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NC McCULLERS JANE DOE: WF, 35-45, found in field in McCullers, NC - 28 April 1968 *MYRTLE HOLCOMB* (1 Viewer)

474UFNC - Unidentified Female
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Reconstruction of the victim as it appeared in May 1968 paper; Photo taken at the coroner's office after plastic surgeon's reconstruction in May 1968; Cosmetics and shoes found at the scene.

Date of Discovery: April 28, 1968
Location of Discovery: McCullers, Fuquay Varina, Wake County, North Carolina
Estimated Date of Death: 1 day prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 35-45 years old
Race: White with a very slight possibility of Native American mixture.
Sex: Female
Height: 5'2" to 5'4"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair Color: Black with some dark brown and occasional gray.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: She had small ears. She had a surgical scar below the left side of her naval. Blood type is A postive.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Missing teeth #1, 16, 19, and 32. Fillings in teeth #13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 29, and 31. Crown fractured to gingival on tooth #30.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Blood card and hair samples available.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Green and white polka dot dress or blouse with a zipper, brown Italian loafer-style shoes (size 7 1/2, manufacturer not determined) - appeared to be cheaper brand in the range of $4-$10, women's greenish-blue all-weather coat with gray lining, and remnants of what appeared to undergarments and pantyhose.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items:
Pair of gold and brown smoke colored-bifocals
A more expensive transistor battery, probably for a radio.
Two metallic buttons.
Top of a ballpoint pen with the inscription "Unipeco Mt. Vernon N.Y. U.S.A."
Cosmetics/Hygiene items to include: Skin Dew crème for dry skin, overnight medicated cream ($1.25), and silk Fashion liquid makeup ($1.75, introduced in 1967) - all manufactured by Helena Rubenstein, NY, NY; A glass top with "_ilk of _ntimate" - manufactured by Revlon, which is believed to be Silk of Intimate perfume. Some metal tubes or containers which could have been used for lipstick/eyeliner.
Hair clips and a possible greenish-blue hair net.
A wire frame for standing make-up mirror and some glass remnants of mirror.
A Thin Gillette blade in a wrapper.
A pair of Permo TWEEZ tweezers.

Circumstances of Discovery
On April 27, 1968, a woman in a green and white polka dot dress was seen walking down Ten Ten Road in McCullars community, near Fuquay-Varina, in southern Wake County, North Carolina. A witness says her mother and sister saw the woman as they drove toward a church up the road. When they came back 15 minutes later, they saw a fire burning in the field.

The women believed a farmer was burning something until the next day when the woman's body was discovered in that spot.

A suspect in the case died in 1992. The suspect planted tobacco in Canada. Because this woman was a stranger to neighbors, investigators think it is possible that the woman came down from Canada to meet with the suspect. Investigators interviewed the suspect in 1968. He admitted that he and a friend drove up the road to get a look at the woman, but told detectives she had vanished when they got there.

The whereabouts of the decedent's remains are unknown, but investigators have hair and blood samples from the original investigation.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Wake County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 919-856-6800
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 1968-000001

Agency Name: North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Agency Contact Person: Clyde Gibbs
Agency Phone Number: 919-743-9000
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 16339

Information Source(s)
NamUs
Wake County Sheriff's Office
WRAL.com News Archive

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Victim of 1968 homicide in southern Wake County identified, deputies say​

The victim of a homicide in Wake County almost 60 years ago has been identified, the sheriff’s office said Thursday.

According to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the body of a woman was discovered on April 28, 1968, in a field near Lake Wheeler Road and Ten Ten Road in the southern area of the county. The woman had been burned.

A fire had been seen in the area the night before the woman’s body was found, according to the sheriff’s office.

While the victim’s identity remained unknown for several decades, according to the sheriff’s office, resident Robert Reagan was identified as a suspect in 2004. The Wake County District Attorney’s Office determined there was sufficient evidence to charge Reagan with murder, but Reagan had died in 1992 before an arrest could be made.

Following the identification of a suspect, deputies said they spent the next two decades focused on identifying the victim with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

During a press conference on Thursday, 57 years after the discovery, the sheriff’s office announced the victim was identified as Myrtle Holcomb.

Holcomb, born in 1919, had traveled to Raleigh from Florida at the time of her death, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies said they were able to identify Holcomb after a sample of the victim’s hair was sent to Astrea Forensics in 2024 to obtain a DNA profile. The following year, Astrea Forensics developed a profile that matched Holcomb.

A forensics genealogist analyzed the DNA results, which allowed the sheriff’s office to locate Holcomb’s potential relatives. After meeting with the potential relatives, deputies said they performed additional DNA testing, confirming their relation to Holcomb and identifying Holcomb as the victim of the 1968 homicide.

“The entire Wake County Sheriff’s Office offers our sincere condolences to Myrtle’s loved ones. Our hope is that this information provides the family with long-sought answers and reassurance that she has not been forgotten,” Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe said in a statement. “Our office does not put unsolved cases on a shelf never to be touched again. Investigators work diligently with the hope of one day closing every single one, no matter how long it takes.”
 
What stands out to me the most is how they had a suspect without knowing who the victim was. That must have been dna he already had on file.
Good point. Carl K. once told me that in some cases, they do have a good idea of who the doe is, but won't say until the evidence supports it. But, I doubt that's the case here since you can actually identify her face!
 

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