OR FINLEY CREEK JANE DOE: F, 14-18, found in a wooded hillside near La Grande, OR - 27 Aug 1978 - pregnant

Case File: 1258UFOR

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Unidentified Female
Date of Discovery: August 27, 1978
Location of Discovery: Finley Creek, Union County, Oregon
Estimated Date of Death: Years prior
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate

Estimated Age: 14-18 years old
Race: Unknown
Gender: Female
Height: 5'1" to 5'3"
Weight: 115-125 lbs.
Hair Color: Light brown to blonde
Eye Color: Unknown

Distinguishing Marks/Features: She was pregnant, and likely in her 6th to 8th month of pregnancy.

Dentals: Available.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Not available.
Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: A halter/bra, red Catalina pants (size 15/16 - Juniors?) - which show evidence of possible length alteration, ankle-high lace up shoes, and remnants of clothing that consisted of red cloth, white cloth, and zippers.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Case History
The victim's body was found in a wooded hillside 18 miles north of La Grande.

Investigating Agency(s)
If you have any information about this case please contact;

Agency Name: Union County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Dr. Veronica Vance
Agency Phone Number: 971-673-8220
E-Mail

Agency Case Number: ME: 78-1865
NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: UP #11902
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Information Source(s)
NamUs

1258UFOR

www.doenetwork.org

www.crimewatchers.net

A pregnant #JaneDoe was found in a wooded hillside 18 miles north of La Grande, Oregon in 1978. Help @FromTheVaultPod give her back her name!

Estimated Age: 14-18 years old Race: Unknown Gender: Female Height: 5'1" to 5'3" Weight: 115-125 lbs. Hair Color: Light brown to blonde Eye Color: Unknown
www.crimewatchers.net www.crimewatchers.net
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Click to expand...
RE-EVALUATING A RULE OUT

I was contacted by Suzanne, whose mother, Patricia Lee Otto, is on the list of missing persons that have been ruled out as being FCJD. Her question to me: How was my mother ruled out? Was it because of the pregnancy? Off the top I knew that was NOT it but I told her I would check the files. When I did - I found nothing. The only reason I knew Patty had been ruled out was because NamUs said so.

Since then I have gotten a wealth of information about Patty - some backstory, photos, dental x-rays - the latter of which had a handwritten note ON THE ENVELOPE noting dental work that had been done AFTER the x-rays were taken. This was a revelation in itself as I realized (while at my dentist) that if I were to go missing today, my own x-rays do NOT match the work that has been done to my teeth. This makes a note in Patty’s missing person file saying that her x-rays don’t match the dental records of the remains found in La Grande seem a bit irrelevant.

Patty and Suzanne resemble FCJD so much that it is eerie. With Suzanne’s permission, I am posting the photos she sent me of (from left to right) Patty, FCJD, and herself and the note “ruling out” her mother as being FCJD.

And believe me when I tell y’all that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding information that Suzanne and I have exchanged and discovered this past week. After I’ve done a bit more digging, I will let you all in on some long-held secrets.

For now, we have focused on re-examining the physical attributes of Patty Otto and comparing them to FCJD. Dr. Vance, Suzanne, and the FCJD Task Force are ON THIS and hope to find out soon what the results are. Also, I’ve received word that Dr. Vance is going to collect the cremains from the “coroner’s office next door” to TRY to test for DNA. This is amazing news that we are excited (yet cautious!) about and we hope that it will lead to some definitive answers one way or the other.

The journey continues and we could NOT do this work without you. THANK YOU!
 

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SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:
Thank you so much for working on this case and connecting with Suzanne! I agree, the resemblance is remarkable. Can't wait to hear more about your work on this case, and sincerely hoping Suzanne gets some answers soon. She's been an advocate for her mom for a very long time.
Click to expand...
Suzanne is an absolute rock star and I am very much hoping we can conclude two cases at once here very soon!
 
