Unidentified Victim from 1993 Finally Gets Closer to Being Identified

JASPER COUNTY, Mo. – A 30-year-old mystery surrounding the death of an unidentified woman near Interstate 44 in 1993 has taken a significant step forward thanks to advances in DNA testing technology.

A Tragic Cold Case

On December 21, 1993, tragedy struck when an unknown woman was fatally struck by a vehicle on the eastbound on-ramp of Interstate 44 at the Missouri-Oklahoma line. Despite efforts by Jasper County authorities at the time, the victim, known only as “Jane Doe,” remained nameless.

Annie Golden, the Director of Jasper County Records Center, shared, “She didn’t have any identification with her. There were a few items in her purse, a few leads that the highway patrol tried to follow up on at the time, but it didn’t ever lead to any viable indication of who she was.”

A Heartbreaking End

Four days after the tragic accident, Jane Doe passed away on Christmas Day in a Joplin hospital. She was laid to rest in Stone Cemetery, thanks to the generosity of a kind soul who donated a burial plot and headstone for her.

Even in death, Jane Doe’s identity remained a mystery until 2008, when her body was exhumed following a family’s hopeful lead from Tennessee. However, DNA testing revealed she was not the missing loved one they were searching for.

A Breakthrough in Technology

Fast forward to 2021, and Jane Doe’s case piqued the interest of anthropologists at Southeast Missouri State University. Professor Jennifer Bengtson, driven by a desire to uncover the truth, reached out to Annie Golden for more information about the unidentified victim.

After months of meticulous research, information related to Jane Doe was gathered and sent to Professor Bengtson, along with some of the remains. The bones will undergo cutting-edge DNA testing at the university’s anthropology lab before being shipped to a renowned forensics lab in Texas for further analysis.

Hope for Closure

The ultimate goal of these scientific endeavors is to finally give Jane Doe a name and bring closure to her story. As Annie Golden expressed, “That would be marvelous, to put a name on that headstone.”

With advancements in DNA technology and the dedication of experts like Professor Bengtson, the long-awaited answer to the identity of Jane Doe may soon be within reach. Stay tuned as this story unfolds, offering hope for resolution and justice in a decades-old mystery.