HOME | JANE DOE/SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER | CONTACT
| JANE DOE ARTICLES |
 |
| April 1, 2004, Boulder Weekly, Searching for Jane Doe's Killer, by Joel Warner She was dumped over the side of 29-foot embankment along Boulder Creek just south of Boulder Falls. Her petite, battered body had been stripped naked, nothing left save for three bobby pins in her reddish-brown hair. Her assailant had worked hard to conceal any clues showing who had done the deed. She landed on the bank of the creek, skull fractured, jaw broken, ribs shattered - and she was still alive. As she slipped into oblivion, did she wonder if her killer would ever be discovered? Did she wonder if her own identity would be lost forever? The body of "Jane Doe" was discovered 50 years ago this week, on April 8, 1954. Despite an extensive investigation that gripped the nation at the time, Jane Doe was buried in Boulder's Columbia Cemetery alone and unidentified, and her killer never faced justice. But one woman aims to change all that. Silvia Pettem, local historian extraordinaire, believes the Jane Doe mystery can be solved. She has convinced the sheriff's department to consider re-opening the case, including unearthing Jane Doe's remains and using new forensic techniques to possibly discover her identity as well as her murderer. A local history writer, Pettem has always been obsessed with Boulder's dark side. That much is certain from reading her latest book, Behind the Badge: 125 Years of the Boulder, Colorado, Police Department, which is filled with tales of arsonist prostitutes, bootlegging rings and a few railroad workers who almost succeeded in blowing up the town. So when Pettem first came across the little tombstone in Columbia Cemtery that reads, "Jane Doe, April 1954, Age about 20 years," she was hooked. And she didn't just want to write about the murder she wanted to solve it. "As a grandmother, if this was my child, or grandchild, I would hope someone would care enough to find out who she is," says Pettem. "I really do think this is something we can do." Through Pettem's encouragement, the Boulder County Sheriff's Department has agreed to re-open the case, if she can foot the bill. The police hope that advances in forensic science might provide the answers that eluded investigators in the case 50 years ago. The grisly, mysterious nature of Jane Doe's death made the case national news in 1954. But all promising leads in the investigation fell through, and the type of technology needed to identify a naked body exposed to the elements for several days was still far in the future. So after local residents pitched in to pay for Jane Doe's funeral and cemetery lot, the mysterious woman drifted off into obscurity. Today things might be different. By obtaining DNA from Jane Doe's exhumed remains, investigators could be able to compare it to the DNA of people who might be her relatives. If they can determine her relatives, they can discover her identity, and if they discover her identity they may be able to find out who killed her. "It's an unsolved homicide, and if there was some chance of being able to resolve it, that's certainly our primary interest," says Boulder Lt. Phil West. "Secondarily, this one has some aspects to it that are new and novel for us, because we don't have too many cases that would involve this type of forensic evidence, such as the possibility of using DNA and so forth." While the authorities aren't too worried about the killer striking again all these years later, they do acknowledge time is running out. If Jane Doe had siblings or other close relatives who could help identify her, they would now be in their 60s or 70s. "We can't waste another 10 years or 20 years," says Pettem. "This is our window of opportunity right now. We've got the technology, and the siblings might still be alive." To find these people before it's too late, Pettem has to get the word out. Since February, she's been contacting local and national media outlets and might even get the story on Unsolved Mysteries. She's also been combing historical documents and online missing person databases and posting her findings on www.boulderjanedoe.com. She's already had a few leads; one woman contacted Pettem and asked if Jane Doe had a child. "Who knows? Maybe she is [Jane Doe's] daughter," says Pettem. But all of Pettem's work might be for naught if she can't raise the $6,500 the sheriff's department needs to re-open the case and conduct a thorough forensic investigation. Through the Boulder History Museum, Pettem has already raised more than $2,000 in tax-deductible donations but still has a long way to go. Pettem remains optimistic that Boulder will come to her and Jane Doe's aid. "People go to murder mysteries all the time that people make up. Why not solve a real one here in Boulder?" she says. "In 1954, Boulder contributed money for her gravestone. Now can't it find the money to put a name on that gravestone?" Tax-deductible donations can be made out to the Boulder History Museum, with a note saying the money is to go to the Jane Doe Fund, and mailed to The Jane Doe Fund, The Boulder History Museum, 1206 Euclid Ave., Boulder, CO 80302. Donations can also be made online at www.boulderjanedoe.com. Donations will be returned if insufficient funds are collected. |
|
| RETURN TO JANE DOE ARCHIVES 1 | Silvia Pettem |
