San Francisco Jane Doe/”Marcela Tamara Estodas De La Cruz” (April 2011)
- DATE OF DISCOVERY: April 22nd, 2011
- LOCATION OF DISCOVERY: San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, 94110, USA
- ESTIMATED YEAR OF DEATH: 2011
- POSTMORTEM INTERVAL: Hours
- CONDITION OF REMAINS: Not recognizable – Traumatic injuries
- CAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot wound
- MANNER OF DEATH: Suicide
- SEX: Female
- ESTIMATED AGE: 25 – 50 years old (Possibly 37 years old)
- RACE: Hispanic / Caucasian
- WEIGHT: 125 pounds (56.7 kg)
- HEIGHT: 5’2” (62 inches; 157.48 cm)
- EYE COLOUR: Brown
- HAIR: Brown (straight; medium length)
- DISTINGUISHING MARKS/FEATURES: None noted
BACKGROUND
On April 22nd, 2011, a resident of room #207 of an (I assume) apartment building in San Francisco, California, heard a loud “pop” come from room #209 next to them. The smoke alarm subsequently went off in room #209. Building staff went up to room #209 where they got no answer from inside. The “…door was locked but not deadbolted.” (NamUs). The building staff then entered room #209 using a building passkey. Once inside, they discovered a woman’s body in a bed. The woman had an “…apparent gun shot wound to the head…” and a firearm was seen next to the woman.
A permanent resident card with found among some of her belongings. The card had the name “Marcela Tamara Estodas De La Cruz”, a date of birth of “12/05/1973”, and a county of birth of “Bolivia”.
Sadly, I cannot find any articles about her or her case, with NamUs being my only source. They do not state what type of building she was found in, but as they note a “resident” of room #207, it sounds more like an apartment than a hotel/motel to me.
I will refer to this Doe as Marcela from now on. I will also assume that the card found did belong to her and had her correct information.
Marcela was found wearing a black jacket, navy blue shirt, navy blue jeans, white underwear, black and white gloves, white low-cut socks, and a black and white neckerchief.
I believe in Bolivia, dates are done by Day/Month/Year, meaning her birthdate is likely May 12th of 1973, though please correct me if I’m wrong or if it varies depending on the area or anything. If this is correct, she was likely 37 years old when she was discovered. She would have turned 38 about 20 days after her discovery.
She weighed 125 pounds and stood at 5’2” in height. She had brown eyes and straight, medium-length brown hair.
I don’t usually add much of my thoughts or questions on my writeups, but I am curious if authorities determined when she obtained her permanent residency card. How long was she in California/the US? I assume that the authorities (hopefully) reached out to authorities in Bolivia, but either nothing came of it (such as next of kin) or she just has not been formally identified yet.
CLOTHING/ITEMS – On the body, the following was noted
- Black jacket (Brand “Utex Design”; no size stated)
- Navy blue shirt (Brand “Faded Glory”; no size stated)
- Navy blue jeans (Brand “Levi’s”; no size noted)
- White cotton underwear (No brand or size noted)
- Black and white striped neckerchief (No brand or size noted)
- Black and white gloves (No brand or size noted)
- Pair of white low-cut socks (No brand or size noted)
IDENTIFIERS – I could not find any information regarding identifiers
- Dentals: Unknown
- Fingerprints: Unknown
- DNA: Unknown
INVESTIGATING AGENCY & OTHER CASE INFORMATION
AGENCY ONE
- Agency Name: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner – San Francisco City and County
- Agency Contact Person: Thomas McDonald (Chief Investigator)
- Agency Phone Number: 415-641-3600
- Agency Case Number: 2011-0427
OTHER INFORMATION/CASE NUMBERS
- NamUs Case Number: #UP9160
REFERENCES
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