By: Shane Lambert Original Time of Writing: February 1st, 2025
UP137660 is an unidentified female who was found on a beach on June 14th, 1951 in Hampton, Virginia. I think we are looking at a newborn baby in this case. This Jane Doe's NamUs page states that she was in the pre-adolescent group and that she had been dead for about two days at the time of her dead body's discovery.
Usually, the dead giveaway for a newborn baby as a Jane Doe is the height and weight (ie. they are exceptionally small). In this case, NamUs does not have those details provided.
NamUS #UP137660: In the News
However, I am pretty sure that I found a news story covering this event. As reported in the Daily Press on June 15th, 1951, two boys found a black newborn baby on a beach in an area called Phoebus.
NamUs does say the body was found "laying on a beach" so the NamUs description does match the news story below. Furthermore, the date matches as does the sex, race, and location (Phoebus is in Hampton, Virginia).
These kinds of cases sometimes involve a mother who felt like she couldn't care for her child. But I don't think that amateurs will turn up a clue in this mystery. If it gets solved, then it would likely be the result of DNA, if they can get an adequate sample.
I posted the news piece in case anyone was interested in trying to expand the details. The youths mentioned in the article, if alive today, would be at least in their late 70s.
Left home in Salem, Oregon for a camping/hiking trip and never returned. Did not take medications for mental and medical problems. Vehicle found at the National Forest trailhead to Lake Angeline. An extensive search operation was unproductive. The vehicle was left at the trailhead and impounded by the US Forest Service.
Update: The original time of writing was April 3rd, 2021. The MP is still missing as of March 25th, 2025.
Not the actual vehicle. AI was prompted to generate a picture of the vehicle's likeness near a hiking trail. Shows a 1991 Pontiac 2x2 that's blue with Oregon plates.
Missing Person: William David Shannon Last-contact date: September 4th, 1995 (this was Labor Day that year, a Monday) The area where the MP was last seen: Skykomish, Washington Link to government source: NamUs MP
VITAL DETAILS
Ethnicity: Caucasian Sex: Male Age at time of disappearance: 47 years old Birthdate: William David Shannon was born between September 5th, 1947, and September 4th, 1948, based on his reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue Scar: None known
Height/weight: 6'4" and 180 pounds BMI*: William David Shannon was in the normal range for BMI.
No photo found: If a photo can't be found, rely on BMI, height, weight, ethnicity, and other physical features to describe or picture the person.
Tattoos: William David Shannon did not have any tattoos associated with his profiles.
William David Shannon was last heard from on September 4th, 1995, when he was 47 years of age. That was a Monday, and as the first Monday in September, it was also Labor Day in 1995. William David Shannon has now been missing for about 26 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.
When it came to expanding details, this was a difficult case. I did not find a newspaper article that covered the missing person's disappearance.
Sometimes, with a first name like William, selecting the proper keywords to search can be difficult. There's Will, Willy, Willie, Bill, Billy, Billie and then all the combinations that come with whether or not to use the middle name (ie. which could be "Dave" or "David"), just the middle initial, or to use first and last name alone. There are dozens of way this person might be named in media, if not using a strict first and last name combination.
William David Shannon: Limited Media Coverage
In the end, I felt like there were no newspaper articles on this disappearance in the Newspaper.com database. That may change in the future, so take a moment to double-check if you are reading this well after the publication date.
I did note that the individual did not have a photo included with his profile. When I encounter that situation, I usually attribute it to a lack of public interest in the case. Perhaps the hard-to-find newspaper coverage or web news source isn't too surprising.
When a missing person doesn't have a photo, researchers can try to find one at Ancestry.com or at Newspapers.com. I am convinced that William David Shannon has profile information at Ancestry, as his NamUs profile says he was from Salem, Oregon.
I found someone who was in the right birthdate range who had an exact name match at that website for Salem, Oregon. There might have been a Yearbook photo of him at the site, but I couldn't authenticate it as the missing person for sure. Furthermore, a photo of him in his 20s isn't great to use when he disappeared at the age of 47.
This William David Shannon might be the same one as the missing person: his date of death is listed as September 23rd, 1995, which would be 19 days after the disappearance. It just might be that September 23rd was when someone filed a missing person report. Conversely, they could be different people, but there is a lot of overlap between the NamUs William David Shannon and the one at Ancestry.
