List of unidentified murder victims in New York
In New York state, there are a number of murder victims in the category of unidentified decedents. In these cases, the murderer has never been identified.
Ulster County John Doe
A frozen male corpse was found on February 1, 1970 in the Ulster County town of Saugerties, at the bottom of a slope near Platte Clove Road by two children who were out sledding. He was aged between 35 and 45 and had been shot four times in the back of the head. The victim was approximately 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) tall and weighed about 155 pounds (70 kg). He had dark brown hair, with balding at the crown. He was wearing a tan three-quarter length raincoat over a dark green suit with faint pinstripes; beneath was a blue dress shirt and black silk Playboy Enterprises tie with pajamas underneath. On his feet were gray socks and size 8 1⁄2 black dress shoes covered by black Canadian-made Wings rubbers. In his pocket he had $156 ($952 in modern dollars[1]) in cash, but no identification.[2]
He appeared to be from outside the United States, most likely Brazil. His suit has been described as "European-style". On his wrist was an Omega Seamaster wristwatch (serial number 16815714) that had been sold in a Portuguese coastal resort town. His other accessory was a gold ring whose stamp indicated it had been made in Brazil, set with an imitation ruby of Portuguese manufacture.[3] His undershirt was a Brazilian store brand, made in Taiwan; the bullets used to kill him also appeared to be a Brazilian brand.[2]
The death is believed to be gang-related. Members of local organized crime groups were questioned, but never revealed who the victim was.[4] In 2015 investigators had the body exhumed and sent samples for a DNA profile; so far there have been no matches to those in any data base.[5]
Chautauqua County Jane Doe
On the morning of December 6, 1983, a woman's body was found by utility workers in a roadside ditch alongside eastbound NY 17 (now Interstate 86) in the Chautauqua County town of Ellery. She had been shot four times: twice in the chest, once in the mouth and once in the back.[6] The woman carried documents available in European countries and in Canada and had dental work appearing to use European techniques. The victim had brown eyes and graying brown hair, and was also estimated to have given birth to a child within the last 15 years. She was between 33 and 37 years of age when she had died, hours before being found. She was around 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm) tall and weighed around 128 pounds (58 kg). It is suspected that she may have been Canadian, as she carried a handwritten note with indecipherable abbreviations that originated from an establishment in British Columbia. She had some distinct characteristics: a wart was visible above her left eye, a mole was found behind the left ear and a scar was visible on her neck.[7] The victim's clothing has caused some issues with determining her social class, as she wore both expensive and inexpensive clothing. The undershirt she wore originated from Italy and was not worth a lot of money. This product had also not been circulated globally. She also wore a multicolored trench coat that was fairly expensive, along with a pullover and a "handmade" skirt.[8]
Putnam County John Doe (1985)
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On April 2, 1985, a man's remains were found nearly two years after his death, in Philipstown, Putnam County, New York. He was found with a dress shirt along with shorts, two pairs of pants with army coloring and corduroy material and work boots. Several pairs of underwear and socks were also found at the scene. A map of New York and New Jersey, a comb, dental floss and playing cards were among his possessions. At one time in his life, he received orthodontic care.[9][10]
Westchester County Jane Doe (1988)
On February 14, 1988, the "posed" nude body of a woman was found on a street in Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York. The victim had been dead for approximately six to twelve hours, and was bound at the wrists and ankles and had died from ligature strangulation as well as suffering a beating.[11] She was aged 18 to 30, with hazel eyes and with bleached, light brown or blonde hair. She was 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighed 105 pounds, and had pierced ears without earrings. She had numerous freckles and moles (including a large and prominent mole on her neck). Her underarms had not been shaved for approximately two weeks, but her pubic area was recently shaved. This detail has led some investigators to presume she could have been a prostitute. The fact that the rest of the body showed an absence of shaving, it has also been suggested she was foreign to the United States, and could be of South American descent. Her nails were painted pink prior to her death.[12] No clothing was found at or near the scene.[13] An autopsy found that she had ingested cocaine and broccoli before her murder, which may have been the work of a serial offender.[14]
Irondequoit Jane Doe
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On July 31, 1988, a skeleton was found in a shallow grave by a boy who was digging at the edge of his family's property in Irondequoit, Monroe County, New York. No signs of trauma were found, but the cause of death was ruled as a homicide.[15][16]
The remains were those of a white female between 4 feet 10 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall. Her weight, hair color, and eye color could not be determined.[17] She had significant dental restoration, which included gold foil fillings.[18]
The victim, who was between 15 and 19 years of age, may have been deceased for as long as 10 to 30 years before being found .[19] No clothing was found at the scene. A single white button, which may have belonged to the victim, was found near the remains.
