Erica Green: Murdered 25 Years On This Day

Erica Michelle Marie Green (1997 - 2001)

WARNING: This post contains details relating to child abuse, murder, and decapitation. Viewer discretion advised!

A few blog posts ago, I discussed the disturbing case of St. Louis Jane Doe, a pre-teen Black girl whose decapitated body was found in a Missouri house. It's a rather haunting unsolved case to do this day. This is a case I mentioned with it as a comparison, as it also involved a decapitated Black girl found in Missouri.

Thankfully, unlike Precious Hope, this precious girl- aptly nicknamed Precious Doe, would eventually get justice. That girl would be Erica Michelle Marie Green. Today's case will be heavy, so only read if you have a strong stomach.

Before we begin, I would just like to mention that Erica Green was actually coincidentally born on May 15th (1997), which some of you may know is my birthday! Every time I celebrate my birthday, I will also celebrate Erica, knowing she should be celebrating it to, and she tragically won't be able to, due to the monsters we'll be talking about today. Let's get into it.

Erica's Life

As mentioned, Erica Green was born on May 15th, 1997, in McLoud, Oklahoma to her mother, Michelle Johnson, and father, Larry Green; she was the youngest of 9 children. At the time, Michelle was incarcerated, so already Erica had a tough start in life. Erica would soon be placed in foster care and be raised by her great-grandmother's friend, Betty Brown, in Oklahoma.

Like many toddlers, Erica was described as innocent and fun-loving, as she loves to dress up. Betty Brown also described her as self-reliant for a young girl.

Erica Green

However, on April 4th, 2001, things would soon go south for Erica again. Michelle was released from prison, and took her back to Kansas City, Missouri. At the time, Michelle had a new boyfriend, Harrell Johnson. Later reports from Johnson's cousins would say Erica had a miserable time living with her mom, and wanted to be return to Betty.

Both Harrell and Michelle were heavy drug users. Harrell was physically and verbally abusive towards Erica, and repeadtly beat her over minor accidents. What is even more abominable is that her mother didn't do much about the abuse. Eventually, this abuse would soon end poor Erica's life.

Erica's Death

One evening in late April (mere weeks before Erica's 4th birthday), Erica had refused to go to bed, her parents were enraged. Reportedly, Harrell was high at the time.

Her step-father then repeadtly beat her with an ashtray and kicked her, until she stopped responding. Once both he and Michelle realized what happened, they began to panic. They tried to revive her, and hours passed, but it was too late. Erica Green had passed. However, they weren't going to go to the police to report what they had done, and instead try and conceal their crime in a horrendous way.

Her step father used a pair of hedge clippers to behead her, and her "mother" assisted in disposing her daughter’s remains. Initally they tried to dispose of Erica near a church, but they decided on the woods as it would be harder to find the body.

Afterwards, Michelle would lie about what happened to Erica, claiming she went back to live with Betty Brown, and for years, Michelle and Harell would hide the truth of the girl's death. Soon enough however, Erica would be found...

Precious Doe

Kansas City, Missouri. On April 28th, 2001, police were searching for a missing elderly man and going through the woods. While conducting the search, one officer found something unexpected and gruesome. 

It was the headless body of a young Black girl, about 3 - 6 years old. Her cause of death was repeat blunt force trauma, done by being kicked and beaten with an ashtray found near the crime scene. She had signs of previous abuse and had been dead for at most a day. She also had a distinct birth-mark on her right shoulder.

News of the girl's murder was broadcasted, shocking and sickening many. A few days later, on May 1st, the victim's head was found not too far from the rest of her remains. It was wrapped in a plastic bag and was badly decomposed. Despite this, it still revealed the young girl had a fresh set of cornrows in her black hair. The murdered girl was nicknamed Precious Doe.

Reconstructions of Erica were produced in an attempt to identify her. Here are some of them:

NCMEC Reconstruction of Precious Doe (Erica Green)

Reconstruction by Frank Bender

Sketch

Identification

Eventually, with the help of Betty Brown (Erica's former caretaker) speaking up, and testimonies from Erica's step-fathers' cousin, Precious Doe was identified as Erica Green, and her "parents" were arrested for her murder.

On October 8, 2008, Harrell was sentenced to life for murdering Erica, and Michelle received 25 years in exchange for a plea deal. Erica has since been laid to rest in Missouri.

Ending Thoughts

This was a painful case to write about. I find child abuse to be one of the evilest things to do in the world, because children are so innocent and they haven't done anything that would warrant that. I don't get why Erica was returned to her mother and step-father when Betty was caring for her already.

The fact anyone could genuinely abuse and even decapitate a young girl is horrible to think about. What's also disgusting is how her excuse of a mother, Michelle, acted in all this. Michelle took her daughter away from someone she liked, and helped conceal her murder. How could you do that to your own daughter, someone you birthed, someone you should have loved? Personally, I think she also should have gotten life. 

Thankfully, with how dedicated forensic scientists were in this case, and Betty opening up about Erica, we were able to bring justice to Erica after her death. Despite what tragically happened to her, there were people who cared about this young girl, not her "parents". I hope they rot away in prison for the rest of their lives.

