Houston Jane Doe (July 2020)

• DATE OF DISCOVERY: July 21^st, 2020
• LOCATION OF DISCOVERY: Houston, Harris County, Texas, 77017, USA
• ESTIMATED YEAR OF DEATH: Not stated/Unknown
• POSTMORTEM INTERVAL: Not stated/Unknown
• CONDITION OF REMAINS: Not recognizable – Decomposing/putrefaction
• CAUSE OF DEATH: Not stated/Unknown

• SEX: Female
• ESTIMATED AGE¹: 45 – 70 years old
• RACE: Caucasian
• WEIGHT: Cannot estimate
• HEIGHT²: 5’4” – 5’6” (64 – 66 inches; 162.56 – 167.64 cm)
• EYE COLOUR: Unknown
• HAIR: Partially white and brown/black (long)
• DISTINGUISHING MARKS/FEATURES:
  • Wears glasses
  • TATTOO ON OUTER LEFT CALF: Colourful butterfly

BACKGROUND

On July 21^st, 2020, human remains were discovered in the 2000 block of Ahrens Street, described as a “…grassy area behind some businesses and warehouses”, in Houston, Texas.

The victim is believed to be a Caucasian female between 45 to 70 years old. She stood approximately 5’4” to 5’6” in height and had long, partially white and brown/black hair. Her weight and eye colour could not be determined. It is noted that she “wears glasses”, though no glasses were noted to be found so I am unsure how they came to this conclusion or if some were found but just not noted down.

The woman had a colourful butterfly tattoo on her outer left calf. She was found wearing a dark blue t-shirt with the words “Stronger than Cancer” and the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon, black stretchy pants, yellow hospital-style non-slip socks, underwear, and a bra.

A comment on her Websleuths forum post link to a .pdf file by Harris County regarding this Jane Doe but it is not available now for some reason, or at least I cannot access it. They note that in the file, she is noted to have had “…a history of a left craniotomy (surgery involving the skull), surgery of her neck, and surgery of her wrist.” I have not seen this noted anywhere else but wanted to mention it.

A good write-up of this case was done a year ago on the r/UnresolvedMysteries subreddit by user u/HovercraftCapable820 that I will include in the reference links.

CLOTHING/ITEMS – On the body, the following was noted

• Dark blue t-shirt with the words “Stronger than Cancer” and the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon (No brand or size noted)
• Black stretchy pants (No brand noted; size “L”)
• Yellow hospital-style non-slip socks (No brand or size noted)
• Underwear (No brand or size noted)
• Bra (No brand or size noted)

Near the body, the following was noted

• White and pink sneakers (No brand or size noted)

NOTES – Things of note or discrepancies found during research

• ¹ AGE – NamUs notes 40 to 70 years old, while Texas DPS notes 40 to 65 years old.
• ² HEIGHT – NamUs notes 5’5” to 5’6”, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences notes her height as 5’6”, and Texas DPS notes 5’4” to 5’6”, so I can just used the shorted and tallest numbers for the range.

IDENTIFIERS – I could not find any information regarding identifiers

• Dentals: Unknown
• Fingerprints: Unknown
• DNA: Unknown

EXCLUSIONS – Name (NamUs Case Number; Date of Last Contact; Last Known Location)

• Maria Dolores Nelson (MP88022; 15 Oct. 2019; Franklin, IN)
• Maria Westbrooke (NamUs Page Down)
• Tara Lee Blue (MP10832; 02 Nov. 2001; Center, TX)
• Althea Lanelle Rogers (MP9085; 02 Oct. 1985; Georgetown, TX)

INVESTIGATING AGENCY & OTHER CASE INFORMATION

AGENCY ONE

• Agency Name: Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
• Agency Contact Person: Michelle Sanford (Forensic Entomologist/ID Coordinator)
• Agency Phone Number: 832-927-5000
• Agency Case Number: ML20-3041

AGENCY TWO

• Agency Name: Houston Police Department
• Agency Phone Number: 832-394-1840
• Agency Case Number: 957815-20

OTHER INFORMATION/CASE NUMBERS

• NCIC Case Number: U2103002
• NamUs Case Number: #UP72078

REFERENCES

• NamUs (#UP72078) (*WARNING: POSTMORTEM PHOTO OF TATTOO*)
• Texas Department of Public Safety Poster (*WARNING: POSTMORTEM PHOTO OF TATTOO*)
• Websleuths (TX – TX – Houston, WhtFem 45-70, UP72078, wears glasses, butterfly tattoo, clothes, Jul’20)
• Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences – Unidentified Persons (ML20-3041)
• r/UnresolvedMysteries (Unidentified: On July 21, 2020, a woman, likely a breast cancer survivor, was found deceased in Houston, Texas. Despite having a distinctive butterfly tattoo and hospital-grade socks, she remains unidentified. Do you recognize the Texas Butterfly Jane Doe? (Write-up))