Santa Teresa Jane Doe (June 19, 2023)
- DATE OF DISCOVERY: June 19th, 2023
- LOCATION OF DISCOVERY: Santa Teresa, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, 88008, USA (31°48’53.7”N, 106°45’54.1”W (31.814913, -106.765031))
- ESTIMATED YEAR OF DEATH: Not stated/Unknown
- POSTMORTEM INTERVAL: Not stated/Unknown (likely 1 – 4 days)
- CONDITION OF REMAINS: Not recognizable – Decomposing/putrefaction
- CAUSE OF DEATH: Not stated/Unknown
- SEX: Female
- ESTIMATED AGE GROUP: Adult
- RACE: Hispanic
- WEIGHT (ESTIMATED): 93 pounds (42.1841 kg)
- HEIGHT (ESTIMATED): 5’1” (61 inches; 154.94 cm)
- EYE COLOUR: Unknown
- HAIR: Black
- DISTINGUISHING MARKS/FEATURES: None noted
BACKGROUND
On June 19th, 2023, human remains were discovered in the desert 600 feet South of Highway 9 near mile marker 142 in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
The victim is believed to be an adult Hispanic woman. She weighed approximately 93 pounds and stood at approximately 5’1” in height. She had black hair.
This woman was reported to border patrol four days prior to her discovery on the 15th of June. NamUs states “…reported on 6/15/23, unable to locate.”
She was found with no food, water, or identification. She was wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, blue socks with a red design, black “Nike” sneakers/tennis shoes, a black hair tie, and had a cell phone and U.S. currency with her.
(*I will be doing a lot of cases of Doe’s who likely passed when crossing the Mexico-United States border. A lot of these cases have very little information provided.*)
CLOTHING/ITEMS – On the body, the following was noted
- Black t-shirt (No brand or size noted)
- Blue jeans (No brand or size noted)
- Blue socks with red design (No brand or size noted)
- Black sneakers/tennis shoes (Brand “Nike”; no size noted)
- Black hair tie
- Cell phone (No further description/information provided)
- U.S. currency (No further description/information provided)
- White charging cord (This is not mentioned on NamUs of the items found with her, but is shown in the one photo)
- White charging block (This is not mentioned on NamUs of the items found with her, but is shown in the one photo)
- A sanitary/period pad (This is not mentioned on NamUs of the items found with her, but is shown in the one photo)
IDENTIFIERS – I could not find any information regarding identifiers
- Dentals: Unknown
- Fingerprints: Unknown
- DNA: Unknown
INVESTIGATING AGENCY & OTHER CASE INFORMATION
AGENCY ONE
- Agency Name: Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office
- Agency Phone Number: 575-525-1911
AGENCY TWO
- Agency Name: New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator
- Agency Phone Number: 505-272-3053
- Agency Case Number: 2023-04393
OTHER INFORMATION/CASE NUMBERS
- NamUs Case Number: #UP122654
REFERENCES