Forensic testing may be the key to identifying one of the Green River Killer’s victims, known only as Jane Doe 1986 or Jane Doe B-16. The tests show she may have lived in Alaska prior to her death, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
“The results indicate that she may have been from or spent several years in Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming or several portions of southern Canada to include: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador,” NCMEC said in a statement Tuesday.
Dubbed the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway abducted and murdered at least 49 women in the 1980s and 1990s in the Seattle and Tacoma, Washington area, according to the FBI. He pleaded guilty to those women’s deaths, but investigators believe he has other victims as well. While serving his life sentence in prison, Ridgway has revealed previously unknown dumpsites to law enforcement, as recently as November, KIRO7 News reports.
Among his known victims are three who are still unidentified, including Jane Doe 1986. She was found on Jan. 2, 1986 near Mountain View Cemetery in Auburn, Washington.
“Although Ridgway confessed to murdering her, he did not know who she was or any information about his victim,” NCMEC explained in a statement.
In an effort to solve the mystery of who she is, NCMEC sought chemical isotope testing of her remains through the Smithsonian.
Jane Doe 1986 isn’t the first victim to undergo such testing. A young woman found dead in a Wisconsin field in 1999 was also tested and those results concluded she may have lived in similar regions, including Alaska.
With the new information about her life, NCMEC is hoping someone in those regions recognizes her and can help identify her.
She is believed to have died in the early 80s when she was a teenager, likely between the ages of 14 and 18, according to NCMEC. She is caucasian, and would have been 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall. Her hair and eye color are unknown, due to the condition of her remains when she was found.
If you have any information about Jane Doe 1986, you can call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-263-2090 or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.
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