The Unsolved Disappearance of Daniel Andrew Weaver in Waco, Texas

The Unsolved Disappearance of Daniel Andrew Weaver in Waco, Texas

On Tuesday, January 18th, 1983, 20-year-old Daniel Andrew Weaver left his home in Waco, Texas, and disappeared, leaving behind a mystery unsolved after more than four decades. He told his wife, Tamara Weaver, he was visiting his father before heading to his 7-11 gas station job for a 4pm to midnight shift. Daniel never reached work, and he has not been seen or heard from again.

His vanishing spurred a robust investigation involving police, three grand juries, and private detectives hired by his brother, David Weaver. The case deepened in 2006 when his stepmother, Lydia Weaver, submitted a will she claimed Daniel signed. A Texas court deemed it forged, per a 2007 UPI report. David, who contested the will, had Daniel declared dead, calling the legal fight part of a broader puzzle.

Suggestions That Daniel Died Close to His Disappearance Date

Daniel did leave behind an uncashed paycheque from his job at 7-11. In my experience reviewing missing persons cases, failure to cash pay or failure to claim an asset has often been a very big clue that the person is deceased. Furthermore, that he didn't collect his inheritance is a big clue that he died at about the time of his disappearance.

In another case from the same era, Robby Peay's failure to collect his inheritance was long considered to imply his death. He was, in fact, found dead just recently.

Clothing and Accessories Not Mentioned in Case Files

I could not find any clothing descriptions for Daniel Weaver. However, the details of a John Doe are worth cross-referencing to Weaver's case if you come across one associated with a 7-11 or gas-station employee uniform. He was going to work when he disappeared, at least after going to his father's. Note that 7-11 convenience stores can have different brand names for gas service, so any gas station uniform could be in play. The address of the store was 1225 N. 56th Street, presumably in Waco, Texas.

Family History is on the Dark Side

The following newspaper article will provide insight into the investigation and family dynamics surrounding Daniel's disappearance. It is part 1 and part 2 side by side, as the article was printed on separate pages. These images will enlarge when clicked. I think this article is particularly important for someone interested in this case.

Waco Tribune-Herald, July 26, 1987 (Part 1)

Waco Tribune-Herald, July 26, 1987 (Part 2)

Later, Lydia and Daniel’s father (Ray Weaver, who died in 1997) both invoked their Fifth Amendment rights during a 1987 grand jury. The forgery does stand out as an important flag in this case. Furthermore, Daniel was in line for an inheritance when he turned 21. Could he be one of Texas’s unidentified remains? The table below lists his factual case details, followed by potential matches from NamUs.

Daniel Weaver: Missing From Waco, Texas Since 1983

Category	Field	Details
Case Information	Case Status	Missing
	Date of Last Contact	January 18th, 1983 (Tuesday). One source said he left his apartment at 3:30pm. Another said 11:30am. I did read that he had eaten cereal, a food more common in the morning for most people.
	Last Known Location	Waco, Texas 76708, wife saw him leave his apartment. The 7-11 address and the address of his father are in the article above.
	County	McLennan County
Demographics	Full Name	Daniel Andrew Weaver
	Biological Sex	Male
	Missing Age	20 Years
	Current Age	Would be 62 years old if alive
	Race / Ethnicity	White / Caucasian
Physical Description	Height	5' 8" (68 Inches)
	Weight	140 lbs
	Hair Color	Brown
	Left Eye Color	Brown
	Right Eye Color	Brown
Circumstances	Circumstances of Disappearance	Daniel had left his home in Waco to go to work at the 7-11 gas station on 1/18/1983. He was supposed to work a shift reported as 4am to 12 midnight at NamUs, but this is likely an error, as it suggests a 20-hour shift. It was likely meant to be from 4pm to midnight. He never showed up for work, and this was the last time anyone saw him.

Potential Unidentified Matches for Daniel Weaver

I looked through seventeen John Doe cases where some of the case information above aligned. Some of them were easy to rule out. However, the cases below were ones where I had some confidence that a John Doe might be Daniel Weaver. In particular, UP1811 and UP4575 are cases that are worth looking at closely. I think I will return to this blog post another time, but anyone who wants to build on the table below, feel free to with a citation.

