Update: Grundy County Jane Doe Identified, Investigation Into Murder Ongoing

*Last Updated – July 14, 2024*

UPDATE

JUNE 2024:

Nearly five decades after her body was discovered in a ditch along US Route 6, the identity of the woman known as Grundy Jane Doe and Jane Seneca Doe has been uncovered. Thanks to genealogical work by volunteers at the DNA Doe Project, she has been identified as JoAnn “Vickie” Smith of Ohio.

Word of Jane Doe’s identification was announced by the Grundy County Coroner’s Office. The DNA Doe Project put in years of work upon taking on the case, providing regular updates as to its progress. Through building the decedent’s family tree, volunteers were able to determine she had extended family in Alabama, Michigan and Ohio, and that she was likely born between 1948 and ’60. Possible family names of Harris and Calhoun were also identified.

According to a press release by the coroner’s office, the process hit an unexpected snag when it was learnt Jane Doe had been adopted at a young age. This was determined when members of her birth family revealed they’d had no knowledge of her existence.

Continued genealogical work allowed volunteers to identify the decedent’s birth mother, with her identity ultimately being verified via records obtained with the help of the Cincinnati Health Department, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Hamilton County Probate Court.

According to news reports, Smith was born on February 7, 1956, and spent the majority of her childhood with her adoptive family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was last seen leaving her residence in Lincoln Heights, Ohio, on the evening of June 14, 1976. At the time of her disappearance and murder, she’d been working as a housekeeper at a Marriott Hotel.

The investigation into Smith’s murder is ongoing.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

DISCOVERY:

On October 2, 1976, a farmer and his granddaughter discovered the body of an unidentified woman in Erienna Township, near Seneca, Grundy County, Illinois. The decedent, who was nude, was found in a ditch on US Route 6, 1.4 miles east of the LaSalle County line and not far from I-80.

AUTOPSY:

An autopsy was performed on Jane Doe at Range Funeral Home, where it was determined she’d been dead for only a day.

Her cause of death was deemed to be a homicide by firearm, as she’d been shot once in the back of the head with a .38-caliber revolver. The bullet had entered behind her ear, and while it didn’t exit the skull, it did penetrate two places, resulting in her face suffering some disfigurement.

DETAILS:

Jane Doe is described as African American, and is believed to have been between 15 and 27 years old. She stood from 5’7″ to 5’9″ and weighed approximately 130-150 pounds. Her black hair was in an afro-style, and she had brown eyes. Other noted characteristics include an indented scar on her right hip and a possible birthmark on her lower right abdomen.

When found, a red, white and black knit sweater was around the decedent’s neck and a green plastic bag bound with black electrical tape was over her head. The sweater, which had a handwritten “C” on the tag, still had the price tag on it, which stated it had cost $15.99.

In order to help identify Jane Doe, her image was run in the Chicago Daily Bulletin, but no one came forward saying they knew her. Her fingerprints were also submitted to the FBI and other crime labs, but a match couldn’t be made. As of late, both a Facebook page and an Instagram account have been created to raise awareness about the case.

Police don’t believe Jane Doe to have been from the local area.

In 2018, a billboard was put up outside of the Joliet Regional Airport, in order to try and identify the unknown woman. As well, in December of that year, her body was exhumed and bones were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for DNA testing.

The case has since been picked up by the DNA Doe Project.

RULE OUTS:

1. Katrina Ashford, who went missing from San Rafael, California, on July 11, 1972.
2. Tracy Davenport, who went missing from San Rafael, California, on April 27, 1973.
3. Catherine Davidson, who went missing from Sawyer, Michigan, on September 1, 1973.
4. Francis Loretta Heath Wells, who went missing from Crossett, Arkansas, on August 13, 1974.
5. Ila Maynard, who went missing from Greensboro, North Carolina, on December 4, 1974.
6. Consuella Cash, who went missing from Los Angeles, California, on January 3, 1975.
7. Alice Jefferson, who went missing from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in either 1974 or ’75.
8. Sherise Magee, who went missing from Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 1, 1975.
9. Marion Hawkins, who went missing from Los Angeles, California, on October 5, 1975.
10. Mabel Andrews, who went missing from Orlando, Florida, on January 16, 1976.
11. Brenda Moore, who went missing from Austin, Texas, on March 7, 1976.
12. Margie Phillips, who went missing from Fort Myers, Florida, on April 22, 1976.
13. Jennifer Barton, who went missing from Austin, Texas, on May 16, 1976.
14. Debra Stewart, who went missing from Austin, Texas, on May 21, 1976.
15. Barbara Jolly, who went missing from Seattle, Washington, on August 22, 1976.
16. Ivy Matory, who went missing from Compton, California, on July 21, 1977.
17. Violet Matory, who went missing from Compton, California, on July 21, 1977.
18. Yolanda Williams, who went missing from Los Angeles County, California, on July 19, 1977.
19. Susan Redding, who went missing from Seattle, Washington, on April 8, 1975.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:

Jane Doe’s dentals, DNA and fingerprints are currently available for comparison.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of Jane Doe or her murder is asked to contact the Grundy County Coroner at either (815) 942-3792 or (815) 941-3359.

Image Credit: Carl Koppelman/Grundy County Coroner’s Office

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