Murder of Evelyn Colon

When discovered, the victim, who was carrying a nine-month female fetus, had been sexually assaulted, strangled and shot in the neck by an unknown person.{{cite web|title=MEDIA RELEASE #1956, UNIDENTIFIED BETH DOE AND FEMALE FETUS, EAST SIDE BOROUGH, CARBON COUNTY, PA|url=https://www.crimewatchpa.com/crimestoppers/316/cases/media-release-1956-unidentified-beth-doe-and-female-fetus-east-side-borough-carbon-county|website=crimewatchpa.com|publisher=Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers|access-date=March 20, 2017|date=September 28, 2016}} Her body was then dismembered with a serrated blade.{{cite web|title=Beth Doe, Carbon County|url=http://thepennsylvaniarambler.blogspot.com/2011/07/beth-doe-carbon-county.html|publisher=Blogger|access-date=December 1, 2014|date=July 4, 2011}} The gunshot wound had occurred postmortem.{{cite news |last1=Hunter |first1=Brad |title=CRIME HUNTER: 1976 Pennsylvania cold case hits roadblock {{!}} Toronto Sun |url=https://torontosun.com/news/world/crime-hunter-1976-pennsylvania-cold-case-hits-roadblock |access-date=September 30, 2019 |newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=September 28, 2019 |language=en-CA}} Her nose, breasts, and ears had been severed and have never been found. The dismemberment was described to be unlike that of a surgeon, but not "haphazard."

The parts of her body and that of her unborn daughter had been placed into three suitcases; two were striped with red, blue, and white, and the other one was tan with a plaid design.{{cite news|title=Investigators release new images to help solve decades old murder|url=http://www.wfmz.com/news/Regional-Poconos-Coal/investigators-release-new-images-to-help-solve-decades-old-murder/33032228|access-date=July 19, 2015|work=69 News WFMZ-TV|date=May 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150719071233/http://www.wfmz.com/news/Regional-Poconos-Coal/investigators-release-new-images-to-help-solve-decades-old-murder/33032228|archive-date=July 19, 2015|url-status=dead}} They were of vinyl material and were all of the same size.{{cite news|last1=O'Neill|first1=Helen|title=Amateur sleuths name anonymous dead|url=http://www.doenetwork.org/media/news196.html|access-date=June 14, 2014|agency=Newsweek Magazine|date=March 30, 2008}} It was evident that the suitcases had been spray-painted black at some point and that their handles had been severed.{{cite news|via=Newspapers.com|title=State Police Seek Aid in Identifying Body|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364975|access-date=July 19, 2015|work=The Pocono Record|date=December 28, 1976}}{{open access}}

To dispose of the body, the suitcases had been thrown off a bridge over the Lehigh River in White Haven, Pennsylvania along Interstate 80.{{cite news|last1=O'Neil|first1=Helen|title=Amateur sleuths restore identity to the dead|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Amateur-sleuths-restore-identity-to-the-dead-3219899.php|access-date=July 23, 2015|work=Seattle Pi|date=March 30, 2008}}{{cite news|title=Identity Unknown|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/43838129/|access-date=December 1, 2014|work=Simpson's Leader-Times|date=December 30, 1976}}{{open access}} It is believed that the suitcases had been thrown out of a vehicle traveling west. The killer had most likely intended to have the suitcases land in the water below, to lessen the chance of their being found.{{cite news|via=Newspapers.com|title=Bizarre Incident Stumps Police|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364962|access-date=July 19, 2015|work=New Castle News|date=December 28, 1976|page=5}}{{open access}} Two of the suitcases had landed in the woods, 20 feet from the river; the third, containing the head and fetus, was found on the river bank.{{cite web|title='Carbon County Jane Beth Doe'-A Vidi-Minitary|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfxp4Brt0-A|website=Youtube|access-date=December 1, 2014|date=August 31, 2007}}

Having fallen approximately 300 feet, two of the suitcases had opened and parts of the body had emerged. The head, fetus, and the two halves of the torso were exposed.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364979|title=State News Summary|date=December 22, 1976|work=Evening Herald|access-date=July 18, 2015|via=newspapers.com}}{{open access}}{{cite news|last1=Landauer|first1=Bill|title=Investigators close in on Beth Doe and her killer|url=http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-carbon-county-beth-doe-20141129-story.html#page=1|access-date=December 1, 2014|work=The Morning Call|date=November 29, 2014}}

