Baby Jane Doe #61: Malnourished Body Discovered In L.A. Alley In 1985
On August 19, 1985, the decomposing body of a small child, approximately 10-months-old, was found in Los Angeles. The deceased toddler, later named Baby Jane Doe #61, was located in an alley just behind an apartment building in Baldwin Hills (4206 Santo Tomas). She was nude and frighteningly thin, and later an autopsy would reveal that she died from pneumonia brought upon by severe malnutrition. The extreme case of neglect caused her death to be ruled as a homicide, however, while her appearance was shocking, someone did take the time to pierce her ears, an act of vanity.
There was no evidence that the child had been sexually assaulted, but investigators found that she’d been physically abused for some time. She was covered in scars and had multiple healed bones that were once broken. Her four teeth, according to authorities, were abnormally large for her mouth. Detectives tried matching her descriptors to missing children at that time, but none of their records coincided. No one reported her missing. It was as if she simply didn’t exist.
Over 30 years later, her identity remains a mystery. Even after there was little media attention about Baby Jane Doe #61, not one person called in to claim that they may have known who she was. Her DNA was taken before her body was cremated. Until there is a family member to compare her DNA to, Baby Jane Doe #61 will remain another unsolved case.
The little girl was 2 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 14 pounds. She had dark brown or black hair, brown eyes, and although decomposition made her face unrecognizable, a forensic artist has drawn a composite photo of what she may have looked like. That photo is included at the top of this article. Baby Jane Doe #61 would be 34-years-old at the time of this publication.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-LAPD 24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Her case number is 85-03-24266.
Please share the information regarding the homicide of 1985’s Baby Jane Doe #61 to reignite the investigation into her puzzling murder. She is our sister and her life matters.
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