UP Case	Details	Subject Match Probability
UP1811	Irving (Dallas Co.), found 12/12/2002, Male, White/Caucasian, 20-39 years, 5'6", 130 lbs, body parts in plastic bags, hands missing	Moderate confidence (demographics, height, and weight align closely, and location is plausible at 95 miles from Waco, but the 19-year gap and lack of PMI make it uncertain; comparisons were limited due to minimal information on the John Doe, such as no PMI, hair/eye color, or clothing; I think the missing hands might have been an attempt to hide the John Doe's identity by eliminating fingerprints, a key identifier in the pre-DNA forensic era)
UP14785	Denton, found 12/27/1984, Male, White/Caucasian, 20-22 years, light brown hair, partial skeletal remains with mummified skin, hands missing	Mild confidence (demographics, age, and hair color align closely, and location is plausible at 130 miles from Waco, but PMI of 1 year suggests death around December 1983, 11 months after Daniel's disappearance, making a match less likely unless the PMI is inaccurate; comparisons were limited due to minimal information on the John Doe, such as no height, unreliable weight due to partial remains, and no clothing; I think the missing hands might have been an attempt to hide the John Doe's identity by eliminating fingerprints, a key identifier in the pre-DNA forensic era)
UP4075	Houston, found 4/11/1988, Male, White/Caucasian or Hispanic/Latino, 20-30 years, 5'4", 145 lbs, black hair, short mustache, wearing Levi jeans (29x30), red/blue T-shirt, brown/orange boots, ProTime wristwatch	Low confidence (demographics, age, weight, and mustache align, and location is plausible at 170 miles from Waco, but black hair differs from Daniel's brown hair, height is off by 4 inches, and the 5-year gap with a decomposing state suggests a more recent death; comparisons were limited due to minimal information on the John Doe, such as no PMI or eye color, and lack of Daniel's clothing details from 1983)
UP4518	Freestone, found 10/2/1984, Male, White/Caucasian, 20-25 years, 5'5", 127 lbs, black hair, black mustache, brown eyes, scars on back, leg, ankle, foot, and abdomen, wearing gray sweatshirt (L, "Sportman"), gray warm-up suit (M, "DJ Smash"), white T-shirt (38-40), "Oscar De Laurente" blue jeans, gray velcro athletic shoes (6.5), gray briefs with maroon trim, black "General Quartz" watch in pocket	Low confidence (demographics, age, eye color, and mustache align, and location is very close at 60 miles from Waco along I-45, but black hair differs from Daniel's brown hair, height is off by 3 inches, shoe size 6.5 seems small, multiple scars not noted in Daniel's profile, and 1984 estimated year of death is 1-2 years after disappearance; comparisons were limited due to minimal information on the John Doe, such as no PMI, and lack of Daniel's clothing details from 1983)
UP4575	San Jacinto, found 12/11/1983, Male, White/Caucasian, 20-40 years, partial remains with soft tissues, hands missing, found in wooded national forest hunting area	Moderate confidence (demographics and age align, location is plausible at 150 miles from Waco in a remote wooded area, and PMI of 1 year is a near match, suggesting death around late 1982 to early 1983, aligning closely with Daniel's disappearance; comparisons were severely limited due to minimal information on the John Doe, such as no height, weight, hair, eye color, or clothing; I think the missing hands might have been an attempt to hide the John Doe's identity by eliminating fingerprints, a key identifier in the pre-DNA forensic era)

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Missing Marilyn Byskal: Unsolved 1974 Canoe Trip Disappearance in Manitoba

Missing Person: Marilyn Byskal

• Learn about the mysterious disappearance of Marilyn Byskal, including details of the last known sighting, the extensive but fruitless 10+ day search, and why the prevailing theory makes the most sense.
• Explore newspaper articles from the time of her disappearance and a sad classified ad from the time that highlights her family's grief.

Not the actual setting. AI-generated image with prompts for a fast-flowing river in the late spring in northern Manitoba.

Details (paraphrased) from a Government Source

Marilyn Byskal was last seen at about 7AM on June 20th, 1974, during a school-organized canoe and camping trip near Wabowden, Manitoba, Canada. She was 18 years old at the time.

According to the official report, she was last spotted in the morning at her tent as the group woke up along the Grass River. Most campers believed she may have fallen into the river’s fast-flowing waters, though no one witnessed such an incident. 

An extensive 10-day searanch of the water and surrounding ground was conducted, but it yielded no results—no body, no belongings, no clues. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Source: Canada’s Missing, Case Reference #2012020052 (accessed via RCMP website, last modified May 10, 2023).

Last Contact: June 20th, 1974 (Thursday).
Additional Reference: Wabowden RCMP, Case #2012-534333.

Last Location: Near the Grass River, 25 miles northwest of Wabowden, Manitoba, Canada. Whitewood Falls is mentioned at the DoeNetwork.
Age When Disappeared: 18
DOB: May 1st, 1956 (DoeNetwork)

Sex: Female
Height in Inches: 69 (5’9”)
Weight in Pounds (lbs): 150
BMI: Marilyn Byskal had a BMI of 22.06, calculated from her height (69 inches) and weight (150 lbs). This places her in the normal range by BMI standards—just an observation, as BMI isn’t a definitive indicator of health or lifestyle.

Ethnicity: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Scar or Distinctive Characteristic: None noted
Clothing and Accessories: No specific details were provided in the RCMP report

Transportation: No vehicle or specific transportation details noted. She was on a canoe trip, suggesting she was on foot or in a canoe before her disappearance.
Parents: Not listed in the source material

Clothing and Accessories
At the time of her disappearance on June 20th, 1974, no specific clothing or accessories were detailed in the RCMP report.

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Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert
Original Time of Writing: March 22nd, 2025

Has Marilyn Byskal Been Found?
As of the time of writing, Marilyn Byskal remains missing. Her case, now over 50 years old, is a cold one with little online buzz. There are no recent news updates or significant social media discussions breaking new ground.

Looking back at the journalism from the time of her disappearance, she received some minor attention in marginals in The Brandon Sun. There was also a larger article on July 2nd, 1974 in The Brandon Sun that mentioned she was a high school student on the cusp of graduation when she disappeared. Her disappearance turned the festivities around graduation into a more somber atmosphere. 