MelJay said:
RE-EVALUATING A RULE OUT

I was contacted by Suzanne, whose mother, Patricia Lee Otto, is on the list of missing persons that have been ruled out as being FCJD. Her question to me: How was my mother ruled out? Was it because of the pregnancy? Off the top I knew that was NOT it but I told her I would check the files. When I did - I found nothing. The only reason I knew Patty had been ruled out was because NamUs said so.

Since then I have gotten a wealth of information about Patty - some backstory, photos, dental x-rays - the latter of which had a handwritten note ON THE ENVELOPE noting dental work that had been done AFTER the x-rays were taken. This was a revelation in itself as I realized (while at my dentist) that if I were to go missing today, my own x-rays do NOT match the work that has been done to my teeth. This makes a note in Patty’s missing person file saying that her x-rays don’t match the dental records of the remains found in La Grande seem a bit irrelevant.

Patty and Suzanne resemble FCJD so much that it is eerie. With Suzanne’s permission, I am posting the photos she sent me of (from left to right) Patty, FCJD, and herself and the note “ruling out” her mother as being FCJD.

And believe me when I tell y’all that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding information that Suzanne and I have exchanged and discovered this past week. After I’ve done a bit more digging, I will let you all in on some long-held secrets.

For now, we have focused on re-examining the physical attributes of Patty Otto and comparing them to FCJD. Dr. Vance, Suzanne, and the FCJD Task Force are ON THIS and hope to find out soon what the results are. Also, I’ve received word that Dr. Vance is going to collect the cremains from the “coroner’s office next door” to TRY to test for DNA. This is amazing news that we are excited (yet cautious!) about and we hope that it will lead to some definitive answers one way or the other.

The journey continues and we could NOT do this work without you. THANK YOU!
Click to expand...

Open the thread for Patricia case

ID - PATRICIA LEE OTTO: Missing from Lewiston, ID - 2 Sep 1976 - Age 24

394DFID - Patricia Lee Otto Left: Otto circa 1976; Right: Age-Progression by Wesley Neville Name: Patricia Lee Otto Case Classification: Endangered Missing Missing Since: September 2, 1976 Location Last Seen: Lewiston, Nez Perce County, Idaho Physical Description Date of Birth: August 4...
www.crimewatchers.net www.crimewatchers.net
 
MelJay said:
RE-EVALUATING A RULE OUT

I was contacted by Suzanne, whose mother, Patricia Lee Otto, is on the list of missing persons that have been ruled out as being FCJD. Her question to me: How was my mother ruled out? Was it because of the pregnancy? Off the top I knew that was NOT it but I told her I would check the files. When I did - I found nothing. The only reason I knew Patty had been ruled out was because NamUs said so.

Since then I have gotten a wealth of information about Patty - some backstory, photos, dental x-rays - the latter of which had a handwritten note ON THE ENVELOPE noting dental work that had been done AFTER the x-rays were taken. This was a revelation in itself as I realized (while at my dentist) that if I were to go missing today, my own x-rays do NOT match the work that has been done to my teeth. This makes a note in Patty’s missing person file saying that her x-rays don’t match the dental records of the remains found in La Grande seem a bit irrelevant.

Patty and Suzanne resemble FCJD so much that it is eerie. With Suzanne’s permission, I am posting the photos she sent me of (from left to right) Patty, FCJD, and herself and the note “ruling out” her mother as being FCJD.

And believe me when I tell y’all that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding information that Suzanne and I have exchanged and discovered this past week. After I’ve done a bit more digging, I will let you all in on some long-held secrets.

For now, we have focused on re-examining the physical attributes of Patty Otto and comparing them to FCJD. Dr. Vance, Suzanne, and the FCJD Task Force are ON THIS and hope to find out soon what the results are. Also, I’ve received word that Dr. Vance is going to collect the cremains from the “coroner’s office next door” to TRY to test for DNA. This is amazing news that we are excited (yet cautious!) about and we hope that it will lead to some definitive answers one way or the other.

The journey continues and we could NOT do this work without you. THANK YOU!
Click to expand...
Aren't rule outs done via DNA now? Has Patty's DNA been submitted?
 
www.lagrandeobserver.com

Walla Walla woman believes Finley Creek Jane Doe is her mom

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Suzanne Timms was looking at a Facebook page that lists missing persons when she thought she saw someone familiar — herself.
www.lagrandeobserver.com www.lagrandeobserver.com

Walla Walla woman believes Finley Creek Jane Doe is her mom​

Suzanne Timms was looking at a Facebook page that lists missing persons when she thought she saw someone familiar — herself.

“I said, ‘Why am I there? I’m not a missing person,’” the Walla Walla, Washington, woman said.

A moment later Timms became convinced that the picture, which she first saw in July, was not of herself but of her mother, Patty Otto, who has been missing since Sept. 1, 1976. What Timms saw was not a photograph but an image created in May by a forensic artist in Massachusetts, Anthony Redgrave, the operator of Redgrave Research Forensic Services. Redgrave was assisting a local group trying to identify a woman found in a shallow grave 10 miles northwest of Elgin in August 1978.

“I am certain she is my mother,” she said.


Timms is sure of Finley Creek Jane Doe’s identity not only because of the forensic image but also the red pants and white blouse a medical examiner’s report photo shows she was wearing.

“That was exactly what my mom had on the last time I saw her,” Timms said.

A Sept. 8, 1976, story in the Lewiston-Morning Tribune also said that Otto was wearing red pants and a white blouse before she disappeared from Lewiston.

Other similarities include the light brown or blond hair the article described, the same color Timms’ mom had. Size is another common characteristic. Finley Creek Jane Doe’s estimated height was 5 feet, 2 inches to 5 feet, 4 inches, the same height as Timms’ mother.

Timms now wants to get DNA to verify that Finley Creek Jane Doe is her mother, which might prove challenging — Timms said Finley Creek Jane Doe was cremated in 1990 because her case had been closed by the state.

Still, Timms is not giving up hope. She knows precisely where Finley Creek Jane Doe was found because her father-in-law, then a child, was with the two hunters, including his father, when they found her in 1978. He has taken Timms to the precise site and they have searched the area for human bone fragments, but none have been found.

She hopes to return later with dogs trained to pick up the scent of human bones. Timms also hopes to be aided by someone trained in the science of scatter analysis who might be able to determine how the bones were spread out.

Another avenue that may be pursued involves attempting to get what are believed to be the ashes of Finley Creek Jane Doe.

It is not known for certain where the ashes of Finley Creek Jane Doe are because they were never returned to La Grande after being sent to Walla Walla to be cremated, Timms said. However, Timms believes her ashes may be those at a mortuary in Walla Walla in a box marked miscellaneous. She said that a Canadian company will be attempting to get DNA from the cremains in the box.
 
UPDATE: Unidentified cremains which may be that of Finley Creek Jane Doe - Elgin, OR have been located in Walla Walla, and have been sent to Lakehead University's Paleo-DNA Lab in Thunder Bay, Ontario in hopes to extract a usable DNA sample for sequencing. If a successful sample is able to be obtained and sequenced, Redgrave Research Forensic Services will be assisting in the DNA analysis. A fundraiser is currently ongoing to cover the extraction and sequencing costs, and a Q&A session with the Finley Creek Jane Doe Task Force exclusive to donors is scheduled for tomorrow (10/29/2021) at 7 PM Eastern to discuss details relating to this major update and the coming lab process.
 
www.lagrandeobserver.com

Site where Finley Creek Jane Doe was found to be examined by OSP

UNION COUNTY — A four-decade-old Union County mystery may be on the verge of being solved or taking another unforgettable twist.
www.lagrandeobserver.com www.lagrandeobserver.com

Site where Finley Creek Jane Doe was found to be examined by OSP​

A four-decade-old Union County mystery may be on the verge of being solved or taking another unforgettable twist.

The Oregon State Police are set, next month, to conduct an examination and possible excavations at a site near Finley Creek, 18 miles north of La Grande, where the remains of an unidentified woman were found in August 1978.

“We are planning on mid-August or late August,” said Sgt. Sean Belding, a member of OSP’s major crimes division.

Belding will be joined by Calvin Davis, director of the OSP’s crime lab in Pendleton, and Dr. Nici Vance, from the State Medical Examiner’s office, plus members of the Finley Creek Jane Doe Task Force.

Belding, Davis and Vance recently decided to conduct the examination and possible digs after learning of how a pair of cadaver dogs responded on Thursday, June 23, at the Finley Creek site. Each dog, trained to smell human bones and brought there by the task force, indicated they had found buried human bones at the same two places while operating separately.

Belding, who accompanied the task force on its June 23 visit, said he was impressed with the interest each dog showed in the two sites. The canines, one of which is a German shepherd, laid down at the same place, an indication they were positive human bones were underneath the location, said Melinda Jederberg of La Grande, a leader of the Finely Creek Jane Doe Task Force, which she founded in 2019.

This was the second time the cadaver dogs were brought to the Finley Creek site by the task force. They were also brought there in the summer of 2021, when they also indicated they detected human bones there.

The task force members have never dug at the Finley Creek site because it is a crime scene and thus it would be illegal to disrupt it.

Suzanne Timms of Walla Walla, Washinhton, who is assisting with the search as a volunteer, is elated that the OSP investigators will be examining the site because she is certain the Finley Creek Jane Doe is her mother, Patricia “Patty” Otto, of Lewiston, Idaho, who has been missing since Aug. 31, 1976.

“Oregon is giving resources toward the case. It gives me hope,” she said.
 
eugeneweekly.com

Who is Jane Doe?

Finley Creek Jane Doe On Sunday, August 27, 1978, two hunters stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a woman — possibly a woman and a fetus — in brush near their campsite in Union County, a remote …
eugeneweekly.com eugeneweekly.com

EW-EXTRABY BRENTON GICKERPOSTED ON 01/11/2024

Finley Creek Jane Doe​

On Sunday, August 27, 1978, two hunters stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a woman — possibly a woman and a fetus — in brush near their campsite in Union County, a remote part of eastern Oregon near Elgin, a town north of La Grande, and approximately 140 miles from Lewiston, Idaho.

According to an article published two days later in a La Grande newspaper, The Observer, “Oregon State Police investigators today were still carefully unearthing human remains from a shallow grave found by hunters Sunday morning near Finley Creek Road, about 10 miles northwest of Elgin.”

The article continues, “Two hunters from Milton-Freewater, Ron Swinger and Lee Parr, found the grave on a brushy, wooded hill about 200 yards from Finley Cow Camp, a roadside hunters’ campsite”.

This woman, now commonly referred to as Finley Creek Jane Doe, remains unidentified to this day.

What we know about her — based on media reports, legal documents and reports from law enforcement agencies — varies, depending on the source, but most sources indicate she was between 15 and 25 years old at her time of death. She has been described as having sandy brown hair, being 5 feet1 inch to 5 feet 3 inches tall, and weighing around 115 to 125 pounds.

Some reports say she “may have been pregnant” when she died. According to NamUs, the federally run National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, she was definitely pregnant and “likely in her 6th-8th month of pregnancy.”

NamUs indicates she probably died between 1970 and 1975; only a partial skeleton was found, with “one or both hands not recovered.”

According to the Facebook page “Finley Creek Jane Doe – Elgin, OR” dedicated to discovering her identity, “A white halter or bra style top, red Catalina pants (size 15/16) which showed evidence of possible length alteration, ankle-high lace up shoes, remnants of clothing that consisted of red & white cloth, additional white clothes with small red hearts, zippers & pieces of nylon cord were found with the Doe’s remains.”

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More at link. ~Summer
 
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