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| MSF821205; Jackson County, 12-05-1982 (Delta Dawn) | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 30 2006, 02:57 PM (1,214 Views) | |
| 100PercentFound | Jul 30 2006, 02:57 PM Post #1 |
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Photo at the bottom of this page....... UID Female Child Located 12-05-1982 in Escatawpa, MS "Delta Dawn" MS - Jane Doe- 18-24 months Classification: Unidentified NCIC #: Dental Charts: she had 12 baby teeth at the time of her death DNA Available: Y Skeletal Remains: N Located Date: December 5, 1982 Area Found: Escatawpa, MS Gender: Female Height: 2'6" Weight: 20-25 pounds Race: White Eyes: Either Blue or Brown, unable to tell due to cloudiness Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on Could it be a faded rose from days gone by And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today To take you to his mansion in the sky Those words ring so true for the little girl tossed into the Escatawpa River on a Sunday morning in December of 1982. Surely she is sitting in that mansion in the sky surrounded by a multitude of beautiful roses. Delta Dawn would be about 25 years old now had she lived. I wonder… what would her life be like? Would she be married? Would she be an artist? She was never given the chance to live long enough to create any dreams of a future much less realize them. The innocence of a child…did someone she loved and trusted take her life away? It was December, two and a half weeks before the Christmas holiday, when deputy’s spotted the little girl floating in the river. She was approximately 18 months old, a pretty baby with strawberry blonde hair**. She was only about 20 pounds and approximately 30 inches tall. She was dressed in a red and white checked dress and a diaper. She was no match for the person who took her life. Detective Matt Cox said he believes she was thrown from the bridge. Dr. Donald Dore performed an autopsy. He indicated that the baby drowned but did not rule out suffocation. **Some reports say the baby had strawberry blonde hair while other reports indicate her hair was brown. Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone, You'll never, ever walk alone. Walk on little Mississippi Delta Dawn…there are many people here still searching for your name. Investigators If you have any information concerning this child's identity or the circumstances surrounding her homicide, please contact: Jackson County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mick Sears 228-769-3063 Agency Case Number: 82-21094 NCMEC #: NCMU400053 All information may be submitted on an anonymous basis. Written by Bonnie Porter Source Information: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Operation Delta Dawn Doe Network http://www.operationdeltadawn.com/ |
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| PorchlightUSA | Feb 12 2007, 09:20 AM Post #2 |
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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/45ufms.html Unidentified White Female Located on December 5, 1982 in Escatawpa, Jackson County, Mississippi. Cause of death was homicide -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vital Statistics Estimated age: 2 years old Approximate Height and Weight: 2'6" - 76 cm; 20 - 25 lbs - 11 kg. Distinguishing Characteristics: Strawberry blonde hair; either brown or blue eyes, due to the cloudiness of the eyes. Dentals: 12 baby teeth had grown in at the time of her death. Clothing: The victim was discovered wearing a Cradle Togs' pink and white dress which buttoned in the back and a disposable diaper. Some reports say that she was wearing a red and white checkered dress (or shirt). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Case History The victim was located in the Dog River, beneath the westbound lane of I-10 in Pascagoula, MS, on December 5, 1982. She was apparently thrown off the Interstate 10 bridge 36 - 48 hours prior to discovery. Her body was found when a trucker called authorities to report a body of an adult wearing a blue plaid shirt and blue jeans, floating in the river. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office believes the body is the mother of the child found floating in the river. Detectives said the theory is based on the fact that a woman, who was obviously distressed and carrying a child, was seen walking on Interstate-10 on the previous friday night. This is further confirmed by a Moss Point woman who was monitering CB conversations that night. She said "truckers were 'raising-a-boat-load-of-h**l' between midnight friday and 1 a.m. saturday because a woman and child were walking on the interstate and refused to let anyone help her." Authorities said a woman wearing a blue plaid shirt and blue jeans and carrying a child was seen near the scales at the Alabama line walking west on the interstate. She was reported walking in the westbound lane. A man who saw the woman said a pickup truck stopped but she refused to get into the truck. Authorities speculate the woman may have thrown the child into the water and then jumped. It is unclear if the body of the woman was recovered. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Investigators If you have any information concerning this child's identity or the circumstances surrounding her homicide, please contact: Jackson County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mick Sears 228-769-3063 Agency Case Number: 82-21094 NCMEC #: NCMU400053 All information may be submitted on an anonymous basis. Source Information: http://www.operationdeltadawn.com/index.html http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/ser...earchLang=en_US |
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| PorchlightUSA | Feb 12 2007, 09:24 AM Post #3 |
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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/in...pic=19092&st=0& |
