List of unidentified murder victims in Michigan
In Michigan, there are a number of [...] victims, in the category of unidentified decedents, whose identities have yet to be found. In most of these cases, their [...] or murderers have also gone undiscovered.
Chippewa County John Doe
On 13 November 1966, the skeleton of a male was found in the Hiawatha National Forest in Trout Lake, Chippewa County, Michigan. The man's exact cause of death has not been released, but the nature was determined to have been [...]. The victim was aged 19 and twenty-five, although he may have been up to 30 years old when he died and was approximately at a weight of . His hair was around long and was brown with a reddish tint. He was dressed in a tan shirt with jeans and had both American and Canadian currency in his shirt pocket, leading officers to believe he was of Canadian nationality. Additionally, he was found near the border of the Canadian province of Ontario. A gold and chrome-colored lighter and a set of five Canadian-style keys on a key ring, with the number "330" etched, were also found with the remains. The man's belongings and clothing no longer exist, as they were destroyed. He is believed to have died approximately six months before.
Wayne County Jane Doe (1987)
On February 10, 1987, the body of a young woman, aged 16 to 25 was located in a dump in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. The victim was deceased less than two days and had been stabbed to death. She was approximately tall and weighed around . The victim had given birth eight weeks to one year prior and she was lactating. A scar from an episiotomy was also found on her body. Her hair was brown with red and blond highlights and was styled with a long nape with various layers. She was of slender, but athletic, build and had an O blood type. Her nails were painted with pink polish and she had brown or hazel eyes. A worn black bikini bottom was the only clothing she wore. Two rings were found on her left hand, indicating she may have been married, and one on her first and one on her ring finger. She also had pierced ears. Along with some other unidentified decedents from Detroit, the victim was exhumed in 2014 for additional examination.
Berrien County Jane Doe
The remains of a woman were found on August 23, 1992 in New Buffalo, Berrien County, Michigan. The victim was [...] and between the ages of 65 and 75 when she was murdered. The victim was wrapped in a bed sheet, two garbage bags and a towel and left alongside a highway. Her hands were severed to PReVENT identification through fingerprint examination. The victim was also missing dentures, as she had no teeth. The body was at the scene for approximately two days, but she was killed four to seven days before. The woman may have been from a nursing home in Illinois or Indiana. She was believed to have been five feet two inches tall at a weight of around 102 pounds.
Highland Park Jane Doe
The body of a female between fifteen and twenty-five was located in an alley in Highland Park, Wayne County, Michigan on May 20, 1996. The victim's cause of death has not been disclosed, but is considered [...]. The young woman was overweight, at at the height of . She is presumed to be a mix of white and African-American. Her hair was reddish-brown, curly and tied with a white bow in a ponytail. She wore a distinctive white shirt with yellow smiley FACES, a white bra, white socks and black shoes, as well as a teddy-bear shaped wristwatch. Her eyes were brown, like her hair. The victim's teeth had three fillings and untreated decay, although none of them had been removed. She is also believed to have been a tobacco smoker. Other than this, she is believed to have been [...]-free. She had O type blood and painted her nails, her fingernails were purple and her toenails were pink. Other distinguishing features included many freckles on her face and a scar under her right knee. The victim also had pelvic inflammatory disease.
"Jack in the Box"
In the afternoon of May 8, 2002, the burned body of a white or Hispanic man was discovered in a wooded area of a blueberry field in Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Michigan. The man was killed by blunt force trauma and was then set on fire after being transported to the area. He had extensive dental work, including a partial dental plate, crowns and restorations. However, they had not been performed within a decade before he died. It is believed that he received such care in the southern United States or Mexico. His clothing included a shirt originating from southern California, boxer shorts and a watch. He was to tall and was fairly healthy when he was alive. His remains were found in a footlocker that was then set on fire. A charred cushion, which was placed below the remains, was also found. Because of the size of the footlocker and the absence of disturbance to the surface of the earth, it is believed that more than one person was involved in disposing the corpse. Because it had rained the morning of the discovery, trace evidence at the scene was no longer available.
Wayne County Jane Doe (2005)
On July 13, 2005, the severely deteriorated body of a 35- to 60-year-old woman was found [...] inside an abandoned building in Detroit, Michigan. The woman had extremely poor dentition, possibly due to [...] use. However, the nails on the toes and fingers were well cared for. She had short auburn and grey hair; standing at approximately . The skull was reconstructed twice, once with clay and the other by drawing.
Wayne County Jane Doe (2006)
An African-American woman of slender build, reported to be a prostitute, was discovered around a week after her death on June 5, 2006, being strangled and had also suffered trauma to the head. She was between 20 and 30 and had been left in a deserted building. The clothing she wore included a red T-shirt, a blue jacket decorated with flags and Nike shoes. One of the front teeth were missing; the oral care was not well performed. Shelley Brooks, a serial killer, confessed to [...] her and six other women and remains incarcerated for the rest of his life.
Wayne County Jane Doe (2009)
The partially mummified remains of a woman were located in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan on March 26, 2009 in an alley. The woman's cause of death is unknown, but she was found without clothing, which indicates [...]. The victim was between 25 and 45, standing around tall. Because of the state of her body, her weight could not be estimated. The Jane Doe was deceased for approximately eight months. Judging by a wad of hair found at the scene indicates she may have been red or auburn when she was alive. Examining the woman's bones suggested that she had birthed one child at the minimum and had trauma to her back before she died, which likely caused her pain.