Sharon Kay Abbott Lane was a woman who was found murdered in Virginia in 1993.
She was identified by Othram Inc in December 2022.
Background[]
Sharon Lane was raised in Indiana and had two children, her first at 16 and her second at 19. She was described as being into drugs and associated with the wrong crowd. When she was 20, she lost custody of her children and they were sent to live with their father.
Her children grew up not knowing much about Sharon and had almost no contact with her. Her older child, Kimberly Lane, stated Sharon called her out of the blue in the mid-1980s. She asked Kimberly if she loved her and gave her her number to keep in touch, but they did not stay in contact.
Sharon's son tried to track her down over the years, but found most relatives had no idea where she was. Sharon's father said he had last heard from her when she called him from jail asking for bail money in 1987, which is the last time anyone heard from Sharon. Sharon's sister said she received an anonymous phone call in the early 90s from a female caller repeatedly stating that Sharon was dead.
Case[]
Sharon was discovered in a shallow grave in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C in 1993. She had been dead for at least a year prior to her discovery and authorities believe that she was murdered no earlier than 1980. She was stabbed to death with wounds to her back, collarbone and neck, and had been attacked from behind at one point during the killing.
When Othram began work on her case, they were able to locate Sharon's brother and from there, tracked down her children and confirmed the match through DNA.
Characteristics[]
- Slim to medium build.
- She had previously cared for her teeth, but in the years preceding her death, she had reduced her dental hygiene habits.
- Five molars were missing.
- There was evidence of decay.
- Fillings were observed.
- Staining on her teeth indicated she smoked.
- She had an overbite.
- A gap was present between her front teeth and a cosmetic filler was in place.
- Some discs in her vertebrae were herniated, suggesting a job requiring heavy lifting.
Clothing and accessories[]
- An inexpensive hair pick and hair clip.
- She possibly wore denim jeans with zippers near the ankle, which had mostly rotted away.
- Bikini underwear with synthetic material and a lace border.
- 'Gigi' bra, size 34-B.
- White 'Huarache' sandals with Native American designs, indicating she died during warmer months.
- Earrings (requiring piercing) gold in color with "aqua" swirls.
- A quarter dated to 1980.
Gallery[]
Media[]
- Her case was documented extensively on the second episode of The New Detectives.
- The victim's reconstruction was shown in the episode of Cold Case Files titled "A Knock at the Door," on display in the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office.
- Fairfax County John Doe (1972) and Joyce Meyer (previously known as "Christmas Tree Lady") also appear.
Sources[]
- Sharon Abbott Lane at the Doe Network
- DNASolves
- The New DetectivesPOSTMORTEM WARNING
- MSN
- Radford University article on Larry DeWayne Hall