Reconstructions by NCMEC; sketch and bust by Marla Lawson; additional sketch and reconstructed images of clothing.
Identified...Identified...Identified
Reconstructions by NCMEC; sketch and bust by Marla Lawson; additional sketch and reconstructed images of clothing.
Date of Discovery: December 21, 1988
Location of Discovery: Millwood, Ware County, Georgia
Estimated Date of Death: 1-2 months prior
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Cause of Death: Undetermined
Estimated Age: 3-4 years old
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Height: 2'8" to 3'1
Weight: 23-27 lbs.
Hair Color: Black and curly, worn in a ponytail tied with a brown rubber band. Bright-colored bows also found in hair.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Right ear, at least, was pierced. No earrings found with the remains.
Dentals: Not available. She had slight gaps between some of her baby teeth.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: White thermal pajama pants with maroon trim, a disposable diaper and and a white, knit pullover shirt with a red pony emblem in the upper left chest area.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: The child's body was wrapped in a brown baby blanket.
A logging truck driver who stepped into the woods, near an isolated garbage dump in Ware County, Georgia, to relieve himself discovered the girl's body when he became curious about an old television console laying nearby. The console broke open when he kicked it over - revealing a black metal suitcase hidden inside. The body was placed in a gym bag, then in a cement-filled metal suitcase. The suitcase was wrapped with silver duct tape, encased in a plastic sheet and hidden inside the television console nailed shut with plywood.
An autopsy was inconclusive because of the decomposition of her body. Investigators also don't know if she might have been alive when sealed inside the suitcase.
Some speculated the child was Kimberly Janis Boyd, who disappeared from South Carolina alongside her mother and her mother's friend. Boyd was later excluded as a possible identity for the unidentified child.
A potential link to Albany, New York was discovered later in the investigation process. Authorities worked with a local television station in 2009 to put together a news story for the public, but were unsuccessful with finding any additional leads.
Agency Name: Ware County Coroner's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 912-283-3030
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown
Agency Name: Ware County Sheriffs Office
Agency Contact Person: Lieutenant Jody Ponsell
Agency Phone Number: 912-287-2479
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown
Agency Name: Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Agency Contact Person: Special Agent Dale Wiley
Agency Phone Number: 912-389-4103
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 351
NCIC Case Number: U338979918
NamUs Case Number: 5288
NCMEC Case Number: 1123251
NamUs
11 Alive
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
NCMEC
Florida Times-Union
CNN iReport
Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 12/24/17
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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