Donna Marie Prudhomme (April 23, 1957 - July 1991), (née: Gonsoulin) previously nicknamed "Janet Doe" was found in 1991. She was one of the Texas Killing Fields victims. DNA linked her to potential relatives in Louisiana. She was identified in April 2019.
Disappearance[]
Donna Prudhomme was born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1957. She moved from Beaumont, Texas, to Austin, Texas in approximately 1986. She then moved to Seabrook, Texas in 1988 and then to Nassau Bay, where she was last heard from in July 1991. She moved around in order to escape an abusive relationship. Another reason for her decision to settle in the area where she was killed is also believed to have rooted in the number of potential employment opportunities.
The most recent photograph of Prudhomme was a mugshot, taken around the time she was last seen after an arrest for unspecified offenses. Police decided to release it during the press conference announcing her identification and additional media coverage to provide an accurate likeness of her appearance at the time of her death. As the rendering provided by the Parabon NanoLabs depicted the approximate age of 25, a 1977 photograph was favored for comparison. Additionally, DNA phenotypes cannot indicate environmental influences to an individual’s physical appearance.
Characteristics[]
- Fine, light brown hair.
- Phenotyping indicates she possibly had hazel eyes.
- Possibly had a fair complexion.
- Compression injury to the upper spine in three places.
- Old, poorly-healed compression injury to the lower spine.
- Possibly had problems with moving her head and back.
- Numerous old, healed injuries.
- Healed right first and second rib fractures.
- Low-quality upper dentures.
- Poor dentition.
Gallery[]
Media[]
- The 2022 series Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields documented the cases.
Sources[]
- Donna Prudhomme at the Doe Network
- Click2Houston
- ABC 13
- ABC 13
- Houston Chronicle
- Avoyelles Today
- People Magazine
- Phenotype report
- Obituary
- Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields