KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, released a photo of a clay model facial reconstruction in hopes of identifying a murder victim from more than 38 years ago.
The decomposed remains of an unidentified woman, who was approximately 20 to 25 years old with brown hair, were discovered April 26, 1984, in a wooded area near Glenrose and Woodend lanes in KCK’s Argentine Neighborhood.
“The first step in solving any homicide is identifying the victim,” KCKPD Cold Case Unit Det. Jeffrey Irwin said in a statement. “In 1984, the few leads detectives received, even after distributing the reconstruction to law enforcement agencies, lead nowhere. Whether it was fear of retribution from the killer or the possibility she was killed in another state and then dumped here; we do not know. We do however know that today our victim would likely be in her late 50s to mid-60s, meaning there is likely someone out there that knew, and can recognize her.”
Police estimate the woman had been dead for at least a month and possibly as long as six months before the body was discovered, so she probably disappeared between the late fall in 1983 or during the winter of 1984.
She was 5 feet, 2 inches to 5-4 and weighed 100 to 145 pounds.
Based on bone structure, investigators believe the unidentified woman was white or possibly mixed race with Hispanic, Asian or Native American being the most likely additional ethnicity.
“With no leads, detectives turned to forensic facial reconstruction,” KCKPD said in a news release. “Using the remains, forensic anthropologists were able to develop an image and profile of the victim”
Anyone who recognizes the victim or are aware of a female who fits the profile that went missing during the timeframe established are asked to email the KCKPD Cold Case Unit at coldcase@kskpd.org or call the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
