John Latimer

johnlatimer@ldnews.com

Forensic testing done on the remains of a young woman found dead near Fort Indiantown Gap in 1973 has determined she did not grow up in Lebanon County.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children conducted the chemical isotope testing on the woman's remains after they were exhumed in May, in an effort to aid the cold case investigation being conducted by Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Nathan Trate, said Carol Schweizer, case manager for the organization's forensic services division.

The research was done by Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist and associate professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Search for answers to Jane Doe mystery continue

The testing was done because chemical isotopes are naturally deposited in the body through the food and water each person consumes, and can localize where that person came from, explained Schweizer

"This type of forensic testing is not going to identify a person but is is another investigative tool that will help investigators focus their investigative efforts on a geographical region," she said. "She was not a local person. She was not raised in Lebanon County and that is a major step forward."

Based on the testing, Jane Doe likely grew up in the southeastern region of the U.S., said Schweiker. A large area that includes Central-Eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, central and southern West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, southern and eastern Virginia into southern Maryland and Delaware shores.

"When you put that layer on top of an anthropological assessment, it really bolster the amount of information and helps law authorities not only pinpoint the geographical region where that person lived but also how they lived their lives," she said.

The mystery of the young women's death began in Oct. 1973 when two deputy game wardens found her remains hidden under green, plastic tarps and brush in a wooded area off of Moonshine Road, near Fort Indiantown Gap. Her naked body had decomposed and been disturbed by animals. The manner of her death could not be determined and was simply ruled suspicious.

Over the years, several investigators have attempted to solve the mystery. The latest is Trate, who helped bring attention to the young women by conducting news conferences when two busts of the woman were made in hopes someone would recognize her. One bust was made through forensic analysis and the other with the help of NCMEC using a CT scan taken at Hershey Medical Center to build a three-dimensional representation of her face and head.

Anthropological exams were also conducted to gather clues to her identity, including that she was Caucasian, possibly of Southeastern European descent, about 14 to 19 years old and was between 5-feet 5-inches to 5-feet 8-inches in height. She had been dead one to three weeks, but the exams still could not determine her manner of death.

The NCMEC also assisted Trate last May by helping arrange Jane Doe's exhumation and the testing done by Kimmerle. Now it is helping to spread the word about the results.

"We know her family and friends are still alive," Schweiker said. "Her story needs to get into their hands."

Anyone with any information about Jane Doe is asked to call Cpl. Nathan Trate at the Pennsylvania State Police Jonestown at 717-865-2194 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-842-5678).