Madisonville Jane Doe: Investigators seek to identify little girl found in suitcase 5 years ago
PHOENIX - Five years ago, the skeletal remains of a little girl were found inside of a suitcase near Interstate 45 in Texas, and no one has been able to identify her - but new evidence suggests that she may have ties to Arizona.
The black suitcase was discovered after a man mowing some property in Madisonville, Texas bumped into it on Sept. 17, 2016. Inside were some garbage bags that contained her remains, a pink dress that said "Follow Your Dreams," a size 4 diaper, and a feeding tube. She was likely between the ages of 2 to 6 years old.
Investigators say that she had likely been dead for about three to five months before she was found, which means that she had died sometime between April and June of 2016.
An analysis of the pollen on her remains suggests that she had some kind of connection to the southwest United States, particularly in southeast Arizona or in a nearby region of Mexico.
Genealogy research suggests that she had Native American lineage, and is also believed to be either white or Hispanic with thick dark hair.
She also appeared to have a condition called micrognathia, which means that her jaw was smaller than normal. This would have impacted her ability to eat, and she would have needed a surgically implanted feeding tube or some other kind of medical treatment to live.
"Someone knows something and we need to continue to work to give this young child her name again," officials said.
The body had been discarded on the west frontage road of I-45. The interstate is known as being a major route between Dallas and Houston.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office at 936-348-2755 or Missing Kids at 1-800-THE-LOST.
A sketch of the child, the dress she was found with and the suitcase. (Phoenix Police)
More information:
- https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMU/1291323
- https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/15905
- https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2019/post-update/madisonville-jane-doe
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