Jane Doe March 24, 1979 , Maricopa County, Arizona.
The Doe Network: Case File 14UFAZ Reconstructed Image Unidentified White Female Little Jane Doe Body located on March 24, 1979 in Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona. Cause of death is unknown due to skeletal remains. The child's neck was possibly broken as a post-mortem injury. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vital Statistics Estimated age: 3 - 5 years old. Approximate Height and Weight: 3'3" Distinguishing Characteristics: Long brown hair, 16 inches in length. Clothing: Her remains were strewn with pieces of decaying fabric. One item appeared to have been an off-white coarse-weaved cotton garment; another piece could have possibly been a dark blue or dark gray loose-weaved blanket. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Case History Two rock hunters discovered the skeletal remains of this young girl in Tempe, AZ in 1979. She was found partially buried in a shallow grave in the riverbed under the Tempe Bridge. Her shallow grave was lined with fragments of old newspapers. It was later revealed that the remenants were from The Arizona Republic, dated "June 6, 1966" and "October 2, 1966." The coroner judged that she had been deceased anywhere from 1-13 years. (It has been judged that the child probably died in 1966, but that is not certain). This case has been intermittently in the public spotlight for 20 years. The press dubbed the young child Little Jane Doe, a nickname which continues to hold presently. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Investigators If you have any information on this case, please contact: Tempe Police Department 602-350-8558 All information may be submitted anonymously More info at: http://doenetwork.us/cases/14ufaz.html

Little victim still without an identity Jul. 1, 2005 12:00 AM The headline in the May 10, 1997, edition of The Arizona Republic read: "Lost face reappears; expert reconstructs unknown victims." The story began: The cleaning crew considers Charlie Hodges' basement office a chamber of horrors and won't go in. But police consider it their last hope. Human skulls stand about like so many vases in the Maricopa County complex office. Recently, the skull of a 4-year-old girl arrived from Tempe detectives, who consider Hodges' skills their best hope for giving a name to the little Jane Doe. When and where A little girl's body was found in a shallow grave March 24, 1979. Two rock hunters found her in the then-dry Salt River bottom near a bridge support of what is now known as the Mill Avenue Bridge. Summary Two rock hunters were exploring the river bottom, moving and overturning rocks. During their search, they discovered a human skull. Police were notified and responded to the scene. Detectives uncovered the skeletal remains of a small girl. There was no identification on or near the body, and no missing-persons reports fit. The body was given to a forensic anthropologist at the University of Arizona. The forensic examination suggested that the victim was most likely a Caucasian female. The anthropologist estimated she had been dead for one to 13 years. It couldn't be longer than that because her grave was lined with pages of The Arizona Republic, dated June and October of 1966. The anthropologist determined the girl was 3 to 5 years old, and from 3 feet 1 inch to 3 feet 5 inches tall. Her hair was brown, cut just about her shoulders, judging from hair found on the skull. There were no signs of trauma, although investigators believe her neck may have been broken after she died. In 1997, former Tempe police Detective Allen Reed solicited a Phoenix police detective to do a facial reconstruction using the girl's skull. He hoped someone might recognize her and be able to tell police who she was. But no substantial leads were a result, so it's still not known if the girl was murdered, died naturally or was killed in an accident. Investigators suspect one of the latter two, Detective John Thompson said. He is now handling the case. Transients frequented the area where the girl was found, he said. "It is entirely possible that this little girl was part of someone's transient family, and they did not have the means to provide for a traditional burial," he said. Investigator Thompson. What bothers him most "It's always difficult when we can't determine how someone died, but it's even more frustrating when we don't know who the victim was," he said. "If nothing else, this little girl deserves to be identified as someone other than 'Little Jane Doe.' " New technology's role Thompson hopes to submit the skeletal remains to the Arizona Department of Public Safety's lab for DNA testing. How you can help Call Thompson at (480) 350-8713. Information can be given anonymously http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special14/articles/0701coldcase01.html