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| PorchlightUSA | Nov 28 2010, 09:18 PM Post #4 |
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Unidentified Baby Still Remembered After 25 Years Posted: Dec 7, 2007 05:58 PM CST Updated: Dec 7, 2007 07:16 PM CST The initial call came from a trucker, who reported seeing an adult's body in the river that early December morning, 25 years ago. Responding deputies found something far more disturbing in the murky waters of the Escatawpa. "And there they came across the baby's body. Like I say, they really weren't looking for a baby, they were looking for an adult and found a baby," recalled deputy Virgil Moore. The pretty little girl, between 18 months and two years old, was never identified. Investigators determined she died a brutal death and was tossed off the interstate bridge, into the river. "From what I recall of the autopsy, I saw on there the baby had been smothered and thrown overboard. But the baby still had a breath of life because she had sucked in some of the murky water into her lungs," said Moore. The unidentified toddler is buried in Jackson County Memorial Park. Deputy Moore and his wife stepped forward and made sure the little girl was given a proper funeral and burial in 1982. "She just became so close to us during the funeral and the time we were investigating this and all. And I have a picture of her that will hang in my living room as long as I'm alive. It's just like my own daughter, a beautiful baby." Paul Murphy was a reserve deputy who was on duty at the time the child's body was recovered from the river. He clings to the hope that questions may one day be answered. "She belongs to somebody. And if she's not remembered, it's not going to be put out anymore. It's just, time is going to pass on by. And this way here, if we keep her in the light, somebody may just come forward," says Murphy. The memorial service for the still unidentified child will be held tomorrow at Bethel Assembly Church on Martin Street in Pascagoula. Some 200 people attended the young girl's funeral in that same church, 25 years ago. "There had to be relatives of this baby. And this baby came up missing. You know, grand parents, uncles, aunts, cousins. Somebody." said Moore. The memorial service for the child will be held at three o'clock Saturday afternoon at Bethel Assembly Church on Martin Street in Pascagoula. By Steve Phillips http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=746...tType=Printable |
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| PorchlightUSA | Nov 28 2010, 09:20 PM Post #5 |
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Can DNA advances solve cold case? Monday, September 07, 2009 By CHERIE WARD Staff Reporter Advances in DNA technology could prove the strongest chance for investigators to determine the identity of Baby Jane, an unknown infant girl found dead in Dog River 27 years ago. The case of the 18-month-old child, also referred to as Delta Dawn, who was found floating in the river Dec. 5, 1982, has been a troubling mystery for years until a recent break in the cold case. Jackson County Sheriff's investigator Hope Thornton said the body of the child was exhumed in November 2008 to obtain DNA samples, hoping to link her to another cold case out of state. "In March 2008, I was contacted by a California coroner," Thornton said. "The family of a young girl who disappeared about the same time saw the digital composite of Delta and wants to know if she could actually be theirs." Allegedly, the boyfriend of the girl's mother stated he kidnapped the child and killed her but has never told authorities where the child's remains were hidden, Thornton said. "He's in jail," she said. "Whether or not this is the child or not, we just don't know, yet. Right now, we're having a hard time getting viable DNA." But investigators have also not ruled out a truck driver as a prime suspect in the child's demise. Ted Hammond of Florida reported seeing a dead body in the Escatawpa River as he drove over an Interstate 10 bridge. Thornton said she interviewed Hammond when she took the case over eight months ago. "He's still a suspect in my book," Thornton said. According to a Dec. 7, 1982, report in the Mississippi Press, Hammond said he saw an adult body floating 1,000 feet west of the I-10 bridge that runs over the Escatawpa River. Sheriff's investigators later found the baby 10 miles north of that bridge but never found an adult. A Dec. 8, 1982, report describes a woman with a baby walking west on I-10 near the truck scales at the Alabama-Mississippi state line. "Even with age and time, there's no way things can change as dramatically as his story has," Thornton said, declining to give details because of the ongoing investigation. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department adopted the baby shortly after she was discovered, and deputies paid her funeral expenses. Call the Jackson County criminal investigation department at 228-769-3065 with any information about Baby Jane. http://www.gulflive.com/printer/printer.ss...6410.xml&coll=5 ©2009 Pascagoula Copyright 2009 gulflive.com. All Rights Reserved. |
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| PorchlightUSA | Nov 28 2010, 09:21 PM Post #6 |