Sweet Erica, I hope you fly high. You looked very adorable and I think you could have grown up to be a lovely woman if you didn't get screwed over this early in life. I wish you a happy early birthday in Heaven!

Erica Green

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Cold Case Files

Paranormal Catalog

Unidentified Wiki

The Cinemaholic

Wikipedia

Find a Grave

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026

The Tragic Cold Case of Sherri Jarvis

"Who cares?"

- Sherri Ann Jarvis

WARNING: This post discusses sensitive details relating to sexual abuse, violence, and murder. There also is content relating to running away. Viewer discretion advised!

Some aspects of this story are W.I.P, I just wanted to release it today, but it's still mostly readable. Expect this to be updated throughout the next month or two!

Today marks the 45th anniversary since the infamous, cold case murder of Sherri Jarvis, a teen girl who has touched people online for years.

Sherri Ann Jarvis c. 13 (1966 - 1980)

Sherri Jarvis was a teenaged runaway who was brutally murdered in 1980. It's a relatively simple murder, but a lot of details on the case and the investigation that followed for decades would prove to be heartbreaking. As not only was Sherri's killer unknown, but neither was her identity.

With the thanks of genetic genealogy, Sherri's name- and life, was given back in 2021, much to the delight of everyone. Sadly, her murder remains unsolved.

I want this post to be a dedication to Sherri's stolen life, and all that was put to give her back the identity she deserved, along with discussion on what might've happened to her.

So...let's jump in.

The Life of Sherri Jarvis

Sherri Ann Jarvis, who went by "Tati" to her friends, was born on March 9th, 1966, in Stillwater Minnesota.

Sherri Jarvis, at ages 11 and 12 respectfully.

Sherri was described as a fun-loving, energetic and street smart girl who loved listening to music and horse-riding. You can just tell by her continuous child-like smile in all of her school photos.

However, for as jovial as the young girl was, she was also a bit of a rebel, and described by some as a "troubled teen". In 8th grade, she was frequently skipping school for reasons that are unclear. 

CPS looked at the truant and removed her out of her home, into a juvenile detention center for troubled teens, sometime in 1979. Sherri lived in her new home for some months...until around her 14th birthday.

March, 1980

Sherri Jarvis turns 14. But instead of celebrating it with a party, Sherri is planning to make a get away. 

Sometime after their daughter ran away, her parents received a letter from Sherri, describing how they wouldn't hear from her again until she was about 18 to 21 years old.

Accompanying the letter was this photo:

Sherri Jarvis (somewhere in Colardo).

I can imagine this image was taken by a sympathetic local who Sherri asked to take a photo of her. You can really tell how jovial Sherri was, as always, with a playful and more developed smile.

Tragically, this same beautiful, happy picture would be her last recorded photo. The precious, wonderful, young, albeit troubled teen girl would soon have her smile erased from this world as well.

The Jarvis Family

Karolynn Jean Zinski Zumbrunnen (1940 - 2019) and  Don Jarvis Sr. (1940 - 2019), Sherri's parents.

Sherri's family never stopped searching for her. Her parents kept their telephone the same in hopes of their beloved daughter calling one day. They even hired a private investigator a few times, but they never found any leads.

Sadly, both of Sherri's parents died without ever knowing what happened to her.

Little did they know, Sherri would soon adopt a placeholder identity a few months afterwards, for decades to come.

October 31st, 1980

Halloween 1980 was probably spent in different ways for many people. For example, a 17-year-old boy named Carl Koppelman would be hanging out with his friends at a Halloween party.

Carl Koppelman (left), dressed as a prison inmate.

However, Sherri Jarvis would be spending Halloween, alone, in search of meeting someone.

At about 6:30 P.M, in a gas station, a man reported seeing Sherri asking directions for directions to the Ellis Prison unit nearby, to meet someone. According to his later account, the witness would say she had been let out of a 1973 and 1974 blue Cheverton or Caprice with a white, male driver.

After leaving the station, Sherri travelled north on Sam Houston Avenue. She eventually went to a now defunct truck stop alongside I-45. She went into the restaurant, where she asked a waitress for directions to Ellis Prison, once again. She said she had a "friend" there,

The kind waitress then drew up a map for the girl, but was a bit concerned about her safety, so she asked for her age. Sherri falsely claimed she was 19. The waiter, somewhat dubious of this, asked where her parents were. She simply replied with two words.

"Who cares?"

The banter ended with the waitress asking where her where she was from, and Sherri claimed to be from Aransas Pass or Rockport. Sherri left the diner, likely to find the person she was meeting.

That would be the last time Sherri Jarvis would be seen alive.

And for 40 years, the last time Sherri was known by her name.

The Terrible Tale of Tammy Terrell

WARNING: This case involves details relating to violent murder and sex trafficking. Viewer discretion advised!

Tammy Corrine Terrell (1963 - 1980)

Hey everyone! Today marks the 45th anniversary since the murder of Tammy Terrell, a teenage girl who was murdered in 1980, and remained unidentified for 4 decades. We'll cover what happened to Terrell, and what might've gone down in her tragic killing.

Life & Disappearance

Tammy Corrine Terrell was born July 4th, 1963, to Dancy Sanchez (1947 - 1981) and Jacqueline Terrel (1943 - 2001).