Other evidence included straw and packaging foam, as well as a bedspread that was waterlogged with fragments of a newspaper that had been used to wrap parts of the body. The newspaper was later determined to have been The New York Sunday from September 26, 1976, and was linked to northern New Jersey.{{cite web| last=Warder| first=Robin| title=10 Mysterious Cases Involving Unidentified People| url=http://listverse.com/2013/06/14/10-mysterious-cases-involving-unidentified-people/| access-date=April 8, 2014| date=June 14, 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364964|title=Dismembered Body and Fetus Found by Boy|date=December 21, 1976|work=The Evening Times|access-date=July 19, 2015|page=14|via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}} The bedspread was reddish-orange in color with yellow and pink embroidered flowers, and was made of chenille fabric.

File:Beth Doe original.jpg

The body was removed by authorities and transported in plastic bags to the nearby Gnadden Huetten Hospital for examination.{{cite news|title=Body Found on Highway|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364998|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=Lebanon Daily News|date=December 22, 1976|page=25}} {{open access}}

After a three-hour autopsy on December 23, 1976, it was determined that she was a white woman in her late teens or early twenties. However, her identity could not be established.{{cite news|via=Newspapers.com|title=Dismembered body was girl who died of strangulation|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1365013|access-date=December 23, 2014|work=The Evening Times|date=December 23, 1976}}{{open access}}{{cite news|title=Dismembered Body Found By Children in Carbon Co.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364994|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=The Gettysburg Times|date=December 21, 1976|page=3}}{{open access}}{{cite news|title=Bodies Found|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1365005|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=The Evenings Standard|date=December 21, 1976}}{{open access}} The cause of death was determined to be strangulation, although she had been shot in the neck as well.{{cite news|title=Identified|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1365006|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=Pottstown Mercury|date=December 24, 1976|pages=10}}{{open access}}

Beth Doe was between 4 feet 11 inches and 5 feet 4 inches tall. She weighed 140 to 150 pounds (due to her pregnancy).{{cite web| title=Case File 169UFPA| url=http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/169ufpa.html| work=The Doe Network| access-date=April 29, 2014}} Her hair, which was shoulder-length, was an undyed dark brown. The medical examiner classified her blood as type O.

She had some distinctive markings on her body. A 2- to 6-inch scar was visible above one of her heels.{{cite news|via=Newspapers.com|title=Autopsy Completed|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364982|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=The Pocono Record|date=December 24, 1976|page=13}}{{open access}} Two moles on her face - one above her left eye and one on her left cheek - may have developed during her pregnancy.

Before becoming a teen, some of her molars had been extracted, and she had received fillings in her teeth. No false teeth were in place. Despite the evidence of previous care, she had likely not seen a dentist in some time, as she was suffering from severe tooth decay.{{cite web|title=Jane Doe 1976|url=http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMU/1104191/1#poster|website=missingkids.com|publisher=National Center for Missing and Exploited Children|access-date=July 31, 2014}} One of her front incisors had a visible fracture, which was noted to likely cause severe pain.

It was believed that she was probably born in Europe and moved to the United States before reaching her teenage years, as examination of her tooth enamel indicated. An initial anthropological examination indicated she may have originated from Serbia or Croatia. Isotope testing was conducted on her hair, teeth, and bones.{{cite news|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Eliott C.|title=Did Florida boys school officials send family a casket filled with wood?|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/09/us/pennsylvania-dozier-school-for-boys-exhumation/index.html?hpt=hp_t1|access-date=January 17, 2015|publisher=CNN|date=October 9, 2014}} She had lived in the U.S. for 5 to 10 years, and most likely had resided in Tennessee or a nearby state.{{cite web| title="Beth Doe" Carbon County - December 20, 1976| url=http://pennsylvaniamissing.com/carboncountybethdoe.html| access-date=April 29, 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Rubinkham|first1=Michael|title=30 years later, pregnant murder victim still without a name|url=http://www.doenetwork.org/media/news190.html|access-date=June 14, 2014|agency=Associated Press|date=December 28, 2006}}{{cite news|title=Artist's conception|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364978|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=Evening Herald|date=December 30, 1978|pages=9}}{{open access}} Examination on the unborn girl indicated that the child had gestated while the victim was in the southeastern part of the country.