I think there were 12 people in her camping group, 10 students (including her) and 2 teachers. Here are some bullet points from the long article from July 2nd, 1974:

• She went to the river when she woke up but returned to her tent (her toiletries and toothbrush were found back in her tent).
• One important point is that the Grass River was only 2-3 feet deep at the point where students accessed the river. It was the speed of the river that was considered to be the risk. Aside from the journalism, I will later suggest that the temperature of the river would be a major risk as well.
• Two students and a teacher had to paddle 20 miles to alert the RCMP, suggesting that it would have been tough for them, the police, to start an immediate search.

There seemed to be an extensive search. I would say that the search might have been longer than what Canada's Missing described with an estimated 12+ days, including the group she was with and the RCMP's search.

What stands out in her case is the lack of witnesses and the inconclusive search. The Grass River’s fast currents could easily sweep someone away.

Did she fall in, or did something else happen that morning? The group’s assumption of a river accident feels plausible, yet without evidence, it’s just a theory. An alternative theory might be that she fell prey to a campground stalker.

If she did fall in the river, then it's not surprising at all that the search didn't turn her up. Thomas William Richey is pretty much known to have fallen in a river and he has been gone for a lot longer than Marilyn. The same goes with Duane Ludwig Winget.

If fast-flowing water takes you away, then you might end up buried in sediment, either ashore or underneath the water, and that's a really good hiding spot -- for decades and decades and decades.

Beyond the River: Other Possibilities? It seems they were considered.

My research into this case suggests that some entertained the possibility that she survived her disappearance event. Consider the following classified advertisement from the summer of 1975, published about 13 months after she was last seen.

August 2nd, 1975. The Vancouver Sun.

The mention of Erickson, Manitoba, where our missing person was from, suggests enough to me that we are talking about the same case. The classified ad is likely nothing more than the family's unwillingness to accept that Marilyn had died.

You see this a lot with missing-person cases: the lack of a body means no conclusive death. That allows family members to keep hope alive for survival.

Yet, if two students and a teacher had to canoe 20 miles to find the RCMP, then I'm not sure how Marilyn woke up one morning and then just disappeared to Vancouver from northern Manitoba after doing little more than brushing her teeth.

I did find a marriage involving a same-name match in Surrey in May 1975 but the wedding picture looks very different. I won't republish the image but it's in the May 8th, 1975 edition of the The Surrey Leader. I wonder if this same-name match to the area, which looks like a different person entirely, spawned an effort for the family to look there and that's all the classified ad is about.

Marilyn Byskal Disappearance Theories

The best alternative theory to drowning would be a campground stalker, in my opinion. The missing person was someone who I think would have a general appeal for physical attractiveness to the male population. She was young and athletic.

September 8th, 2009. The Toronto Star.

There have been lots of campground stalkers in the past. I would think a high school field trip to the backwoods involving 10 girls/women would be a magnet for a campground stalker. Half of the horror movies from the 1970s and 1980s loosely resembled that plot.

Tragic Cases of Young Women Attacked at Campgrounds

The following table details cases where young women were targeted at campgrounds, highlighting the dangers of remote outdoor settings.

Date	Location	Victims
June 13, 1977	Camp Scott, Mayes County, Oklahoma, USA	Lori Lee Farmer (8), Doris Denise Milner (10), Michelle Heather Guse (9)
May 24, 1996	Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA	Julianne "Julie" Williams (24), Laura "Lollie" Winans (26)
May 1992	Beverly Beach State Park, Oregon, USA	Melissa Sanders (20), Sheila Swanson (19)

It's a matter that might warrant mild interest. However, I do not believe that she fell victim to a campground stalker.

Campground Stalker Theory: Not Likely

Firstly, a 7 AM abduction time is weird in my opinion. If she went on a bathroom trip from her tent at 3AM and disappeared at that time, then I would be more partial to a campground stalker theory. The situation as it was, I would file "campground stalker" into the "very improbable" category. Especially since there is no hint of evidence of an abduction in anything that I read.

As for the disappearance involving the river sweeping her away. There isn't much I found weird at all. The theory made pretty good sense. If she did go into the water and drowned there, then it's not at all surprising that she has not been found. 

The only thing I found a bit weird was there was no description of a call for help and simply falling into a river is a little strange. If someone falls into a river from shore, I would think there would be moments where the person struggles but stays above water and these moments would involve a call for help. However, a quick submersion is possible as well, coupled with shock.

As for falling into the river without anyone pushing you, it is hard to picture. But there are all kinds of tripping hazards in natural settings, like rocks and roots. I would not be surprised if she went for a walk and fell in a little ways away from the camp.

Although it was June 20th, northern Manitoba has a subarctic climate. At that time of year, falling into water in the area would produce immediate shock. Even if the air was comfortable, bodies of water in the area would still be extremely uncomfortable due to snowmelt. I doubt the river water would be warmer than 10C.

What does all this mean? If Marilyn Byskal did fall into the Grass River, you or I won't generate a clue in finding her. So in the final analysis, I simply don't think researchers should work on this case unless they can link a known abductor to the area at the time of the disappearance. But going down that rabbit hole could be a colossal waste of time.

Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt: A Jane Doe Cold Case Finally Solved After 59 Years

The Unsolved Mystery of Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt: A Cold Case Finally Identified After 59 Years

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: March 21st, 2025

This article is part of a short-term series where I am doing deep dives at some solved cases to see what the circumstances were. Click on the label "Deep Dive at a Solved Case" to see other similar articles.