Hiking Without Medication - Seems Odd
What stands out with this case is that this individual went hiking and/or camping without medications that he presumptively needed. That certainly doesn't bode well for his health and well-being.
The Lake Angeline area that is mentioned in the NamUs description appears to be a puny lake near Darrington, Washington. These were the coordinates I noted off of Google Maps for what looks like little more than a pond: 48.24182048327208, -121.54171666844462.
I wondered if his vehicle might have been parked on a road labelled as NF-2420, but I wasn't sure what I was looking at.
I have looked at a lot of cases involving missing hikers in the past. When the vehicle is found near the trailhead, then they should be presumed to be lost on the trail. Hikers who are rescued under these circumstances are usually rescued only if found within a week. That would suggest that this missing person is dead, something supported by his 30-year absence as of 2025.
Clothing and Possessions Associated with William David Shannon
Item
Description
Backpack
Blue Jansport backpack
T-shirt
Plain T-shirt (color not specified)
Pants
Long pants (color and material not specified)
Cap
Baseball or golf-type cap (color not specified)
Glasses
Light-colored wire-frame glasses
Note: These items were associated with William David Shannon at the time of his disappearance on September 4th, 1995. They may be linked to a John Doe or could become associated with one in the future as part of ongoing identification efforts.
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Tags that I've associated with this blog post are below. It's interesting to see what can connect unrelated cases. Click one of the tags to go to an article that is related to this one in some way, shape, or form.
Author:Shane Lambert, (Freelance Writer)
All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.
If you like this blog, then you can join the affiliated Facebook group: MPC Facebook Group
Website hashtag: #MPCSL
*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight. **Might not be the exact meaning that NamUs or Canada's Missing conveys. I improve upon their descriptions with my research.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing person's case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.
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BMI*: Wendy Wilson was in the normal range for BMI.
BMI is body mass index. It relates to an individual's height and weight. I include it believing it can help picture a missing person or describe one.
Possible photo found: Photos are best to have but when they can't be found you can try to rely on BMI, height, weight, ethnicity, and other physical features to describe or picture the person. I think I did find a picture of this individual in the 1997 Lakewood High School yearbook, however, I hesitate to post it because I can't be sure it's one and the same Wendy Wilson.
Distinctive: please note that she had the following: a tattoo on her neck of Chinese symbols.
Wendy Wilson has not been seen since May 13th, 2002, when she was 23 years old.
This individual has now been missing for 19 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.
When people are missing for several years as this person has been, some of their distinctive characteristics may no longer be relevant as identifiers. For instance, she was thought to have a tattoo, however, if this individual is deceased and/or among the Jane Does of the Pacific Northwest, her tattoo might not be an identifier due to putrefaction.
What stands out with this case, is the NamUs description that says she was witnessed jumping from a bridge. That does sound like a suicide attempt.
The bridge that she jumped from was Deception Pass Bridge. This is a bridge that is still used as of the time of writing. It connects Whidbey Island with Fidalgo Island over a strait known as Deception Pass. Pass Island is an in-between point on the bridge.
I did not find any newspaper article associated with the bridge and the common name of Wendy Wilson. I wonder if this is an uncovered disappearance. However, I did a find letter in a newspaper that suggested that Deception Pass Bridge was a problem spot for suicides. Also, I found a photo from a newspaper source which I include below. Note the height of the bridge that Wendy was jumping from.
Thu, Dec 17, 2015 – Page C1 · The Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, Missouri) · Newspapers.com
Nearly 20 years have passed. The NamUs description says that her "jump from Deception Pass Bridge" was "witnessed." Accordingly, this isn't the most mysterious missing person case. The fall seems likely to have killed her. I'm not going to say that her body can't be found but the bridge is over saltwater and human remains don't last indefinitely in saltwater environments to my knowledge.
I don't think this is a case Websleuths or amateurs should work on that much. The individual may not be lost for all time but any remains could be in impossible-to-reach places if they've survived the elements this long. If any remains are found, then it's not likely to be due to Websleuths. However, any human remains that have washed ashore near Deception Pass that have never been identified as having an owner might be those of Wendy Wilson's.
This is an area where the currents are very strange and difficult to predict. If you are interested in this case, then check the Jane Doe databases for unidentified individual bones that have been found on the shores in the area.
