37UFTN - Unidentified Female

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Reconstructions of the decedent by NCMEC, Wesley Neville, & Carl Koppelman. Please note, the necklace depicted in the reconstructions is an approximation. Forensic artist rendering of upper front teeth commissioned by "The Fall Line Podcast". To view postmortem photographs of the victim, please click photo 1, photo 2 and photo 3.

Date of Discovery: March 24, 1976
Location of Discovery: Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
Estimated Date of Death: 18-20 hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Drowning (circumstances unknown)

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 14-17 years old
Race: White, Native American and/or Hispanic
Gender: Female
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 120-130 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown or black, long.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Two surgical scars on her abdomen and older scars, possibly cigarette burns, on both her arms. A mole near her left eye. Large build. Very large breasts for her estimated age.

Identifiers

Dentals: Available. Left "fang" tooth was oddly positioned and may heighten the chance of positive identification. According to examining dentists, the crown on molar was not fully developed, 2nd molar roots fully developed. On tooth # 18, no filling but large decay. # 19 occlussal filling & facial, # 14 occlussal filling, # 31 occlussal filling, # 3 occlussal & lingual, # 4 occlussal.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Not available.

Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: A white bra and pair of jeans. A blue blouse was discovered in the river the day after the victim's body was discovered, but it is unclear if it belonged to the victim.
Jewelry: A rawhide bracelet and a choker-type necklace with beads and a white dove.
Additional Personal Items: A photograph of a young blond-haired boy with "Little Charlie" and a phone number written on the back was in her back pocket. "Little Charlie" was later identified to be a 24-year-old man from Nashville who was not the child in the photograph. She also had a black comb and 1 nickel.

Circumstances of Discovery

A fisherman discovered the victim's body in the Harpeth River about 200 yards from a bridge on McCrory Creek Road and downstream from a recreational area near the border of Cheatham County. The female had died due to drowning, yet it is unknown if this was accidental or the result of a homicide, as several abrasions were found on her body that may indicate she was held underwater.

The victim, possibly named Sherry or Cheryl, had had sexual intercourse within a few days of her death, but it was not known whether she was raped.

A man, whose phone number was written on a photograph in the victim's pocket said he and his brother-in-law, who both lived in Nashville at the time, saw the victim 10 days before she was found in the river. He claimed they picked up the victim and her friend on Interstate Highway 24, a slender blond woman, as the two hitchhiked from Nashville.

The two, the man claimed, had run away from a mental hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and were headed to Haines City, Florida, to see the blond woman's husband. The victim, the man said, was being treated for alcoholism, while her friend had been suicidal and had visible scars on her wrists.

Investigators said the men, who claimed they dropped the women off at Interstate 24's Winchester exit, were questioned but never labeled suspects.

The female companion was described to be around the same age with sandy blonde hair and wore wire rim glasses, but was never located or interviewed regarding this decedent.

Investigating Agency(s)

Agency Name: Metro Nashville Police Department - Cold Case Unit
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 615-880-2928
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 76-47535

Agency Name: Davidson County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Steven Jolley
Agency Phone Number: 615-743-1800 or 615-862-7843
Agency E-Mail: missing_persons(at)police.nashville.org
Agency Case Number: 76-47535

NCIC Case Number: U260000057
NamUs Case Number: 8494
NCMEC Case Number: 1167334

Information Source(s)

NamUs
NCMEC
Crimesider
The Fall Line Podcast

Admin Notes

Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 3/28/23