Other names "Crystal Rae" Died July 1999 | Name Racine Jane Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |
 | ||
Status Unidentified for 16 years, 6 months and 9 days Known for Unidentified victim of homicide | ||
Racine County Jane Doe (informally known as Crystal Rae) was a young white woman whose body was discovered in 1999 in the town of Raymond, Racine County, Wisconsin. The victim was aged 18 to 35 years at the time of her death, which occurred after weeks of neglect and torture. New developments in the case emerged after her body was exhumed on October 16, 2013. It is not known how successfully these leads have been followed.
Contents
- Racine county jane doe buried 16 years after being found
- Discovery of the body
- Description
- Investigation
- Identification
- References
Racine county jane doe buried 16 years after being found
Discovery of the body
The body was found near a field on July 21, 1999, apparently within one day after being disposed of. One of the two people who discovered the body stated that an arm appeared to be broken, since it was in an unnatural position. Because it had rained on the night the body was dumped, little evidence of the perpetrator was found.
An autopsy indicated that she had died from multiple injuries, such as burning and beating, and had endured several weeks of neglect and abuse, which had increased a few days before she died. She showed signs of having been malnourished and sexually abused. A "cauliflower ear" deformity may have been caused by the abusive conditions in which she lived.
Over 50 people attended the woman's funeral after the autopsy was completed. Her gravestone reads "Daughter: Jane Doe", along with the relevant dates.
Description
The malnourished woman may have been mentally disabled. She had a "cauliflower ear" deformity, which likely resulted from abuse. It is believed that she was most likely 18 to 30 years old, although she may have been up to 35. Her teeth were not well cared for. Her front incisors protruded from the mouth, and decay was present on many teeth. Some teeth were missing. Her curly hair was reddish-brown, collar-length, and appeared to have blond highlights. Her eyes were either brown, green, or hazel. There were two earrings in each of her ears.
She had visible bruises and cuts across her body, and a fractured nose.
She wore a gray man's shirt with a floral design on the front. After contacting the shirt's manufacturer, it was learned that this type of shirt was first sold in 1984. She was also wearing black sweatpants. She was not wearing shoes.
Investigation
Multiple reconstructions were made of the victim's face . In 2012, an additional reconstruction was created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Another version of the composite exists, which shows a different facial expression.
At one time, she was thought to be Aundria Bowman, who was presumed to have run away from her adoptive parent's house in Hamilton, Michigan on March 11, 1989, but DNA profiling via her mother Cathy, demonstrated that they were not the same person. Missing persons such as Aundria, Tina D'Ambrosio, and Karen Wells have been ruled out.
Some believed that this case could be linked to the murder of Mary Kate Chamizo (née: Sunderlin), a previously unidentified victim who was discovered in Lake County, Illinois. Sunderlin was also found malnourished, had poor dentition and had been beaten to death. Three were arrested in that case; one was convicted.
The remains were exhumed on October 16, 2013, for further study and transported to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the body had previously been examined in 1999. Authorities hoped that by studying the bones, they would be able to tell where the woman had lived prior to her death.
It was announced on July 19, 2015, that the examination of the remains had been completed and that they would be reburied on July 21 on the 16th anniversary of their discovery. Authorities stated they had indeed uncovered new leads from the exhumation, but they declined to state any details.
On October 20, 2016 it was announced that chemical isotope testing performed by the Smithsonian on a sample of her hair and bone suggest she may originally have been from or spent several years of her life in Alaska, Montana or portions of southern Canada. Authorities did not comment on what testing the results are from, whether recent with hair or history from bone.
Although the murder remains unsolved, investigators hope that the case will eventually come to a close. A press conference in 2013 is said to have uncovered more clues.
Identification
On November 7, 2019, the Racine County Sheriff's Office announced that Sheriff Christopher Schmaling would hold a Media Briefing the following day to release information about Racine County Jane Doe's identity and the name of the individual in custody for her death. The announcement stated that "both the victim and the individual in custody have substantial ties to a northwestern Chicago suburb."