Terrell grew up in a foster home with her siblings. She was one of four sisters, and they had a brother, Johnny Terrell, who passed at 2. Her older sister, Nancy Irene Terrell Brown, passed in 2003. One sister in specific, who'll be important in this story, was Carla Klontz, 13 at the time her older sister disappeared.

Undated image of a younger Terrell (left) with unknown girls, possibly her sisters

Tammy was reportedly a "troubled teen", who was living at a assurance home at the time, and known to run away a few times.

Tammy was last seen alive on September 28th, 1980 at the Roswell State Fair in Roswell, New Mexico. Later that night, she was reportedly seen with an unknown man and woman. It is believed the two planned to take Tammy to California and she was a sex-trafficking victim.

Carla recalled that Terrell's disappearance wasn't taken too seriously by police, due to her being a repeat runaway and almost 18. Despite this, Carla would keep searching for her sister.

Discovery

On October 5th, 1980, police offers were reported to a disturbing sight in Henderson, Nevada. The naked body of a young female had been found nearby Arroyo Grande, a short road.  She had been killed the day before.

Crime scene

The victim had gone through a horrific ordeal leading to their demise, as they had been beaten and stabbed multiple times in their head and back, with a two-pronged instrument, suspected to be a hammer. The attack was so severe one of her lower teeth had been knocked out. There was also evidence of a sexual assault.

Weirdly enough, after death, it appeared the decedent had been washed and cleaned before their body was disposed, possibly in an attempt to remove biological evidence. Near the victim was a yellow shower curtain.

Shower curtain

To view an autopsy photograph of Terrell, click here.

The young girl, dubbed Arroyo Grande Jane Doe, was estimated to be a teenager or young adult, about 13 - 25 years old, although it was most likely she was 16 to 18 at the time of her death.

One unique feature of the girl was a crude, fresh S tattoo on her left fore-arm, likely drawn on her a few days prior. It is unclear what this S means, but we'll theorize on that later, as it'll tie into her demise.

The victim had 11-in light, reddish or brownish-blonde hair. Her eye color was commonly listed as blue, although some reports suggest it might've been green or hazel. (In real life, you can see Terrell's eyes were hazel.) 

As for dentals, all teeth except the avulsed tooth were accounted for. One tooth had a suture, an infrequent dental technique used to align teeth. She had all of her wisdom teeth as well, which were impacted. There was also a gap between her left front incisor and the lateral incisor, although later on it would be believe this happened antemortem or postmortem. 

RECONSTRUCTION DISCUSSION

The first sketch of Tammy. (Apologies for the bad cropping, this was the only version of it I could find.) It already depicts her face with accuracy, and captures her curly hair, although it could use cleaner details. Also...the eyes look unsettling.

Wes Neville sketch

The next reconstruction was made by Wes Neville, where we definitely see things go in a proper direction. Aside from what looks like a perturbed expression, the hair and eyes are a great replica, with a similar nose as well.

Original NCMEC reconstruction

This was the NCMEC first reconstruction of Terrell. It is also the first colored one, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. Unfortunately, it's a rather dull looking postmortem derivative, but it is a good start.

2015 NCMEC reconstructions

The later NCMEC reconstructions prove more professional and more accurate to Terrell, with her distinct hair color and prominent nose. They still used the incorrect blue eye color, but there is an alternate that uses the hazel eyes instead:

Hazel eyes

Lastly comes the ever so-talented Carl Koppelman, with another amazing reconstruction. 

Carl Koppelman recon

I like how it used an eye color which while is hazel, is colored in a way where it could be mistaken for green or blue, which happened to Terrell. While the outlines are more crude and her skin tone is a bit off than the others, I think this one perfectly gets her face and hair, and humanizes her the most.

One problem facial reconstruction artists face (pun unintended) is the fact no one knows how the victim stylized their hair, so they have to guess. Most reconstructions stuck with Terrell having straight hair, but a few, like this one, also added curls that she had in real life.

Identification

Tammy Terrell

Tammy would go unidentified for 4 decades, 27 possible identities ruled out, with her surviving sisters always hoping to find her, and the officer that discovered her that night always visiting her grave.

That was until November 2021, when genetic genealogy performed by Barbara Rae-Venter with DNA samples from two of her sisters confirmed Arroyo Grande Jane Doe was Tammy Terrell. Her identity was revealed a month later, a bittersweet feeling for many, especially her sisters.

Theories

Tammy may be identified, but the investigation into her murder remains continuous, as people all over hope for the better. There have been a few theories on what might've happened to her, so let's quickly discuss them:

As mentioned earlier, the main theory police have is that Tammy was a victim of sex trafficking. The distinct S tattoo may have stood for something relating to this, like "sex worker" or "slave". It's possible she was killed by the couple suspected to trafficked her in the first place, or she fell victim to someone else as a result of being vulnerable.

Something that interested me about her discovery was the fact she had been washed and a shower certain was found nearby. Some speculate she could've been attacked and murdered while showering. Maybe her killer had cleaned her to try and remove biological evidence.

I also read some discussion on the murder weapon. As opposed to a knife or gun, she had been attacked with an unknown two pronged instrument, which as I mentioned was suspected to be a hammer. Why do you think her killer chose to use something like this in specific? It might've been a convenient tool they found.