• Discover how a 59-year-old cold case was finally solved and explore the modern forensic techniques that cracked this decades-long mystery.
• Uncover the haunting details of Dorothy’s final days in 1966 and delve into the investigation that struggled to name her.
• Learn why Dorothy remained unidentified for so long and why no one reported her missing.

Investigators solved a nearly 60-year-old mystery recently. The remains of a woman found in Tiburon, California, were identified as Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt (née Williams). Known as "Marin County Jane Doe," her case had baffled investigators since her decomposed body was discovered on Sunday, December 18th, 1966.

Despite extensive efforts at the time, no missing person’s report was ever matched to her. In fact, even now knowing who she is, I could not locate any missing report for the named individual. There may be one out there but it eluded my search efforts for the time had for the task.

Clouded in ambiguity, her identity remained a mystery until modern forensic genealogy cracked the case. This blog post explores Dorothy’s story, the investigation, and why she remained unidentified for so long.

The Discovery: Sunday, December 18th, 1966 and Early Journalism from the Area

On Sunday, December 18th, 1966, 15-year-old Arthur Munoz made a grim discovery while hunting near Tiburon, California. About 25 feet down an embankment off Paradise Drive, near the 3400 block (approximate location), he found the decomposed remains of a woman. The Marin County coroner estimated she had been dead for two to three months, meaning since about late September 1966.

She was described as slight, middle-aged (30-55 years old), about five feet one inch tall, weighing around 95 pounds, with reddish-brown hair and a thin face. Her possessions included a single-jewel wristwatch, a package of cigarettes, and a woman’s scarf in her coat pocket.

I will say that a scarf is a strange possession to have in September in California. I highlight it now because it is something I will return to.

Returning to the dead body's description, a wire suture near her left eye socket was likely a metal wire used in surgery to repair a facial bone fracture. She also had full upper dentures, both of which were noted as potential identifying features in a time frame well before DNA.

Her clothing consisted of a light tan trench coat with blue plaid lining, a sleeveless red shift-type dress, and white leather loafer shoes. However, her clothing lacked labels, and there were no signs of injury or foul play, though homicide was not ruled out.

AI-Generated. Not the actual person or clothing. Image of clothing generated based on the description. Image would not reflect condition or accidental characteristics of the clothing from real life. Nor could the styles, shades, or patterns be considered authentic. The image is meant for a general idea.

The Investigation: A Search for Identity and Leads

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sidney Stinson, launched an investigation to identify the woman and determine her cause of death. The Daily Independent Journal reported on Monday, December 19th, 1966, that deputy coroners were checking missing person’s reports, but none matched her description. By Tuesday, December 20th, 1966, the investigation escalated with skin tissue and hair samples sent to the FBI in Washington, D.C., and a state-wide bulletin was issued to police agencies.

On Tuesday, December 20th, 1966, Fireman Thomas W. Murphy of the Trestle Glen fire station in Tiburon provided a key lead. He recalled a woman matching the description who visited the station in late September 1966, asking to spend the night. When refused, she then asked to borrow a car, which was also declined.

She walked off toward Tiburon Boulevard after being denied, aligning with the autopsy’s estimated time of death. On Thursday, December 22nd, 1966, an employee at the Tiburon Lodge (1651 Tiburon Boulevard, San Rafael) reported that a woman had stayed there s few months prior. The location of this lodge, which I found in historical newspapers, was in the same general area as the fire station and the location of the dead body.

However, it’s possible that it was not Dorothy who stayed at the hotel, as you would think the registration card would be a strong identifier. Then again, maybe the hotel may not have required identification for a stay. The practice of requiring identification for checking in to a hotel has definitely become more stringent over time.

On Friday, December 23rd, 1966, an unauthenticated report suggested she may have been a patient at Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute in San Francisco, where Stinson planned to take her items for potential recognition. Her association with this facility is a matter requiring further investigation. Despite these leads, the woman remained unidentified, as none matched a missing person’s report.

Dorothy’s Life: A Glimpse Before the Tragedy

Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt (née Williams) had a life that spanned continents, offering context for her potential isolation. Born in Tasmania, Australia (source: DNASolves), she immigrated to the United States before 1966, though the exact timeline remains unclear. Her maiden name was Williams, and she married into the surname Vaillancourt, though I did not readily find details of this marriage.

Assuming the reports of her sighting are true, she stayed at the Tiburon Lodge and visited the Trestle Glen fire station, asking to spend the night at the latter place on what might have been her last night alive. She claimed she lacked enough money for a taxi. Her requests were denied, and she walked off, marking her last known sighting alive.

The association in journalism with mental health challenges may have contributed to her transient lifestyle and isolation. Her presence in California, far from Tasmania, raises questions about her journey and connections in the United States.

Why Wasn’t She Reported Missing?

The absence of a matched missing person’s report in 1966 points to several possible explanations. Dorothy’s transient lifestyle, staying at motels and seeking shelter at a fire station, suggests she might have been disconnected from family or friends. The unauthenticated report of her possible mental health treatments indicates she may have been in a vulnerable state, potentially estranged from loved ones.

Her Tasmanian origins add complexity to the mystery of her disappearance. If her family remained in Australia, they might not have known she was in California or in trouble. But I didn't find a missing persons report, even in the years and decades after 1966.

One possibility is that a report was filed somewhere but lacked sufficient detail to match her remains. Conversely, she might have only been missing in word-of-mouth between associates. But the dentures and wire suture should have been enough to connect her to any kind of reasonably thorough missing persons report.

