Her remains were found in Black Creek Township, about 30 miles southwest of Wilkes-Barre, in 1973. Local lore has it her spirit haunts the stretch of highway where she was found.
It’s August 9, 1973, and a tourist decides to pull off Interstate 80 near Sugarloaf in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, for a walk in the woods. But instead of enjoying a peaceful stroll, they stumble upon something horrifying — just 100 feet from the highway, wrapped in a blanket, is the body of a woman.
This woman, later known as I-80 Jane Doe, wasn’t just left there. The body had been doused in sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive chemical that causes third-degree burns on contact – a move clearly meant to prevent identification.
And for more than 50 years, that’s exactly what it did.
Discovery and Early Investigation
When Jane Doe was found, investigators were baffled. Luzerne County Coroner Dr. George Hudock conducted the autopsy at Wyoming Valley Hospital. Here’s what he could gather: Jane Doe was African American, between 21 and 30 years old, around 5 feet tall, and weighed about 100 pounds.
There were no signs of injury or trauma to her body. X-rays and fingerprinting turned up nothing. Hudock ran toxicology tests to look for drugs or poison in her system, but if he found anything, it was never released to the public.
The initial investigation revealed that the body was carried to the site, in other words, she wasn’t killed there, and the young woman died 48 to 72 hours before she was found.
Luzerne County Detective James Grace told the Standard-Speaker that they were checking with schools for a missing girl, just in case she was younger than the estimate, and her description was being circulated to police departments in an eight-state area.
But, it seems there were never any leads.
Six days after she was found, Jane Doe was quietly buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in Hanover Township. Rev. W.J. Atterbeary, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Wilkes-Barre, officiated at her graveside.
And just three months later, the investigation was closed.
A Second Look: The 2016 Exhumation
Fast forward to 2016. After more than four decades, investigators decided to exhume I-80 Jane Doe’s body. DNA technology had come a long way, and there was renewed hope that they could finally identify her. Dr. Erin Kimmerle from the University of South Florida led the forensic examination. They collected DNA samples, hoping for a match in national databases.
But despite the advancements in forensic science, it hit a dead end. No viable DNA profile could be developed. I-80 Jane Doe’s body was reburied in Maple Hill Cemetery.
2024: A New Hope
Now, nearly eight years later, investigators are taking another shot. In July 2024, Luzerne County District Attorney Samuel M. Sanguedolce and Assistant District Attorney Carl Frank filed a petition to exhume I-80 Jane Doe’s body once again. President Judge Michael T. Vough signed off on it.
Dr. Kimmerle is back on the case, leading another forensic examination. But this time, it’s more comprehensive —medicolegal autopsy, skeletal analysis, forensic dental work, X-rays, an MRI scan.
And, of course, they’re going to try for more DNA samples. The hope is that, with today’s advanced technology, they can get a usable profile and enter it into a national database.
That could lead to relatives, and relatives could lead to her name.
Who Was I-80 Jane Doe?
Who was I-80 Jane Doe? From what we know, she was a young Black woman, probably between 20 and 30 years old (certainly younger than 40), 4’10” to 5’2” tall, and weighed around 100 pounds.
She had dark brown or black hair tied in a short ponytail, and brown eyes. When she was found, she was wearing blue-green shorts, a pink blouse with white lace, and floral slippers. Wrapped in a yellow and green blanket, with the legs pinned. She had an upper dental bridge with six teeth.
Besides her identity, what we also don’t know is who caused her death. Who left her by the highway? Who covered her with sulfuric acid? What did they want to hide?
What were this young woman’s dreams?
Who was waiting for her to come home that day in 1973?
What’s Next?
With this second exhumation, officials are hopeful they’ll get enough DNA to finally identify I-80 Jane Doe. If they can match her profile to any relatives, we might finally learn her name. And once we have that, maybe the truth about what happened to her will follow.
For now, all we can do is wait. If 2024 is the year we identify I-80 Jane Doe, it could bring closure to a case that’s haunted Pennsylvania for far too long. Some even say the ghost of I-80 Jane Doe haunts the highway where her body was found. Will this be the year her name is finally revealed and she can find some peace?
Hopefully, time, and science, will tell us very soon.
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Sources:
“Body of Woman Found at Tank,” Standard-Speaker, August 10, 1973, Page 15. via Newspapers.com
“Unidentified Woman to Be Buried Today,” Standard-Speaker, August 15, 1973, Page 26. via Newspapers.com
“Judge Grants Request to Exhume Remains Found on Highway Decades Ago,” Citizens’ Voice, August 13, 2016, Page T11. via Newspapers.com
“Unsolved: I-80 Jane Doe 1973,” The Pennsylvania Rambler, August 31, 2022