Artistic renderings of the victim by Catyana Falsetti, Judy Reimer and Wesley Neville; victim's clothing, shoe, and dentures. To view postmortem photos of the victim, please click Photo 1 , Photo 2 and Photo 3 .
Artistic renderings of the victim by Catyana Falsetti, Judy Reimer and Wesley Neville; victim's clothing, shoe, and dentures. To view postmortem photos of the victim, please click
Photo 1
,
Photo 2
and
Photo 3
.
Date of Discovery: May 4, 1984
Location of Discovery: Westby, Vernon County, Wisconsin
Estimated Date of Death: 24-48 hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide by beating
Estimated Age: 50-65 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'5" to 5'6"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hair Color: Tinted brown with streaks of gray at the temples. She may have had a permanent shortly before her death.
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features:
Toenails were left untrimmed with nails having a hooked appearance. Vertical abdominal scar (4
3/4"
) along her midline. Blood type O postive.
Dentals: Available. Full dentures with the following numbers on tissue side of upper denture - 420 inscribed with a burr tip instrument - 289 in raised lettering on denture when made at dental laboratory. Two of the teeth on the dentures were missing; it is unknown if this was a result of her murder. Poor hygiene.
Fingerprints: Not available. Hands not recovered.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: Brown/tan/black/turquoise plaid 3/4 length coat lined in pink/purple, blue and white dress with a large paisley print pattern on a black background, light blue turtleneck top, nylons rolled just above the knees, and tan slip-on shoes (size 8 1/2). The coat and dress appear to be homemade.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Found at one of the scenes was a Men's quartz Seiko watch (model 8620 0019 serial number 5498).
Between 11:15pm and 11:30pm, three people driving along Old Line Road saw the victim's body lying at the roadside, about six miles from Westby, Wisconsin. Her hands were severed at the wrist and have not been recovered.
The killer made no attempt to hide her body. She had been bludgeoned to death at another location. A yellow 2-door compant vehicle was seen in the vicinity.
When the sheriff's deputy arrived on scene at 11:50pm, he noticed fresh tracks in the gravel indicating a vehicle had made a U-turn.
After seeing the news report the murder, a couple stated they had seen a parked, bright yellow compact car with a man outside of it. The man was moving around to the driver's side from the passenger side at about 9:45pm on May 4th. When investigators checked the area the couple reported seeing the vehicle, they found a piece of the fractured denture, some blood, and a man's Seiko watch. The watch's band had separated from the watch at one end.
Based upon the tire tracks, investigators theorize that the suspect had pulled of US Highway 14 and made an attempt to dump the body when the couple interrupted him. As he drove away, his tires spun. The car then went south then west on Old Line Road about three miles and dumped the body.
Investigators believe the victim was not native to the area where she was found. Over 400 leads have been followed in the case.
In May 2018, it was announced that forensic tests on the pollen on the victim's clothing indicated she was possibly native to Arizona or New Mexico, or had at least spent time in those states.
Agency Name: Vernon County Coroner's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 608-637-5284
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 324-84
Agency Name: Wisconsin Department of Justice: Division of Criminal Investigation
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 608-266-1671
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown
Agency Name: Wisconsin Clearinghouse For Missing Adults
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 1-800-843-4673
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown
NCIC Case Number: U540005706
NamUs Case Number: 4786
NamUs
Wisconsin Department of Justice
FBI
Vernon County Sheriff's Office
Wikipedia
ABC 15 News
Added: 1/1/2005; Last Updated: 8/14/2022
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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