Searching for a Missing Person’s Reports

In researching Dorothy’s case, I looked for a missing person’s report in both Australia and the USA. I did not find one in the time I had for the task. Readers with behind-the-paywall memberships to databases like Newspapers.com are invited to look further for potential clues.

You have to be aware of her maiden name Williams. Also, Dorothy is occasionally abbreviated as "Dot" so that's a secondary search term. Given her Tasmanian origins and eventual presence in California, such a report might exist in historical archives or newspapers from either region.

It could offer insight into her disappearance. This search might uncover whether her family reported her missing in 1966 or even in the decades that followed. Sometimes family members don't realize something is amiss for a great span of time after last hearing from someone.

The Ambiguity of Her Final Days

The circumstances leading to Dorothy’s death remain ambiguous, leaving many questions unanswered. Her statement to the fireman that she lacked money for a taxi, despite wanting to go to a hotel, is puzzling. If she had funds for a hotel then those funds should cover a taxi.

Her request to borrow a car might be interpreted as the proverbial "call for help" from someone who is suicidal. I think a fire station is a building someone might approach in hopes of finding someone sympathetic.

Conversely, as her last sighting is described, she may have ended up reliant on hitchhiking, a dangerous mode of transportation that could have led to a clandestine fate. She certainly would not be the first female hitchhiker to end up dead on an embankment underneath some brush. Yet, one article said she had no injuries and you would expect injuries if she had been murdered.

So without a safe place to sleep, she might have rested exactly where she was found on the embankment. Maybe she poisoned herself or simply succumbed to hypothermia. I will reveal that this latter scenario is my opinion on what happened. I think she tried to find a spot to sleep, suffered in the chill of the night, and then didn't have the strength to carry on after that.

By her clothing, she doesn't look homeless to me so maybe she was on the edge of something. I do think it's a bit strange that this individual was carrying a scarf in California in what would have been the summertime or early fall. Was it a fashionable scarf or the kind meant for warmth? I think that's an odd possession to have in a region with highs around 72°F (22°C) during that time frame (yes, I looked it up).

But a scarf in her possession makes a bit more sense if she was thinking she might have to sleep outside and face the low temperatures of the night. We may never know the full story but this was someone who was in search of lodging, presumably late, and didn't find the help she needed.

She is buried at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery and Mortuary in San Rafael, California. I did not find her Jane Doe grave on Findagrave. Perhaps she has no marker, which may change in the days, weeks, or months ahead.

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Conclusion and Sources

Source: DNASolves.com on Wednesday, March 19th, 2025.
Also: As reported by Kerry Breen for CBS News on Thursday, March 20th, 2025.

Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt: 1966 Marin County Jane Doe Newspaper Clippings Revealed

The following historical newspaper clippings from 1966 document the initial investigation into the unidentified woman later known as Marin County Jane Doe, now identified as Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt. These articles, sourced from the Daily Independent Journal and the San Francisco Examiner, provide a glimpse into the early efforts to identify her and understand her final days.

December 19th, 1966 – Daily Independent Journal: "Body Found at Tiburon Embankment"

December 20th, 1966 – San Francisco Examiner: "No Injuries Found on Dead Woman"

December 20th, 1966 – Daily Independent Journal: "Fireman Adds to Mystery of Unidentified Woman"

December 22nd, 1966 – Daily Independent Journal: "One New Lead in Identifying Woman’s Body"

December 23rd, 1966 – Daily Independent Journal: "Still Trying for Identification"

NamUS #UP137660: Newborn Black Female Found on a Beach

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.

Unidentified Woman UP116037: Found in Palm Bay, January 1985, Could She Be Sandra Faye Thompson?

By: Shane Lambert

Time of original writing: January 10th, 2025

UP116037 is an unidentified Jane Doe whose body was found on January 17th, 1985 in Palm Bay, Florida. The details, as per her NamUs profile at the time of writing, were as follows:

• "Remains found wrapped in a blanket in a remote area of Palm Bay, FL."
• GPS opened to "28°02'04.1"N 80°35'19.2"W" (likely in the area of where she was found)
• Partial skeletal remains
• Female
• White/Caucasian
• Adult pre-30
• 24-28 years old
• Thought to have died in 1984
• Thought to have been dead for six months when discovered
• 62-64 inches tall (5'2" to 5'4") (estimated)
• 95-105 pounds (estimated)
• Clothing: bathrobe/housecoat found near the body

Looking at the details above, it's the clothing that stands out. What does it mean for someone to be found dead with, presumably, her bathrobe/housecoat nearby? For me, that's someone who was abducted from her home by an intruder or someone who was killed by someone she lived with. 

The fact that only partial skeletal remains were found is significant, in my opinion.

I did find some journalism on this Jane Doe. It said she may have been decapitated. 

This is important when it comes to the height of the individual. I would think it would be harder to estimate the height of a Jane Doe who had been decapitated, even if you had all the body parts. If you are working on this case, I think you should use a broad estimate for a height range.

Back in the first half of the 1980s, we were in the time frame before DNA became a powerful tool for identification. Back then, dental records were one of the ways to identify a Jane Doe. A Doe who was decapitated may have been altered in that way to separate her dentals from her body and thereby inhibit identification in a time where DNA wasn't yet fully developed. However, I found that this was probably not the case with this Jane Doe, a point I will return to.