It may be possible that Wendy Wilson is a part of the human feet mysteries that confused investigators earlier this century. There was a foot in a shoe found on Whidbey Island in 2010. It was thought that this foot was that of a woman or child but it was also thought to be of a person who was dead for two months. That latter point does cast ample doubt on it being Wendy Wilson's remains, however, you can see how her remains may have washed ashore somewhere.
Lastly, when this individual disappeared, it was thought that the following articles of clothing were in her possession: a dark brown coat and light-colored pants. These can be important because clothing and articles/items that a missing person was last associated with might show up in relation to a Jane Doe.
Thank you for reading. If have any information about this case, consider contacting the authorities.
Author: Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada)
All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.
Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.
Website hashtag: #MPCSL
*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: To determine whether a person is missing or not, this site relies heavily on government sources. If you are described as missing when you are not, I recommend simply having your missing person report updated or removed. When that happens, updates at this site can follow.
The missing person left her residence on 02-24-1989 and never returned.
Missing Person: Renisia Elaine Johnson Last-contact date: February 24th, 1989 The area where the MP was last seen: Tampa, Florida Link to government source: NamUs #MP78570
VITAL DETAILS
Ethnicity: Black Sex: Female Age at time of disappearance: 20 years old
This person was born between February 25th, 1968, and February 24th, 1969. The range is calculated using the missing person's age on the date of her disappearance.
Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Scar: None listed at NamUs Height/weight: 5-foot-5 and 120 pounds BMI*: Renisia Elaine Johnson was in the normal range for BMI.
Please, Google-search BMI if you aren't familiar with the phrase. I think it's an important tool to be aware of when working on missing person cases.
No photo...yet: If a photo can't be found, rely on BMI, height, weight, ethnicity, and other physical features to describe or picture the person.
Renisia Elaine Johnson, a missing person, was last heard from on February 24th, 1989 when she was 20 years old. This individual has now been missing for 32 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.
When a missing person doesn't have a photo, researchers can try to find one at Ancestry.com or at Newspapers.com. However, in the case of the latter, I was not able to find a missing person report for this individual. Nor did I find any mention of her name in news media.
As of the time of publication, this individual was a non-person by my research methods. What I mean by that, is that I wasn't able to find the exact name at the newspapers.com archive, in Google searches, or at Ancestry. In fact, when I only searched for the first name of "Renisia" in the entire country of the United States, only 40 hits came up, none of which matched the missing person.
I am thinking that the best way to find this person is to cross-reference her clothing in Jane Doe databases. Renisia Elaine Johnson may have had the following articles when she disappeared: a black and white jacket, acid wash jeans, and a pair of black suede boots.
A Websleuth that took an interest in the case (username: victoriarobinson642) found a Jane Doe that might be interesting as a comparison to the missing person. Case File 978UFGA at DoeNetwork describes a Jane Doe that was would found in Atlanta, Georgia in September 1989. The Jane Doe matched the missing person in these ways:
Both were black.
Both were females.
The Jane Doe was thought to have died in the months leading up to September 1989. Renisia went missing in February and could have died in the months leading up to September 1989.
Renisia was thought to be 5'5" and the Jane Doe was thought to be 5'4". While not an exact match, in these situations involving estimates, a one-inch discrepancy doesn't discount the match.
A couple counterpoints could be mentioned:
The Jane Doe was found in Atlanta while Renisia was last seen in Tampa. Those are both in the southeastern parts of the USA, but there is a difference of 460 miles between the two cities.
The clothing doesn't totally match. Renisia was thought to have acid-wash jeans and the Jane Doe was described as having "stonewashed jeans." However, those styles do look similar in some ways. Both were described as having black footwear but Renisia's was long-suede boots and the Jane Doe's was "black, high top athletic shoes."
Please share this article to social media using hashtags that are related to where the missing person went missing from, which is Tampa, Florida. Also, please share targeting Atlanta, in this case.
Author: Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths)
All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.
Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.
Website hashtag: #MPCSL
*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight. **Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources. Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing person's case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.
Details from NamUs**: Cellastine was last seen by her family in Jersey City NJ, approximately 1967-1968, where she disappeared after work. Her family never heard from her again.
