Exactly 50 years ago today, an
unidentified young woman was laid to rest in Boulder's Columbia Cemetery. The
slender victim had been stripped, severely beaten, and left to die on the banks
of Boulder Creek. There were no fillings in her teeth, so there would be no
dental records, and the only clue was a scar from an appendectomy. All that
remained of her personal belongings were three bobby pins in her long
reddish-blond hair.
"There is no doubt she was murdered," stated the late Sheriff Art Everson in
a newspaper account at the time. A half a century later, we still don't know who
the woman was, and her murderer has never been found.
After extensive publicity failed to bring forward any family members, the
city consigned the victim to a pauper's grave. When the Camera published the
announcement, local residents were outraged. They wanted something better for
their "mystery girl," and they pooled their resources for a burial plot and
funeral.
As fund-raising progressed, the Camera published the growing list of donors.
They included men and women, young and old, and were from various walks of life.
There was Francis Gilmore, an ombudsman of sorts for naval hospitals. Another
was Boulder police officer Edward Godfrey, who moonlighted as a highway
construction worker.
Elvina and A.W. Korte owned a furniture store, Mary Weber was a clerk-typist
and Susan Joyce was famous for her hand-made braided rugs. Electrician Steve
Pospahala sent a contribution, as did investment company owner Francis Tobin.
Along with a check from Viola Curry was a note that read, "Blessings on the
small cluster of those who care."
Howe Mortuary donated an expensive casket, and the Rev. Paul Fife, of Sacred
Heart Church, conducted the funeral service.
The solemn group of mourners assembled in the original Howe Mortuary Chapel,
with its entrance on Spruce Street. "The services were simple," stated a
reporter, "restoring in death the dignity her murderer destroyed in the last
violent moments of her life."
The attendees then followed in their cars as the broken body, known only as
"Jane Doe," was driven in a Cadillac hearse to her freshly dug grave. Before she
was lowered into the ground, her casket was covered with colorful sprays of
donated lilies and roses. One of the accompanying flower cards was inscribed,
"To Someone's Daughter."
A few weeks later, Boulder Marble and Granite Works engraved and donated the
headstone, which read, "Jane Doe, April 1954, age about 20 years."
People still care about Jane Doe. Current technology has made it possible to
compare the DNA of a deceased person with DNA from potential relatives. In early
February, Sheriff Joe Pelle announced the reopening of the Jane Doe case,
pending private and in-kind donations for exhumation, DNA analysis and facial
reconstruction. The fund drive is ongoing, and an offer of pro bono forensic
expertise has been made. (Courtesy of Project EDAN www.ProjectEDAN.us care of / publicized
by www.doenetwork.org)
Tax-deductible donations have topped
$3,000.
The murder victim had everything, except her hair pins, taken from her.
Hopefully, through the compassion of the people of Boulder, Jane Doe will be
given back her name and perhaps even returned to her family.
Fifty years ago, Coroner George Howe stated, "We don't know who she was or
what religion she followed. We can only do what we think is right."
Tax-deductible donations to
the Jane Doe Fund are being accepted by the Boulder History Museum, 1206 Euclid
Ave., Boulder CO 80302. For more information, write to Silvia Pettem at the
Daily Camera, P.O. Box 591, Boulder 80306, e-mail pettem@earthlink.net, or visit
www.boulderjanedoe.com.