One interesting older theory I found is that Terrel's case may be tied to a similar murder that happened the year before, also involving a now identified Jane Doe: Gwenn Story, formerly known as Sahara Sue. Both victims were late teens who had been killed via stabbing. Their murders took place close to each other, with Gwenn being murdered in Las Vegas and Tammy being murdered in Henderson.

Tammy Terrell

Sadly, despite all this speculation, to this day, no one knows for sure who killed Tammy or why. I hope one day we do know, to bring her sisters further peace. Rest in peace, Tammy Terrell.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

• Unidentified Wiki
• Find a Grave
• Unsolved Mysteries [POSTMORTEM WARNING]
• Wikipedia
• My reddit post
• Doe Network [POSTMORTEM WARNING]
• Real Life is Horror [POSTMORTEM WARNING]

The Horrendous Haunting Case of St. Louis Jane Doe

WARNING: This post contains graphic details regarding sexual abuse, child murder, and decapitation. Viewer discretion advised!

Enhanced image of her sweater

There's a lot of sick and sad feelings I have when it comes to writing my true crime posts. To know lives have been unfairly taken, young souls with lost innocence, and sometimes being buried without a name. All of this induces feelings of sadness.

This however might be one of the most horrific, depressing, and infuriating Doe case you'll ever read about.

Let me tell you about the disturbing and infamous case of St. Louis Jane Doe (1983), also dubbed Little Jane Doe and Precious Hope.

The Abandoned House

The infamous apartment

February 28th, 1983. Two men walk into an abandoned Victorian apartment building, in St. Louis, Missouri. They're looking for scrap metal for their go-cart, and they enter the basement.

It's dark in there, but everything is going normally. One of the men then lights a lighter, about to light his cigarette. But the light illuminating from it reveals something...unexpected. He takes a closer look to make sure he's seeing it right. He is.

It's a female's headless body, lying on it's back, with it's hands tied behind it's back.

Both men, horrified, left the area and alerted authorities. Detectives Joe Burgoon and Herb Riley arrive, initially thinking the victim would've been a sex worker or drug addict of some sorts. Maybe from Cabane Courts, a house nearby known for such.

Then they turned their body...and realized the victim was prepubescent. A child or pre-teen girl.

The horror of this case was only started to be realized.

Death & Description

Edited crime-scene photo with rope

The victim had been hogtied with a red and white nylon rope. She had been horrifically raped (semen had been recovered from the scene) before being strangled to death. Afterwards, a large knife was used to behead her. Her head has never been recovered.

It's believed she had been killed elsewhere due to a lack of blood at the scene, before being brought to the empty house. There was no other abuse marks on her body, and her stomach was empty. She had been dead for at most 5 days.

Nylon rope

St. Louis Jane Doe was an African American preteen girl around the ages of 8 to 11, about 4'10 - 5'6, and weighed anywhere from 70 to 80 pounds. She had a medium brown complexion, but no scars, marks, or tattoos of any kind.

She did have spina bifida in her sacrum, but this may have been asymptomatic or unnoticeable. She was well-nourished and had two coats of nail polish, red and purple.

The only clothing found on her was a yellow V-neck sweater. This sweater would be the symbol of this case for years to come.

Original photo of sweater

Nylon rope and her sweater

There are what I believe, two post-mortem pics of the victim, neither of which I will share on this blog for obvious reasons.

The first is a lesser-known one, which I found in a video called "St. Louis Jane Doe - The Case That Haunts". It's actually a touching video dedicated to the victim, but it also features a PM of what I believe is the victim's decapitated body (with beheaded neck in frame). While there isn't much blood, it's still horrendous to even describe, so be careful if you end up coming across it.

The second post-mortem of the girl isn't of this, but it is still highly disturbing. It depicts her bloodied and little hands at the scene, being tied with the rope. You can also see the red and purple nail polish I described. It's much easier to find this rather triggering and upsetting PM pic online, so be careful when searching this case up.

Investigation

Press conference held to bring attention to the crime

The horrifying details of the case quickly lead to it's widespread infamy in Missouri. Despite this, the case would prove hard to solve. Of course, biological evidence like the semen recovered would likely be more important nowadays, but it sadly seems that was more or less ignored when originally investigated.

That wasn't to say there wasn't an attempt to know what happened to this girl. After checking Missouri school records, police believe she may have been from out of state. Ads on the girl's murder were ran in "every African American newspaper and magazine in the country", in hopes her family or friends would make the connection and claim the girl. Sadly, this was to no avail.

Newspaper detailing the murder

Then comes one of the most infuriating details of this investigation- when authorities looked at psychics. I'm very iffy on using psychics for criminal cases in the first place, but what happened here genuinely hurts me. 

One psychic claimed the girl's head would be discovered on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. It hasn't. Psychic Sharon Notle was even more specific: she said the child was a Chippewa Indian named Shannon Johnson, and her killer was currently living in southern Texas. This has also been disproven and resulted in a dead-end. The most infuriating incident however was- get this-  *inhale*

The sweater and nylon rope recovered at the crime scene were sent to a psychic in Florida. But then they...they got LOST in the mail and have NEVER been recovered. No, really. HOW IS SUCH MISHANDLING POSSIBLE?!! 

