View Full Version: Jane Doe, found June 5, 1969 in Harlan County, KY

fromwhisperstor >>JD 1960's >>Jane Doe, found June 5, 1969 in Harlan County, KY


<< Prev | Next >>

Themis Eternal- 06-12-2009
Jane Doe, found June 5, 1969 in Harlan County, KY
From Missing Pieces show ep.94 1969 Harlan County Jane Doe Mystery 1969 Harlan County Jane Doe Vitals: Date Found: June 05, 1969 Location Found: Harlan County, Kentucky Sex: Female Race: White Estimated Age: 20's Hair: Reddish/Blonde Height: 5' 3" Weight: Unknown, medium build. Medical: Healed broken collarbone. Other Information: May be from Ohio or visited the Cincinnati Ohio area. Order ticket from Cincinnati Ohio restaurant was found near the body. Mountain Cold Case - Unidentified Girl - 1969 Anyone who was alive in Harlan County in 1969 probably remembers the story of a young woman found stabbed to death on Pine Mountain. Nearly 40 years later, it's still not known who she was, where she came from, and who killed her. After a short walk through a wooded area on a hill overlooking the city of Harlan, you'll find a grave marker that simply says, Unidentified Girl Burial, June 5th, 1969, Colonial Chapel. Newspaper articles at the time say a man picking flowers found the woman's nude, decomposed body about 50 feet off the Little Shepherd Trail. She'd been stabbed in the chest. "People in Harlan were scared to death to let their girls go out on dates," said Joe Mahan, former funeral home owner. Mahan, who is mainly confined to a bed at the Harlan Nursing Home, believes he's one of only two people still alive that saw the murder scene. Mahan was a funeral home owner and retrieved the young woman's body. He says he still thinks about her all the time. "It still stays with me. I've prayed a lot over this hoping that she can be identified and maybe the killer be identified," Mahan said. Mahan paid for the woman's casket himself and members of the Harlan County Rescue Squad served as pallbearers when she was buried. "I just couldn't put that little girl in a casket knowing what she may have gone through, maybe on that mountainside some night, screaming for help," Mahan said. "It doesn't appear that anyone ever looked for her. It doesn't appear to me that anyone's looking for her now," said author Darla Jackson. Jackson wrote about the unidentified girl in a book called Harlan County Haunts. Jackson's uncle lived near the cemetery where she's buried for a short time several years ago and believes she tried to communicate with him from beyond the grave. "He actually saw her and she was simply staring out a window," she said. Incredibly, Jackson says her uncle believes the woman was guiding him to the answers nobody else could find. She told him her name was Caroline, that she was from Ohio, and even mentioned the name of her killer. Of course, none of this has been proven, although an order ticket from a Cincinnati, Ohio restaurant was found near the body. "She would like to go home. She's not familiar with this area, she feels like she doesn't belong here, she doesn't like to be referred to as the unidentified girl," Jackson said. Even though decades have passed, those who remember the murder, and who've studied it, would still like to know who "Caroline" was. "Once you hear this tragic story, you can't help but be touched by it," Jackson said. "Everyone would like closure involving this little girl," Mahan said. "Caroline" was believed to be white, about five foot three, with a medium build and reddish-blonde hair. Joe Mahan says she had a broken collar bone at one point during her life that had healed. http://missingpiecesshow.homestead.com/MissingPiecesEpisode94Archive.html