Missing Person: Cellastine Wade Last-contact date: April 26th, 1968 (Friday) The area where the MP was last seen: Jersey City, New Jersey Link to government source: #MP77996
VITAL DETAILS
Ethnicity: Black Sex: Female Age at time of disappearance: 18 years old Birthdate: between April 27th, 1949 and April 26th, 1950; might be November 30th, 1949
The range is calculated using the missing person's age on the date of her disappearance.
Hair: Black Eyes: Black Scar: None indicated Height/weight: 5-foot-3 to 5-foot-6 and 95 to 110 pounds BMI*: Cellastine Wade was in the normal range for BMI.
Cellastine Wade, a missing person, was last heard from on April 26th, 1968 (Friday) when she was 18 years old. She has now been missing for 57 years as of October 2025.
One detail, in this case, is that she went missing in 1968 and yet her profile was not uploaded to NamUs until February 2021. That's an enormous gap and it can't be ignored. It's possible that she is among the known Jane Does of America already. However, there is not a lot to go on for cross-referencing her case to Jane Does. She could match up to many with the limited details that have been provided.
This promises to be a difficult case for Websleuths or amateur investigators. The missing person did not have any articles or items associated with her in the missing person's reports that I consulted.
I was not able to find her in Ancestry easily. Nor did her exact name produce any hits in Newspapers.com. I did find a couple people that I thought might have been relatives, however, I'm not certain as to that status either. I think this case takes on new life for Websleuths or amateur investigators if a family member that knows details of Cellastine opens up about them.
For lack of details on this case, I decided to use Grok for information (X's AI tool/March 6th, 2025). The bot admits that there are sparse details available on this case.
Long-Shot Lead:
Cellastine Wade may have been connected to an unidentified workplace incident or transient population tied to Jersey City’s industrial scene in 1968.
Potentially linked to a Jane Doe case in a neighboring state.
Basis:
NamUs states she was last seen “by family after work” on April 26, 1968.
Jersey City in 1968: a hub of factories, warehouses, and shipping (e.g., textile mills, chemical plants, Colgate’s waterfront facility).
Cellastine, 18, from a working-class background (1950 census: 629 Grand Street), likely worked a low-wage job nearby.
“After work” might hint at more than a casual detail—possible trouble (accident, predator, or spontaneous decision) tied to her workplace or commute.
No foul play noted; JCPD may have assumed voluntary departure.
The Stretch:
Jersey City’s location near highways (e.g., Route 1/9 to Holland Tunnel) and rail lines made vanishing—or being taken—across state lines feasible.
Long-shot angle: check unidentified remains from 1968–1970 in nearby states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio) where transient workers/runaways surfaced.
Example: Jane Doe found 1969 in Columbia County, NY (120 miles north)—young Black woman, 16–20, no origin, speculated on Websleuths as a Cellastine match.
No DNA/dental link yet, but timing and “after work” clue could fit if she hitched a ride or was trafficked post-shift.
Why It’s a Long Shot:
No evidence pins her to a specific job or confirms she left Jersey City.
JCPD likely limited investigation to local inquiries in ‘68—cold case inertia and under-resourcing typical for a Black teen’s disappearance then.
Photo shows family persistence, but no 1968 workplace records (e.g., factory logs) or witnesses make it a needle-in-a-haystack scenario.
Jersey City’s industrial churn produced many missing persons—some ending as unidentified Does elsewhere.
Details from NamUs**: "Sieu was last seen on April 3, 1982."
Missing Person: Sieu Vei Trang Last-contact date: April 3rd, 1982 The area where the MP was last seen: Seattle, Washington
Link to government source: NamUs #MP7149 We have no photo: This is an individual who doesn't have a photo attached to her profile.
When there is no photo, you can try to find one at Ancestry.com or at Newspapers.com; try to find one that's as close to the missing person's date of disappearance as possible.
Ethnicity: Asian Sex: Female Age at time of disappearance: 13
Birthdate: May 22nd, 1968 Hair details: Black Eye details: Brown Scars: None known Height/weight: 4-foot-9 and 95 pounds BMI*: Sieu Vei Trang was in the normal range for BMI.
This is one of those cases where you can't quite figure out why there is not more information on the case. This is a teenaged girl that went missing in 1982. Usually, with a young missing person, there is at least a photo to go on. However, in this case, no one seems to have been able to find one.