Burial & 2013 examination

Ten months after her discovery, with no leads and the case sadly going cold, St. Louis Jane Doe was buried in a well known but "derelict" African American graveyard, Washington Park Cemetery. To humanize the girl, she was named "Precious Hope" on her grave.

Original grave and burial

In 2013, the case was re-opened and authorities wanted to re-examine her body. However, due to the poor condition the cemetery was, her body had been misplaced. Low quality records for her 1983 funeral were used to recover her.

The NCMEC did isotope analysis on the girl, and it's proposed the girl had spent most of her childhood in two possible U.S. sections:

A) One of ten south-eastern states:

• Florida
• Georgia
• Alabama
• Mississippi
• Louisiana
• Arkansas
• Texas
• Tennessee
• North or South Carolina

B) One of midwestern to midtlantic states:

• Pennsylvania
• Ohio
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Wisconsin
• Indiana
• West Virginia

After re-examination, she was buried in the Calvary Cemetery, more specifically the Garden of Innocents, where other unidentified and unclaimed murdered children are laid to rest. And with that, the tragic case of St. Louis Jane Doe remains unsolved.

Her current grave

Theories & Rule-Outs

With a crime as brutal as this, it makes sense why many Websleuths (including myself) wonder more about who this girl was and why she was horrifically murdered.

A common theory on what happened to this girl was that- as abhorrent as it sounds, the girl had been killed by a family member. Sadly, abuse and murder between relatives is not uncommon. The theory would also explain why there may not have been missing reports on the girl, despite her being only around 9 and clearly vulnerable. 

A similar case like this happened in 2001, also in Missouri, where the headless body of a toddler was found. Thankfully, unlike this victim, her head was eventually found. She was similarly nicknamed Precious Doe, until 2005, when her identity was revealed to be 3-year-old Erica Green. She had been killed by her mom's abusive boyfriend. Both of them were charged. [I may talk about Erica's murder in a future post]

Erica Michelle Marie Green, who faced a similar fate to St. Louis Jane Doe

Of course though, in Erica's case, the autopsy revealed the victim had previous abuse marks, which makes sense considering her living situations. As you may recall from earlier, St. Louis Jane Doe, aside from the obvious traumatic injuries, had no signs of previous abuse. In fact, she was well-nourished, with nail polish, suggesting she came from a decent house-hold. How sudden was her killing? Had she been kidnapped?

There also is one named suspect in the murder- a suspected serial killer named Vernon Brown. He raped and murdered women and young girls during 1985 and 1986. Most of his victims were pre-teen Black girls, just like our victim. He was prolific in Missouri and possibly Indiana. He's also a suspect in some other murders, although there hasn't been any confirmed link between him and the St. Louis Jane Doe. He was executed for his crimes in 2005.

Vernon Brown

Here's all rule-outs for the victim as of 2025, according to NamUs:

• Nikole Betterson
• Sharaun Cole
• Yohanna Cyr
• Telethia Good
• Shaunda Green
• Toya Hill
• Sherise Magee
• Sheila Quinn
• Sherri Truesdale
• Beverly Ward
• Northampton County Jane Doe (1983) [ruled out as her missing head]

Shauran Cole (12), one of the rule-outs for St. Louis Jane Doe.

Thoughts

Well...it was hard to sit through that one. Like, this case genuinely tears me up a bit.

This case always pains me in many ways. To know a child had been subjected to rape and violent murder. To know some sick induvial(s) hogtied and decapitated a young girl. To know her head has never been recovered. To know they likely got away with it. To know at some point, this girl had an identity- a life, and it, along with her innocence, was ripped away. To know that CRUCIAL EVIDENCE was likely LOST!

And tragically, for decades, we still haven't solved ANY of it. Not only has she been buried without a name, but without a face. This is a horrible injustice that just makes me mad and sad. I just wish I could know this poor girl's name. She went through horror the last day of her short life, and someone did it only for their demented lack of remorse. Officers involved in this case were both traumatized, but also deeply involved and continue to think about this girl to this day.

I take passion in talking about true crime, both because it's intriguing, but also because it makes me seriously think about things, and spread awareness on topics like this. I think it's important we remember this girl was not just some case for you to read on my blog or on Wikipedia- this girl was a somebody. She could've been a daughter. A sister. A cousin. A neighbor. A student. A friend. Anyone.

"Is all hope lost?"

(Ignoring the accident pun...) As pessimistic as I know it is, I kind of want to say no. But.. hopefully not. Genetic genealogy has identified decedents we've previously thought would be unidentified forever. For example, Joseph Zarelli was discovered dead in 1957, and got his name back in 2022. 

If we could, we may be able to locate the relatives of this victim and uncover her identity. It'd be especially important because it is harder to identify Black does due to their different ancestry. According to the DNA Doe Project (when they identified Vickie Smith):

"African-American Jane and John Does are often much more difficult to identify than people of Northern European descent because African-Americans are underrepresented in the public databases that allow law enforcement cases like this."

This is made even more complicated by the lack of a head. It's things like that prove we need to share more stories on Black murders and disappearances, without politicization, as they need just as much attention as White cases. 

