Shine a Light: Wetzel County Jane Doe (AKA Judy Beaty Doe)
I’m a lifelong West Virginian and true crime fanatic – I peruse the WV State Police Cold Case page regularly and enjoy “deep dives” and sleuthing (and subredditing), so when I stumbled upon this case, I was truly shocked at the fact that I had never heard of the Wetzel County Jane Doe. This case is mysterious on one hand, while on the other hand it is maddening that the evidence left behind has not led to the identification of this woman – or her killer. The more I read and researched the more fascinating her story became. Hints of a possible serial killer connection and a religious commune in the WV hills consumed by serious abuse allegations are just two of the theories investigated in this case. Interestingly, the Wetzel County Jane Doe also set the precedent for dentures to be marked with identifiable serial numbers, as investigators would discover in working this case that there was no way to track down where or when a person may have been fitted for dentures. I am writing Judy’s story in hopes of bringing some attention back to her case. I believe that social media is incredibly powerful. Rural cases often do not receive the type of media coverage that they deserve, and time and time again the power of crowdsourcing has been proven in these cold cases.
On February 13, 1983, a nude body was discovered by an elderly couple off US Route 250 near Littleton, WV in Wetzel County. Wetzel County is in the northern part of the state, near the bottom of the upper panhandle making it relatively close to both Pennsylvania and Ohio. The couple shared that they first thought they were looking at a mannequin. The body was positioned face down, slightly over an embankment in an area that was frequently used for dumping trash. This area of WV, and much of the eastern US, had experienced heavy snowfall in the days leading up to February 13th. This is notable because the body was not snow covered. The area did have fresh tire tracks and footprints, leading investigators to believe that the body was placed in this location shortly before being discovered. An autopsy estimated the time of death to be 2-3 days before discovery. During the days leading up to the discovery of the body, newspapers outlined the record number of cars abandoned on highways during the snowstorm. This was the first day that locals seemed to be traveling via vehicle after the snowstorm.
The body was found to be that of a Caucasian female, 5’5”-5’6”, and weighing approximately 135 pounds. She had auburn hair, listed as medium length by the Doe Network, but after looking at the photos, I feel that it is worth noting that I think most would describe her hair as short. She is believed to have brown eyes. She had several distinguishing features. Notably, she had a cesarean scar on her abdomen, and it is believed that she gave birth to at least one child via cesarean delivery. In some reports, it is stated that the scar could possibly be from another abdominal surgery, like a procedure on the fallopian tubes, but it is believed to most likely be a cesarean scar. I think this is incredibly important information, and points to a high likelihood that she has a living relative who may be missing her. It also makes the possibilities surrounding DNA evidence particularly exciting.
Aside from this, she also had a scar on her left index finger and double pierced ears. Her toenails had recently been painted orange, and she had clean shaven legs and underarms. This was pointed out because investigators feel it lessens the likelihood that she was a hitchhiker or experiencing homelessness. While these things can’t rule out the possibility totally, I do think that her appearance and state of hygiene help give insight into who this Jane Doe was in life. I think it is worth repeating, because it made me smile and think of what type of person she might have been - it was the middle of winter, and her toenails were freshly painted. There are some details of this case that strike me and remind me how deeply human and alive this woman was shortly before we came to know of her as a Jane Doe.
It was discovered that she wore full upper dentures, and her set appeared to be new and recently fitted within the last 8 weeks. Investigators were thrilled to find this and believed they would be able to leverage this in identifying Jane Doe. Unfortunately, after checking records in three states – WV, PA, and OH; they were unable to find any matches or leads related to her dentures. Due to this case, all future sets of dentures would have a serial number. At this time, dental records were used in criminal cases, but investigators realized it was very difficult to identify someone based on dentures. It is unknown whether all states kept records of dentures the same way other dental records were typically kept.
The autopsy was performed at the State Medical Examiner’s office and only added to the mystery. There were no obvious signs of violence, struggle, or sexual assault. Strangulation was ruled out due to lack of ligature marks and bruising, however, it is not noted whether the hyoid bone was intact or broken, nor is there any mention of petechiae and if it was present on the body or eyes.
The autopsy revealed no drugs or alcohol, no obvious trauma, and no issues with major organs and systems that could be discovered. The autopsy ultimately ended with a statement that smothering as a cause of death could not be ruled out. There were some areas of the face that appeared darkened around the jaw and mouth. It has not been stated whether this is bruising or possibly postmortem lividity. The suggestion of smothering as a cause of death does match with the possible trauma to the mouth and jaw areas. The manner of disposal of the body leads investigators to believe that this was a homicide, with or without a definitive cause of death.
Shortly after the discovery of Jane Doe’s body, witnesses from the area were subjected to forensic hypnosis. There is little information available about who witnesses were or the practice of forensic hypnosis in 1983. From the sources available it seems this was done within the State Police and was not an outside person performing the hypnosis. From what I have been able to gather, the people that were interviewed were people who had likely driven by or lived in the area around the time the body was placed, and investigators were hoping to get information on what type of vehicle was at the scene. A group of high school students who had been sledding near the area the previous night were interviewed, but this did not lead to any new information.
