The show is scheduled to air locally at 8 p.m. on the Fox network.

Historian Silvia Pettem maintains a Web site called BoulderJaneDoe.com, [replaced by this website] where she and others discuss the murder of a young woman whose decomposing body was found near Boulder Creek on April 8, 1954. Her interest in the case was instrumental in reviving the investigation.

Detective Steve Ainsworth is handling the cold case for the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

He will be in Maryland on Saturday and Sunday. Operators will handle incoming calls, but Ainsworth or Pettem can take over an interview with a tipster if the information seems particularly promising.

"I don't know what to expect," Pettem said. "I am thrilled to be a part of it."

"America's Most Wanted" producer Fred Peabody said Thursday that the segment will last about 10 1/2 minutes, notably longer than the show's typical six-minute segment.

Peabody said Pettem's interest in the case also piqued the show's interest.

"We were impressed at the passion that this local historian, author and grandmother had for this story," he said. "She just became so fascinated by this case."

Jane Doe's body was exhumed in June 2004. A year later, a facial-reconstruction model of her head was developed. Investigators believe she was about 20 years old at the time of her death, but she has never been identified, and her killer has never been found.

The segment includes footage of the exhumation and interviews with Pettem and local law enforcement.

In March 2006, based on a theory that started on Pettem's Web site, Ainsworth began to look into the possibility that Doe was an early victim of serial killer Harvey Glatman, who was later dubbed the Lonely Hearts Killer by newspapers.

Peabody said he hopes the national and international audience the show reaches each week will help generate tips on Doe's identity.

"Maybe it will sort of ring some bells," he said. "There may be a family out there that will come forward and, of course, the next step will be to do a DNA test."

Cold-case profiles are relatively new for "America's Most Wanted," and the Boulder Jane Doe case will be among the first featured.

"It just sounded really fascinating," Peabody said. "It isn't a typical "America's Most Wanted" story.

Pierrette J. Shields can be reached at 303-684-5273, or by e-mail at pshields@times-call.com.