I really hope one day to read an article entitling "St. Louis Jane Doe identified as..." I desperately want this girl to be identified sometime in my life, especially because she didn't get the chance to live one. Sadly, for now, things remain as unsolved as they've almost always been.

There's evil people out there. Her killers could still be alive, possibly elderly. I hope they never lived a good life. Someone out there knows/knew what happened to this poor child and/or who she was. When we don't say anything, nothing happens. If you have any possible information on the identity of her and/or her killer(s), please contact authorities. You might just be able to put this tragic cold case to rest.

Even though a lot of details of this case are atrocious and angering, there is at least one bittersweet detail of it- the victim's burial. To humanize and respect her, we gave her a precious nickname that reminds us she was not just a Jane Doe. And hopefully, we will know even more beyond that placeholder name.

Funeral before being re-buried in 2014

Rest in peace, St. Louis Jane Doe, our precious Hope. I hope we do know more about you. One day.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

Unidentified Wiki

Doe Network

Wikipedia

Morbidology [GRAPHIC POSTMORTEM WARNING]

NCMEC

NCMEC - Video

NamUs

Find a Grave

There also exists a 2022 documentary made on the murder with a lot of updated details, called "Our Precious Hope: Revisited".

Other cases mentioned:

Erica Green (Unidentified Wiki)

Erica Green (Wikipedia)

Vernon Brown (Wikipedia)

Vernon Brown (Murderpedia)

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

The Does of September 11th [W.I.P]

Note that many aspects of this story are still unfinished as of releasing. I just wanted it to be released on 9/11. Come back by say, the end of the weekend if you want a full document.

WARNING: This post contains sensitive content regarding terrorism. Viewer discretion advised! 

(Also, there will be use of possibly triggering or disturbing images.)

The Story

Everyone know about 9/11. It needs almost no introduction. We all know what happened that infamous day in 2001.

At about 8'o clock, that fateful Fall day, U.S. History would be dramatically changed for the unexpected. The Islamic extremist network Al-Qaeda, and their leader at the time, Osama Bin-Ladin would reach it's peak infamy for what horrific acts they did. Hijacking those planes.

The smoke arising from the twin towers remains some of the most infamous images in history in general. Two planes manage to collapse what were the tallest buildings in the U.S.A, but it manage to destroy even more than that...lives.

It killed over 2,900 people, including many firemen, workers, and the plane passengers. Horrific for thousands of people that day- not just the victims, but their families. I remember learning about some of the well-known people of 9/11, such as the iconic photograph of survivor Marcy Borders, the "Dust Lady", to the youngest victim, Christine Lee Hanson, a cute toddler who was taken, alongside her family. 

It's important to remember those victims are not just numbers. They all had lives, families, personalities, things like that like you and me. And it was taken away horrifically because of the intense consequences of racial and religious disparities.

Not All Identified

What I didn't know...was that not all of those 2,900+ poor people have been identified...or even truly found. In fact, unlike what I thought last year, it's way more than 2,900. There's possibly over 22,000 people that day who died, many without their name as of writing. Let me tell you about something you a little about them...

Now if you don't know, I am an avid user of the Unidentified Wiki, dedicated to documenting unidentified decedents and anonymous people worldwide. Through random circumstances, I found a page on a man named "Patrice Braut". And then I read the following:

"Patrice Braut was a man who was killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Manhattan, New York. His remains were identified in March 2015 and was the 1639th victim to be identified. He was the only Belgian victim of the terrorist attack."

Suddenly, my interest peaked. 

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!]

The Falling Man

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!]

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

Alyce Peterson: The Weirdest Doe Story I've Heard

WARNING: This post involves details of corpse mutilation. Viewer discretion advised!

Undated image of Alyce Peterson (1909 - 2001)

Another Doe has been identified this year, which always brings me a bittersweet joy. However, upon reading the details on this Doe before their death, it actually astonished and kind of disturbed me. And it will perturb you to, once you hear about it.

Today's post is about Alyce Catharnia Peterson (née: Philen), an elderly women who-...well, she actually died naturally, and had family who knew of her...but became a Doe anyway. How? Let me let you in on it.

Decedent Background

Alyce Philen (Peterson upon marriage) was born in 1909 and lived in South Dokata for most of her life. She later moved to Stillwater, Minnesota. She lived a long 92 years before her untimely death on July 23rd, 2001...of natural causes, keep that in mind. In specific, she died at Regions Hospital, St. Paul Minnesota. Her cause of death was an aortic aneurysm. This was on her death certificate.

Alyce was going to be cremated for her family. This was scheduled to be done two days later, in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Maplewood, Minnesota.

Her body was scheduled to be cremated at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Maplewood, Minnesota, two days later. The crematorium later gave her family her cremated remains.

At least...they thought so.

St. Croix County Jane Doe

Crime scene

On October 21st, 2002, a group of hiking boy scouts were walking in a wooded path of Houlton, Wisconsin, when they came across a rather unfortunate sight. It was someone's skull inside of a plastic bag in a garbage pail.

A cause of death couldn't be determined, and there was no trauma, but it appeared the decedent had been beheaded using a hand saw. Suspicious and disturbing. She had been dead for around a year.

