Tuscaloosa Investigators Hope New Technology Helps Identify Victim In 1982 Cold Case

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit has produced new facial images of a longstanding unsolved cold case of a woman who was found dead in the Fosters area of Tuscaloosa County on the Black Warrior River in April 1982.

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Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the multiagency unit, told local media the victim’s body was found in good condition and very near to the time of her death, likely within 24-48 hours.

According to a story written by former Tuscaloosa News reporter Ken Stickney at the beginning of the investigation, the woman's body was found partially submerged in Slaughter Creek on April 18 by three fishermen on Dry Creek Road near the Old Robinson Bend Landing.

An autopsy at the time said the woman — who would go on to become known locally as "Mrs. X" — had been strangled, beaten and sexually assaulted.

Stickney would go on to report that while investigators had yet to make an arrest or name potential suspects, at one point that April they were looking for a man and woman who had been seen in the area two days prior to the body being found.

Police said at the time that the two individuals were in a vehicle that was stuck in the muddy roadway in the immediate vicinity of where the body was later found, ultimately requiring assistance from three individuals to free the vehicle. It was during this encounter that the man informed the three individuals that they had "just left a bar."

Following widespread media attention, an update from Stickney six weeks after the body was found said the couple had still not been located or come forward.

The woman's body was reportedly kept in a freezer for eight months as investigators worked to identify her, before she was buried in a "pale gray casket" on Dec. 9, 1982 in Sunset Memorial Park, in a section for unclaimed or unidentified individuals.

Rev. Joe Bob Mizzell, of Albert Baptist, presided over the funeral and a handful of mourners attended.

Investigators initially believed the killer to be someone local, due to the location where the body was found. Still, despite reports saying that homicide investigators had received scores of leads that April, the woman was never identified and her killer never brought to justice.

"We have checked out some 300 leads and upward," said Captain Shirley Fields when the investigation first began. "I thought the woman might be local, but I don't know what to think now."

"Autopsy examination revealed that her death was criminal, and she suffered extensive trauma," Kennedy said on Wednesday. "Color 35mm photographs were taken of her and these photographs were used at the time in an attempt to identify her. Investigators spent a great deal of time searching missing person reports, and publicizing this case, but were unable to identify the victim."

Kennedy went on to say that a more recent investigation into the woman's identity included exhumation of the body. Still, despite the hard work put into the case over several decades, the victim has never been identified.

In an effort to secure a break in the case, Kennedy said the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Lab at Louisiana State University (LSU) to create new images of the victim from the original photographs and medical records.

The FACES Lab, he said, utilizes forensic imaging to create images of victims that are life-like, and more representative of how a victim would have actually appeared in life.

"We are releasing these images to the public now in hopes that an acquaintance or family member may recognize the victim, so that she can be identified, and provide new leads into the investigation of her death," Kennedy said.

The victim is described as a white female, 5’3” tall, with black/brown shoulder length hair, brown eyes and type “O” blood.

The woman wore size 7 tennis shoes, Kennedy said, before mentioning that the medical examiner reported that she previously been pregnant and/or given birth to a child sometime in her life.

Newspaper reports from the time say she was wearing gray sneakers, navy blue knit pants and a "Preppy" brand long sleeve, button-up blue blouse. She also reportedly had a partial upper plate with two front teeth.

Those with any information into this case are asked to contact the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office at (205) 752-0616 or the Violent Crimes Unit at (205) 464-8690.

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