Back in December of 1993, while a few landscapers were working in Centreville, Virginia, they discovered the skeletal remains of a woman in a shallow grave. Authorities were immediately alerted, and detectives went to analyze the scene.
There, they found various pieces of evidence thought to have belonged to the unknown woman– including deteriorated clothing, jewelry, a yellow barrette, and a red comb.
Afterward, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined that the woman had suffered several stab wounds to her upper body.
It was also revealed that Jane Doe was between twenty-eight and thirty-nine years old and stood between five foot and five foot three.
She had dirty blonde hair, which was described as relatively thick, and particularly poor dental care– since many of the woman’s teeth were suffering an advanced state of decay.
And over the years since the victim was discovered, there have been fervent national and local efforts to identify her.
She was covered by various news outlets, featured on an episode of The New Detectives in 1996, and a Cold Case Files episode entitled “A Knock at the Door.”
Investigators, too, attempted to pursue several leads regarding the woman’s identity. Smithsonian anthropologists examined her body, and her case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in 2011.
Fairfax County Police Department; pictured above is a sketch of the young woman, along with some things that were found along with her
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.