The skull belonged to a woman, estimated to be middle aged or elderly, 35 - 60 years to be specific. Initially, it was also thought she was Asian or Native American.

She had mousy brown hair, and other unique characteristics included wide-set eyes, a pronounced forehead, flat nose, and no teeth. It was also thought she may have had a mental disability.

Original reconstructions, depicting her with Asian / Aboriginal features

DNA Doe Project

The case went under the radar until 2022, about 20 years later, when the well-known DNA Doe Project began working on the case. Their testing would prove more things about the decedent.

First of all, it was thought the victim was more likely of White ancestry as opposed to Asian or Indigenous ancestry. It was also believed her family may have had ties to Twin Cities in Minnesota, possible immigrants. Further testing would prove something surprising: the decedent may have been of Swedish heritage as well.

Up-to-date Carl Koppelman reconstruction

This surprise would help narrow down the search for this woman's identity. In specific, a woman from Stockholm, who's DNA matched the decedent, meaning she may have been a cousin. Researches then built her family tree based on that, which proved convoluted as there were no missing people in her family.

However, the search wouldn't end. Further testing would find the great great grand-uncle of the match, who moved to the USA in 1890s, and- married a Swedish immigrant in 1902. They had 7 children. Eventually, it was limited to one of these children for the victim: Alyce Philen.

Even though she was much older the age estimate, DNA testing was still an option, as Alyce had living nieces. Ultimately, the nieces would match 25% of the genetic information of the decedent, prompting further testing. And soon enough, this month, it was confirmed: 

Alyce Peterson was St. Croix County Jane Doe.

Identified (But Still Open)

The identification was amazing, bringing another poor woman her name back. It was also a bit surprisng; as I mentioned, she was WAY older than what was once thought; nearly 100, yet her estimates put her around middle age or early elderly years. 

Of course though, knowing she was identified only made the case more disturbing. Because, well, as I mentioned, she had died naturally, was thought to be cremated, and had her remains given to her family. 

So... how the HELL did her decapitated skull end up discarded in a trash bin in Wisconsin?!? And did the family ACTUALLY have her remains for all this time?!?

Things like this is what made this case weirdly disturbing to me. We don't have any answers yet, but I hope we do soon. I feel like something happened behind the scenes of her "cremation" that resulted in her skull being found far away.

This case is kind of unsettling to me. What really happened to her body? Was it cremated? Had a hospital or morgue worker done something to it? And why was she decapitated? Where is the rest of her skeleton? SO MANY QUESTIONS I hope can be resolved soon.

It's one thing she died naturally, but what happened to her after the fact only confuses and creeps me out. I really do hope there will be explanations for this, because by her only photo, Alyce just seems like an innocent, normal elderly woman who just passed. She had a family who had her (alleged) ashes for all this time, only to find out this actually just happened to her. Freaky.

Huge thanks for the DNA Doe Project and other genetic genealogists who assisted in giving this woman her name back. Rest in peace, Alyce Peterson, loved by your family.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Unidentified Wiki

DNA Doe Project

Doe Network

Teen Mom ENDANGERS Her Daughter's Life Over SMURFS

WARNING: This post contains possibly triggering content relating to child abuse and neglect. Viewer discretion advised!

I can't believe I even have to warn people on a story as ridiculously insane as this one.

Just by reading that title, you probably went...

"What the fuck?!"

Yep. This actually happened. About 2 weeks ago, it seems. And it's as preposterous as it is, it's also disturbing, and shines a serious reminder that not all people deserve to be parents.

Mugshot of Tipora Merriex, 18

Yeah. She's eighteen. Even though she looks around 30. This is the mom in question responsible for such a stupid incident. And here's exactly how it happened. Our story takes place in-...oh. Florida. I see.

Tipora took her 2-year-old daughter and younger siblings to watch the recently released Smurfs movie. Now, immediately, I would like to point out: I haven't watched Smurfs (and I probably never will), but reviews for it seem mainly mixed and negative. However, reception on the movie won't even matter that much, I'd just like to bring that up so you can consider what the mom nearly killed her daughter over.

Anyway, what happened was that the 2-year-old girl (who appears unnamed) kept crying. Now, if your child was crying, it is your duty as a mother to figure out why they're crying, comfort them, and make them feel better. But apparently, the crying was so annoying to Tipora, she-...well...

...she allegedly went back to her car and left her daughter in it! I'm not joking! On that own that tells me a lot on how the mom doesn't care about actually comforting her daughter, just pushing her to the side. But further context of the story just makes it worse!

You see, at the time, there was a heat advisory, and police reported that it was 94 degrees with a 107 degree heat index! That's hot! And whenever it's really hot outside, it's very dangerous to keep a child in a car for a long period of time. The inside of a car heats up even more, which can cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke in children, sometimes fatal. You've probably seen it a lot on the news. And low and behold, that's what happened.

Tipora said she went to check on her child multiple times, and soon made her younger siblings do it as well. However, once the movie was over, she found out she accidentally locked herself out of the car. WOW. The child was stuck in the car for at least half an hour.

Police arrived and broke the car window to retrieve the girl. Her skin was flushed and sweaty, along with obvious crying, indicating heat exhaustion. Her mom just watched by, nonchalant, as if her daughter wasn't in danger. She was taken to a medical facility, and thankfully, she survived.

