OHF080915 Sept 15 2008, Holmes County

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http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4586518

Sheriff looking for ID from reconstruction
about 9 hours ago
By NICK SABO
Staff Writer

MILLERSBURG -- When she was found as a pile of skeletal remains off a township road the day after the Sept. 14 windstorm, the only clues to the woman's identity lay in her bones.

With only skeletal remains to work from, forensic anthropologists determined her to be an African American female between the ages of 25 to 45. She had possibly given birth to one, or two children; she was determined to be between 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall.

Recently, the bones yielded another clue, giving her a face.

A skull reconstruction completed by the FBI in Quantico, Va., is in possession of the Holmes County Sheriff's office. Showing her face to the world, Sheriff Tim Zimmerly hopes someone will be able to put a name with the face.

"This is somebody's daughter, possibly somebody's mom," Zimmerly said. "If you know this person, I don't see how you wouldn't recognize her."

The reconstruction is a three-dimensional model of the woman's features and shape of her face. It is the latest tool in the nine-month investigation Zimmerly hopes will culminate in the woman's identity, followed by a determination of how she died.

The forensic examinations, completed in Lucas County, did not turn up a possible cause of death.

Deputies have eliminated numerous missing persons suspected to be the dead woman, Lt. David Snyder said.

"We had a lead out of Texas that looked promising, but here it wasn't her," Snyder said. "We contacted adult parole (nationwide), people who they haven't seen in a while, and we thought maybe it was her. Here, she turns up alive and well in California."

A search also was made using the national missing persons database.

The sheriff has the custody of the remains, including the skull, sent back with the reconstruction model. A femur was sent for DNA testing, but results aren't expected for six to 12 months, Snyder said.

Zimmerly noted for the DNA to turn up a lead immediately after the testing is completed, the woman would have had to have given a DNA sample sometime in the past. However, the DNA can be matched to other samples in possession of her family or other persons, Zimmerly said.

"We want people to call in, even if it's the slightest possibility at all," Zimmerly said. "We'd rather eliminate (leads), than not get them."

Anyone with information should call Snyder at 330-674-1936.

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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/in...pic=37535&st=0&

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http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4587891

Getting leads Reconstruction of woman's face generating tips
about 9 hours ago
By NICK SABO
Staff Writer

MILLERSBURG -- After appearing in local newspapers and on TV, the face of a woman reconstructed from skeletal remains is generating leads.

Holmes County Sheriff Tim Zimmerly said Thursday at least four tips so far have been phoned in from individuals regarding the woman's identity.

"We've had some tips and hopefully they'll keep coming," Zimmerly said. "It's four more than we had before."

The woman's remains were found Sept. 15 off Township Road 26 in Richland Township, lying at the bottom of an embankment. Only her skeleton and a partial dental plate remained.

Forensic analysis of the remains by the Lucas County Coroner's office indicated they had been there three to 10 months. The examination further determined the remains to be those of a black female between the ages of 25 to 45, standing 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall.

The tips received so far are being investigated, said Zimmerly, adding that once a name is received, deputies begin trying to track the person down to determine whether or not they are dead or alive. It is a process of elimination, Zimmerly said, identifying women who fit the forensic description and eliminating them as a possible match when found to be alive and accounted for.

All leads passed on to the sheriff's office before the release of images of the skull reconstruction have been eliminated, Zimmerly said.

The Ohio Attorney General's office released crime scene photos Wednesday of Ohio Bureau of Investigation and Identification agents gathering evidence off Township Road 26 Sept. 15. Attorney General Richard Cordray said the investigation is being treated as a homicide, and it is believed the woman may have been dumped from a vehicle. Investigation suggests the woman was from an urban area, Cordray said.

Forensic examiners were unable to determine a cause of death.

Testing of a DNA sample from a femur bone is expected to be completed within six to 12 months. The DNA can be further applied to confirm the woman's identity, if a possible match is found.

Zimmerly encourages anyone with information to contact Lt. David Snyder at 330-674-1936.

