TX PLAINVIEW JANE DOE: WF, 15-25, found decapitated on dirt road near Plainview, TX - 16 Feb 1982

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

On February 16, 1982 the badly decomposed headless and nude body of a small, young White/Caucasian female was found on a dirt road in the desert outside Plainview, Hale County, Texas. The woman, found with her hands tied behind her back, was in her late teens to early twenties. Several days later, a human skull was found in the area and, having thought to be that of the woman, was buried with her in a Plainview cemetery. Subsequently, following exhumation of the body in 2015, the original determination by Pathologist Erdmann of Childress that the skull belonged to the woman was discredited.

DNA Doe Project Status: Research in progress

Plainview Jane Doe 1982 - DNA Doe Project Cases

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Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 40
Height: 4' 9"-5' 2"(57-62 inches) , Estimated
Weight: 95-105 lbs, Estimated
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Traumatic injuries

On February 16, 1982, the headless body of #JaneDoe was found with her hands bound in Plainview, #TEXAS and is still UNIDENTIFIED!

Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 40 Height: 4' 9"-5' 2"(57-62 inches) , Estimated Weight: 95-105 lbs, Estimated Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Traumatic injuries

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[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Texas Rangers Reopen “Jane Doe” Cold Case in Plainview

Investigators with the Texas Rangers have reopened a Hale County cold case murder. Back in 1982, authorities found a young woman, decapitated outside Plainview, but were never able to identify the …

www.myhighplains.com

Texas Rangers Reopen “Jane Doe” Cold Case in Plainview​

A Hale County murder mystery that sat cold for nearly 33 years will get a second chance to finally be brought to light.

Back in February of 1982, Hale County officials found a young woman’s body, decapitated, left on a dirt road outside Plainview. Tony Arnold, an investigator with the Texas Rangers, recently happened upon the case while reviewing that of another Hale County murder from around the same time. He’s now the one heading the reopened investigation into the death of the Hale County “Jane Doe.”

“We just wanted to see what we could do to get her identified,” Arnold said.

A serial killer by the name of Henry Lee Lucas would try to take credit for Jane Doe’s death. In the 80s he was even indicted for the murder. The charge was eventually dropped after he was sentenced to life in prison for another homicide. Jane Doe’s identity remained undiscovered.

“They tried finger print comparisons, with negative results,” Arnold explained. “They tried a facial reconstruction, and had negative results.”

Jane Doe’s remains were buried in a Plainview cemetery under the marker “Jane Doe.” Inside that grave was a skull that, at the time, experts believed belonged to her. But the medical examiner who determined that, Dr. Ralph Erdmann, would later be discredited for falsifying autopsies.

Arnold says there’s now doubt that the skull buried with Jane Doe’s remains belongs to the victim.

“We could have more than one person in there.”

Those remains have now been exhumed for DNA samples. Those samples are now on their way to the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas. Experts there will cross reference Jane Doe’s DNA profile with those of known missing persons nationwide.

Arnold remains hopeful this will be the step to finally solve the case.

“We’re hoping that we’ll get an ID because technology advances every day, as well as that database grows every day.”