She Was Just 16-Years-Old When She Was Found Strangled Near A Cemetery And After 45 Years Of Being Called A Jane Doe She Finally Has Been Identified
Baltimore, Maryland. On September 12th in 1976, a young woman was dumped near Lorraine Park Cemetery, on a road that was used to access the cemetery.
This poor young woman had been beaten and brutally assaulted before she was strangled to death.
“Chlorpromazine was found in her system, which may have been used to sedate her,” the Baltimore County Police Department would later explain.
She also had been wrapped up inside of a bedsheet when she was discovered, and she had a bag of grass seed and several bandannas placed on top of her face.
A witness stated that they believed she had been dumped that morning between 9:20 and 10:20 a.m.
The witness also mentioned that they had seen a white-colored van driving around the exact location the young woman was later found in.
One of the young woman’s shoes was located close to her body, and she had a few items on her that authorities hoped would be able to help identify her.
Inside of her pocket was a safety pin and two different keys, and she had been wearing a rawhide necklace with a brightly colored turquoise bead threaded onto it.
Baltimore County Police Department; pictured above are the keys and the safety pin found inside of the young woman’s pocket
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The Baltimore County Police Department tried to figure out what this young woman’s name was, and they even made some black and white sketches of her face that they publicly released.
Years went by, and she became known only as Woodlawn Jane Doe since the county she had been found in is called Woodlawn.
As DNA came about and then became more advanced, detectives still working her case asked that DNA that had been collected from the crime scene be sent out for testing in 2006.
Baltimore County Police Department; pictured above is the necklace the young woman had been wearing when she was found
Then in 2015, the Baltimore County Police Department partnered with The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to test some pollen that had been collected from the scene of the crime to the Boston area.
“Authorities say the blend of cedar and mountain hemlock pollen, identified by a scientist with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, suggest a connection to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston,” the Baltimore County Police Department said about the results from the pollen testing.
Authorities suspected that the pollen being connected to the Boston area meant that this young woman had perhaps lived in the area.
Although it seemed they were getting closer to giving the Woodlawn Jane Doe her name back, it would end up taking 45 years to do that.
At the beginning of 2021, the Baltimore County Police Department was able to work in connection with The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Bode Technology to do further DNA testing.
4 days ago, the Baltimore County Police Department finally announced the real name of Woodlawn Jane Doe.
Her name is Margaret Fetterolf.
Baltimore County Police Department; pictured above is Margaret
“We now know Margaret Fetterolf lived in Alexandria, Virginia,” the Baltimore County Police Department explained in a press release.
“She was 16 years old when she was killed. Family members say she went missing in 1975. By knowing Margaret’s identity, detectives are now one step closer to catching the people responsible for her murder.”
If you have any information on Margaret’s case, the Baltimore County Police Department has asked that you call 410.307.2020.
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