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25 years later, ‘Baby Jane’ still a mystery Associated Press PASCAGOULA — On Dec. 5, 1982, an infant girl was found dead in the Escatawpa River. Twenty-five years later, her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death remain unknown. No arrests have been made. That’s not stopping two Alabama women from seeking justice for her, or at least closure. A memorial service for “Baby Jane” will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. at Bethel Assembly of God Church in Pascagoula. The church was the site of her funeral attended by about 200 people more than two decades ago. The baby was buried in Jackson County Memorial Park. Lynn Reuss and Marjorie Brinker, the Alabama women who are organizing the memorial service, met after researching another missing person’s case. Reuss said she named the baby Delta Dawn because of the time of morning she was found. “I have always been interested in the fate of this little girl ever since I located her case,” Reuss said. “I just couldn’t understand why someone would throw a baby into a river like that.” Deputy Virgil Moore, who now works in the community relations division of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, was with other deputies at a Christmas party in 1982 when a truck driver reported seeing what looked like an adult body in the river. Reserve deputies found the infant girl after arriving in the Franklin Creek area north of Interstate 10 and meeting with the truck driver. The girl, who authorities believe was 18 months to 2 years old, had red hair and was wearing a red and white checkered dress and a diaper. She was about 31-inches tall and weighed about 25 pounds, and she was believed to have been dead between 36 to 48 hours, Moore said. Moore said initial autopsy results indicated that she drowned, but he said that suffocation was never ruled out. The sheriff’s flotilla recovered her body partially floating and face up. “There was murky water all in her lungs,” Moore said. Moore and his wife, Mary Ann, claimed the baby’s body after authorities “exhausted every effort” in trying to locate a relative or someone else who would claim the girl. “Actually, she belongs to Jackson County,” Virgil Moore said. “She was a beautiful baby girl.” Instead of an unmarked grave, Moore said that his wife, now deceased, insisted on a Christian burial with a headstone that reads, “Baby Jane — Known Only To God.” Reuss said she and Brinker chose the church and pastors Joe and Donna Spence for the memorial because they conducted the 1982 ceremony there. No leads have surfaced in 25 years, Moore said, stressing that “we didn’t have the DNA and other technology that we do today.” With no new leads, the case remains inactive. He commended Reuss, who lives near Auburn, Ala., Brinker of Grand Bay and others for wanting to keep the case in the public arena. “I keep hoping that somewhere down the line somebody will say something,” Moore said. “There has to be an aunt, uncle, somebody that wants to come forward.” Reuss said she and Brinker were overwhelmed when local churches, florists, businesses, citizens and other strangers joined in to help with the memorial. “We both felt like it needed to be done so that people would not forget and maybe stir up some publicity to help get justice for her case,” Reuss said. “Somewhere out there, somebody knows something.” Reuss and a friend also set up an online petition to lobby America’s Most Wanted and other national TV programs and media outlets to help provide information about the case. Another child, referred to as “Baby Jane 2,” is buried next to the infant girl, Moore said. That baby, believed to be about 4-weeks old, was found drowned in Wade in 1987. http://www.picayuneitem.com/archivesearch/..._341150430.html |
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| PorchlightUSA | Nov 28 2010, 09:22 PM Post #7 |
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JACKSON COUNTY, Miss.) Feb. 19 -- The case of "Baby Jane Doe" has been kept alive by detectives and deputies who simply wont let it go. The child's body was found floating in a river off Interstate 10, in Jackson County Mississippi on a cold December morning in 1982. It's a case that still baffles investigators 25 years later. Jackson County Mississippi detectives believe Baby Jane Doe was thrown off the Interstate 10 bridge into the Escawtawpa River. "The child most likely was alive when it was thrown over because there's no blunt force trauma," Detective Mick Sears tells NBC15's Jame Gordon. The child drowned, starting a 25 year mystery. Virgil Moore, the original investigator, has taken on the task of not only finding out who killed the baby girl, but has become the girl's surrogate father, first arranging for her burial and since then, tending to her grave. He says: "As the marker says, 'Known only to God.' What I'd like is for us, myself and all the people here, is to know who this baby is." The night before Baby Doe's body was found reports came in that a woman holding a baby was seen walking along I-10 near the Alabama-Mississippi state line. A truck driver who was interviewed at a nearby truck stop told investigators he offered to help the woman, but she refused. The next day, there was another call. A truck driver heading east on I -10 said he saw a body floating near the west bound lane off a bridge on the Escawtawpa River. Paul Murphy, the deputy on call, says: "And I stopped in the middle of the first bridge there to get out and looked over and there was the baby." Searchers looked for another body, possibly that of the baby's mother, but nothing was ever found. Now, 25 years later, the focus is on the truck driver who called saying he saw the baby's body. Among the many questions is, why did the truck driver wait until he was miles away to make the call. Detectives say they are getting closer to tracking down that truck driver, but they realize it could be just another dead end. According to Captain Sears, "We just want to try and go over his statement that he made back then, that was, which of course back then was not a very good statement." This past December, folks in Jackson County marked the 25th anniversary of the little girl's death and they continue with their vow to give the baby a name and to find justice for her. If you have any information which could help officials find the answers they seek regarding the Baby Jane Doe case, contact the Jackson County, Mississippi, Sheriff's Department. http://www.nbc15online.com/news/custom/spe..._SVIIT6BDw.cspx |
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