[PorchlightUSA]

Unidentified Black Female

* The victim was discovered on September 15, 2008 in Holmes County, Ohio
* Estimated Date of Death: May - August 2008
* Skeletal Remains

Vital Statistics

* Estimated age: 25-45 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'5-5'9"; 120-150 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Black, curly hair. Victim may have given birth at least once.
* Clothing: None.
* Dentals: She had a partial upper dental plate and two stainless steel dental caps. The denture replaced the anterior teeth and was held in place by wires and two premolars. Three (3) shortened teeth roots were left in place and covered by the denture. It has been suggested that this denture may have been made while the victim was in prison.
* DNA: Available

Case History
The victim was located off the north side of Township Road 26, about nine feet from the roadway – an indication that the victim could have been dumped from a vehicle.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Holmes County Sheriff’s Office
330-674-1936
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

NCIC Number:
U-480021722
http://doenetwork.org/cases/773ufoh.html

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[PorchlightUSA]

FEDERAL BUREAU OF
INVESTIGATION
Violent Criminal Apprehension
Program (ViCAP)

Gender: Female
Hair: Black – Tightly Curled
Age: 25 - 45
Height: 5’5” – 5’9”
Weight: 120 – 150 pounds
NCIC #: U480021722
Dumped: May - August 2008; (Based
on degree of skeletonization and lack of
bleaching and cracking of bones.)
Recovered: September 15, 2008
Dental: Partial upper denture. The denture replaced the
anterior teeth and was held in place by wires and two
premolars. Three (3) shortened teeth roots were left in
place and covered by the denture. It has been suggested
that this denture may have been made while the victim
was in prison.
Remarks: Victim may have given birth at least once.

On September 15, 2008, workers discovered human skeletal remains in a
wooded area in Holmes County, Ohio. The remains were located along an
embankment, approximately six feet from the roadway. No clothing, jewelry or
identifying information was recovered. Victim’s DNA has been forwarded to the
University of Northern Texas for inclusion in CODIS.
For Additional Information – Contact
• Holmes County Sheriff’s Office (330) 674-1936
• Special Agent Daniel Winterich, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation,
Richfield, Ohio, (330) 659-4600, ext 259, or daniel.winterich@ohioattorneygeneral.gov
• Crime Analyst Glen W. Wildey, Jr., FBI, ViCAP, (703) 632-4166 or gwildeyj@leo.gov

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http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/5102754

Hunter finds bones in wooded Rittman area
about 2 hours ago
By BOBBY WARREN
Staff Writer

RITTMAN -- Police and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation have been systematically excavating the soil in a deeply wooded area off of South Main Street after human remains were discovered.

A man was hunting Monday night on the property where Morton Salt has minefields when the bones were discovered, Rittman Police Officer Sgt. Robert Shows said. A dispatcher received the call at 10:37 p.m. Police went to the scene and determined the bones were from a human.

As of midday Wednesday, Shows said it had not been determined if the bones were from a man or a woman or how long they were in the woods. Had the man not been out hunting, the remains probably would not have been found, he said.

"We have to find as much evidence as we can then try to piece it together to see what we have," Shows said.

Wayne County Coroner Amy Jolliff was overseeing the scene, Shows said. The area where the bones were found was about one mile west of South Main Street down a cinder road then "deep into the woods," Shows said.

BCI agents are working on grid-by-grid pattern to locate more bones. Shows said they are starting in a known area and working outward.

There are no reports of missing people in which to link the remains, Shows said.

Some people have speculated the bones could be from Susan Ryan, a Wooster woman who went missing June 5, 2010.

"It's a possibility, but from what we have, we can't tell. We have to collect the information," Shows said, adding later, "We don't have a dental record. We have to collect dental evidence."

The clothes the person was wearing have deteriorated. Flooding in the spring, the hot summer weather and possible animal activity have provided challenges.

"We need to get all of the evidence we can and then get back together and see what we have," Shows said. "It's one of those strange things. ... They left us one great, big mystery."

The bones are the second set to be found in the area in the past three years. In September 2008, the bones of an African American woman were found off of a township road in Holmes County. The woman still is unidentified and listed on the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program website.

"DNA has extracted and classified with the anticipation of getting a match," said Chief Deputy Nathan E. Fritz, noting, however, the case right now is "inactive."

"We're confident, based on the type of dental work this female had, she had spent some type of time in the prison system somewhere, but (at a time) prior to when DNA was collected (during the admission process)," said Fritz, noting she may have been a loner with or without living relatives who could provide DNA for comparison.

And, while more often than not a missing person's report precedes a body and identification come together, there are cases of successful matches after the fact, Fritz said, noting the office will follow up on all leads and the detective assigned to the case regularly touches base with other investigators just to ensure the case doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

[PorchlightUSA]

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/unidentifi...holmesco_oh.pdf