Unidentified Murder Victim, from 1976, May Have Had Massachusetts Ties

Photo: An artist’s rendering of what the victim may have looked like. Credit: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Do you recognize the “Jane Doe” above?

She was the victim of a homicide in 1976. Her body was found on an access road near a cemetery in Woodlawn, Maryland, on Sept. 12, 1976.

She had been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. “Her body was wrapped in a white sheet, her hands tied behind her back. A handkerchief with holes cut out for her eyes and nose covered her face, and a bag had been placed over her head,” according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Yes, it’s been 38 years, but the center is trying to identify her and has asked for the public’s help. Based on evidence recovered at the scene, the female or her killer or killers appears to have had Massachusetts ties, according to the center.

The female’s description

The victim was between 15-20 years old. She was about 5-foot-8 with dark brown or black hair and had a homemade tattoo on her right upper arm, which was hard to read but possibly was the letters “JP.”

She had a one-and-a-half inch scar on her right thigh, and her ears were pierced. She was found wearing a white short sleeved sweater, yellowish-beige Levi jeans, a white bra and multicolored striped knee high socks.

According to the center, she was wearing a necklace made of leather with a light blue bead (pictured below). Police recovered a light brown leather shoe with a twine shoelace nearby, which was believed to have been hers.

The Massachusetts ties

The cloth bag (pictured below) covering her head and the piece of cloth used to gag her were both lawn seed bags from the Farm Bureau Association in Massachusetts, according to the center. The bags, which were discontinued in 1974, were only sold in five cities: Waltham, Greenfield, Lowell, Rochdale and South Weymouth.

Police also found two brass keys and a safety pin (pictured below) in her right front pocket, which were traced to a manufacturer in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. One of the keys appeared to be a house key, the other a night latch key, according to the center.

Her death was ruled a homicide by asphyxia, but later authorities discovered toxic levels of the drug “Chlorpromazine” in her system. Chlorpromazine was used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia but also as a tranquillizer, according to the center.

If you have any information about this “Jane Doe,” call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).