2 Dead Bodies Identified In Ohio After Decades Long Investigation

COLUMBUS, OH — Two Jane Does have been identified after nearly two decades of investigation. Both Does were found dead in Columbus in the late 1990s, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. The two cases appear to be unrelated.

“The case might get stale, but it is never cold — as this fresh detective work and forensic reconstruction shows,”Yost said. “Everybody had a name, and a life. Everyone counts.”

On May 17, 1998, the body of a woman was found next to a building on Hardy Parkway Street in Columbus. The Bureau of Criminal Investigations constructed a post-mortem image of the woman and then sent out inquiries across Ohio and the U.S. Specific attention was paid to missing persons reports who matched the generated description of the woman.

This week, investigators identified the woman as Turina Jefferies, of Philadelphia. When she died, Jefferies was 32.

On Nov. 11, 1999, the body of a woman was found outside the Kahiki restaurant on East Broad Street in Columbus. Law enforcement believe she died of natural causes. A forensic artist completed a post-mortem image of the woman in 2018.

This week, the woman was identified as Karen Kaye Frank. She was 52 when her body was discovered. She was born in California but had recently moved to Ohio, Yost's office said.

“Inquiries were sent through NamUs across the State of Ohio and the United States regarding other missing females, who matched the description of both women in hopes of learning their identity. We have been able to provide closure to their families," said Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz.