In 1954, two college students were hiking along a creek outside of Boulder, Colorado, when they stumbled upon the nude and badly battered body of a young woman splayed on the rocks. Who was this woman? What had happened to her?

In Someone’s Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe, author Silvia Pettem narrates a unique partnership among law-enforcement officials, forensic experts, and herself—a historian with a desire to right a wrong. Decades after the crime was committed, the team embarks on a quest to seek justice and to restore dignity to the unidentified murder victim.

The author initiated the undertaking by reconstructing the case from historical newspaper articles, and then she approached her local sheriff and asked him to revisit the half-century-old mystery. Before long, they were joined by nationally renowned forensic experts and a network of internet-connected researchers—all compassionate coworkers who have become members of Jane Doe’s extended family.

Using methods and techniques not available in the 1950s, the new team exhumed the victim’s remains, obtained DNA, and had her face reconstructed by a forensic artist. Meanwhile, the author and the researchers followed numerous leads to narrow a list of
missing women and to close in on Jane Doe’s probable murderer—a notorious serial killer—all with the cooperation and assistance of law-enforcement officials.

During her fascinating pursuit to resolve this halfcentury-old cold case homicide, Pettem brings to light the plight of thousands of other missing and unidentified victims, brings closure to the family of another long-term missing person, and makes a strong case for Jane Doe’s identity.

JACKET COPY, BACK FLAP:

Silvia Pettem has roots in the East, but her heart—and her passion for history—is in the West. Pettem calls herself a historical detective and has done extensive research for individuals, businesses, and governments; freelanced for a number of publications; and written a dozen books—including Boulder: Evolution of a City and the award-winning biography, Separate Lives: The Story of Mary Rippon. She has two grown daughters and four grandchildren and lives with her husband and cat in the mountains west of Boulder, where she continues her research and writing.

$22.95
Taylor Trade Publishing
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Cover images, top: Members of the local community gathered in Columbia Cemetery for graveside services of Jane Doe, reprinted with permission of the Rocky Mountain News. Lower left: Two Boulder police detectives at the crime scene the day after Jane Doe’s body was found, courtesy of the Daily Camera. Lower right: Jane Doe’s gravestone in Columbia Cemetery, courtesy of the Daily Camera.
Jacket design by Piper F. Wallis