Of course though, the dumbass mom got herself an arrest warrant for basically child neglect. Her husband (who didn't attend the movie) was also found, and he himself admitted his wife had a history of irrational management of their daughter's tantrums, along with patience problems and stress. Yeah, I bet every parent does, but that is NO EXCUSE to put your child in a hot car! Merriex has been placed on $50,000 for her charges.

Thoughts

The moment I read the headline (which one of my friends sent me), I really couldn't believe it. I mean, each word just made it worse and worse...

• "Florida"
• "teen mom"
• "endangers"
• "crying 2-year old"
• "Smurfs"

I really can't get over how RIDICLOUSLY HIDEOUS it is to put your child in harm's way just so you can watch a movie in peace. And you did this over SMURFS?! Absolutely unacceptable. I also hope custody of her child was removed from her, because if this is what she does over a movie, I'm scared to know what else she would do just so her child would stop crying.

Imagine being the daughter, and in a few years from now you know you could've DIED because your biological mother couldn't care enough for you. That would be heart-breaking. I hope the daughter ends up living with better relatives, who actually care about her.

This story should also serve as a sign some people aren't mature enough to be parents. If you're leaving your child in a hot car at the age of 18, you're a lost cause. It's almost like we shouldn't let immature teenagers in responsibility of young child, because they themselves are children.

I'm just so angered by this, and again, I hope that excuse of a "mother" never sees her child again after this. Be grateful for the good mothers out there. And if you ever see or suspect child neglect or abuse, don't just ignore it. Take action!

(By the way, 3 blog posts in a row? I'm on a roll!)

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Perezhilton

TheBlaze

American Faith

TooFab

Law and Crime

Facebook

Fairfax County John Doe (1972): Identified as Carl Bryant

WARNING: This case involves details of child abuse and murder. Viewer discretion advised!

Oh my god. Another Doe identified in 2025. I get so delighted whenever I find Does reunited with their names. We've had many these last few years and this year especially, Pamela Walton (Julie Doe), Tanya Jackson (Peaches), even Doris Girtz (The Girl with Turquoise Jewelry), and I hope there will be even more.

Just yesterday, another Doe, a young boy, got his name back after 53 years of mystery. That boy would be Carl Matthew Bryant, aged 4.

There exists only one reconstruction of this young soul, a rather memorable and unfortunate post-mortem derivative by the NCMEC.

Carl Matthew Bryant (May 26, 1968 - June 13, 1972)

Alongside getting his identification back, we also found out details of his life leading up to his murder, which we'll get into now.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Carl was living with his mother, Vera Bryant, and six-month year old brother, James Bryant. Vera recently got a boyfriend, James Hedgepath. (To prevent confusion between his brother and the mom's boyfriend, I'm going to use "Jamie" for his brother.)

According to the Unidentified Wiki, James Hedgepath "had a violent criminal history and was previously convicted of murder," which automatically makes him the prime suspect in what happened next.

On June 13th, 1972, Vera and James drove to Middlesex County, Virginia to visit James' family, with the boys. However, when they arrived, the boys weren't there. When they returned to Pennsylvania, Vera told her relatives they left the boys in custody of the Hedgepath family.

Carl and James were never seen by the Bryant family ever again.

Later the same day, in Lorton, Virginia, a horrible sight was found in the river. It was the body of a young African American boy, about 3 to 6. He had been beaten to death, with extensive blunt force trauma injuries on his head. He also was nude, and none of his clothes have been recovered.

The victim, who couldn't be identified, would be dubbed Fairfax County John Doe.

The connection between the decedent and Carl wasn't made for decades, until this year. The NCMEC and Innovative Forensic Investigations worked on the case and located a maternal aunt of the victim. The woman said that her sister, Vera Bryant, who died in 1980, had two sons, Carl and Jamie, who she last saw in 1972.

Investigators quickly realized the similarities between Carl and FCJD, and further investigation into the DNA connection between the decedent and Vera Bryant was made in 2023. In April 2025, it was confirmed the child was the son of Vera Bryant, and ultimately, Carl Bryant himself.

After 53 years, he finally had a name.

Despite the amazing identification, there's sadly still some mystery that needs to be solved. Vera Bryant and James Hedgepath are currently deceased, and they are obviously the prime suspects in Carl's murder- and the disappearance of his brother, Jamie. His remains haven't been located yet, and as of writing, no unidentified boy has been linked to possibly being Jamie.

Map showing possible path Vera and James took, where Jamie's body may have been left

I mentioned earlier James was "previously convicted of murder", which astonishes me- what was it for, and how did he get out only to possibly harm more people? How was Vera Bryant involved in the murder? These are questions I hope can be somewhat resolved one day.

For now though, I am so tremendously glad genetic genealogy has come in clutch once again and reunited a young, poor boy who didn't have a chance in life with the name he so rightfully deserves. Calling Vera and James his "parents" is an excuse. They just murdered and discarded him like he was an inconvenience. 

Rest in peace, Carl Matthew Bryant (and presumably, Jamie Bryant).

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

NCMEC Blog

Unidentified Wiki

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025