Sieu Vei Trang was primarily associated with the area around Seattle, Washington. I looked in the Ancestry database to try and find details of her life that might be relevant to her missing person's status, however, I was not able to find any.
One thing to note with this case is that the individual went missing during puberty. This might be important if she is ever compared to a Jane Doe. Teeth can change rapidly during puberty. Dental records of people in puberty can require greater scrutiny because if the dental records aren't from a time that was close to when the person disappeared, a lot may have changed.
This individual has been missing for almost 40 years at the time of writing. Many of their characteristics could have changed over time. Even if the Sieu is found as a Jane Doe, the Jane Doe's hair color might not be reported as the same as when this individual went missing.
What stands out in this case, is the height. This person was just 4'9" and that will differentiate her from a lot of Jane Does that get found.
Lastly, at the time of her disappearance, Gary Ridgway, a serial killer in America's Pacific Northwest, was active. This is a point that has been by a Websleuth under username Kjowl16. You can follow the Websleuths forum at this link: Sieu's Forum at Websleuths.
Thank you for reading. If have any information about this case, consider contacting the authorities. In conclusion, I think the matter at hand is to find someone who cared about her and ask that person some questions about the case.
Ethnicity: White Sex: Female Age at time of disappearance: 53 Hair: Unknown Eye Color: Unknown Height/weight at the time of disappearance: 5'0" to 5'6" and 100 to 140 pounds Details as per NamUs: "Marian Morton was seen and known to be alive by granddaughter on a winter evening in either 1938, 1939 or 1940 at 114 W Market St Georgetown, Delaware."
Maron Alice Morton does not have a profile photo available at NamUs. Those that are working on this case, could direct themselves to looking for one to include with her missing persons profile. Typically, Ancestry Yearbooks are a great place to look. However, in this case the individual went missing when she was 53 years old. Newspapers.com and other sources at Ancestry might serve the researcher better.
This individual would be deceased at the time of writing. If you are working on this case, then be aware that it will be exceedingly difficult with little hope of making any contribution to justice.
There were a couple of same-named individuals that appeared at Ancestry that were both born in 1883. However, I could not authenticate either as being the missing person.
Tue, Sep 11, 2018 – A12 · The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) · Newspapers.com All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.
Missing person: Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck
Last-seen date: September 9th, 2018 at about 5AM in the morning Last-seen location: Off the coast of Canada while on a cruise ship
Ethnicity/Race: Caucasian, a German national Sex: Male Age at time of disappearance: 33 years old Hair: Brown Eye color: Brown
Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck went missing after jumping overboard from a cruise ship early in the morning of September 9th, 2018. This happened at sea with the closest country being Canada.
The Canadian authorities executed a search for the German pop singer, however, they were not able to locate him. It's unlikely that he would have survived very long in the water, even if he was intact enough to swim after jumping from the cruise ship into the sea. The search focused on a nautical area about 200 kilometers north of St. John's. It was ended on September 11th, 2018.
Ocean currents are very difficult for experts to predict. Those that try will usually work with averages. If you took two identical objects and placed them side-by-side in a sea or ocean then they would drift apart immediately and, if they went to shore, then they could still be very far apart. There is simply no telling where any of the missing person's remains might have ended up. Like a lot of missing person's cases that involve being lost at sea, this isn't one that Websleuths or amateurs should be devoting much attention to.
In fact, there are missing person's cases where the people went into the water due to a wave that encroached the shoreline. In one case, two people who are missing for nearly 20 years were 'lost at sea' when they were at a well-known beach. If people who get lost at sea from a beachside last-known location can't be traced, then it's super-futile to try and trace someone who is lost to the ocean hundreds of kilometers from civilization. It will take incredibly luck for this person's remains to be found, not investigating skill.
January 10th, 2025: A websleuth (kara1218) recently attempted to match this Jane Doe to a missing person named Julie Ann Derouin.
All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.
Unidentified Jane Doe in Carbon, Alberta
Who: Jane Doe found roadside near Carbon, Alberta, Canada
When: Discovered on April 20th, 1995 or April 21st, 1995
Post-mortem period: Thought to be dead for 10 to 15 years, meaning missing people last seen in April 1980 to April 1985 are all in play. However, missing people outside of this range cannot be ruled out based only on the post-mortem period's estimation.
