Oregon Revisits Case of Its Oldest Unknown Murder Victim

Oregon authorities have reopened the state's oldest unidentified person case with the exhumation of a woman's remains on Monday, nearly 80 years after her body was found near the Willamette River. Known as "Oak Grove Jane Doe," the woman was discovered in April 1946, her body dismembered and placed in burlap sacks, which were then dumped in the river. Investigators determined she was between 30 and 50 and had suffered a fatal blow to the head, reports CBS News. Further remains were found later that year in the Willamette River, per KATU.

"For decades, this case was presumed impossible to resolve, and now, after nearly 80 years, we are hopeful we can restore this victim's name and return her identity to history," said forensic anthropologist Hailey Collord-Stalder. Despite drawing national attention at the time, the woman was never identified. The probe stalled in the 1950s after crucial evidence, including the remains, vanished from police custody. When Clackamas County authorities revisited the mystery in 2008, the missing body again proved a roadblock.

A break arrived recently when the Human Identification Program with the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office traced the remains to a grave in Mountain View Cemetery in Oregon City, reports the Oregonian. The grave was marked simply: "Unknown Woman 1946." On Monday, state police announced they'd exhumed the "degraded" remains in hopes that modern forensic techniques—now more advanced than ever—might succeed where earlier efforts could not. With "advanced forensic testing and analysis," the Oregon State Police said they hope to "finally give her a name."