Long Island serial killer victims
The dismembered corpses of several females discovered between 1996 and present day.[9]
"Peaches"
The torso of a woman found in 1997. She is known for her unique peach tattoo.[20]
Woodbury John Doe
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On May 3, 1998, the skeleton of a black male was found in the Orange County town of Woodbury. He had been shot twice in the head by two guns of different calibers and left near a rest area for hikers. His body had been wrapped in plastic and he was fully clothed.[21] He carried a hair pick, a lighter and a French to English dictionary, indicating that he may have been from a Francophone country. Although the body was found in 1998, he was believed to have died as early as 1985. He was knock-kneed and between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 11 inches in height, although he was more likely around five feet nine inches.[22] He had been between seventeen and twenty-five years of age, but could have been as old as thirty-five.[23] He wore a blue jacket, a black shirt containing a pot of gold design with the words "follow your dreams," jeans and sneakers from the Pony company.[24][25] He had had dental work, including fillings, crowns and a possible root canal. He had suffered a fracture of his right hand some weeks prior to death.[22]
Julissa Doe
The strangled body of a Hispanic, possibly Dominican, woman was located in New York City, New York County, New York on April 27, 2004. The woman was deceased less than a day and was between twenty and thirty years old when she was murdered.[26] Because she wore a gold earring with the name "Julissa" engraved into it, some believe that it may have been her first name. The woman was allegedly killed after attending a party with three men and was murdered during an argument. She wore a tan and black shirt with two thermal shirts, a sports bra and mismatched socks. There were scars found on her body as well, one which appeared to have been the letters "J" and "M".[27]
"Cherries"
A torso and pair of legs discovered in 2007. Like the torso found in 1997, dubbed "Peaches", she may have been a victim of the Long Island serial killer.[28]
References
- ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- 1 2 Yakin, Heather (September 25, 2016). "Unsolved: Police still working West Saugerties case". Times Herald Record. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Case File: 405UMNY". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ↑ "Noble & Ready". canyouidentifyme.blogspot.com. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ↑ Pineiro-Zucker, Diane (August 21, 2016). "Police still hope to crack 46-year-old cold case of man found shot to death in West Saugerties". Daily Freeman. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Unsolved cases". New York State Troopers.
- ↑ "Chautauqua New York Jane Doe December 1983". canyouidentifyme.org. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ↑ "Case File 193UFNY". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- 1 2 "Decades Later, Who is this John Doe?". Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ↑ "Unidentified: Philipstown, Putnum County". New York State Troopers. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ↑ "Westchester New York Jane Doe February 1988". canyouidentifyme.org. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "Case File: 51UFNY". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "NamUs UP # 10229". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "HELP CRIME WATCH DAILY AND CARL KOPPELMAN GIVE NAMES TO THESE 5 MURDER VICTIMS". Crime Watch Daily. Fox. 10 October 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Case File: 122UFNY". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Unidentified: Town of Irondequoit, Monroe County, NY". New york State Troopers. 4 October 2000. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Monroe New York Jane Doe July 1988". canyouidentifyme.org. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Jane Doe 1988". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Case Report - NamUs UP # 2607". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Long Island's Unidentified Murder Victims". Long Island Press. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ↑ "Case File 218UMNY". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- 1 2 "John Doe 1998". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Unidentified: Town of Woodbury, Orange County, NY". New York State Troopers. 22 September 1998. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ↑ "Case Report - NamUs UP # 9787". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Orange New York John Doe May 1998". canyouidentifyme.org. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ↑ "Case Report - NamUs UP # 5214". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ↑ "Case File: 1115UFNY". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ↑ "Cherry Tattoo". Long Island Press. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to unidentified murder victims. |
- The Doe Network
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- National Missing and Unidentified Persons System