Jane Doe Identified After Five Decades

On the 8th of April 1954, the discovery of a young woman’s body shocked the community of Boulder, Colorado. Found eight miles west of the city, along the banks of Boulder Creek, the body was naked and battered. She would be known as “Boulder Jane Doe” for over fifty years.

The woman was devoid of any belongings apart from a few hairpins still holding a few pieces in place. She had no fillings in her teeth, which would have been the usual way to identify someone back in the ‘50s. She did however have a scar from surgery on her appendix. Her body was bruised, and it looked like she had been hit by a car. There were also ligature marks.

She was found by two students, who were hiking in the area.

“At first we thought it was a store window dummy. We didn’t think it could possibly be a human body.”

The police searched the Boulder Canyon area for clothing or any kind of clue but found nothing. News of Boulder Jane Doe swept across the nation and many parents with missing daughters made the pilgrimage to Colorado, in the hope of finally finding their child.

None of the parents were able to identify the young woman and she was buried under a headstone that read “Jane Doe April 1954, Age About 20 Years”. The Christian funeral was paid for by the citizens of Boulder.