Debbie Misquez Escalante, Madera County Jane Doe: Possible Match Investigation (1989)

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: July 18, 2024
Updated: October 3, 2025

Introduction to Madera County Jane Doe Case #UP125443

#UP125443 is a Jane Doe who was added to the NamUs system on July 8, 2024. There is a significant gap between the entry date and the date her remains were discovered on September 24, 1989. Journalism coverage from September 1989 provides some details on the discovery, with additional information recently added to the NamUs file.

Jane Doe. Madera County Jane Doe.

Physical Description of the Jane Doe

The NamUs report provides limited details about the Jane Doe. She was determined to be a female of uncertain race, placed in the Adult Pre-40 category, with journalism suggesting an age in her 20s.

Her estimated weight was 130 to 135 pounds, and her height was between 4'8" and 5'2". Using the upper estimates, she would fall in the upper normal range on many BMI scales, possibly appearing slightly chubby if she was 5'2" and 135 pounds.

She had black, shoulder-length hair. NamUs notes a condition called "enamel hypoplasia," a dental condition where enamel does not develop properly, which could be a key identifier if dental records are available.

Location Where the Body Was Found

Location of her body: About 10 miles southwest of Madera in a vineyard, near Avenue 6 and Road 23, approximately 50 feet from the paved road. 36.83692288193394, -120.12828210216904 are the approximate Google Maps coordinates. Vineyards remain prevalent in the area today.

Discovery of the Remains

Who found the body: A crew of grape pickers on September 24, 1989.

Condition of remains: The remains were not recognizable due to decomposition/putrefaction, likely due to exposure in the warm September climate.

Estimated Time of Death

Time of death: No precise post-mortem interval is provided in NamUs. Journalism from September 1989 suggested the body had been at the location for 2–3 weeks, but this estimate should be taken with caution due to lack of forensic confirmation.

Clothing and Personal Items

Clothing and accessories: According to the updated NamUs file, the Jane Doe was found wearing a white bra (size 36C), blue socks, and white bikini panties. She also had a white metal ring with four bands and six white balls soldered together in a triangular shape, described in 1989 journalism as a "cocktail ring."

Media Coverage of the Case

The case appeared in The Fresno Bee on September 28, 1989, four days after the remains were found. The article described the discovery as a likely body dump. The Medical Examiner/Coroner case number is 89-2730, which may provide access to additional records.

Speculative Connections to Known Serial Killers: Samuel Little, William Suff

The late 1980s Central Valley landscape, with its sprawling vineyards and transient populations, invites speculation about notorious figures like Samuel Little and William Suff, though no evidence ties them to the Madera County Jane Doe (#UP125443), to my knowledge.

Little, a drifter with a confessed 93 murders across the U.S., was active in 1989, strangling women and leaving them in remote spots—vaguely reminiscent of this vineyard dump. His mobility via bus routes could have brought him near Madera, yet his documented 1989 kills cluster in Los Angeles, leaving this as a mere possibility. The newspaper clipping below shows that Samuel Little was committing murders in California in 1989.

April 8th, 2013. Johnson City Press.

Similarly, Suff, active in Riverside County during the same period, targeted women with a pattern of rural disposals, sometimes with partial clothing, echoing the Jane Doe’s location in a vineyard. His job allowed travel, but his confirmed crimes stay south, making a northern jaunt speculative.

Both men’s methods included isolation and align with a body dump hypothesis, and the era’s unsolved cases fuel such theories. Without DNA matches or new confessions, these connections remain hypothetical, underscoring the need for modern forensic analysis to either confirm or dispel such links.

Attempt to Match: Debbit Misquez Escalante

Debbie Misquez Escalante (NamUs MP2694), missing from Las Cruces, New Mexico, since August 21, 1989, emerges as a potential match for the Madera County Jane Doe, though significant gaps remain. I would consider Escalante a loose fit, partly because of the distance between her last-known location and the location of the Jane Doe discovery.

But the timeline aligns seamlessly, with her disappearance fitting the Jane Doe’s estimated death window of late August to early September 1989, based on the 2–3 week decomposition period noted in 1989 journalism. Physically, Debbie’s 5'3" height and 140 lbs weight are close to the Jane Doe’s 4'8"–5'2" and 130–135 lbs, suggesting a similar medium build. 

Her Hispanic/Caucasian heritage also aligns with the Jane Doe’s uncertain race, which could possibly point to a shared background across different ethnicities. Additionally, a visual comparison shows Debbie’s image bears a slight resemblance to the Jane Doe’s forensic bust, adding a subjective but intriguing layer.

However, challenges persist. Debbie’s brown hair contrasts with the Jane Doe’s black hair, and her reported gray t-shirt and pants differ markedly from the Jane Doe’s undergarments and cocktail ring. Clothing articles can change easily but hair color does make you lean toward "mismatch" a bit.

Debbie’s tattoos—a rose on her right breast, a unicorn on her right shoulder, and others on her hand/finger—could be a key eliminator, but the Jane Doe’s advanced decomposition (not recognizable due to putrefaction) raises doubts about tattoo preservation. In warm Madera conditions, skin may have sloughed off and thus not made the coroner's report. 

I don't think this is a match but it was the best match I could find in NamUs at the time of updating in October 2025. Hopefully, with other cases added in the future, a stronger candidate will arise.