March 7th, 1985. Florida Today.

The original journalism at about the time of discovery estimated her age to be between 30-47 years old. That is in counter to the current information at NamUs. Furthermore, I found an article that said that the body was found "four miles west of Interstate 95 and one mile south of Malabar Road" (January 22nd, 1985/Florida Today). A street named "Savery Street" was associated with the discovery location. On modern maps of the area, I could find only "Savery Road."

This woman's remains were thought to be related to two other discoveries in the area at about the same time. I clipped the entire article below, which was published on March 7th, 1985 in Florida Today (page 1B).

The remains appeared to have been interfered with by a dog. Furthermore, the woman who owned this dog discarded the skull for some reason. That would suggest that the murderer of this woman did not separate the skull from the body but rather this dog did.

Other details:

• The bones were found by a couple who were interested in real estate in the area.
• The bones were originally thought to belong to an elderly man.
• The bones were described as "scattered across the vacant lot" in one article (Jan. 19/1985 Florida Today; Page 21).
• Foul play seemed to be suspected from the start.
• The remains were found near some trees and bushes, which suggests to me that someone was trying to hide them to some extent.
• Several cigarette butts were found on the street in front of the body's location.
• A Websleuths.com member (username SimsGuy67) has suggested Sandra Thompson as a candidate for a rule out. At first glance, I could see how some details added up.

Joan Gay Croft Mystery - What Happened After the Unsolved Mysteries Episode?

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: July 27th, 2023

The mystery of Joan Gay Croft is an enduring mystery in missing persons cases. An episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Robert Stack hosting) covered the events surrounding her disappearance. The episode is in Season 6, Episode 1. The following is a summary of the events as told in the episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

Tornado damage.
By City of Woodward, Oklahoma - https://www.weather.gov/oun/events-19470409 (Exact URL & Archived URL), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134069705

The Disappearance of Joan Gay Croft, According to Unsolved Mysteries

• A strong tornado struck the town of Woodard, Oklahoma in April 1947, killing scores of people in addition to widespread property damage (read about it at Wikipedia);
• One family, the Crofts, loses its mother, the father is badly injured, and the two daughters require hospitalization;
• Joan Gay Croft goes missing while in the hospital when two men in military khakis reportedly make off with her;
• She has not been seen since;
• The embedded video below should be started at the 31:30 mark.

What Happened After the Unsolved Mysteries Episode?

If you are reading this, then you are probably wondering what happened with this case after the Unsolved Mysteries episode? Well, as of July 27th, 2023, Joan Croft still has an active profile at NamUs, meaning she is still missing.

This is a case that I covered independently of the Unsolved Mysteries episode. I wrote about this case in 2020 and watched the television show more recently. I think the points I made in the 2020 article are still relevant for anyone interested in this case.

The Unsolved Mysteries episode does not depict Joan Gay Croft's injuries in the same light as the newspaper coverage from 1947 did. The episode says that Croft had a splinter that was finger-sized in her leg. The journalism at the time says the splinter was broom-handle-sized.

Furthermore, her injuries, according to her Namus profile, were not treated. At least, that's what I wrote in 2020 after reading her profile. As of July 27th, 2023, her profile states the following: "left calf - splinter wound from tornado (not removed prior to abduction)."

If the splinter was, in fact, broom-handle sized then who knows what kind of infection could result from having that untreated throughout a couple of days. Furthermore, there must have been significant blood loss.

April 20th, 1947. Blackwell-Journal Tribune.

Also, the Unsolved Mysteries episode presents her as a fairly well-groomed child huddled in the hospital basement with her sister. The journalism that covered her disappearance back in 1947 said that she had "severe facial abrasions and a possible head injury." She certainly was not in good shape.

FBI Not Interested in the Case So TV Show Likely Sensational

Another important point from the 1947 journalism, is that the FBI didn't investigate the case. They didn't have convincing enough proof that an abduction had taken place. Apparently, all the people who spoke in the Unsolved Mysteries episode were credible enough for the show but not for more serious matters.

The journalism at the time supports the notion that she died amidst the confusion and may have been buried under an incorrect name. I recommend that readers visit my article on this case but be sure to read the newspaper clippings that are embedded as well. This 'unsolved mystery' about two men in khakis will seem far less mysterious after that.

Unsolved Mysteries isn’t a great show when it comes to dealing with facts. In this case, I think that they were trying to captivate more than report.

Unsolved Mysteries Episode: Fake News From the 1980s

In fact, in the very same episode as the one that featured Joan Croft's case, they started with a tall tale of a man who had a fear of water. Turns out, as presented in the show, that it was because -- get this -- he was the reincarnation of a submarine sailor who drowned in WWII.

The television series dabbled in all kinds of nonsense. It's clear to anyone who is logical and reasonable that some people were willing to say whatever they needed to appear on the show. It's also clear that the show was willing to indulge such people and present them in a credible light to captivate the viewing audience.

I'm not saying that journalism can't behave similarly. Then, the question is why didn't they?

For those looking at this mystery, the journalism from 1947 is more reasonable than the fanciful Unsolved Mysteries episode.

Conclusion: In my opinion, Joan Gay Croft is probably in the local graveyard as supported by the 1947 journalism.

