WARNING: This post involves details of rape and violent murder. Viewer discretion advised!
Estimated reading time: About 6 minutes |
| Reconstructions by Carl Koppelman; left: Bitter Creek Betty (Irene Vasquez), right: Sheridan County Jane Doe (Cindi Estrada) |
Hey everyone! Today I found out about the identification of Sheridan County Jane Doe, and I was absolutely amazed. Because of Cindi's identification, I would like to discuss her case, alongside her killer's other victim, who was also identified this year.
The Great Basin Murders
The Great Basin Murders is the general name for a series of killings committed from 1983 - 1997 made across Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Idaho.
The modus operandi of the Great Basin killer(s) was to rape teenage or young adult women who were pregnant or parents, then murder them by strangulation, stabbing, shooting, or some combination. Their bodies would then be left in wooded areas. At least 9 women are suspected to be victims of this.
It's suspected there were multiple Great Basin killers during the period, and there have been multiple suspects. For more information on the many other victims, visit the Wikipedia article I link at the end. As suggested by the title, the suspect I'll discuss is Clark Perry Baldwin, but before we can, we have to delve into his victims.
Bitter Creek Betty
On March 1st, 1992, a truck driver found the frozen and mummified corpse of a young woman, near Bitter Creek in Streewater County, Wyoming. It was estimated her body had been left there for at least a month and no more than four months. She was about 24 to 32 years old, and had a unique rose tattoo on her right breast.
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| Original sketch and reconstruction of her tattoo. |
To view the victim's post-mortem tattoo, click here.
Other characteristics of her included her long, dark wavy brown hair, a gold ring, and a golden necklace. Her pink panties and pants were recovered. Sadly, the victim also had C-section scar, meaning she could have been a mother.
Her death was very violent. It's unclear what exactly killed her, but it is known she had been raped, beaten, and strangled, along with having her face being stabbed with an ice pick. Her face was severely damaged by trauma.
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| Reconstructions by Charles E. Holt (left) and Wesley Neville (right). |
With such a violent death, police began investigating for leads for the victim known as Bitter Creek Betty, but there weren't many...at least for now.
(Side note: I have to warn, you can easily find an edited PM photo of her by searching up her name, with what appears to be eyes pasted on her face. I will not link to it as it depicts a pained mouth and unsettling eyes, and I think it would be too distasteful.)
Sheridan County Jane Doe
Now I can discuss the case I began this post with- SCJD. For some reason she isn't listed as an official victim of the 9th Great Basin victims, but I believe she is for reasons we'll explain soon.
On April 13th, 1992, about a month after Betty's body was discovered, the decomposing body of a young adult woman alongside Interstate 90 was found. Her official cause of death is undetermined, but it is generally listed as homicide by beating. She also had been severely sexually assaulted.
Like Betty, SCJD was sadly pregnant at the time of her death, and it appeared she had a history of childbirth. She was estimated to be about 16 to 21 years old, younger than Betty. She had tinted brown hair and wore a checkered blue and white midriff shirt.
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| Reconstructions of SCJD. |
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| Shirt upon discovery |
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| Original reconstructions of SCJD. |
The DNA Connections
The cases of Bitter Creek Betty and Sheridan County Jane Doe initially seemed unrelated to each other. That was until 2014, when seminal fluid left behind when Betty was raped was tested for DNA. A genetic profile of her killer was built, and it matched DNA left behind at the crime scene of SCJD, suggesting they had been killed by the same person.
The DNA also matched the semen found on another murdered woman, named Pamela McCall, pregnant at the time of her death. Her body was found and shortly identified on March 10th, 1992, around the time of Betty & SCJD. Like all the victims, she had been sexually assaulted, and then strangled.
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| Pamela McCall |
In 2020, another DNA examination proved the DNA found at both scenes belonged to 59-year-old truck driver Clark Perry Baldwin, who would've been about 31 at the time of the murders.
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| Clark Perry Baldwin upon arrest. |
It was discovered Baldwin had already had a criminal history related to sexual abuse. In February 1991 (a month before the murders), he was arrested for assaulting a hitchhiker from Kansas in Wheeler County, Texas. He held her at gunpoint then struck her over the head. He hogtied and raped her before attempting to strangle his victim. Thankfully, she managed to escape. Baldwin confessed, "but the charge was dismissed due to failure to prosecute".
Due to his DNA being connected, he was arrested for the murders in 2020. His ex-wife then said he had mentioned murdering a girl in the 1990s and chucking her body out of his truck. It's possible this was SCJD.
Baldwin is also a suspect in another murder- Rhonda Knutson, who was found severely beaten to death near a truck stop in Williamstown, albeit not sexually assaulted like the other victims. Baldwin was living near the area at the time. He became a suspect after a witness described men who walked with Rhonda shortly before her death, and Baldwin looked similar to one of the sketches. He hasn't said anything about murdering Knutson.
Identifications & Current Case Status
In 2022, using genetic genealogy, Bitter Creek Betty and Sheridan County Jane Doe were identified. Their NamUs pages were removed and their Doe Network page said they were identified. However, no official announcement about their names was released, so it was still kind of limbo.
Thankfully, as of 2025, Betty and SCJD got the further dignity of having their names annouced. In May of 2025, Bitter Creek Betty was publicly identified as Irene Vasquez, aged 24. Her half-sister had last heard from her in 1990.
As I mentioned earlier, a few days ago, Sheridan County Jane Doe was publicly identified as Cindi Arleen Estrada, aged 21, who lived in California. Someone reports finding a possible yearbook photo of Cindi, but it is unverified. I may update this if it is confirmed to be Cindi.
After 3 decades, Irene and Cindi were finally home.
Unfortunately, as of writing, on July 18th...Clark Perry Baldwin actually died before he could be tried for the murders. He had suffered a heart attack. While it is for sure Baldwin murdered Irene, Cindi, and Pamela, whatever other secrets he had about the murders he took to the grave. How frustrating.
Despite this, I'm glad Irene and Cindi have since been publically identified, and their murders have been solved. It is unconfirmed if Baldwin was involved in the other Great Basin murders, but there is a bittersweet ending to have Irene and Cindi given justice and dignity after suffering such morbid deaths.
Rest in peace Irene Vasquez and Cindi Estrada, and the rest of the victims.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING:
r/gratefuldoe (Irene Vasquez) (POSTMORTEM WARNING)
Doe Network (Irene Vasquez) (POSTMORTEM WARNING)
CowBoy State Daily (POSTMORTEM WARNING)
CowBoy State Daily (POSTMORTEM WARNING)
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