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Authorities hope to identify a woman found strangled in Lake Panasoffkee, Florida.
CASE DETAILS Lake Panasoffkee lies in the heart of the vast Florida wetlands. Crossing the lake’s eastern shore is Interstate 75, which connects Florida with the rest of the Southeast. On February 19, 1971, two teenagers were hiking along the Interstate, heading north from Tampa, when they noticed the outline of a human form in the shallow water. Authorities retrieved the badly decomposed body of a young woman. She appeared to have been strangled: a man’s size 36 belt was still wrapped around her throat.  Flyers were sent around the country Investigators determined that the woman may have been in her late teens or early twenties. She had no identification and had been dead for approximately three weeks. They were unable to find the killer, nor determine the woman’s identity. No one came forward to claim the body. After six months, the young woman was laid to rest beneath a small metal marker that simply read, “Jane Doe – 1971” Ten years later, Jamie Adams became the Sheriff of Sumter County. He began to review the department’s unsolved cases, and was particularly disturbed by the murder of this young woman:
 Her body was exhumed for clues A year after he took office, Sheriff Adams officially re-opened the case. He obtained a court order to have the body exhumed. Dr. William Maples, one of the nation’s foremost forensic anthropologists, was brought in to assist with the new investigation:
Sheriff Adams next contacted Linda Galeener, a forensic artist renowned for her ability to create accurate composite drawings based on skeletal remains:
Next, Sheriff Adams asked Linda to create age regression drawings of how the victim might have appeared at the age of twelve and at the age of six. According to Jamie Adams, this technique had never before been used in law enforcement:
 She had orthopedic surgery on her right ankle Sheriff Adams has mailed flyers to more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada. He has contacted hundreds of hospitals, and followed up hundreds of leads. Still, the identity of Little Miss Panasoffkee remains a mystery. The young woman was 5’2” tall, weighed about 100 pounds and was approximately 20 years old. In addition to the “Watson Jones” surgical technique that had been performed on her ankle, the young woman had extensive dental work, including crowns, caps and fillings. The examination also revealed that she had given birth to at least one child. These clues suggest that the victim was well cared for and may have left a family behind. Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season five with Robert Stack and in season five with Dennis Farina. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Various seasons available now on Hulu. SUBMIT A TIP |
Shanese
This case always haunted me because till this day 52 years ago it hasn’t been solved. Remember guys she has that watson-jones procedure on her ankle. Someone in the medical field may recall performing this procedure since the Watson-Jones procedure is pretty rare. She always had extensive dental work. This case should be reopened.
balls
she was so young but so old..
Julie L Pitts
This should be given to DNA Doe Project. This has been on my heart since it first aired. I am now 55 and every time I visit family in Central Florida I go over that bridge and I think of her.
Marguerite J White
Diana Kotchounian that’s so kind of you.
Anonymous
I’m from the sumter county area and I’m good friends with the sheriff now and I’ll find out what I can about this young lady my mom might have known her. I’ll ask around to anyone that may know her.
anonymous
This area has a large Greek population in Florida. After her body was exhumed it was determined that she was of Greek decent, from a port town, and recently arrived in the country. Her story was broadcast in Greece and a viewer contacted the show. She met a young lady named Constanta at a school which prepared students for jobs abroad in English speaking countries. This agency was sponsored by an international migration organization. The two fell out of contact after departing to their host countries, USA and Australia. Her exact identity still remains a mystery
Diana Kotchounian
Does anyone know where her gravesite is? I would like to see about getting her a headstone if possible
i stan stack
Oak Grove Cemetery
Wildwood, Florida, U.S.
Diana Fairchild
Wow so much similar things about this woman but time frame does not match up to my sisters disappearance date my sister Glenda Jean Petersen was around same height and weight and did have extensive dental work not sure why she had cast on her lower leg but like I said in earlier text she was 40 at the time often mistaken for a much younger girl but date of disappearance was July 4th 1997 but for some reason this episode just really bothered me but thank you so much for your time