australia in 1934. Her remains were identified ten years later through dental comparison.[19]
Identification process
Usually, bodies are identified by comparing their usually unique DNA, fingerprints and dental characteristics.[20] DNA is considered the most accurate, but was not widely used until the 1990s. It is often obtained through hair follicles, blood, tissue and other biological material.[21] Bodies can also be identified with other physical information, such as illnesses, evidence of surgery, breaks and fractures, and height and weight information.[22] A medical examiner will often be involved with identifying a body.[23][24]
Mortuary photographs
Many police departments and medical examiners have made efforts to identify the deceased by placing mortuary photographs of the UID's face online. In some instances, the mortuary photographs would be retouched of wounds if they are to be released to the public.[25] Dismembered corpses may also be digitally altered to appear attached to the body.[26] This is not considered to be the most effective method, as the nature of death often distorts the UID's face.[27] An example of this is that of "Grateful Doe," who was killed in a vehicular crash in 1995. He sustained extreme trauma that disfigured his face.[28]
A Jane Doe found in a river in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had died months earlier, but was preserved by the cold temperatures. Her morgue photographs were displayed publicly on a medical examiner's website, but her face had been distorted by swelling after absorbing water, with additional decomposition.[29]
Death masks have also been used to assist with identification, which have been stated to be more accurate, as they are required to display "relaxed expressions," which often do not illustrate the faces of the UIDs as they were found, such as that of L'Inconnue de la Seine, a French suicide victim found in the late 1800s.[30] However, a death mask will still depict sunken eyes or other characteristics of a long-term illness, which do not often show how they would have looked in life.[6]
Reconstructions
When a body is found in an advanced state of decomposition or has died violently, reconstructions are sometimes required to receive assistance from the public, when releasing images of a corpse is considered taboo.[31] Often, those in a recognizable state will often be reconstructed due to the same reason.
Faces can be reconstructed with a three-dimensional model or by 2D, which includes sketches or digital reconstructions, similar to facial composites.[32][33]
Sketches have been used in a variety of cases. Forensic artist Karen T. Taylor created her own method during the 1980s, which involved much more precise techniques, such as estimating locations and sizes of the features of a skull. This method has been shown to be fairly successful.[34]
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has developed methods to estimate the likenesses of the faces of UIDs whose remains were too deteriorated to create a two-dimensional sketch or reconstruction due to the lack of tissue on the bones. A skull would be placed through a CT scanner and the image would then be manipulated with a software that was intended for architecture design, to add digital layers of tissue based on the UID's age, sex and race.[35]
Examples
The following gallery depicts various ways UIDs have been reconstructed. None of those shown have been identified.
-
Death mask (L'inconnue de la Seine)
-
Forensic sketch (Broward County John Doe, 1979)
-
Facial composite (Pinellas County John Doe, 1980)
-
Three-dimensional clay reconstruction (Caroline County John Does)
-
Jane Doe alias “Mary Anderson”
-
Reconstruction created through a CT scan (Lumberton Jane Doe)
Problems
In some cases, such as that of Colleen Orsborn, the true identity of the unidentified person is excluded from the case. In Orsborn's case, she had fractured one of the bones in her leg, but a medical examiner who performed the autopsy on her remains was not able to discover evidence of the injury and subsequently excluded her from the case. It was not until 2011 when DNA confirmed Orsborn was the victim found in 1984.[36] In cases such as the Racine County Jane Doe, a rule out has also been subjected to criticism. Aundria Bowman, a teen who disappeared in 1989 who bore a strong resemblance to a body found in 1999, was excluded, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.[37] On an online forum, known as Websleuths, users have disagreed with this ruling.[38] In the case of Lavender Doe, a mother of a missing girl also disagreed with the exclusion of her missing daughter through DNA, as she claimed the reconstruction of the victim looked very similar to her daughter.[39]
