New details provide clues on 1999 Jane Doe homicide on Cannon Avenue
Chattanooga Police Department | Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
The Chattanooga Police Department and the Office of the Hamilton County Medical Examiner are releasing new information in the investigation into the 1999 homicide of an unidentified female whose remains were found in a creek along Cannon Avenue, according to the Chattanooga Police Department.
In hopes of identification, they say on March 29, 1999, a brush and garbage cleanup crew discovered the body of a partially clothed adult female near the 2500 block of Cannon Avenue.
This area runs close to Interstate 24 between the North and South Rossville Boulevard exits, which could open the possibility that the victim may not be from the Chattanooga/Hamilton County area.
The victim’s death was ruled a homicide caused by ligature strangulation.
CPD says at the time of discovery, the victim was believed to be Caucasian. However, new DNA analysis conducted through advanced testing revealed that the victim was of mixed race: approximately 80% African American and European ancestry.
They share this new development prompted a renewed investigative effort, including a new facial reconstruction created by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
An updated victim description is provided below:
Updated Victim Description:
Female, mixed race (African American/European ancestry)
Age estimation: 30 to 45 years old
Height: approx 5’4″
Weight: approx 130 lbs
Hair: dark brown or possibly blackAdditional Identifiers:
All front teeth are missing and remaining teeth are in poor condition
Evidence of an abscess in the lower left jaw prior to death
Possible bowlegged gait
Multiple healed fractures, including: both feet, left pinky finger, right first rib, and noseClothing:
Red shorts (size 18/20)
Red ponytail holder
Rubber band on left wrist
CPD says the Doe Network indicates that she possibly died months before her body was discovered as her NamUs profile indicates approximately one month.