Ethnicity/Race: Uncertain. Appears aboriginal by the construction; could be other ethnicities for sure but does not look Caucasian. One source says she may have been of north African descent but that dark skin color does not come through in the bust above. Mixed background possible.
Sex: Female
Age at time of death: 22 to 35 years old, estimated. Broadened range 20 to 40. Height: 5'0" to 5'4" (combined range from Service Canada and the Youtube video below which is of a press conference that was held, in part, for this Jane Doe)
Other: she had suffered from a disease called brucellosis
Case Details and Indigenous Connection
This is a case that doesn't have a lengthy profile with Canada's National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains. However, the Youtube video posted above will help deliver some case details.
I thought, at first glance, that this individual was one of the missing aboriginal women of Canada, a group that some think doesn't get a lot of police attention. However, I'm not sure this Jane Doe is actually in any missing person's database. Part of me wonders if no one at all is looking for her.
Be warned, this isn't an article for the weak-stomached. I don't apologize. If you are seeking out articles on missing people or Jane Does then you have to be ready for some topics that aren't exactly those for the pleasure reader.
I think she is aboriginal but my basis for designating her as such is tenuous. Firstly, she was found in the Albertan plains and that area has plenty of aboriginals. Secondly, she looks aboriginal to me in the police recreation but she could be of other groups. I've wondered if Indian reserves of Alberta might be alerted to this case. However, I really have low confidence that this person will be identified. I don't think there's a soul out there that is looking for her.
Websleuths or amateurs looking at this case should know that Carbon, Alberta is tiny. It's a village northeast of Calgary by about an hour. If she was from Carbon then she would have been identified, I think. Her roadside location sounds like a body dump to me and a person doing that would be looking for somewhere far away from where people knew her, I think.
Media Coverage and Grave Site Mystery
It was hard to find news that covered this Jane Doe. However, I believe that the following article from the April 25th, 1995 Calgary Herald might pertain to her. There is a statement in this news article that brings bizarreness into play.
Note, that the "last Thursday" that is referenced in the article would actually be April 20th, 1995 as opposed to April 21st, 1995 (the date that Service Canada reports as the date that the Jane Doe was found). Furthermore, the age range in the news article is different.
Both inconsistencies can be explained: dates are often a tad off in reporting and age ranges that are based on estimates can change over time. The reason I think that the reporting pertains to the Jane Doe pictured at the start of this article is just that Carbon, Alberta is puny. I don't think two Jane Does pop up in consecutive days but it's possible.
The news article says something that's very unique when it comes to Jane Does. According to the news article, this Jane Doe "may have been removed from a grave site."
What does that make you think? The RCMP might have been able to study the body and conjectured that it had been serviced by a mortician? That's what I think when I read that. Maybe there was a presence of embalming fluid. However, maybe they had different reasons for believing that she was previously buried. A lot more information is needed about the grave site that this person came from.
Was it a marked grave?
Was it a clandestine grave?
If it was the latter, then it's hard to think of a way to generate leads. It's also perplexing: why would someone unearth an individual in a clandestine grave and leave her on the side of the highway? If her grave was of a clandestine nature, then one would conjecture that the grave site was a better hiding spot than on the side of the road. However, the article also said that foul play was ruled out. That suggests that her original resting place was not clandestine in nature.
Timeline and Identification Challenges
If it was the former (ie. she was in a marked grave), then leads are possible. The timeline with this Jane Doe could be as follows:
a death between April 1980 and April 1985
a burial in a gravesite assumingly near her time of death
removal from the gravesite at some point
then she ends up roadside near Carbon, Alberta
discovered there on April 20th or April 21st, 1995 after laying dead outdoors for maybe 10 to 15 years
If all that is true then this Jane Doe case isn't going to be solved through any conventional means. Conventionally, when an amateur or websleuth is working on a Jane Doe's case, that person would cross reference the Jane Doe against missing person's reports.
That's worked in the past for many cases but if this particular Jane Doe died and was buried in a marked grave, then maybe she wasn't missing at the time of her death. Maybe the family and friends had a funeral for her and had a sense of closure. If that's true then it brings the following into consideration: maybe nobody that encounters this Jane Doe's profile, that actually knew her in life, will ever think to connect her to the person that she/he knew. This truly is a problematic Jane Doe when one considers that she was unearthed from a grave.
