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Marie Young Featured case
JYoung
Name Janice Marie Young
Sex Female
Found June 9, 1973
Location St. Petersburg, Florida
Missing from Virginia
Identified May 2015
Span 41 years
Age 15
Cause of death Vehicular homicide

Janice Marie Young (Born Janice Marie Brock) was a teen who was pushed in front of a moving vehicle on June 9, 1973 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The man who pushed her was acquitted of her homicide. She was identified on May 20, 2015, nearly 42 years after her death.

Case

Marie by Samantha Steinberg

Samantha Steinberg's reconstruction which Timothy Young recognized as his sister

On 9 June 1973, a young girl was shoved into the path of a passing vehicle on the intersection of 8th and 11th Ave South in St. Petersburg. She died at the scene. She was dragged over 100 feet across the street and had suffered extensive wounds. She was in confrontation with a black male and was holding a knife and broken glass bottle in her hands during the altercation. She wore a multicolored gown and purple tights at the time of her death.

The man, Lawernce E. Dom who pushed the girl was charged with her murder, but was released as his intention to hurt the young girl could not be proven, Dom told investigators that the shove was in "self defence" and had stated he had given the girl and some of her friends a lift home when she attacked him in the street. Witnesses also stated that Marie had threatened Dom on the street before she was pushed into the road.

Two police officers had questioned the girl days prior to her death, believing her to be a person they where searching for in another case but realised she wasn't the women they where looking for and she provided the officers with the name "Janice Marie Broke" and gave her date of birth as 17 June 1953.

The girl appeared to be between 14 and 16 years old, but may have been as young as 11 or as old as 20. Her wavy hair was auburn and shoulder-length. Her eyes were noted as a unique shade of blue. She had noticeably short fingernails, which is consistent with nail biting. Other distinctive features were three birthmarks on her back, a chipped tooth, no visible dental work, and freckles on her shoulders. It is possible that her tooth was chipped when she was struck by the vehicle. She had three piercings, two in one ear and a piercing in her other ear but had healed. She had needle marks on her arms and thighs, indicating she was a drug user. It is possible that she ended up trafficking drugs, as the argument that resulted in her death may have been due to this reason.

The location of which she came could not be determined, as she stated she was from various New England states and gave various alias such as Marie, Cindy, Janice Marie Brock/Bromke and possibly Sonja. In her Possessions, was a written letter to "Gloria" which lacked an address. The letter mentioned friends called "Bill", "Mark" and "Theresa" in North Carolina and Virginia. It is also believed she hitched a ride from "Bill" to St. Petersburg. The letter also mentioned being "on break", indicating she was employed in the area. She was not native to the area and had been living with three "Hippies" at 700 11th Ave South in St. Petersburg at the time of her death and may have resided in Reddington Beach for a time. The "Hippies" she lodged with only knew her two days prior to her death. She had borrowed clothing from others, suggesting she had little belongings.

The state of her body has been disputed. Some sources state she was in a recognizable state and others claim she was unrecognizable due to traumatic injuries.

She was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg. Her body was exhumed in 2010 to collect DNA samples to help aid in her identification.

She was identified as 15 year old Janice Marie Young, after her brother Timothy Wayne Young saw a composite sketch online that resembled his sister whom he was searching for years, after she ran away from their home in 1973 due to abuse she suffered (as did her brother) from their adoptive family.

Her Remains where sent to her brother in North Carolina for cremation.


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