Columbia police are hoping that through modern advances in technology for news and social media they can gather information that leads to the identification of a woman found deceased in their city more than 15 years ago.

“Jane Doe is somebody’s daughter, mother or sister,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said. “We owe it to the family to keep trying.”

On March 28, 2002, an Illinois Department of Transportation crew cleaning trash discovered skeletal remains in a creek bed along Route 3 near Gall Road.

Forensic investigations conducted at that time estimate that the body was that of a black woman in the age range of 30-50 with a height between 4-foot-10 and 5-foot-4.

While police remain unsure of how the woman died, they believe she was the victim of a homicide. Investigators believe the woman had been deceased for six to 12 months before being discovered.

The woman was wearing a green shirt with a large “M” in orange and the word “Mavericks” on the front. She was also wearing khaki-colored Chazzz Credentials brand shorts.

Police do believe this woman had children.

“This is a cold case but with present day social media, I hope we can identify the “Mavericks” shirt which may lead to the identification of Jane Doe,” Paul said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 281-5151.

While there has been no direct evidence to this point, the discovery of the Columbia “Jane Doe” came at about the same time as other women were found murdered throughout the St. Louis area in connection to serial killer Maury Travis of Ferguson, Mo.

Travis murdered at least 12 women, and claimed to have killed 17, all in separate incidents between 2000 and 2002.