Woman's body found at Ord Bend still unidentified

The identity of the woman known only as Glenn County's Jane Doe remains a mystery more than one month after her badly decomposed body was found in Ord Bend Park.

Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones said detectives have had little luck in piecing together enough information to discover who the 35- to 45-year-old woman was or how she died.

"These things take time, and there is a possibility that she will never be identified," Jones said. "I hope this will not be the case.

The woman's remains were discovered outside the park's fenced area by a county employee and inmate worker during a cleanup operation on July 27.

The woman is caucasian and has given birth at least one time in her life, according to the forensic pathologist.

"Assuming the child lived and was not given up for adoption at birth, then there is someone out there missing their mother," Jones said.

Although detectives have met with a number of relatives of missing people, no one has been able to link Jane Doe to the extensive and very distinctive jewelry found at the scene, and some still connected to the bones, Jones said.

Jones has talked with just about every North State sheriff, but no cases have matched any known missing person in the area.

Detectives are also working with San Joaquin County sheriff's officials and other counties with known killings or "body dumps."

Meanwhile, detectives are continuing to explore all avenues available to them, Jones said.

Further examination of the skull by a forensic pathologist and Detective Greg Felton was done Thursday, and detectives are waiting for a possible genetic match of the material taken from a large bone to national DNA data bases.

Jones said the woman did not appear to have been a homeless, which could have added to the problem of identification.

"This is as much an elimination process as it is a discovery process," Jones said. "We must make absolutely sure we are not over looking something."

Jones said detectives will work the evidence and technological aspects, and hope a break will lead them to the identity of the woman.

"Perhaps at some point, we may go to a national TV show, tell the story, show the jewelry and see what might develop," Jones said. "There is always the possibility that she was never from California or even the west coast. Stranger things have happened in these types of matters."

CONTACT Susan Meeker at 934-6800 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.