Premium

DeSoto County Jane Doe identified after 40 years, but questions remain

By , Daily Memphian Updated: September 24, 2024 3:39 PM CT | Published: March 17, 2024 4:00 AM CT

Recently identified after 40 years, there are questions about a woman’s body found on the side of the road in DeSoto County, including whether she could be a victim of the “Bible Belt Strangler.”

In recent years, online detectives have linked the case to a series of murdered women who had physical characteristics similar to her and who were killed under comparable circumstances throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, a theory dubbed the “redhead murders.” Others informally connected the series of deaths to the “Bible Belt Strangler.”

A relatively new field of forensics has identified the body and allowed the family to receive “some closure,” but it raises the question of whether she was the victim of a suspected serial killer.

Topics

North Mississippi Olive Branch DeSoto County Sheriff's Department DeSoto County Jane Doe Subscriber Only Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell Lorie Pennell

Thank you for being a subscriber to The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization with a hybrid business model, we rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and miscellaneous earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).

Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today. 

👉 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.

👉 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.

We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.

Rob Moore

Rob Moore

Rob Moore covers North Mississippi for The Daily Memphian. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English from The University of Memphis.

Suburbs - North Mississippi on demand

Sign up to receive Suburbs - North Mississippi stories as they’re published.

Enter your e-mail address

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here