The Nameless
Jane Doe Miami 1981
Miami, Florida
🕯️ Unidentified in Miami, Florida 🕯️
On February 3, 1981, the body of an unidentified young female was discovered along an access road leading to a Japanese garden on Watson Island in Miami, Florida. A city park employee found her lying on a grassy area within the garden grounds, a site originally intended as a tourist attraction but known locally as a secluded meeting spot.
Investigators determined she had been deceased only a few hours before her discovery. She is believed to have been between 12 and 18 years old, approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall, and weighing about 90 pounds. She had medium-length dark hair with bleached streaks, brown eyes, and arched or styled eyebrows. Distinguishing features included several small scars on the left side of her neck and a noticeable gap between her two front teeth that may have made her recognizable. Her low body weight suggests she may have been closer to early adolescence than adulthood.
The girl was killed in a violent hit-and-run. Her skull had been crushed by a vehicle, and her body showed extensive injuries consistent with being dragged. Evidence at the scene indicated the vehicle passed over her twice. She was barefoot and partially clothed from the waist down; her jeans and high heels were found discarded in separate locations on Watson Island, suggesting they were thrown from the vehicle involved.
At the time, investigators theorized she may have been a sex worker who had been in a vehicle with an associate before an argument led to her leaving or being forced from the car, after which she was struck. A newspaper article published the day after the incident reported that an autopsy suggested she may have been beaten prior to the collision, though this has never been confirmed and may have been obscured by the severe trauma she suffered. The original case file has since been lost, and it is unclear whether witness statements or additional evidence ever supported these theories.
Her estimated age has changed over time. Early estimates placed her between 15 and 20 years old, while later assessments suggested a range from 12 to 26. In 2016, the range was narrowed to 14 to 16, while the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children listed her between 12 and 18 as of 2019.
Clothing and personal items:
- White or beige blouse
- White bra
- Bikini underwear printed with the words “Rest Area Visitors Welcome”
- Blue Chic jeans with “wet dreams” bleached onto a back pocket (not found with the body)
- Black and brown Town & Country high heels (not found with the body)
There are four exclusions: Sheila Cooks, Christine James, Shirley Hyman, and Beverly Ward.
The featured reconstruction is an artist’s rendering intended to show what this Jane Doe may have looked like in life. She has remained unidentified for more than four decades. It is time to give her name back.
If you have any information that could help identify this young person, please contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST 🕊️
Sources:
https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Japanese_Gardens_Girl
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/7963
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/790uffl.html
https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMU/1208434/1
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article76163837.html
The Lost & The Taken 
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