OH CLEVELAND JANE DOE: WF, 35-45, found in Lake Erie in Cleveland, OH - 14 Nov 1969

[Romulus]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP16689
Female, White / Caucasian

Warning PM!!!
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Case Numbers
NCMEC Number--
ME/C Case Number134409
Demographics
SexFemale
Race / Ethnicity
White / Caucasian
Possible First Name--
Possible Middle Name--
Possible Last Name--
Possible Nickname--
Estimated Age Group
Adult - Pre 50
Estimated Age Range (Years)
35-45
Estimated Year of Death
1969
Estimated PMI
Days
Height5' 5"(65 inches) , Measured
Weight201 lbs, Measured
Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body Found
November 14, 1969
NamUs Case Created
May 23, 2017
ME/C QA Reviewed--
Location Found Map
Location
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
County
Cuyahoga County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--
Circumstances of Recovery: Found floating in Lake Erie - City of Cleveland Water Dept. crew was in the process of cleaning a sewer in the E. 9th St. and Erieside Ave. area when they observed the female wedged in pilings.
Details of Recovery

Inventory of Remains
All parts recovered
Condition of Remains
Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color
Black
Head Hair Description
No further description in autopsy report Post mortem photo indicates apparent shoulder-length or shorter hair
Body Hair Description
No further description in autopsy report
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye Color
Brown
Right Eye Color
Brown
Eye DescriptionNo further description in autopsy report
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Scar/mark
1/4" circular hyperpigmented (darker than surrounding skin) area of scarring in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen


Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Clothing
Aqua dress white full length girdle
On the Body

Footwear
black or brown loafers
On the Body

Jewelry
gold wristwatch on left wrist ring on left hand ring finger necklace on neck
On the Body

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[Summer_Breeze]

Unidentified: Few clues left behind to identify Lake Erie Jane Doe found in 1960s

It’s a cold case out of Cleveland that hasn’t gotten much attention until now.

www.cleveland19.com

By Sara Goldenberg
Published: Feb. 9, 2024 at 4:39 PM ET|
Updated: 16 hours ago

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Her identity has remained a mystery for more than 50 years.

Who was the woman found dead in Lake Erie back in the 1960s and what happened to her?

It’s a cold case out of Cleveland that hasn’t gotten much attention until now.

We’re profiling John and Jane Doe cases in our series Unidentified, in hopes of finding families answers.

There aren’t many details available about this Jane Doe.

We’re profiling her case in hopes that someone out there may recognize her or remember hearing stories from family members of a loved one who went missing in Cleveland around this time.

What we know

Five months after the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland in 1969, a woman’s body turned up not too far away by the 9th Street Pier.

That November, a water department crew with the city cleaning a sewer nearby found human remains caught in pilings.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office determined she hadn’t been in the water long, maybe just days.

Here’s what we know about this Jane Doe.

She was white, 35 to 45 years old, 5′5″ and 201 pounds.

She had short black hair, brown eyes and a small scar on the right side of her lower abdomen.

She was wearing an aqua dress and jewelry when she died, including a ring on her left hand ring finger, revealing she may have been married.

How she died and who she is remain a mystery, more than five decades later.

Solving unidentified cases for families
A photo of Lake Erie Jane Doe has been altered by investigators for public release and recognition purposes.

Samantha Molnar is a criminal intelligence analyst and forensic artist with Ohio BCI.

She works on facial reconstruction models and 3D photos for John and Jane Does across the state.

Her mission is to bring these families answers.

“I see the pain that these families go through every year that passes and their loved ones still hasn’t come home-- and for me to get the opportunity to work with these local agencies work with fantastic investigators and also these families and help bring their loved one home, even if they are we are bringing them home deceased at least they know and they aren’t spending the rest of their days wondering what happened,” she said.

We checked NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and found 25 missing persons have been checked for a match to this Jane Doe and excluded.

If you know who this woman was, call the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office at 216-721-5610, select 1 and ask for the investigations department.