Harris County Jane Doe was a woman found murdered along Interstate 45 in 1980. Her case is speculated to be related to a possible serial killer who dumped victims along Interstate 45. Henry Lee Lucas confessed to killing her, although he later recanted his confession.
Case[]
The victim was discovered along an unpaved road near a barbed wire fence along the I-45. She was strangled with the scarf found in her possession. Early in the investigation, it was theorized she was a high-risk victim, possibly a sex worker. During the late 1970s and 1980s, various high-risk victims, including sex workers, runaways, and hitchhikers, were killed and disposed of along various highways in Texas.
Henry Lee Lucas confessed to killing this victim in 1983 after being convicted of killing Becky Powell and Kate Rich. According to the Lucas Report, he correctly guessed the brand name of the gloves she wore on June 17, 1984. However, this may have been due to his reading of the victim's cold case file.
While in custody, Lucas and his partner, Otis Toole, confessed to killing over a hundred people with the Lucas Task Force, headed by the Texas Rangers, and closing 213 murder cases. However, it was eventually determined that Lucas had falsely confessed to most of the cases, with authorities greatly enabling him by bribing him with privileges or letting him read cold case files to confess. Later, Lucas would recant all of his confessions, including this one. Eventually, he was convicted of eleven murders and suspected of more and died on March 12, 2001.
In 2017, it was suggested that this victim could have been killed by an offender who killed three other female victims in 1980 and left their bodies along the same interstate. Two of the victims were Sherri Jarvis and another unidentified female found on December 10, 1980. All four victims were strangled, and some were sexually assaulted in a similar way. Coincidentally, Lucas confessed to killing at least this victim and Sherri.
While her fingerprints are unavailable, her dental records and DNA are available for comparison, with the latter available in CODIS.
Characteristics[]
- Black hair styled in small, short braids.
- Moderate periodontal disease.
Clothing and accessories[]
- Long-sleeve blue and white Madra pullover shirt, size M.
- Blue jeans with large orange flowers embroidered on the rear pockets, size 5/6.
- White head scarf with a red, black, and blue leaf design.
- White bra.
- Red bikini-style underwear.
- Large woven rope-style handbag.
Sources[]
- Harris County Jane Doe at the Doe Network
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram (1/15/81)
- Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
- KHOU (archived)
- The Lucas Report
- Harris County Jane Doe at NamUs
- Harris County Jane Doe at the Texas Department of Public Safety
Footnotes[]
- ↑ The victim is also listed to have been discovered on October 15.