After exhuming the body of an unidentified homicide victim from 1973, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office’s Cold Case Unit can now present a clear image of what “Jane Doe” looked like at the time of her death, thanks to the help of forensic artist Joe Mullins, who was able to craft a clay facial reconstruction bust.
The victim, an unidentified Black woman in her late 20s to early 30s, was discovered dead on May 28, 1973, on Foundry and Taylor roads in Lincoln, Virginia. Detectives at the time were unable to identify her or apprehend any suspects, and the case has remained open for over 50 years. She was buried as a Jane Doe.
Hoping to use new forensic methods to gain more information in the case, a team of experts from the LCSO exhumed Jane Doe’s remains from the Mount Olive Baptist Church Cemetery in 2023. They transported the remains to the regional coroner’s office in Manassas and extracted a DNA sample.
Using a 3D-printed model of the skeletal remains, Mullins sculpted a bust that shows what the victim looked like at the time of her death. Mullins is an adjunct professor in the forensic science department and the school of art at George Mason University.
“This effort to create a portrait from the inside out allows students to experience art with a purpose, learning how to reconstruct facial features that could aid law enforcement agencies, such as the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office, to identify the victim in this unique way, which could help solve crimes and bring closure to victims’ families,” Mullins said.
Investigators created a DNA profile from the extracted DNA but have not yet been able to link it to any family members close enough to the victim to identify her. They believe she may have connections to Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, or Mississippi in addition to Virginia. Surnames associated with possible distant relatives include Booker, Shepherd, and Loving.
The victim had black hair and was about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with an estimated weight of 145 pounds. She was wearing an orange blouse, knit pants, and a plaid orange, blue, and white jacket. She wore a blue stone ring on her right ring finger.
“This cold case illustrates law enforcement at its finest. I’m so proud of the work the LCSO has done on this case, as well as our partnerships with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and with Professor Mullins,” said Sheriff Mike Chapman. “I hope this relentless determination, combined with the renewed interest sparked by this incredible sculpture, not only leads to identifying the victim but also brings us closer to solving the murder.”
Road to Reburial
Now that the body has been exhumed, the sheriff’s office is faced with a new problem: Jane Doe’s remains cannot legally be reburied.
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall raised the issue in a November 7 meeting. “She was buried as a Jane Doe, and that was legal to do that 25 years ago,” Randall said. “Since then, a law has passed that has said it is illegal to bury people if we do not know their identification.”
The victim’s remains are still at the regional coroner’s office. Randall and Lt. Col. Christopher Sawyer of the Sheriff’s Office expressed in the meeting that there were concerns over treating the remains with respect until the victim is identified.
“In this interim time before we have her identified, we really don’t feel like it’s an appropriate, respectful situation to just have her body in the morgue,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Sawyer.
Randall said she intends to introduce a policy statement into the county’s 2025 Legislative Program that would allow those who have been exhumed for the purposes of DNA extraction or investigation to be reinterred if they remain unidentified. The Sheriff’s Office is looking into whether policy or legislative changes would be warranted in cases like this.
“I understand the ideal that we shouldn’t be burying people that we can’t identify. I get that, and I support that,” Randall said. “But this — her remains have been buried for 25 years, and now she is in the morgue, and I want, we want to be able to respectfully reinter her.”
Feature image courtesy Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
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