Notable cases
Unidentified
Nickname(s) | Age | Likely date of death | Date of discovery | Area/City/State | Country | Cause of death | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whitehall Mystery | Unknown | 1888 | September 11, 1888 | Pimlico, London | United Kingdom | Murder | [40] |
Little Lord Fauntleroy | 5–7 | c. September 1920 – February 1921 | March 8, 1921 | Waukesha, Wisconsin | United States | Murder (blunt force trauma) | [41] |
Somerton Man[a] | 42–43 | December 1, 1948 | December 1, 1948 | Somerton Park, Adelaide | South Australia | Unknown | [43] |
Angel of the Meadow | 16–39 | c. 1970s–1980s | January 25, 2010 | Angel Meadow, Manchester | United Kingdom | Murder | [44] |
Isdal Woman | 25–40 | c. November 1970 | November 29, 1970 | Isdalen, Bergen | Norway | Unknown (likely suicide) | [45] |
Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee | 17–24 | c. January 20, 1971 | February 16, 1971 | Lake Panasoffkee, Florida | United States | Murder (ligature strangulation) | [46] |
Long Beach Jane Doe | 18–28 | May 27, 1974 | May 28, 1974 | Long Beach, California | United States | Murder (strangulation) | [47] |
Heul Girl | 12–16 | c. September 1976 | October 24, 1976 | Maarsbergen, Utrecht | Netherlands | Murder | [48] |
Perry County Jane Doe | 15–38 | c. September 1978 – June 1979 | June 20, 1979 | Watts Township, Pennsylvania | United States | Unknown | [49] |
St. Louis Jane Doe | 8–11 | c. February 23, 1983 | February 28, 1983 | St. Louis, Missouri | United States | Murder (strangulation) | [50] |
Vernon County Jane Doe | 50–65 | c. May 2–3, 1984 | May 4, 1984 | Westby, Wisconsin | United States | Murder (blunt force trauma) | [51] |
Julie Doe | 22–35 | c. January–September 1988 | September 25, 1988 | Clermont, Florida | United States | Murder | [52][53] |
Teteringen Girl | 15–25 | c. December 1990 | December 25, 1990 | Teteringen, Breda | Netherlands | Exhaustion, starvation | [54] |
"Becca" | 18–35 | c. June 1991 | June 5, 1991 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | United States | Suicide (hanging) | [55] |
The Gentleman of Heligoland | 45–50 | c. 1994 | July 11, 1994 | Heligoland, Schleswig-Holstein | Germany | Murder | [56] |
Jennifer Fairgate | 24–30 | 1995 | June 3, 1995 | Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo | Norway | Suicide (gunshot) | [57] |
Persian Princess | 21–25 | c. 1996 | October 19, 2000 | Kharan, Balochistan | Pakistan | Unknown (possibly murder) | [58] |
Mary Anderson | 30–50 | c. October 9–11, 1996 | October 11, 1996 | Seattle, Washington | United States | Suicide (cyanide poisoning) | [59] |
"Adam" | 4–8 | c. September 2001 | September 21, 2001 | Tower Bridge, London | United Kingdom | Murder (poisoning) | [60] |
Clocaenog Forest Man | 54+ | c. 2004–2010 | November 14, 2015 | Clocaenog Forest, Denbighshire | United Kingdom | Murder (blunt force trauma) | [61] |
Peter Burgmann | 55–60 | June 16, 2009 | June 16, 2009 | Rosses Point, Connacht | Ireland | Cardiac arrest | [62] |
Formerly unidentified
Person(s) | Nickname(s) | Age | Date of death | Date of discovery | Date of identification | Area/City/State | Country | Cause of death | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Linda Agostini | Pyjama Girl | 28 | August 27, 1934 | September 1, 1934 | March 4, 1944 | Carlton, Melbourne | Australia | Murder (battery, shooting) | [19] |
Joseph Augustus Zarelli | Boy in the Box | 4 | February 1957 | February 25, 1957 | December 8, 2022 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | United States | Murder (blunt force trauma) | [63] |
Sharon Lee Gallegos | Little Miss Nobody | 4 | c. July 21–24, 1960 | July 31, 1960 | March 15, 2022 | Alamogordo, New Mexico | United States | Murder | [64] |