File:Beth Doe suitcases.jpg

File:Beth Doe.jpg

After the body was found, the victim was fingerprinted. Her teeth were examined and recorded on a dental chart.{{cite news|title=Dismembered Body Found Near I-80|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364992|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=The Daily News|date=December 22, 1976|page=3}} {{open access}}{{cite news|title=Police Seek Identity for Dismembered Body|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1365014|access-date=December 23, 2014|work=York Daily Record|via=Newspapers.com|date=December 22, 1976}}{{open access}} Missing persons reports throughout the United States and Canada were compared at the time to the victim but were excluded.{{cite news |title=Police Ponder Grizzly Puzzle |work=The Titusville Herald |date=January 7, 1977}}

The medical examiner noted that a set of numbers had been written on the victim's body. The ink, believed to have been from a pen, was on the left palm of the victim, indicating that she was right-handed if she had indeed written it herself. The writing consisted of the letters WSR and the number 4 or 5, followed by 4 or 7.

Her fingerprints were submitted to the FBI, but they did not match anyone in national databases.{{cite news|via=Newspapers.com|title=State Police try to Identify Dismembered Pregnant Woman|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1365009|access-date=December 23, 2014|work=York Daily Record|date=December 28, 1976}}{{open access}} When she remained unidentified, a sketch was made and the public was asked for assistance. This resulted in few solid leads. Information about the case was subsequently published across the country to generate leads.{{cite news|via=Newspapers.com|title=PSP Seeking Identity of Murdered Woman|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=1364973|access-date=July 19, 2015|work=The Daily Courier|date=December 28, 1976}}{{open access}}

The body was buried in 1983 after the victim remained unidentified for several years.{{cite news|title=Body Found in '76 Buried in Carbon|work=The Morning Call|date=August 19, 1983|location=Allentown, Pennsylvania}} In 2007, her remains were exhumed to obtain additional forensic evidence and to create a new facial reconstruction.{{cite news|last1=Rubinkam|first1=Michael|title=30 years later, woman's body exhumed|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-30-3230043730_x.htm|access-date=December 1, 2014|work=Associated Press|agency=USA Today}}{{cite web|last1=Whalen|first1=Jill|title=Composite sketch might shed some light|url=http://www.doenetwork.org/media/news154.html|publisher=The Doe Network|access-date=June 14, 2014|date=November 20, 2007}} The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released two reconstructions, the latest in May 2015.{{cite news|last1=Warner|first1=Frank|title=Images may help ID woman found dismembered in Carbon County in 1976|url=http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-carbon-i-80-dismembered-beth-doe-20150514-story.html|access-date=July 13, 2015|work=The Morning Call|date=May 14, 2015}}

Investigators remained optimistic about identifying the remains and solving her murder.

Twelve missing women had been excluded as possible identities:

• Annastaes Banitskas of Australia{{cite web | url=http://doenetwork.org/cases-int/31dfvic.html | title=Case File 31DFVIC | work=The Doe Network | access-date=January 5, 2016}}
• Iris Brown of Vermont
• Valerie Cuccia of New York
• Teresa Fittin of Florida
• Trenny Gibson of Tennessee
• Rory Kesinger of Massachusetts
• Anna Leatherwood of Tennessee
• Georgia Nolan of Kentucky
• Sherry Roach of California
• Mary Robinson of New York
• Patricia Seelbaugh of Pennsylvania
• Denise Sheehy of New York{{cite web|title=NamUs UP # 8913|url=https://identifyus.org/cases/8913|website=identifyus.org|publisher=National Missing and Unidentified Persons System|access-date=December 1, 2014|date=July 11, 2011|archive-date=December 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223032335/https://identifyus.org/cases/8913|url-status=dead}}

In September 2019, the Pennsylvania State Police announced a possible connection between "Beth Doe" and Madeline "Maggie" Cruz. A tip was submitted to police by an individual who had gone to school with Cruz and saw a resemblance to the reconstructions of Beth Doe.{{cite news |last1=Mataloni |first1=Carmella |title=State Police Hope New Lead Will Crack Cold Case |url=https://wnep.com/2019/09/12/state-police-hope-new-lead-will-crack-cold-case/ |access-date=September 12, 2019 |work=WNEP.com |date=September 12, 2019}} She had spent time in the Massachusetts cities of Lenox and Framingham; in Framingham she resided with a foster family. Around 1974, at the approximate age of sixteen, she had run away, to Tarrytown with her foster sister, who returned after a week.{{cite web |title=New Hope in a Decades Old Mystery |url=http://www.missingkids.org/blog/2019/post-update/new-hope-in-decades-old-mystery |website=www.missingkids.org |publisher=National Center for Missing and Exploited Children |access-date=September 13, 2019}}{{cite web |title=Missing & Homeless |website = Facebook|url=https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMissingHomelessOrg%2Fposts%2F2336646163275553|date=August 8, 2019 |access-date=September 12, 2019}} In the summer of 1976, she called a friend to request money, claiming she was pregnant. She was never heard from again, until the media reported the potential link to Beth Doe.