Themis Eternal- 06-12-2009

Mountain Cold Case - Unidentified Girl - 1969 Posted: 10:27 PM May 4, 2008 Last Updated: 2:22 PM Jun 4, 2008 Reporter: Steve Hensley Email Address: steve.hensley@wymtnews.com Anyone who was alive in Harlan County in 1969 probably remembers the story of a young woman found stabbed to death on Pine Mountain. Nearly 40 years later, it's still not known who she was, where she came from, and who killed her. After a short walk through a wooded area on a hill overlooking the city of Harlan, you'll find a grave marker that simply says, Unidentified Girl Burial, June 5th, 1969, Colonial Chapel. Newspaper articles at the time say a man picking flowers found the woman's nude, decomposed body about 50 feet off the Little Shepherd Trail. She'd been stabbed in the chest. "People in Harlan were scared to death to let their girls go out on dates," said Joe Mahan, former funeral home owner. Mahan, who is mainly confined to a bed at the Harlan Nursing Home, believes he's one of only two people still alive that saw the murder scene. Mahan was a funeral home owner and retrieved the young woman's body. He says he still thinks about her all the time. "It still stays with me. I've prayed a lot over this hoping that she can be identified and maybe the killer be identified," Mahan said. Mahan paid for the woman's casket himself and members of the Harlan County Rescue Squad served as pallbearers when she was buried. "I just couldn't put that little girl in a casket knowing what she may have gone through, maybe on that mountainside some night, screaming for help," Mahan said. "It doesn't appear that anyone ever looked for her. It doesn't appear to me that anyone's looking for her now," said author Darla Jackson. Jackson wrote about the unidentified girl in a book called Harlan County Haunts. Jackson's uncle lived near the cemetery where she's buried for a short time several years ago and believes she tried to communicate with him from beyond the grave. "He actually saw her and she was simply staring out a window," she said. Incredibly, Jackson says her uncle believes the woman was guiding him to the answers nobody else could find. She told him her name was Caroline, that she was from Ohio, and even mentioned the name of her killer. Of course, none of this has been proven, although an order ticket from a Cincinnati, Ohio restaurant was found near the body. "She would like to go home. She's not familiar with this area, she feels like she doesn't belong here, she doesn't like to be referred to as the unidentified girl," Jackson said. Even though decades have passed, those who remember the murder, and who've studied it, would still like to know who "Caroline" was. "Once you hear this tragic story, you can't help but be touched by it," Jackson said. "Everyone would like closure involving this little girl," Mahan said. "Caroline" was believed to be white, about five foot three, with a medium build and reddish-blonde hair. Joe Mahan says she had a broken collar bone at one point during her life that had healed. To contact Author Darla Jackson's, you can send an e-mail to rdjackson@kih.net. http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/18566989.html

Themis Eternal- 06-12-2009

Researcher wants to solve cold case of unidentified girl Posted: 7:23 PM Jun 5, 2009 Last Updated: 7:46 PM Jun 5, 2009 Reporter: Jeff Allen Email Address: jeff.allen@wymtnews.com There are new developments in the case of a young woman found dead 40 years ago, whose identity remains a mystery. A year ago WYMT featured the cold case involving an unidentified girl ... who was found stabbed to death on Pine Mountain in Harlan County in 1969. Now a researcher wants to exhume her body in order to find out who she is. The mystery of who lies in the grave is drawing Todd Matthews' interest. "I know a lot of the families of the missing and I know how bad they hurt and how much effort they put into it to find their missing loved ones, and usually it's because of something like this ... this one just fell through the cracks," says Matthews. Newspaper reports from 1969 say a man picking flowers for his wife found the young woman's nude, badly decomposed body just off the Little Shepherd Trail. She had been stabbed in the chest. "Just being here ... you definitely get the sense of sadness ... definitely would like to send her home," says Matthews. The coroner at the time of the murder said the woman was just under 20 years old. She is not believed to be from Harlan County. Matthews is a well known researcher with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs. He believes the best way to find out who she is, is to dig up her remains, which could provide critical DNA evidence. "I can't say we'll ever find who she is ... but at least we can apply modern technology to it ... and I know we can do that ... I know she'll be better off," says Matthews. Darla Jackson wrote about the unidentified girl in her book Harlan County Haunts. "40 years later ... there's hope ... I have this new sense of optimism ... I'm so pleased with the progress that is actually being made," says Jackson. "40 years ... are we going to wait another 40 years? We have to do something now ... and I think there's enough people here that care ... I'm confident we can make this happen," says Matthews. And maybe someday find out who lies in this grave. Harlan County Coroner Phillip Bianchi says he's interested in helping with this. He says if he can gather enough information, he will go ahead and ask a judge as early as next week for a permit to exhume the remains. You can find more information on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System at: http://www.namus.gov/index.htm http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/47071827.html

Forumer™ is Voted #1 Free Forum Hosting provider
Build your own community today with the largest message board hosting company.