Reet Jurvetson | Jane Doe 59 | 19 | c. November 14, 1969 | November 16, 1969 | April 28, 2016 | Los Angeles, California | United States | Murder (stabbing) | [65] |
Timothy McCoy | Greyhound Bus Boy | 16 | January 3, 1972 | December 26, 1978 | May 9, 1986 | Chicago, Illinois | United States | Murder (stabbing) | [66] |
Martha Morrison | No nickname | 17 | September 1974 | October 12, 1974 | July 14, 2015 | Vancouver, Washington | United States | Murder | [67] |
Linda Pagano | Strongsville Jane Doe | 17 | c. September 1974 – February 1975 | February 5, 1975 | June 29, 2018 | Akron, Ohio | United States | Murder (shooting) | [68] |
James Freund | Jock Doe | 29 | August 9, 1976 | August 9, 1976 | January 21, 2021 | Sumter County, South Carolina | United States | Murder (shooting) | [69] |
Pamela Buckley | Jane Doe | 24 | United States | ||||||
Evelyn Colon | Beth Doe | 15 | c. December 13–19, 1976 | December 20, 1976 | March 31, 2021 | White Haven, Pennsylvania | United States | Murder (strangulation) | [70] |
Elizabeth Roberts | Precious Jane Doe | 17 | August 9, 1977 | August 14, 1977 | June 16, 2020 | Everett, Washington | United States | Murder (ligature strangulation) | [71] |
Tammy Vincent | No nickname | 17 | September 25, 1979 | September 26, 1979 | July 30, 2007 | Tiburon, California | United States | Murder (burning, shooting, stabbing) | [72] |
Debra Jackson | Orange Socks | 23 | October 30–31, 1979 | October 31, 1979 | August 6, 2019 | Abilene, Texas | United States | Murder (strangulation) | [73] |
Tammy Alexander | Caledonia Jane Doe | 16 | November 9, 1979 | November 10, 1979 | January 26, 2015 | Caledonia, New York | United States | Murder (shooting) | [74] |
Tammy Terrell | Arroyo Grande Jane Doe | 17 | c. October 4, 1980 | October 5, 1980 | December 2, 2021 | Henderson, Nevada | United States | Murder (blunt force trauma) | [75] |
Sherri Jarvis | Walker County Jane Doe | 14 | November 1, 1980 | November 1, 1980 | November 9, 2021 | Huntsville, Texas | United States | Murder (ligature strangulation) | [76] |
Marcia King | Buckskin Girl | 21 | April 22, 1981 | April 24, 1981 | April 9, 2018 | Troy, Ohio | United States | Murder (strangulation) | [77] |
Dawn Olanick | Princess Doe | 17 | c. July 1982 | July 15, 1982 | July 15, 2022 | Bohemia, New York | United States | Murder (battery) | [78] |
Alisha Heinrich | Delta Dawn | 1 | c. December 3–4, 1982 | December 5, 1982 | December 4, 2020 | Alabama or Mississippi | United States | Murder (drowning) | [79] |
Deanna Criswell | Jane Doe 19 | 16 | November 1987 | November 25, 1987 | February 11, 2015 | Marana, Arizona | United States | Murder (shooting) | [80] |
Jason Callahan | Grateful Doe | 19 | June 26, 1995 | June 26, 1995 | December 9, 2015 | Emporia, Virginia | United States | Car accident | [81] |
Amber Creek | Jane Doe | 14 | February 1997 | February 9, 1997 | June 26, 1998 | Burlington, Wisconsin | United States | Murder (asphyxiation) | [82] |
Peggy Johnson | Racine County Jane Doe | 23 | c. July 20, 1999 | July 21, 1999 | November 8, 2019 | McHenry, Illinois | United States | Murder (blunt force trauma, sepsis) | [83] |
Barbara Precht | Pearl Lady | 68–69 | c. November 27, 2006 | November 29, 2006 | November 7, 2014 | Ohio | United States | Unknown | [84] |
See also
- List of wheel-well stowaway flights, many of whom do not survive the attempt and have not been identified
- Body identification
- Operation Identify Me
Notes
- ^ Potentially identified using DNA genetic genealogy as Carl Webb in 2022.[42]
References
- ^ "Resolved Cases". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ Slott, Ellen L. (21 December 1977). "Sculptor Reconstructs Faces to Aid Police". The Evening Review. p. 3. Retrieved 21 July 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Why Are Unidentified People Called John or Jane Doe?". mentalfloss.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ "Hong, Jackie. What happens to the unidentified dead? (2016) The Toronto Star". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "National Missing and Unidentified Persons System". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Madea, Burkhard, Johanna Preuss, and Frank Musshoff. "From Flourishing Life to Dust-The Natural Cycle." Mummies of the World. Ed. Alfried Wieczorek and Wilfried Rosendahl. First ed. 2010. 28. Print.
