New Clue Released About Douglas County's 'Jane Doe'
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) - There's a new clue that Douglas County authorities hope will help them identify a woman murdered 20 years ago.
She's been known as "Jane Doe," but with a new investigative tool, authorities are hoping they can put a real name on the murder victim.
Last October, Douglas County authorities exhumed Jane Doe's body hoping to solve the 20-year old mystery.
"It's not just a body, it's a person, so we want to find out and reunite her with her family," said Lora Thomas, Douglas County Coroner.
The woman was found dead at a Douglas County campground in 1993, thought to have been murdered. But she had no identification and was never identified, buried as an unknown.
Years ago investigators came up with a clay depiction of what the young woman might have looked like, but now a Miami-based forensic artist has produced a new composite drawing of Jane Doe. It's much more detailed and much different than the earlier representation.
"Everybody watches shows like CSI and NCIS because people love the mystery, they love the solution," Thomas said. "We have a mystery but we haven't been able to solve it. This is all about solving this mystery."
To solve the mystery, after the exhumation, they sent the woman's skull to the Miami artist. She then plotted key points to create the composite of the unidentified teenage girl, who might have been a runaway.
DNA from the body is also being examined as a possible lead.
Ultimately, investigators say their Jane Doe is someone's daughter or sister and has a family somewhere wondering what happened.
"I have a brand new little granddaughter and I'm so enthralled with her that I just can't imagine what it would be like if something happened to her and we didn't know," Thomas said.
Thomas says if anyone recognizes the picture to either call the coroner's office or the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
