Sonja Kaye Blair-Adams (April 24, 1948 - c. 1969), previously known as "Mountain Jane Doe", was a young woman who was murdered in 1969.
Case[]
Disappearance[]
Sonja was last seen at her home sometime in 1969. Few details are available on her disappearance.
Discovery[]
Sonja's decomposed body was found on Little Shepherd trail on Pine Mountain by a man picking flowers.
It was estimated that Sonja had been dead several weeks prior to her discovery. Authorities did not believe the girl was local to Harlan.
Identification[]
In 2009, Sonja's daughter, Karen Stipes, searched the NamUs database to try to find her mother, yet she wasn't listed in NamUs. Karen then found out about the story of Mountain Jane Doe.
Meanwhile, in 2015, the woman was exhumed, and the University of North Texas developed a DNA profile. The profile was successfully developed.
Karen then reached out to Detective Josh Howard, and the Harlan County coroner, Philip Bianchi.
In September 2016, it was announced that Mountain Jane Doe was identified as Sonja Kaye Blair-Adams through DNA.
Her murder remains unsolved, but the investigation is active.
Gallery[]
Media[]
- Her case appeared in the documentary, The Dead Unknown