- ^ "New push to ID teen victim of 1977 murder". King 5. King TV. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Bodies Remain Unidentified". The Daily Times-News. 19 September 1976. p. 10. Retrieved 7 August 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sumter County shooting victims identified through DNA after 44 years". wltx.com. CBS. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ Dixon, Deb. "New Clues about 'Pearl Lady's' Husband". WKRC Cincinnati. CBS. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Stryker, Ace (2 April 2008). "In Southwest, illegal immigrants often die anonymously". Seattle Pi. Associated Press. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ "NamUs UP # 10566". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ "Pima Arizona Jane Doe April 1981". canyouidentifyme.org. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Romey, Kristin M.; Rose, Mark (January–February 2001). "Special Report: Saga of the Persian Princess". Archaeology. 54 (1). Archaeological Institute of America. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Bourdett, Paul, prod. "Water Logged." Forensic Files. Dir. Michael Jordan. HLN. 10 December 2010. Television
- ^ Hayes, Ashley (13 February 2013). "How authorities identify a burned body". CNN. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "NamUs UP # 918". National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 12 March 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ Dowling, Paul. "Charred Remains." Forensic Files HLN. Atlanta, Georgia, 13 November 1997. Television.
- ^ a b Pennay, Bruce, "Agostini, Linda (1905–1934)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 2 May 2007
- ^ Claridge, Jack (10 December 2014). "Identifying the Victim". Explore Forensics. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "8 Body Parts Forensic Scientists Use to ID a Body". Forensic Science Technician. 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ Valk, Diana (18 November 2013). "3 Ways to Identify a Body When DNA is Not An Option". Forensics Outreach. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "IDENTIFICATION PROCESS". virtualmuseum.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "POSTMORTEM IDENTIFICATION". Crime Library. 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ Friess, Steve (25 January 2004). "To identify 'John Doe' victims, investigators turn to the Web". Boston Globe. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ Pravir Bodkha, Bishwanath Yadav (December 2012). "A Role of Digital Imaging in Identification of Unidentified Bodies" (PDF). J Indian Acad Forensic Med. 34 (4). ISSN 0971-0973. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ "Question: Why don't you share photos from the coroner's office?". Help ID Me. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ Lohr, David (25 April 2014). "Grateful Dead Fan Remains Nameless, 18 Years After Fatal Crash". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ Luthern, Ashley (27 November 2014). "Investigators trying to solve mystery of woman found in 1982". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (1 December 2007). "Ophelia of the Seine". The Guardian Weekend magazine, page 17 – 27. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ Izadi, Elahe (9 July 2015). "Can this computer generated image of a 'Baby Doe' lead investigators to her identity?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ Kilgannon, Corey (20 January 2015). "Through Art and Forensics, Faces of Unidentified Victims Emerge". New York Times. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Martinez, Rick (9 May 1979). "Sculptor Reconstructs Faces to Aid Police". San Bernardo County Sun. p. 27. Retrieved 21 July 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dowling, Paul. "Saving Face." Forensic Files. Prod. Paul Bourdett and Vince Sherry. Dir. Michael Jordan. 28 November 2007.
- ^ Hicks, Brad (29 February 2012). "Unraveling the Jane Doe Mystery". Fox News. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ Prieto, Bianca (2 February 2011). "Dr. G links body found in Orange in 1984 to missing Daytona Beach teen girl". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ "NamUs UP # 4741". NamUs.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- ^ "WI – Raymond (Racine County) – WhtFem 199UFWI, 14-25, July'99 *Graphic*". websleuths.com. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ Sutton, Field (11 February 2014). "Brandi Well's mother reacts to Jane Doe renderings: "That looks so much like Brandi"". CBS. KTYX News. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Cullen, Tom (1965) Autumn of Terror, London: The Bodley Head, p. 95
- ^ "Case File 1377UMWI". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Keane, Daniel; Marchant, Gabriella (26 July 2022). "Somerton Man identified as Melbourne electrical engineer, researcher says". ABC News. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ The Advertiser, "Tamam Shud", 10 June 1949, p. 2
- ^ Britton, Paul (22 August 2022). ""We know she suffered a violent death": The mystery of the Angel of the Meadow". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Death in Ice Valley: New clues in a Norwegian mystery". BBC News. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Search For Little Miss Panasoffkee's Real Name And Killer Continues, Even After 50 Years". WUSF Public Media. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Police Arrest Man For 1974 Murder -- Now Just Have To Figure Out Who Victim Was - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Research reveals hunger Heul girl | NL Times". nltimes.nl. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Pennsylvania State Police and Perry County District Attorney's Office Team with Othram to Identify a 1979 Homicide Victim". dnasolves.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ Perkarsky, Michelle (17 June 2013). "Authorities try to locate body of girl, killed & beheaded 30 years ago". Fox4KC. Fox. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
- ^ Johnson, Matt. "New forensic drawing released of Vernon County's 1984 Jane Doe". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ Ray, Karla (17 December 2018). "Science provides new lead in 30-year-old Florida cold case". WFTV. ABC. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Ray, Karla (17 July 2018). "9 Investigates: New technology could bring closure to cold cases". WFTV. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Identify Me: NL02 - Teteringen Girl". www.interpol.int (in French).
