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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/AlfredTheJones on 2024-01-18 18:23:41+00:00.
Hello everyone! As always, thank you for all your votes and comments on my previous post about Justin Scott Siwek- I hope that he's resting in peace and that his family will get justice soon.
I haven't written a post on a Doe case in quite some time, but today I've stumbled upon this great post on the r/gratefuldoe today, and this case really captivated me, so I decided to share it further on on this sub.
DISCOVERY
In February of 2022, a group of rabbit hunters found a backpack in Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina, USA. It was located in a wooded area behind a National Guard Armory. Upon opening, it turned out that the backpack contained an unspecified ammount of money. The hunters took it and left the backpack behind; At some point, a search for the backpack commenced, but it wasn't found.
On the 12th of May 2022, skeletal remains of a woman have been found in the area during a land survey- She has been dead for about a year, and was estimated to be 20-40 (but most likely pre 30). Her body was too decomposed to tell her eye color and hair. Her weight and height couldn't have been estimated either. Some of her clothing was, however, spared by the elements: She was found wearing a black bra (Secret Treasures Size 34 C) and had fragments of panty hose/leggings on, but the decomposition made the telling of colors and sizes impossible. Her cause of death remains undetermined.
But here's the kicker: We might actually know how this woman looked like shortly before her death- on the 22nd of August of 2021, a woman wandering through the area was caught on a trail camera nearby (for those who don't know, a trail camera is a type of motion-activated camera that's affixed to usually a tree, used by hunters, forest rangers and nature lovers to track animal activity in the area). The police has released a couple of stills, available on the woman's NamUS profile and the original r/gratefuldoe thread.
The photos feature a white woman with blonde/light hair, who was also wearing what looks like a bra and leggings, with bare feet. She seems to be using a thick branch as a walking stick as she passes next to an animal feeder for deer. It's hard to say if she's confused or hurt, as the photos are black and white and grainy. The first photo, where only a small bit of her was seen, was taken at about half past one AM, while ones where she's fully on camera with the stick, were taken at around half past four AM, which would imply that she was around the area for at least one night. It's impossible to tell if that was the night she died, but it is possible, unless she stayed in the area for a longer time.
CONCLUSION
I think that the cases of Does where we have photos of them, especially those that are/seem close to the moment they've died, are always very popular and tend to catch people's attention- there's something haunting in them, in a way.
If I had to guess, I'd say that this woman was likely unhoused. Her clothes are rather odd- I think that the only person who goes to a wooded area in essentially underwear is someone who doesn't have other clothes at all- the fact that she was barefooted also implies that to me. Someone in the original thread suggested that she might be trying to set up a camp, and I can see that, given her place. If she's far from home and people who knew her, that might explain why she wasn't recognized to this day.
Another thing that might be going on here is mental illness- since that might skew her logical thinking, and she might've thought that going out in her underwear into a forest at night was a good idea. Someone in the thread mentioned that she looks post-partum, and that she might've been suffering from post-partum psychosis; I'm not a pregnancy expert, so I can't tell if she really does look post-partum, but it is a possibility. Another thing that might cause this kind of issues with logical thinking and self-preservation is drugs, which might be involved. She also has a lot of loose skin on her stomach, so she might've recently given birth, lost weight due to illness or drug addiction or from rough living. She might be running away from a dangerous situation, real or imaginary.
Her clothes make me wonder- did she ran out of the house like this? From what I'm seeing, the highest weather for Anson County in May is 85 F / 29 C, which is pretty warm- I can see someone wearing just a bra and leggings. But was it a choice or did she not have access to other clothes? Maybe she took off some clothes before appearing on the camera?
The stick is also interesting- why did she use it? Was she just tired or was she sick/in pain? Some people say that she looks hunched over, like she was in pain, but I'm not sure- it's hard to say when you only have images, and not a video.
I wonder if the backpack with cash is related to her case or is it a red herring? She doesn't seem like someone who would have a lot of cash on them, but who knows; maybe she hid it?
Again, I highly recommend the original thread and the discussion in it.
If you have any info about Jane Doe's identity, contact Anson County Sheriff's Office at 704-694-4188 (case number 2022-00469)
SOURCES:
- NamUS.gov (features the photos in the "images and documents" tab)