NamUs #UP84926 - Hillsboro Jane Doe Found in December 1961

By: Shane Lambert

The Hillsboro Jane Doe (NamUs #UP84926) is a young woman who was found dead in December 1961. I researched her case and below are the details that I think amateur investigators and writers should be aware of with this case.

NamUs description: "Remains found off the side of a rural highway in a ditch. Believed to have been dumped there late 12/15/61 or early 12/16/61. Multiple injuries consistent with being beaten noted."

Date body found: December 16th, 1961 (Saturday) at 3:48am in the morning. From the news articles I read from the journalism at about the time of her death, a "sex fiend" was thought to have killed her. However, in subsequent days she was thought to have not been sexually molested.

18 Dec 1961, Mon The Bee (Danville, Virginia) Newspapers.com

Location of the body: NamUs says she was found in a rural highway ditch. From what I gathered, she was found a mile south of Hillsboro in a honeysuckle thicket and was presumptively thrown there from a car. This discovery sounded like it resulted from a body dump.

18 Dec 1961, Mon The Bee (Danville, Virginia) Newspapers.com

Date/time of death: The Jane Doe was thought to be dead for two hours when discovered at 3:48am on the morning of December 16th, 1981. Thus, her estimated time of death would be 1:48am on the same date but could have been earlier.

Cause of death: NamUs said she had been beaten. According to The Bee out of Danville, Virginia, an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be "a subdural hematoma and a brain hemorrhage" (Dec 16, 1961; page 25).

18 Dec 1961, Mon The Bee (Danville, Virginia) Newspapers.com

Age: 15 to 18 years old as per both NamUs the journalism at the time of the body's discovery

Sex: Female

Race: White/Caucasian

Height and weight: 5'1" and 95 pounds, according to NamUs. 5'0" to 5'2" and 85 to 100 pounds is what I gathered as a range from other sources. Qualitatively, she was called "slender" or only slightly built.

Hair: Brown or dark brown, short, and slightly curly according to NamUS.

Eyes: Brown

Fingerprints: Sent to the FBI

Clothing and accessories: 

1. She was found wearing a pullover navy-blue cotton t-shirt type short sleeve shirt with elastic neck and sleeve ends. The label in the neckband said "Jamie." 
2. She wore a white-cloth brassiere with a safety pin on the posterior portion near the elastic hooks. The label said, "Habson Creation, 100% cotton, Sanforized, size 36-B" (Sanforized means preshrunk, meaning that it was shrunk before being sold). Size 36-B would not be very busty. 
3. She wore turquoise-blue corduroy pedal-pusher female pants (called "slacks" in the Bee Hive article) with a back zipper, a button, and a right-rear pocket; it had an imitation leopard-skin corduroy cloth black and white design running down the lateral seam margins as well as the cuffs. 
4. Other clothing that was associated with this Jane Doe was found near the body: a hip-length white coat with a back one-half belt with brass-type buttons; the material is herring-bone type weave. In the pockets of the coat: 2 white cotton socks. 
5. I also found a newspaper article that said she was wearing a light-color jacket.
6. A small and empty pocketbook was found near the body.

17 Dec 1961, Sun The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia) Newspapers.com

NamUs #UP85987 - Jane Doe in Arizona's Mohave County

By: Shane Lambert

Update: This article was originally published in December 2021. The Jane Doe has since been identified, conclusively, thanks to DNA testing. She is Colleen Audrey Rice according to an article from TheBee.News and DNASolves.com.

Original article appears below

------------------------

I researched the Mohave County Jane Doe tonight, an apparent murder victim whose dead body was found on January 23rd, 1971. The case received some mainstream media coverage with Fox10 in Phoenix. NamUs says that the "Jane Doe was found on a private ranch in a canvas sack with a rope outside of Kingman, Arizona on 01/23/1971."

 

This artistic rendering of the victim was undertaken in early 1971, I believe by a Flagstaff police artist. 

Here are her details, many of which are as per the Mohave County Sherriff's Office Facebook post on October 20th, 2021, however, I source other sources throughout this article:

Body found: January 23rd, 1971

Cause of death: murder by strangulation (sourced below)

Date of death: Undetermined but early speculation was that she was thought to have been dead for several weeks; later speculation was that she had been dead for a month when she had been discovered. By my research, I think she was thought to have died around December 23rd, 1970.

Sex: Female

Age: estimated to be about 40 years old (35-40 years old by another source)

Height: 5'4" (estimated: she had been dismembered, according to another source)

Weight: 125 to 140 pounds

Hair: curly, brown

Location: a deserted area near a dirt road that was 2.2 miles east of US Highway 93 on Hackberry Road

Clothing: a size-14 multi-colored long-sleeve blouse, a black long-sleeved black cardigan sweater, a pair of burnt-orange stretch pants with the words "Symphony, It's what's happening" written on a tab (size 12), a pair of black leather and ankle-high boots, bobby sox, and no jewelry.

Scar: she had a c-section birth scar (sourced below)

Fingerprints: sent to FBI

Dentals: Her dental work was considered expensive. She had two missing molars. She had a "$500 microband bridge."

Family: Thought to have been married (she had a bone indentation that was thought to have been caused by wearing a wedding ring) and she was thought to have had three children.

Find-a-grave: I think this might be the Jane Doe's grave picture. However, the date is off. Then again, with Jane Doe cases the dates on the graves aren't always right.

"Deer-Pak Ames Harris Neville Co.": What does this mean?

