The Bone Lady: Life As a Forensic Anthropologist

27. For Those Who Wait

FOR THOSE WHO WAIT HAT famous cases are out there that you would like to solve?" is a question people often ask me. My answer sometimes surprises them. Media attention immediately focuses on any new or rehashed evidence regarding high-profile deaths, such as the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the tragic demise of Marilyn Monroe, the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, or the whereabouts of Adolf Hitler's remains. Plenty of sleuths track these stories. Though I have my own theories about these cases and have read various accounts over the years by those who claim to offer "new evidence," I am not strongly drawn to famous personalities. I prefer, instead, to use my energies toward identifying my own cases who remain without names. My "wish list" includes real names for the John and Jane Does who wait in my lab. These are some of their stories. 27 W West Baton Rouge Parish case Ascension Parish case Calcasieu Parish case Beauregard Parish case FOR THOSE WHO WAIT 135 In early 1985 a small white female, somewhere between the ages of twenty-four and thirty-two, was found on the river bank in West Baton Rouge Parish near Port Allen, Louisiana. She had been dead between three and six months. She was approximately 5-feet, 3-inches to 5-feet, 5-inches tall. She had good dental work and could be identified with dental records. Who is she? A young white male between twenty-five and thirty-five years of age was found on June 13, 1991, in McElroys Swamp in Ascension Parish, near Sorrento, Louisiana. He had been dead between one and two weeks when discovered. He had shoulder-length brown hair, with a few streaks of gray, pulled back in a ponytail secured with a rubber band. He had excellent dental work, including a removable bridge. He also had a diagonal scar across his right abdomen. Finally, he was wearing a pierced earring that was made from a human tooth set in gold. Who is he? In December 1991 a young white female, possibly of Mexican or Native American heritage, was found in Calcasieu Parish near Vinton, Louisiana, just south of Interstate 10. She had been dead for just a few days when authorities found her body. She was only twenty-three to thirty years of age. She had medium-length brown hair, stood around 5-feet, 4-inches tall, and weighed between 100 and 115 pounds. A small ring with a bird image and turquoise, as well as other jewelry, was found near her. She has dental fillings that could help to identify her, and we believe there is a chance that she may be from Texas or other points farther west. She remainsunidentified. In 1993 a black male between thirty and forty years old was found in a wooded area in Beauregard Parish in southwestern Louisiana. He had been dead for several months when found. His teeth were in perfect condition; no cavities or fillings were present in his mouth. He was between 5-feet, y-inches and 5-feet, 9-inches tall. Who is he? 136 THE BONE LADY St. John the Baptist Parish case Madison Parish case On April 2,, 1994, a forty-eight- to fifty-eight-year-old white male was found in a lightly wooded area in St. John the Baptist Parish. He had been dead from two to four weeks. He had bird tattoos across his chest, and "B 4 Lynn" tattooed on his left arm; another tattoo with "Mother" and wings adorned his left forearm. He had a surgical pin in his knee and very few teeth in his mouth. He remains unidentified. In December 1994 a young white female between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five was found in Madison Parish near Tallulah, Louisiana, just off Interstate 20. She had been dead for a minimum of two months and perhaps as long as a year. She was approximately 5-feet, 4-inches to 5-feet, 6-inches tall and of medium build. She was wearing a "Team NFL" T-shirt. She has dental fillings and very distinctive front teeth. Who is she? Still others wait in our laboratory: the fifteen- to eighteen-year-old white female with long, light brown hair found in a wooded area in central Louisiana in 1980; the eighteen- to twenty-three-year-old white [18.222.115.179] Project MUSE (2024-04...