From these interviews, a description of a two-tone brown truck was released as well as a description of a person of interest. The person of interest was a Caucasian male, likely in his 40s. Described as “stocky build” weighing 185-200 pounds and standing approximately 5’10” tall. The truck was described as 1978-1980 Chevrolet two-tone pickup truck, with a lighter color camper top. Photos of the type of vehicle are included at the end of the article. A statement was also made that there was a person of interest who is now currently incarcerated and serving a life sentence, and the identification of Jane Doe could lead to possible additional charges for this individual. There are no other details on the identity of this person. I have reached out to Cpl. William Henderson of the Hundred PD to ask for his comments on the case. If he is open to a conversation, I will pursue asking about suspects, although I am realistic that this might not be information that he will share with me.
As of the most recent reporting in this case, investigators believe this Jane Doe was likely involved in sex work in the Pittsburgh and Wheeling areas in time leading up to her death. There have been very few details released about these circumstances or how investigators arrived at this conclusion. One detail that has been shared is that it is believed Jane Doe was a frequent patron or was employed at a bar in Wheeling, WV at one time. Research highlights sex workers facing incredibly high rates of violence along with social stigmas. Recent research shows seventy-five percent of sex workers will experience one or more types of violence during the course of work.
Unfortunately, there has been a trend of less urgent investigations into the deaths of sex workers, often citing “lifestyle” as a contributing factor. Sex workers have been targeted by serial killers historically as well. Jack the Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, Gary Ridgeway, Robert Hanson, Joel Rifkin, and Robert Pickton are all known serial killers who specifically targeted sex workers. I share all of this to point out that Jane Doe possibly being involved in sex work made her particularly vulnerable to violence and murder. Furthermore, I feel it is possible that there are other sex workers from the same area and time frame that may have valuable information about clients who were violent or attempted violence with them. They may have had hesitations about coming forward with that information for many reasons, including fear of the police or retaliation from those they worked for. My hope is that this story may reach the right person and that they can safely come forward with any and all information that may help identify Jane Doe.
A previous theory in this case is a connection to the Red Head Murders. In the early seventies to early nineteen nineties, there were a string of murders mainly in the eastern and mid US. The victims are largely unidentified women, petite in stature and all having red, auburn, or strawberry blonde hair. Murders that are thought to be connected to this took place in Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. Victims that were identified had been picked up at truck stops as hitchhikers or sex workers. The cause of death for the victims was nearly always strangulation. No one has ever been named as a suspect in the Red Head Murders, although an online search will provide plentiful choices of suspects. Paul Holes and Billy Jensen cover these cases and theories on their podcast. The Wetzel County Jane Doe is included in this episode and named as a possible victim. The episode can be found here The Murder Squad: Jensen & Holes
An interesting line of investigation involved the Hare Krishna religious community near Moundsville, WV at the New Vrindaban commune. Hare Krishna is a sect of Hinduism that was largely led and influenced by Swami Bhakipada. The “Palace of Gold” located just outside of Moundsville, was home to the largest community of Hare Krishna members in America. The leader of the group, Swami Bhaktipada, began to face accusations of sexual abuse against children and other financial crimes. In a twisted tale, the two most vocal ex-members speaking out against Swami were murdered. Swami was eventually convicted of multiple charges including racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder. In short, he had devoted members of his community kill those who were speaking out. Because of the timing these events in the 1970s, questions were brought up about whether Jane Doe could have been targeted by the community for leaving or speaking out. While this could explain her not being recognized in the area, as many of the Hare Krishna followers had come from around the country, it would leave many people with knowledge of her identity and her death. While fascinating, I haven’t been able to find any concrete connection between these two cases. It seems they are mostly associated with each other because they happened nearby, around the same time. As of yet, there is no evidence to support that Jane Doe was involved with the Hare Krishna community or Swami Bhaktipada.
While working on this story, I reached out to Naomi Beaty. Noami and her husband John unofficially “adopted” Jane Doe after a decade of her body being stored by the medical examiner. An ad was placed in the paper in Wetzel County stating that Jane Doe would be cremated. Naomi and her husband, along with their community, had been deeply touched by Jane Doe’s story. Naomi spoke with me and stated, “My husband and I talked it over and we knew we had the land. My next door neighbor was a minister and he did the service. I made flyers to raise money for her headstone and final expenses. About 30 of us were there.” Naomi was able to raise the money to cover all of the costs of providing Jane Doe with a service, burial, and headstone. Her headstone reads “Jane Doe aka Judy Beaty Doe / Unknown to us but known and loved by God.”
Naomi shared that she felt compelled to help because one day, she hoped to be able to tell Judy Beaty Doe’s family that she had a beautiful service. I too, would like to be able to tell Judy Beaty Doe’s family that she had a beautiful service and rests peacefully. In order to make this a possibility, this story and photos need to be shared. Important areas to share this story are Wheeling, WV, Pittsburgh, PA and surrounding areas. If you know someone who may have been a sex worker or had relationships with sex workers in these areas in the late 1970’s-80’s, please share this directly with them. If you know someone who may have driven the truck described from witness statements, please share that information with the detective on this case. The detective on Judy Beaty Doe’s case is Cpl. William Henderson of the Hundred Police Department, outside of Littleton, WV. Contact information is included below. If you are uncomfortable reaching out to the police, please contact me directly and I will submit your information anonymously. Thank you for reading, sharing, and caring along with me.
Cpl. W. D. Henderson
District 3 Paden City
(304)-455-0913
Artist rendering of Wetzel County Jane Doe
Warning: Post Mortem Photos, non graphic (Autopsy photos, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner )
Vehicle description photos: NO license plate associated
Map photos:
Newspaper featuring Red Head Murders connection:
Sources:
Interview – Naomi Beaty
Web: