Howard County Police Use AI to Try to Identify Woman in 1971 Cold Case

In the summer of 1971, two young men found an unidentified woman semi-conscious. and lying on a dirt road next to Route 99 east of Woodstock Road.

The woman, who was suffering from exposure, was hospitalized at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore in critical condition, according to reports at the time.

She remained unconscious due to injuries from an apparent assault and died two months later, on September 7, 1971. Police were never able to identify her or speak to her, and she remains the oldest of the 32 Howard County Colds. cases

Now, Howard County police have teamed up with interns from Loyola University Maryland to create a more accurate picture of the woman, or Jane Doe, in hopes of identifying her.

Wade Zufall, a police technical corporal, worked with the two forensic science students and NamUs, a national database of missing and unidentified people, to use artificial intelligence to generate an image of the woman.

“We hope that with the updated photography, the photography will be personalized,” Zufall said. “I think it highlights who she was and allows us and the audience to see the true face of our Jane Doe.”

The only photograph the police had of the woman was an autopsy photo. Zufall said the new image aims to show what she would have looked like at the time of her death.

He said he hopes a family member, friend or anyone can recognize Jane Doe and contact police.

The area where the woman was found, off Route 99, is near where the Howard County Conservancy is located today. The area is north of US 70 and near a community venue, The Woodstock Inn.

Zufall said there could be a local resident who frequented the bar in the 1970s who might recognize the woman in the new AI-generated image.

When the woman was found, doctors said she had suffered a recent stroke on her left side, but that was not the cause of her condition.

Due to the stroke, doctors performed brain surgery on the woman, shaving her head in the process. The autopsy photo showed her after doctors shaved her head, so that’s not how she would have been recognized at the time, he said.

The Baltimore Sun reported on July 23, 1971.that police said no one matching Jane Doe’s description had been reported missing in the area.

It has been unidentified for 53 years.

There are 349 open cases of unidentified people in Maryland, according to NamUs. The Howard County Jane Doe is listed as the only unidentified person in the county.

The medical examiner estimated Jane Doe’s age to be 42 to 50 years old, Zufall said. He had graying brown hair and blue eyes. He was about 5 feet tall and weighed between 110 and 120 pounds.

The woman had a small scar on her left temple, he said. She had a history of a stroke and at least one pregnancy.

The victim’s dental records show he had seven teeth on the bottom row and no teeth on the top row. She was found dressed in a blouse, skirt, slip and underwear, according to a Sun article from August 19, 1971. The police did not find any shoes or purse.

Zufall urged anyone with information to call 410-313-STOP or email [email protected].