MS OLIVE BRANCH JANE DOE: WF, 20-40, found near Coldwater River Bridge in Olive Branch, MS - 24 Jan 1985 *LORIE MEALER PENNELL*

​

369UFMS - Unidentified Female​

Artistic renderings of the victim (left by Carl Koppelman). To view post-mortem photos, please click here and here.

Date of Discovery: January 24, 1985
Location of Discovery: Olive Branch, Desoto County, Mississippi
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide by ligature strangulation and/or exposure

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 20-40 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'2" to 5'4"
Weight: 105 to 130 lbs.
Hair: Dark to strawberry blond or light red, short to medium length, and wavy.
Eye Color: Gray (autopsy report) or brown (coroner's report)
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Heavy smoker. Three piercings in each ear. Fingernails deeply bitten. Tubes tied. Freckled complexion. Small frame. Tattoos: T.H.C. on her right ankle and R.C.J (last letter is questionable; other possiblities are REJ or RET) on her left ankle. Diagonal surgical scar (12 cm) on the back of her left forearm. A scar on left hand's pip joint. Scars on the second and third fingers (1.5cm and 2cm). Scars on the base of her thumb (2cm long).

Identifiers​

Dentals: Not available. Teeth overall were in poor condition; several fillings were found (possibly from youth). Missing lower front tooth.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Light peach-colored short-sleeved pullover top with embroidery on the front and Gloria Vanderbilt blue jeans. No shoes, nor coat, nor undergarments were located.
Jewelry: Unknown.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown.

Circumstances of Discovery​

The victim's body was spotted about 7:30 AM by a truck driver traveling southbound on U.S. 78, just east of the Coldwater River bridge and west of the rest area.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Mississippi Chief Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Mark LeVaughn
Agency Phone Number: 601-987-1440
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 15-1615

Agency Name: Desoto County Sheriff's Department
Agency Contact Person: Det. Louie Hutchins or Det. Mundy Quinn
Agency Phone Number: 901-527-6581
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 19850124

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 8675

Information Source(s)​

NamUs
Mississippi Missing & Unidentified Persons

369UFMS

www.doenetwork.org

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Investigators identify victim in 39-year cold case in DeSoto County

On Jan. 24, 1985, a woman’s body was found on Highway 78 in Olive Branch.

www.localmemphis.com

Investigators identify victim in 39-year cold case in DeSoto County​

Investigators have identified a woman who had been strangled to death 39 years ago in DeSoto County, the sheriff's department announced.

Lori Ann Mealer Pennell was identified as the victim. On Jan. 24, 1985, the woman’s body was found on Highway 78 in Olive Branch. Amber Edlin — the evidence clerk and crime scene technician with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department — has worked since 2023 to uncover her identity.

They positively identified the victim as Pennell, who has a brother in California as her only living relative.

The sheriff’s department said it will continue to investigate until they bring Pennell’s killer to justice.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Desoto County Jane Doe (1985) is now Identified

Mississippi Office of the State Medical Examiner & Desoto County Sheriff Team with Othram to Identify 1985 Homicide Victim

dnasolves.com

Mississippi Office of the State Medical Examiner & Desoto County Sheriff Team with Othram to Identify 1985 Homicide Victim​

In 2022, working with the Desoto County Sheriff’s Office, the Mississippi Office of the State Medical Examiner submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the murdered woman. Previous attempts at DNA testing for forensic genetic genealogy had failed. Funding to support this case was provided by Mississippi native and philanthropist Carla Davis, who is committed to resolving the backlog of cold cases in Mississippi. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA profile using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct forensic genetic genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.

A follow-up investigation led investigators to relatives of the murdered woman. Additional comparisons of the DNA profile for the murdered woman and a close relative confirmed the identity of the woman as Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell, who was born on September 6th, 1962, in Missouri. Lorie was last seen at a West Memphis Truck Stop in 1982. Her family filed a missing persons report in West Memphis, Arkansas, but she was never found. Pennell’s death remains under investigation and further information will be released as it becomes available.

 

[Kimster]

If she was last seen at a truckstop, she probably got picked up and taken out. How sad!