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Lorie Pennell

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Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell (September 6, 1962 - January 24, 1985) was a woman who was found murdered on January 24, 1985, in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

She was identified by Othram in March 2024.

Case[]

Disappearance[]

Pennell was last seen alive at a truck stop in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1982. Her family then reported her missing, but the search for her was unsuccessful. A family member later disclosed that she was involved with drugs and may have engaged in sex work to support her addiction.

Discovery and investigation[]

On January 24, 1985, at around 7:30 a.m., the body of a young woman was discovered by a truck driver driving southbound on Highway 78 in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Her shoes, undergarments, jacket, and other potential belongings were missing. An autopsy showed she had been deceased for hours after being strangled with a ligature and was possibly sexually assaulted. Police then attempted to identify the victim and her killer. After the investigation was unsuccessful, the young woman, still unidentified, was buried at Blocker Cemetery in 1985.

From 1978 to 1992, several girls and women with reddish hair were murdered and left alongside highways in the United States. It's speculated that these girls and women were killed by a singular individual dubbed "The Redhead Killer" or "The Bible Belt Strangler." It's thought that this person was a truck driver who preyed on redhead female sex workers and/or transients estranged from their families. The murders believed to be related have occurred in states including Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In 2019, deceased trucker Jerry Leon Johns was found responsible for Tina Farmer's murder in Tennessee in 1985 through DNA evidence.

Johns died in prison in 2015 at the age of 67 after being convicted of the kidnapping and assault of a redhead woman named Linda Schacke in 1985. Johns attacked, bound, and attempted to strangle Schacke with her t-shirt and left her in a storm drain under Interstate 40, believing she was dead. Johns remains the top suspect in The Redhead Murders.

Identification[]

In 2022, forensic evidence was submitted to Othram to determine if modern DNA testing could help identify Olive Branch Jane Doe. Othram successfully created a DNA profile of the woman and then conducted genealogy research. This process then led investigators to the relatives of the woman. She was then positively identified as Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell in March 2024.

Characteristics[]

  • Freckled complexion.
  • Wavy, short to medium-length strawberry-blonde or red hair
  • Small frame.
  • Gray or brown eyes. 
  • Heavy smoker.
  • Triple-pierced pierced.
  • Tied fallopian tubes.
  • Deeply bitten fingernails.
  • Poor dental hygiene.
  • Missing front tooth on lower jaw.
  • Some tooth fillings, possibly from youth.
  • Scars on left arm, hand, and fingers.
  • Tattoo of the letters T.H.C. on right ankle.
  • Tattoo of the letters R.C.J., R.E.J., or R.E.T. on left ankle.

Clothing[]

  • Light-peach colored short-sleeved pullover top with embroidery on the front.
  • Blue Gloria Vanderbilt brand jeans.

Gallery[]

Sources[]

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