"Rangers brought 50 lbs of evidence to Houston for examination by toxicologists" 

ARTICLE

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Brown or beige wool jacket w/ code "SS 66 GJ" on it

2 cardboard boxes, one traced to Borden Dairy in Houston by serial number and the expiration date 12/13/61 (believed to have been taken from a local grocery store)

Straightened clothes hanger wire that was poked through the body

9 articles of clothing with labels ripped off

A green dress that resembled a waitress's uniform

A piece of a towel

Wash rags wrapped around the body

Green and white striped pillow case

Blue flower cotton dress

A green plaid wool topcoat

A man's sock

A womans' gray sweater

Womens underwear

A green, 3/4 size blanket like the type used in hotels

3 red or light brown hairs recovered from the neck area of dress found with victim

Burlap bag containing the victim's intestines, a baby bib, a baby's undershirt, a bra, and a handkerchief

Broken cement that appeared to have been poured in liquid form into the boxes

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MY THOUGHTS:

The dress and the laundry code seemed like a good lead, but it didn't go anywhere. From articles I've read it was stated that the green dress resembled what a waitress would wear, but maybe wasn't. But the dress COULD have been a uniform possibly. Perhaps it was a waitress's uniform or perhaps a hotel employee's uniform? Since investigators were interested in the dress and coat I'm guessing they believe they both belonged to the victim, as in, fit her size.

 

The laundry code in the wool coat seems to indicate it was made with gabardine and jacquard fabric and nylon threading. (SS- spun, not woven; 66- nylon 66 thread; GJ- gabardine and jacquard fabric). Appropriate for January in Southeast Texas.

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The Borden's Dairy cardboard box could be important as well. Maybe an employee is responsible. But they could also have been grabbed from the trash or dumpster since the expiration date was almost 2 months before her remains were found. I do think it's important to note that Jane Doe's body was reported to be found on Highway 59 SOUTH (going TOWARDS Houston) but the box was FROM Houston. Did Borden have any delivery contracts in that rural area in 1962?

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So we have a dress that resembles some kind of uniform, a blanket like those used in hotels, and a piece of a towel (perhaps also like those in hotels but no mention of that). I imagine that hotels around Houston that offered a continental breakfast may have received orders from Borden Dairy, so maybe the cardboard box was just a convenient dumpster grab at a hotel. Did Jane Doe work at a hotel/motel doing front desk or housekeeping? But there were other clothes found with her beside the uniform. Was she a guest staying in a hotel? Perhaps her dismemberment occurred in a hotel bathtub for easy clean up and her body parts dumped in various locations in the cover of darkness? Where did the alcohol in her system come from? Was she an employee winding down at the end of a long work day? Or was she a guest enjoying a few (or several) drinks in her room with the suspect? Was she forced to drink to make her more compliant or unconscious?

 

Which brings me to the perpetrator. Let's say this did occur at a hotel. Where did he get cement mix or did he already have it on hand due to his profession? What did he use to mix it and where? Did he already have those tools handy? Where did the oil come from on her clothing? Only her torso (in 2 boxes) and a gunny sack with her intestines were found. I imagine the wet cement and potential blood or fluid from the intestines, head and limbs (which were never found) would've created some sort of a mess in their vehicle where they were transported. A standard coupe or sedan wouldn't have been ideal to keep the mess limited to an unnoticeable area. Unsure if all of these items would've fit into a standard car trunk. So maybe the truck driver witness who saw the station wagon was right. Or maybe the perpetrator had a truck. Or maybe....they were a truck driver, since truck drivers do sometimes stay in hotel rooms while on the road. 

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But we can't rule out that this could have been some kind of domestic incident, which is often the case. The baby bib found at the scene is the one item that sticks out to me that points to that. Where is the baby or where did the bib come from? Investigators said they went through missing persons reports in neighboring counties and states, but didn't find any exact matches. Maybe she wasn't reported missing at all? Or maybe she wasn't reported missing until way after her remains were discovered. Or maybe she went missing outside of their search area. 

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The clothing along with the 3 hairs would be valuable forensic evidence today. I also wonder if they took any DNA swabs from the victim. We know they collected blood samples to measure her blood alcohol levels. DNA wasn't really a thing then, but in my heart, I truly hope there is a sample sitting in cold storage somewhere.