Bowmanville Clarington Jane Doe
In a field in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, a man harvesting dogwood plants would make a gruesome discovery on October 26, 2006. The man came across the skull, femur and scattered skeletal remains of a woman who had no clothes or hair.
The field was in the area of Clarington, close to the Darlington Nuclear Plant. The unidentified woman had teeth in good condition, and she also had expertly set nose fracture, determining that a some point she may have had a nasal surgery or even a rhinoplasty.
The cause of death could not be determined as the condition of the remains, but it is speculated that this woman was mostly a homicide victim.
The Jane Doe was estimated to be between the ages of 18-30. She may have been there for 2-10 years before discovery (1996-2004), and possibly as long as 25 years (1981). In full, investigators believe she could have died between 1976-2006.
Some believe the potential murder may have happened in that location.
The scene was heavily searched by DRP Forensic Identification Unit, the Ontario Provincial Police and a forensic anthropologist. The search wrapped up on November 29, 2006, with a piece of red ribbon, a small heart shaped object, a penny from 1980, and a women's OMNI digital watch with a large red face and stainless steel straps made for a small wrist.
The watch was made by the Omni Watch Company in the early 1980's and was sold at Consumers Distributing from 1981-1983.
Description of what the woman may look like and a description of the items found were released in 2009, but no leads came forward.
On October 27, 2010, investigators went back to the site 4 years after the original discovery of the body. The water table in Bowmanville had decreased in that time, as the area had a couple dry years recently.
The usually wet and muddy area was dry enough for a better search. More items were found in this search, and they searched over 20 acres.
One of the items found in this second search was a 9.5 size woman's ring, that was hold and had a red garnet stone and two one-point diamonds on either side. Inside the band, the word "Burns" was stamped.
This ring had been made by A&A Manufacturing in Toronto, sold at Burns Jewlers, a family business located in Oshawa. The business operated from 1923-1994, and wasn't far from the Darlington Nuclear Plant.
The ring was frequently worn in life, and investigator's believe this is the most significant piece of evidence that may eventually lead to the Jane Doe's identity.
A man's hooded short sleeved shirt with red, yellow and blue stripes was also found. The shirt was from Tip Top Tailor, labelled "Blue Rodeo" and sold from 1995-1996. In 2019, it was also noted that remnants of grey track pants were also found.
A DNA profile of the woman was created but no dental records or matches have come about. Detectives believe it is likely the woman was never reported as missing.
In June 2013, the Durham Regional Police got a forensic artist named Diana Trepkov to make a sketch of the woman found based on her skull. Because she had no hair upon discovery, her hair type is unknown but she had protruding upper and lower teeth.
The woman had visible white fillings on her front teeth, small silver fillings on some of her back teeth. Her upper teeth protruded more than her lower teeth, and the skull was missing two teeth when it was found.
On September 14, 1963, a 13 year old girl named Noreen Greenley was abducted in Bowmanville. Her case remains unsolved and I will cover it next, but she is not the Bowmanville Clarington Jane Doe.
If anyone has any information they can contact the Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