Later that month, police confirmed Cruz was "alive and well" and subsequently eliminated as a potential identity.

Familial DNA eventually led investigators to Luis Colon Jr., Evelyn Colon's nephew.{{cite web |last1=Rosario |first1=Joshua |title=Family stunned to learn 'Beth Doe' was long-lost Jersey City teen |url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2021/04/beth-doe-found-44-years-ago-in-the-pocono-mountains-finally-identified-as-15-year-old-girl-from-jersey-city.html |website=NJ.com |date=April 2021 |access-date=2 April 2021}} Colon's identity was released on March 31, 2021. She was fifteen at the time she was allegedly murdered by then-19-year-old Luis Sierra. Sierra was subsequently charged with the victim's murder; at the time of his arrest, he was residing in Ozone Park, New York and was 63. He was extradited back to Pennsylvania, and he first appeared in court on April 28.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/carbon-county/man-arrested-in-cold-case-murder-brought-back-to-pennsylvania/523-2ed6262d-ead2-42b3-8072-ed599306c85f|title=Man arrested in cold-case murder brought back to Pennsylvania|date=April 14, 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tnonline.com/20210428/i-cant-sleep-at-night-beth-does-brother-testifies/|title=Beth Doe's brother speaks out; cold case moves forward in Carbon | Times News Online}}

At the time of her murder, Colon, who was of Puerto Rican origin, was dating Sierra, the father of her unborn child, in Jersey City. Due to her pregnancy, Colon's parents recently had allowed her to move into an apartment with Sierra, who had also previously been the Colons' next-door neighbor. One day, Colon contacted her mother saying she was not feeling well and asking her to bring her soup, but when Colon's mother arrived, nobody was there. Neighbours told Colon's family that she and Sierra had moved away. In January 1977, the family received a letter in Spanish from Sierra, stamped from Connecticut, telling them Colon had given birth to a boy and not to worry, because she would contact them if she needed anything. Colon's family initially did not report her missing because, according to her brother Luis Colon, they thought she was safe with Sierra. After a few years of no contact, they attempted to report her disappearance, but due to the letter police refused to file a report. By the time Colon was identified, her parents had both died. Colon was revealed to have distant family members living in Puerto Rico and a GoFundMe campaign was organized by her family members in the mainland United States to get them to visit her gravesite.{{cite web | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/03/us/evelyn-colon-beth-doe-found/index.html | title=Suspect arrested in the death of a teenage girl who disappeared in 1976 }}{{cite web |last1=Rogers |first1=Nicole |author2=Varvara Budetti |title=Gruesome details released of 1976 murder of Evelyn Colon |url=https://www.pahomepage.com/top-news/gruesome-details-released-of-1976-murder-of-evelyn-colon/ |website=Eyewitness News |date=April 2021 |access-date=2 April 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Rivero |first1=Claudia |title=Evelyn Colon's Family: We Never Stopped Looking For Her |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcPh_THrqBs |access-date=11 May 2021 |date=3 April 2021}}

• List of murdered American children
• List of solved missing person cases
• List of unsolved murders
• Murder of Erica Green (a young girl who was murdered in a similar manner in 2001 and was unidentified until 2005)
• Murder of Ruth Waymire

{{reflist}}

• {{Doe Network|169ufpa.html|Evelyn Colon}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colon, Evelyn}}

Category:1970s missing person cases

Category:1976 crimes

Category:1976 in Pennsylvania

Category:1976 murders in the United States

Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent

Category:Child murder in Pennsylvania

Category:Deaths by person in Pennsylvania

Category:Deaths by strangulation in the United States

Category:December 1976 in the United States

Category:Dismemberments

Category:Female murder victims

Category:Formerly missing American people

Category:Incidents of violence against girls

Category:Interstate 80

Category:Missing person cases in Pennsylvania

Category:Sexual assaults in the United States

Category:Unsolved murders in the United States

Category:Violence against women in Pennsylvania