- ^ "Woman Found Dead 30 Years Ago In New Mexico Believed To Be From Los Angeles County Area - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Oltermann, Philip (28 April 2022). "M&S tie and metal shoe lasts: new clues in cold case of 'the Gentleman'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Who is Oslo Plaza woman 'Jennifer Fairgate'? All the theories on Unsolved Mysteries case". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Romey, Kristin M.; Rose, Mark (January–February 2001). "Special Report: Saga of the Persian Princess". Archaeology. 54 (1). Archaeological Institute of America.
- ^ "No Clues In October Suicide Woman May Be Buried Soon Beneath Blank Grave Marker | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Torso murder inquiry moves to Nigeria". BBC News. 27 February 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ "Body buried in forest 'since 2004'". BBC News. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "'Peter Bergmann': Renewed appeal over man found dead on Sligo beach 14 years ago". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Yakubovsky, Jessica (8 December 2022). "Philadelphia Police identify the "Boy in the Box" after 65 years". PHL17.com. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "'Little Miss Nobody' Identified 62 Years After Remains Found in Arizona Desert". WLS-TV. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Siemaszko, Corky (28 April 2016). "Reet Jurvetson, Killed in 1969, Could Be a Manson Family Murder Victim". NBC. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ Locin, Mitchell (10 May 1986). "GACY'S 1ST VICTIM FINALLY IDENTIFIED". The Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "DNA testing helps identify remains of woman missing for 41 years". Fox 12 Oregon. Fox News. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015.
- ^ Justin Madden, cleveland com (12 July 2018). "Officials identify missing Akron teenager 43 years after her death". cleveland. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ Breeding, Brittany; Cannon, Celeste (22 January 2021). "Investigation reopened in nearly 45-year-old cold case after victims ID'd". ABC News 4. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "NY man, 63, charged in decades-old homicide in Carbon County". WFMZ.com. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Teen girl, 'Precious Jane Doe,' ID'd 43 years after her murder in Snohomish Co". komonews.com. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Wolfcale, Joe (29 September 2007). "Victim in 1979 Tiburon murder finally identified". Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ Knight, Drew; Covagnaro, Hank (7 August 2019). "1979 'Orange Socks' cold case victim identified as Debra Jackson of Abilene". KVUE. ABC. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ Baker, Conrad (26 January 2015). "Tammy Jo's Portrait Artist Sheds Light on Solving Mystery". Genesee Sun. Geneseo, NY. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ "Henderson police identify teen murdered in 1980". KLAS. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Leffler, David (9 November 2021). "How Walker County Jane Doe Was Identified at Last". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Crimesider staff (12 April 2018). ""Buckskin Girl" Case: DNA Breakthrough Leads to ID of 1981 Murder Victim". CBS News. Troy, Ohio: CBS Interactive Inc. CBS News/The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ Novak, Steve (15 July 2022). "Princess Doe identified, alleged killer charged after 40 years". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ Redgrave, Anthony Lukas; Redgrave, Lee Bingham (4 December 2020). "Identity of "Mississippi Delta Dawn" AKA "Baby Jane Doe" Confirmed". Redgrave Research Forensic Services. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ Ames, John; Lisaius, Som (11 February 2015). "Marana Police ID victim in 1987 murder case". Tucsan News Now. WorldNow. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "DNA positively identifies 'Grateful Doe' as man missing from Myrtle Beach". WMBF News. NBC. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Mann, Dave (8 April 2014). "Remains identified as missing Palatine girl". Daily Herold. Paddock Publications. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ "Racine Co. Sheriff to reveal ID of 1999 homicide victim, body found in cornfield in Raymond". FOX6Now.com. Fox News. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ Dixon, Deb. "A mystery mother's identity revealed". WKRC Cincinnati. 12 WKRC-TV. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.