Who was she and what brought her here?

Since a woman’s skeletal remains and wristwatch were found in a marshy field near the gate to the Darlington nuclear facility in 2006, she has remained a complete mystery.

But a recent forensic return to the site has unearthed “key” evidence that may solve the case, give the woman a name and allow her to finally rest in peace.

Durham police hope a “unique” ring, two missing teeth and a man’s hooded shirt drawn from the now drier ground — the water table has dropped in recent years —will identify the young woman whose body was likely dumped near a handy Highway 401 exit.

“The emphasis on this case is the fact that somebody’s loved one is in a field and we have not established their identity. This person belongs to someone and they deserve to be put to rest,” said Det. Chuck Nash of the region’s homicide unit.

“It’s off the beaten path, so that makes it highly suspicious. It would lead us to think this is a body dump location,” Nash said at a news conference held Tuesday near the spot where the remains were found.

Four years of scanning missing person files and comparing dental records from across North America have proved fruitless.

But a size 9½ woman’s ring believed to have been sold at an Oshawa jewellery store, a hooded Tip Top Tailors striped shirt labelled “Blue Rodeo” until the band took copyright offence in 1996, a digital watch sold between 1981 and 1983 at a now defunct national store chain, DNA and facial reconstruction provide fresh leads to solving the case.

A man harvesting dogwood plants called police on his cellphone when he stumbled across a skull in a boggy field at Holt Rd. and the South Service Rd., just off the eastbound 401 exit near Bowmanville, on Oct. 27, 2006.

Forensic officers cleared tall grass and weeds for weeks and were only able to find the skull which had two missing teeth, a few other bones, a wristwatch and a piece of red ribbon.

An anthropologist determined the remains to be those of a Caucasian woman, 18 to 20 years of age, with a nose fracture that had been expertly set by a physician or the result of nasal surgery. The skull’s teeth were in good condition with metal and composite fillings.

The two missing teeth have been found at the spot during the recent excavation that began last month.

“The well-healed nose fracture and dental work “leads us to believe this person certainly did take care of themselves and was not likely transient,” said Nash.

“Four years ago we never found any artifacts that piqued our suspicions because it looked like the body had been dumped without clothing. Now we have found clothing and we’ve expanded our search,” he added

The uniquely large size 9½ ring is a garnet with two one-point diamonds on either side, and is believed to have been sold by Burns Jewelers, a family-run business on Simcoe St. in Oshawa from 1923 to 1994. It had been made by A&A Manufacturing in Toronto.

Nash calls the ring “unique” for its large size and he believes it will be the “key piece of evidence” in the case as it is distinctive and shows enough wear that the woman kept it on her finger more than in a jewellery box.

Also recently unearthed is a striped hooded shirt that had been sold by Tip Top between 1995 and 1996 until a copyright infringement was claimed by Blue Rodeo.

Originally found with the skull was a digital Omni woman’s watch with a stainless steel band which was sold exclusively at Consumers Distributing from 1981 to 1983. The company is no longer in business.

“We are considering everything from 1979 right up to 2006,” said Nash, believing the wider time frame will help jog someone’s memory of a person they may not have even thought was missing or dead.

“There’s a good chance this person was never reported missing to the police,” he added.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Two attempts failed at determining the woman’s DNA, but a more recent try yielded a complete profile which can be compared to a sample from parents or maternal relatives.

A clay facial reconstruction cast was made from the skull in 2007 and over the past two years 3D mapping of the skull has been added to enhance images of what the woman looked like.

“We’re hoping someone out there will recognize this as a loved one,” said Nash.