NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Her body was found floating in the Cumberland River, and 25 years later, police still don't know who she is, or who killed her.
However, DNA technology may be the key to finally identifying the so-called Cumberland River Jane Doe.
In March of 1998, a barge operator made a grisly discovery. The body of a woman was floating in the Cumberland River near Cleece's Ferry and Hunter's Marina. When firefighters pulled the body from the water it was determined she had two gunshot wounds to her head. She was wearing one white Reebok tennis shoe, black pants with a Tweety Bird logo, a dark grey ring and a gold ring, and a gold necklace featuring the zodiac symbol for Leo.
All efforts to identify her came up empty, and police referred to her as the Cumberland River Jane Doe or Leo Jane Doe.
Investigators believe the body was found within 12 hours of her murder. A composite drawing was made showing her short brown hair and green eyes. She was 5'2'' tall and about 170 pounds. She is believed to be between 30 and 50 years old. Police said she also had thousands of dollars worth of dental work done, and her nails were manicured.
A witness told police they believe they saw the woman at the Valley Market on Music Valley Drive in Donelson the night before her body was found. She was with an unidentified man, and he was also wearing a gold zodiac pendant. The man has never been identified.
Through the years, new leads have been slow to come in, and the investigation went cold.
"There really haven’t been any significant leads over the last 25 years in this case," said Matthew Filter a detective with the Metro Police Department's Cold Case-Homicide/Missing Persons unit. "When you don’t know who your victim is, that is a huge hurdle to get over."
However, a break in the case came in 2020. Metro Police sent biological samples from the victim to a lab that specializes in genetic genealogy. A profile was developed and uploaded to genealogy websites. While the profile didn't determine the victim's name, it did determine she was from Chilton County, Alabama, and is closely related to the surnames Easterling, Mims or Minor.
"We have been trying to encourage people with those names to upload DNA," said Filter. "I think as time goes on and more profiles are uploaded, we will be able to get her identified."
Filter said he doesn't want concerns about privacy to prevent people from sharing their DNA. He said there are ways to work around it so people feel comfortable sharing their personal information. He said DNA provides the best shot at solving the case and identifying the Cumberland River Jane Doe.
Anyone with information about the Cumberland River Jane Doe is asked to contact the Metro Police Department Cold Case Unit at 615-862-7803 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous.