The woman was discovered by three hunters. The bag that the woman was in had the following phrase: "Deer-Pak Ames Harris Neville Co."

"Ames Harris Neville Co" gets hits in the newspapers.com database throughout the last century, but mostly in the early parts.  The company sold bags, tents, camping gear, awnings, and canvas goods. The Fox10 news article said the sack was a canvas bag so "Ames Harris Neville Co." was likely the brand name of the bag. The ad below shows that this was a large company on the west coast of the USA.

 

30 Jun 1960, Thu The Californian (Salinas, California) Newspapers.com

"Deer-Pak" appears to be a hunting term. Deer-Pak is a kind of bag that someone would buy to haul away deer after making a kill. With that in mind, it's not surprising that this woman was found by hunters. I think this Jane Doe was stuffed into a hunting bag that would have been meant for wild game. In the second clipping below, see the ad in the bottom-left. It uses the phrase "Deer Pak" amidst hunting equipment.

 

06 Oct 1967, Fri The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com

01 Oct 1963, Tue Tucson Citizen (Tucson, Arizona) Newspapers.com

"Symphony, it's what's happening": What could this phrase mean?

The phrase "Symphony, it's what's happening" is something I found little information on at first. However, someone at Etsy.com was selling some clothes that were vintage from the 1960s that had "symphony it's what's happening happening happening" written on the tag. I kept a screenshot in my notes. That gave me the idea to just search for "happening happening happening" with my beloved newspaper archive membership and I found a company that used the slogan with some variety.

I believe the Jane Doe's clothes were associated with a brand name called Monsanto's and may have been sold somewhere called Velma's as per the advertisement below. However, many chains may have carried the brand. As you see in the advertisement, they use a variation of the slogan. It's not "Symphony, it's what's happening" but rather "symphony is what's happening, happening, happening!"

I am not sure what "symphony" means: maybe it's a line of clothing within the overall brand? But I really do think that the murdered woman was rich or at least well-off, stylish, and chic.

06 Apr 1969, Sun Panama City News-Herald (Panama City, Florida) Newspapers.com

Journalistic Coverage

I found only a little bit of media coverage with this case. The articles I found are below. Journalist Paul Dean of The Arizona Republic wrote that she was stuffed into "a muslin deer sack" ("muslin" means lightweight cotton cloth in a plain weave), confirming what I wrote above about the canvas bag that she was found in being that of a hunter's. The second article below, the one by Paul Dean, is basically required reading for this murder mystery.

25 Jan 1971, Mon Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) Newspapers.com 27 Apr 1971, Tue Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) Newspapers.com

Mary Ann Mariz -- Missing From Sacamento Since 1982? Or found deceased in 1985?

Paraphrased details from government source**: Mary Ann Mariz was last seen by her mother leaving their shared residence on 04/14/1982 to go out with friends.

Missing Person: Mary Ann Mariz
Last-contact date: April 14th, 1982 (Wednesday)
The area where the MP was last seen: Sacramento, California
Link to government source: NamUs MP87396

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 23 years old
Birthdate: Mary Ann Mariz was born between April 15th, 1958, and April 14th, 1959 based on her reported age at the last date of reported contact. She might have been born on November 14th, 1958. Someone named "Mary A. Mariz" was born in San Bernardino County at that time according to a file at Ancestry that I found.
Hair: Brown, shoulder lengthed
Eyes: Brown
Scar: None known
Height/weight: 5-foot-6 and 120 to 125 pounds
BMI*: Mary Ann Mariz was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Mary Ann Mariz did not have any tattoos associated with her profiles.
Clothing and Accessories: This missing person was associated with a lot of clothing articles and/or possessions. Note the following with this case: a rust-colored jacket, blue jeans, a printed shirt, a silver watch, a birthstone ring with a pink stone, and a choker-type chain necklace.

By: Shane Lambert

Mary Ann Mariz has not been seen since April 14th, 1982 when she was 23 years old. This individual has now been missing for about 39 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

This case is a fairly recent addition to NamUs, at the time of writing. It was added in December 2021, making for a nearly 40-year gap between Mary Ann's disappearance and the uploading into NamUs.

What stood out with this case during my research was that this person, at one time, appeared to have been identified as a deceased individual. On February 12th, 1985, The Auburn Journal apparently reported that her skeletal remains had been found. There is an age mismatch of one year between NamUs and the article, however, I really think this is the same case based on all the other details.

12 Feb 1985, Tue Auburn Journal (Auburn, California) Newspapers.com
I wondered where the mistake was: was Mary Ann Mariz not actually the decadent mentioned in the article? Did they realize at a different time that they had made a mistake in identifying her? Or has she been found deceased and there was a clerical error that lead to her case being uploaded into NamUs?

I emailed the sheriff for this case and learned that Mary Ann Mariz is partly missing. They have not recovered all of her remains.To quote Deputy Sheriff Christine (Paige) Kneeland's email from December 27th, 2021:

"Yes, MARIZ is deceased, however, only partial remains were discovered. There is still a great deal of remains that have not been found, or might be DOE remains somewhere. So we have initiated a missing person protocol investigation due to the still outstanding amount of remains."

Thank you for reading. If have any information about this case, consider contacting the authorities.

Author: @UncoolNegated on Twitter

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

@UncoolNegated on Twitter is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of April 2021.

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: 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.

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