Tempe Girl

Tempe Girl
Artist's impression of the Tempe Girl when she was alive.
Born 1983-1987 (approximate)
Status Unidentified for 16 years, 5 months and 26 days
Died April 26, 2002 (age 15-19)
Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Cause of death Cocaine overdose [1]
Body discovered April 27, 2002
Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Known for Unidentified overdose victim
Height 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)(minimum)
5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) (maximum)
Weight 120 lb (54 kg) (minimum)
125 lb (57 kg)(maximum)

Tempe Girl is an unidentified young woman whose body was found on April 27, 2002 in Tempe, Arizona. She had died from a drug overdose after using cocaine a day before her body was found. She is believed to have been of either Hispanic or Native American ethnicity and allegedly was picked up as a hitchhiker, claiming she was disowned by her mother for her recreational drug use.[2][3]

Circumstances

At the location her body was found, a fingerprint from a compact disc case was matched to a woman living in Phoenix, Arizona. She claimed to have no knowledge about the decedent, but her boyfriend stated that he had picked up the Tempe Girl as she hitchhiked from Phoenix to Tempe. He stated the woman was a Spanish-speaker and that she wished to buy tickets for a concert. In addition, the woman had informed him that she had been disowned by her family for her habitual drug use.[3][4] After the driver picked up another passenger, who was a drug dealer, the young woman spent her money on cocaine from the dealer instead of tickets.[5] After the victim used the drug, she reportedly had a negative reaction that caused her to have a seizure. The driver claimed that they pulled over and he removed the victim from the car and that he instructed the other passenger to call police at a nearby gas station.[6][7] Her body was found a day later behind a strip mall.[1]

Physical description

The victim, being between fifteen and nineteen years old, was most likely Hispanic but may have been Native American, as she had black hair which was twelve inches long and brown eyes.[3] The young woman wore a red top with jeans, blue underwear, one wedge high heel, and a purple ponytail holder as well as a bracelet on her wrist. An inch-long scar on her left hand was observed, with another on her left shoulder.[1][3] She had painted her nails purple.[8] The pants the Tempe Girl wore were distinct, with a zipper on the side that had eyelets for fastening on the waist.[2] She was between five feet and five feet one inch tall and weighed between 120 and 125 pounds.[3]

Investigation

Authorities searched through schools in Arizona but were unable to find any match for her.[1] The driver was never prosecuted, as examiners were unsure if the young woman was under eighteen or if she had been pushed from the vehicle. The local police department contacted Mexican investigators, as she may have been an immigrant, but have been unsuccessful finding a suitable match for her identity.[6]

The nature of the case was never ruled, as the autopsy did not reveal if the victim was murdered or if she had died by mistake. Her dental charts, DNA, and fingerprints yielded no results to matching her to another person. The clothing she wore was not useful, as the manufacturing company could not be determined.[9] Three missing people have been ruled out as the decedent.[3] The victim has been facially reconstructed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and other institutions.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Muench, Sarah (6 January 2006). "Tempe police hope to identify 2 bodies". Phoenix Arizona News. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jane Doe 2002". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Case Report - NamUs UP # 1987". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Collom, Lindsey (29 April 2008). "Police seek help in identifying teen". Gannett. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Unidentified Persons Bureau". maricopa.gov. Maricopa County Medical Examiner. 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 Weed, Alexis (13 September 2010). "Teen died 8 years ago. Who is she?". CNN. Nancy Grace's Cold Cases. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "ANNA DOE - Can I Come Home Now?". canyouidentifyme.org. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Case File 501UFAZ". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Trepkov, Diana (25 April 2011). "Forensic Art". Forensic Magazine. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
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