Chip Chick
El Dorado Police Department; Mercedes is pictured above in one of the identification documents she had
While authorities are trying to put all of these pieces together, James ended up pleading guilty to the murder of Mercedes.
He accepted a plea deal and charges of second-degree murder in exchange for a 15-year sentence.
In the years he spent behind bars, he said a few things about Mercedes. He said he knew who she really was and demanded money to reveal it.
He said someone had taken her as a child. Police didn’t buy what he was telling them since he was known to lie a lot.
As the years went on, it seemed like the real name of Mercedes, better known as the El Dorado Jane Doe, would never be uncovered.
That was, until 2019.
Facebook; pictured above are some of her diary entries
In 2019, a positive match came back for her DNA. Authorities were able to figure out who her living relatives were.
