Date of Discovery: December 5, 1981
Location of Discovery: Martinville, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Auto/pedestrian accident
Physical Description
Estimated Age: 25-35 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'0" to 5'4"
Weight: 130-140 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown and wavy, short.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Surgical scar on abdomen. Healed fracture to the left cheek bone.
Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Teeth #1,16,17 and 32 not seen, possible congenital absence or antemortem loss. Amalgam fillings noted on teeth #2(O), 14(O), 15(BO), 18(BOL), and 30(BOL).
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Gray and black, Coronet Casual brand, cowl neck sweater with long sleeves and collar, size small. Wrangler jeans, size 30" X 31", white knee socks, a Gelmart bra and red and gray Pro Wings jogging shoes, size unknown. Clothing with body includes a short-sleeved plaid cowboy-style shirt, size 14.5; 3 pairs of Sears large-sized (Hips 38-40) underwear in blue, red and beige; Wrangler blue jeans, Misses size 10; white with blue dots night gown, no size given.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Bag from Howard's Supermarket in Port Arthur, TX.
Circumstances of Discovery
The victim was last seen alive at a truck stop trying to hitch a ride. She was struck by a vehicle on Interstate 10 near Henderson. Officials determined that her blood-alcohol content was 0.3 at the time of the impact, far greater than the legal limit. Her death was ruled an accident.
She is believed to be French speaking, based on her clothing and other things, but from Quebec or perhaps another French speaking area rather than from Cajun country.
Her body was exhumed in 2006 for DNA information and then reburied.
By Amanda Johnson Published: Jul. 18, 2022 at 6:46 PM EDT Breaux Bridge, La. (KPLC) - It’s case closed for a 40-year investigation after forensic experts identified the victim of a 1981 pedestrian-vehicle crash. The woman, now identified as Michele Elaine Oakes-Gautreaux, also known as Michele Elaine Oakes Boutilier, 26, of Cut Off, was killed in the early morning of December 5, 1981, on I-10 West in Breaux Bridge. Investigators at the time did not find anything in the victim’s belongings to identify her, said St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Capt. Ginny Higgins. Investigators were also unable to find her next of kin.
The woman was buried in March 1982, Capt. Higgins said. St. Bernard Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge donated the burial plot, casket and tomb for the then-unidentified woman. Pellerin Funeral Home provided the services. Two Breaux Bridge residents cared for the woman’s grave site until their deaths, Capt. Higgins said. An unknown person then took over caring for her grave. Investigators shared information with local and federal law enforcement in nearby states at the time of her death and in the following years, hoping to find a connection with a missing persons case, but no connections were found, Capt. Higgins said. Researchers with the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Laboratory created a facial approximation of the victim and added information about the case to its database, Capt. Higgins said.
Her body was exhumed in 2006 to develop an anthropological profile and collect DNA samples. The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office continued searching for decades - they posted to Facebook in December 2017, looking for a family member or friend who could identify the victim. The post attracted international interest in the case, Capt. Higgins said. The sheriff’s office received a Facebook message that would ultimately lead to a match on January 10, 2022. DNA samples were collected and analyzed at the LSU FACES Laboratory, Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory and the University of North Texas Health Science Center for Human Identification, Capt. Higgins said. After extensive testing, researchers determined that the DNA was a match, and authorities confirmed the identity of the victim.
