Mystery Surrounds 50-Year-Old Murder

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A facial reconstruction of Boulder Jane Doe.

The story of Boulder Jane Doe began in April 1954 when two college students found the body of a young woman who had been stripped, beaten, and left to die on the banks of Boulder Creek.  Police say she was discovered a week after her death.  Furthermore, authorities believe that she was still alive after she had been dumped down the embankment. 

The 17- to 20-year-old had perfect teeth and couldn't be identified by dental records.  Police say the only distinguishable things about the 5'3", 100-pound victim was an appendectomy scar and three bobby pins in her reddish blond hair.  Boulder residents gave the unidentified girl a burial and a headstone reading "Jane Doe.  April 1954.  Age About 20 Years."

Police say that Boulder Jane Doe was never identified and her killer was never caught.  However, recently the case was re-opened and Boulder County Sheriff's Department has been working with forensic teams to uncover more clues in the mystery.

In 2004, the body was exhumed to provide material for DNA analysis as well as a facial reconstruction by renowned forensic sculptor, Frank Bender.  Bender was able to recreate a mold of how Boulder Jane Doe may have looked.  Also, forensic experts say that bone fragments may indicate that she was hit with a car before being dumped in the ravine. 

While authorities had generated leads from this new forensic evidence, it would be a local author and historian who would bring cops information that could possibly identify the man who killed Boulder Jane Doe.

Renowned Serial Killer May Be A Suspect

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Cops say that Boulder Jane Doe has been identified as Dorothy Gay Howard who was 17 years old in this picture.

Silvia Pettem, a Boulder historian and author, had been responsible for persuading local law enforcement to exhume the body and had raised donations to pay for the process. 

However, she had also been researching the story of Boulder Jane Doe and found that 1950's serial killer, Harvey Glatman, lived in the Denver area at the time of Boulder Jane Doe's death.  When she brought the information to authorities, they started to look at Glatman as a possible suspect.

Boulder County Sheriff's Detective Steve Ainsworth says that not only did Glatman live in the Denver area at the time of Boulder Jane Doe's death, he had also abducted a girl in the Boulder area in 1945. 

Police say that Harvey Glatman killed three women in California during the 1950's and was executed in 1958.  Glatman would pose as a photographer for a detective magazine, tie the models up, photograph and rape them.  He would then ditch the bodies in secluded areas which Boulder police say would explain why their Jane Doe was both naked and left in a ravine. 

Ainsworth believes that the woman escaped and was running down the canyon when Glatman hit her with his car, sending her over the embankment.  He also believes that among some of the photographs that Glatman took of his victims could be one of Boulder Jane Doe.

While police vow to follow the Glatman investigation wherever it leads, they also have asked other area law enforcement to look for unsolved homicides and abductions that may have similarities to Boulder Jane Doe's case.  The FBI has added the DNA information extracted from the exhumed body and added it to the National Missing Person's database.

Police: Woman Believed Boulder Jane Doe Was Her Long-Lost Sister

The Boulder County Sheriff's Department now has one more piece of the puzzle in solving this decades-old mystery.

In October 2009, authorities say Boulder Jane Doe was finally identified as Dorothy Gay Howard.  They say Dorothy -- or “Dot” as she was affectionately known -- was reported missing from Phoenix, Ariz. in March of 1954.  They say she was 18 years old at the time of her untimely death.

Police tell AMW that they were originally focused on another likely candidate -- Katharine Farrand Dyer -- but it was discovered that she was very much alive and living in an assisted living center in Australia.

Cops say they received word last month that a woman believed Boulder Jane Doe could be her great aunt.  They say after testing DNA brought forth by a relative -- Dot’s younger sister -- they were able to find a matrilineal family match.

Authorities say Boulder historian and author Silvia Pettem -- who was persistent in pushing the investigation forward -- was thrilled at the recent developments.

“In recent years, the search for Jane Doe’s identity has spread around the world, touching the lives of thousands of people, including me,” remarked Pettem.  “I feel sadness for her tragic death, but relief that her family now has closure.  I look forward to Dorothy’s real name on a new gravestone, and I’m proud to have played a role in solving this mystery.”

Police say Pettem -- along with Boulder Sheriff’s Detective Steve Ainsworth -- had been building a compelling case tying executed serial killer Harvey Glatman to Dorothy’s death.

“With her identification, a major piece of the puzzle has been added,” said Det. Ainsworth. "I’m confident now that we will be able to find the missing links that will tie this all together.”