Vernon County Jane Doe is an American murder victim whose body was found on May 4, 1984. Her identity remains unknown. Her hands had been removed, likely to prevent identification by means of

fingerprinting A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...

. The case has been heavily investigated since discovery of the body, with no progress toward finding either her identity or her murderer.

Discovery of the body

The body was found at 11:15 p.m. on the night of May 4, 1984, near the town of

Westby, Wisconsin Westby is a city in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,332 as of the 2020 census. The name "Westby" is a Norwegian name and literally translates to "Western city". History Westby was named after general store owner an ...

, by three teenagers within 24 to 48 hours after her death. There was extensive damage to the victim's head, which left her face unrecognizable until mortuary procedures were conducted. After the case was broadcast on the news, a couple stated that they had seen a suspicious man near the location. He was returning to the driver's seat of a yellow car, believed to be a 1982

Datsun Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...

. When police went to the spot, they found tire tracks from a hasty

U-turn A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as a m ...

. A broken

denture Dentures (also known as false teeth) are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and are supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable (removable partial denture or ...

, blood, and a man's

watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

were also found there. Because of this evidence, it is believed that she was killed at another location alongside the same road, and that her body was then taken to the location where she was found. The victim had been murdered, as she suffered blunt force injury to her head, which had broken her jaw, an eye socket and the pair of

dentures Dentures (also known as false teeth) are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and are supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable (removable partial denture or ...

that she was wearing. There was also sharp-force trauma to the left side of the head, near the ear. Her hands had been removed, most likely to prevent identification through

fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...

matching.

Description and clothing

Vernon County Jane Doe was a white woman between 50 and 65 years old. She had graying brown hair, presumed to have been done in a

perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places *Perm, Russia, a city in Russia ** Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 **Perm Governorate, an administra ...

. She was 5 feet 5 to 5 feet 6 inches (approximately ). She did not appear to have any unique physical features. She weighed and had worn dentures, probably those that were found with her body. The dentures, missing two teeth, had both raised and indented numbers upon them, believed to be serial numbers. Despite this, investigators have stated that serial numbers for the given product were not assigned to specific recipients, which would not yield clues to the victim's identity. She was wearing a multicolored coat, a black dress decorated with a blue-and-white paisley print, a blue

turtleneck sweater A polo neck, roll-neck (United Kingdom, South Africa), turtleneck (United States, Canada), or skivvy ( Australia, New Zealand, United States) is a garment—usually a sweater—with a close-fitting collar that folds over and covers the ...

, and

nylon stockings Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparen ...

. The brand labels of the clothing had been removed. There were distinctive buttons on her clothes; these had unique stitching.

Investigation

Over 4,000 leads have surfaced in the case, one recently being the arrest of multiple persons who fraudulently used checks from a missing

Amherst, Wisconsin Amherst is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,035 in the 2010 census. Amherst is at the core of the Tomorrow Valley area. History The name Amherst was established in 1853 by Adam Uline, after General J ...

woman who disappeared around the same time as when the Jane Doe was found. Despite the possible link to Amherst, police believe that she did not reside in the area where she was found. Seven missing women have been ruled out as possible identities. Authorities have used news media multiple times toward identifying the victim. In 2012, officials "pushed" the case to reach areas of both Minnesota and Wisconsin that were linked to Highway 14. The case was broadcast in a three-day news special, titled as "Catching Her Killer: Justice for Jane Doe," to uncover new leads in 2013. Yet no lead so far has proved useful. She was interred in the

Viroqua Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,504 at the 2020 census. The city is in the town of Viroqua. Etymology The town was originally named “Farwell” after Leonard J. Farwell, second Gov ...

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

. Her

headstone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...

bears the words "Jane Doe" and the date of the discovery of her body. On August 12, 2015, her body was exhumed and sent to the crime lab in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, for testing in hopes of identifying her. The body was returned and buried the next day. DNA was also harvested and began processing at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

. A new

forensic facial reconstruction Forensic facial reconstruction (or forensic facial approximation) is the process of recreating the face of an individual (whose identity is often not known) from their skeletal remains through an amalgamation of artistry, anthropology, osteol ...

of the victim was released in December 2015 by a university in Arizona that created the likeness based on physical characteristics of the woman's skull. The rendering was completed by forensic artist Catyana Falsetti, whose husband was also working on the case at the university. Forensic testing on the pollen present on the victim's clothing in 2018 indicated she may have originated from Arizona or New Mexico. Authorities would later seek assistance from the

DNA Doe Project DNA Doe Project (also DNA Doe Project, Inc. or DDP) is an American nonprofit volunteer organization formed to identify unidentified deceased persons (commonly known as John Doe or Jane Doe) using forensic genealogy. Volunteers identify victims ...

in hopes to identify the victim.

Gallery

Vernon County Jane Doe front.JPG, Morgue photograph Vernon County Jane Doe side.JPG, Morgue photograph Vernon County Jane Doe2.JPG, Morgue photograph Vernon County Jane Doe clothing.JPG, Dress and coat Vernon County Jane Doe dress and coat.JPG, Upper portions of clothing Vernon County Jane Doe shoe.JPG, Shoe Vernon County Jane Doe maxillary denture.jpg, Upper denture

References

External links