In this peculiar case, identifying the Jane Doe might involve looking for an empty grave in the region, one that belongs to a woman who died between the ages of 20 and 40, one who matched the height range, and someone who died between 1980 and 1985. I'm not sure how a Websleuth or amateur investigator goes about checking graves for empty coffins without stepping on a whole bunch of toes. But I do have ideas as to why someone would dig up human remains from a grave.
One understandable reason is exhumation for a legal reason, a historical one, or a scientific one. However, exhumation is not a good explanation in this case so long as you accept the following. Someone in charge of exhuming a body would be someone responsible enough to put it where it belonged afterward. The authorities, if they exhumed this person, wouldn't discard her remains on the side of a highway.
Another reason someone would dig up human remains borders on the bizarre and the grotesque: necrophilia. If you find it difficult to accept that someone would dig up a body for that purpose, then the definitive answer is that such acts are known to have happened before.
Furthermore, another reason why someone would take a body from a grave for clandestine purposes is to fake a death. That's believed to have happened before as well.
I think another reason someone might dig up a body from a marked grave is one that's less sinister in nature: extreme mourning. Somebody who is psychologically changed due to someone's death might have an insane episode and seek out the remains. I didn't find any historical news article about that but, I think, it can happen. Read the poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe. It tells a tale of a man who sought out his wife's tomb for comfort.
I really don't see this case as probable to be solved due to a lead from a missing relative. Firstly, there's hardly any news coverage that I could find. Secondly, there is barely anything in her profile. Lastly, I don't think there is anyone looking for her. If her grave was a marked one then the people that knew this Jane Doe might have buried her according to their customs and they might already have closure -- for decades. They might not know at all that she was removed.
The only point to take away is that if you ever come across any news from Alberta about an empty grave then think of this Jane Doe and cross-reference her particulars with that of the relevant grave marker or obituary.
Brucellosis Outbreak in Alberta
In the YouTube video, Staff Sergeant Jason Zazulak of the RCMP made the following statement:
"She may be or appeared to have been of north African ancestry or possibly of indigenous or mixed ancestry. She was approximately 5-foot to 5-foot-three inches in height...She had suffered from a disease called brucellosis and repetitive fever. Brucellosis is not a disease commonly found in Canada and may suggest that this person was born abroad."
I do not think that this person was born abroad.
Alberta’s 1980s Brucellosis Context
It's important to note that brucellosis might not be a common disease in Canada in modern times. However, the Jane Doe in question is believed to have died in the early 1980s and her remains were found in Alberta. It's important to note, I think, that there was a brucellosis outbreak in Alberta in the 1980s. The balance of my research on this outbreak makes me think that this individual was an Albertan and that she had some kind of exposure to a farm or farm products.
Lethbridge Outbreak and Potential Leads
The second snipped article below is interesting. It says that there was an outbreak that affected people in Lethbridge in 1980. Note, that you didn't have to work on a farm to get brucellosis. It seems like any work related to cattle could expose you to the disease. It's also interesting that this outbreak is within the range of the Jane Doe's estimated death.
The second snipped article above is interesting. It says that there was an outbreak that affected people in Lethbridge in 1980. Lethbridge is not particularly close to where the Jane Doe was found, however, nor can it be considered out of range for someone who owned a vehicle. According to Google Maps, a drive from Lethbridge to where the body was dumped in Carbon would be just under three hours.
The six employees in the news article might know something about who this person is. They had the disease she had and they may have transmitted it to people they knew. Furthermore, it's not impossible that the Jane Doe was one of the six employees, yet, that would seem like a fluke if it was so.
Note, that you didn't have to work on a farm to get brucellosis. It seems like any work related to cattle could expose you to the disease. It's also interesting that this outbreak is within the range of the Jane Doe's estimated death.
Alberta’s Agricultural Link to Brucellosis
Farms in Alberta are very common. You will find them across a huge range of the province and the province itself is enormous. The only place in Alberta where you won't find many farms would be in the mountain parks on the province's western border.
Accordingly, that she might have worked or lived near cattle or their products isn't necessarily going to be a case-breaker. However, I would reject the opinion that she was of foreign originations based on her exposure to a disease that's not common in Canada. At the time when she lived and in the province where her remains were found, brucellosis was part of life.
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