Thurston County Sheriff’s Office needs help Identifying Jewish Jane Doe from 1981
New facial reconstruction portrait by renowned forensic artist
Olympia, WA – The DNA Doe Project and the Thurston County Sheriff are requesting the public’s help to identify a Jane Doe found in 1981 in Olympia, Washington. The nonprofit organization that uses investigative genetic genealogy to identify Jane and John Doe cases of unidentified remains has been working on the case since 2020.
“I have been part of her research team since its inception almost four years ago, and her case has been particularly challenging,” shared Eric Hendershott, team co- leader with the genealogical research team at the DNA Doe Project.
On October 19, 1981 a partial skull and 3 fragmented bones were found in a wooded area in Olympia, Washington, with a cross crudely constructed of sticks and a shoestring near the remains. A forensic pathologist who examined the remains concluded she was a White/Caucasian female who was 20-30 years old when she died sometime between 1966 and 1979. Over 40 years later, she remains unidentified.
Genealogical research has revealed that Jane Doe is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, which has made genealogical progress in this case rather difficult. Jewish genealogy is complicated by intermarriage within small communities, as well as issues with a lack of accessible records.
“When we build back her DNA relatives, records often disappear at the grandparent or the great-grandparent level, which makes connecting the matches together very difficult,” Hendershott said. “We are hoping someone recognizes her, and we are hoping to spread the word about her case through the Jewish community. Someone knows who she is.”
If you recognize this woman, or have any information that could help DNA Doe Project identify her, please email case-tips@dnadoeproject.org or contact the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office at bryan.goheen@co.thurston.wa.us.
Description
On October 19, 1981 a cranium and 3 fragmented bones were found in wooded area in Olympia, Thurston County, Washington. The location was used as a dump by local residence. A cross crudely constructed of sticks and shoe string was found in the area near the remains. A forensic pathologist was only able to determine from the few remains that the deceased was a White/Caucasian female who was 20-30 years old when she died. No clothing or personal items were recovered. The time of death could not be determined with certainty, but the woman probably died sometime between 1966 and 1979. She remains unidentified.
NamUs ID: UP8886
Date Body Found: October 19, 1981
Race: White / Caucasian
Gender: Female
Estimated Age: 20-30
Estimated PMI: 2 years
Location: Olympia, WA
Agency of Jurisdiction
Thurston County Sheriff’s Office
Bryan Goheen
360-786-5512
bryan.goheen@co.thurston.wa.us
Link to More Information
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/8886/
https://www.crimewatchers.net/threads/olympia-jane-doe-wf-15-20-found-at-a-dumping-site-in-the-woods-in-olympia-wa-19-oct-1981.332/
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1477ufwa.html
Status: Research in Progress
Image Credit: Carl Koppelman
Last Updated: December 10, 2024
