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Ms Black Lung Jane Doe
Topic Started: Aug 9 2013, 10:13 PM (942 Views)
Ell
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I know the two mentioned have been ruled out with these remains several times... HMMMM


Woman buried in 1998 may be from Louisiana

By ROBIN FITZGERALD— rfitzgerald@sunherald.com


HANCOCK COUNTY -- A woman buried in Hancock County in 1998 remains unidentified, but Coroner Jim Faulk believes he can change that if a judge agrees to sign an order to exhume the body.

Faulk asked Circuit Judge Lisa Dodson on Friday for an order to disinter the remains of a young woman who was struck by a vehicle and killed on Interstate 10 on May 8, 1998.

Dodson delayed the hearing for a week, saying state law requires "sufficient cause" for an order to disturb remains.

Faulk said he will make arrangements for sworn statements or testimony from the state medical examiner and from Louisiana investigators involved in the search for two missing women.

He also hopes to contact relatives of two Louisiana women who went missing in 1993 and 1983.

Faulk believes one of those missing women is buried in Hancock County and DNA from the skeletal remains could confirm it.

Faulk said he will comply with the judge's request for sworn statements or testimony under oath.

Exhumations are rare in South Mississippi.

"It's never been done before in this county," Faulk said.

"The state medical examiner is ready to come down," Faulk said. "All I need is an exhumation order."

Faulk said he is determined to learn the unidentified woman's identity.

"If it had been 15 years and my daughter hadn't been found or identified, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night," he said.

Descriptions of Louisiana residents Nelda Louise Hardwick, from Lake Charles, and Faye Aline Self, from Armistead, resemble those of the woman who received a pauper's burial after the Hancock County crash.

Hardwick, in particular, bears a striking resemblance to the unidentified woman's appearance, Faulk said.

SunHerald.com is working on an updated news report.




Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/09/486238...l#storylink=cpy
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
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Ell
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He says Jane Doe may be from missing woman from Louisiana

By ROBIN FITZGERALD— rfitzgerald@sunherald.com


HANCOCK COUNTY -- A woman buried in Hancock County in 1998 remains unidentified, but Coroner Jim Faulk believes he can change that if a judge agrees to sign an order to exhume her body.

Faulk asked Circuit Judge Lisa Dodson on Friday for an order to disinter the remains of a young woman who was hit by a car and killed on Interstate 10 on May 8, 1998.

Dodson delayed the hearing for a week, saying state law requires "sufficient cause" for an order to disturb remains.

Faulk believes the body is either Nelda Louis Hardwick or Faye Aline Self, both reported missing from Louisiana.

Faulk said he will make arrangements for sworn statements or testimony from the state medical examiner and from Louisiana investigators involved in the search for two missing women.

He also hopes to contact relatives of the two missing Louisiana women, whose descriptions resemble those of the woman hit 15 years ago. Both women left behind children.

Exhumations are rare in South Mississippi.

"It's never been done before in this county," Faulk said. "The state medical examiner is ready to come down and help."

Faulk said sonar equipment in Diamondhead is available to make sure the correct body is exhumed, and a human identification lab in Texas can compile a DNA profile of the remains at no cost to the county.

"All I need is an exhumation order," Faulk said.

The missing women

Hardwick was 34 when she disappeared from her home in Lake Charles on Oct. 14, 1993. She had bathed her children and put them to bed and her boyfriend went to bed as well. He told authorities he woke up the next morning and found a note saying she was running to a store and would be right back. She hasn't been seen since.

Faye Aline Self, from Armistead, was 26 when she disappeared March 30, 1983, She had left her baby with her mother and was last seen at the Wagon Wheel Bar & Restaurant with another woman and two men. Authorities said friends at the bar said Self told them she was going to get her daughter because she had to be at work early the next day. She never reached her mother's house. Her car was found in the bar parking lot.

Serial Killer Robert Charles

Browne, once a maintenance man at Self's apartment in Red River Parish, later claimed to have killed Self and two other women from that region, as well as 47 other people around the nation from 1970 to 1995. He claimed he dumped her body in a river, but it was never found.

The unidentified woman

Jane Doe, the unidentified woman, was about the same height, weight and age range as Hardwick and Self. Jane Doe had no teeth. Hardwick had worn dentures.

Jane Doe was about 5-foot-3, weighed about 130 pounds and had long, wavy, reddish-brown hair. She had a vaccination scar on her left arm and a surgical scar near her naval. She was wearing Bongo blue jeans and a black Spalding Activewear hooded sweatshirt with the word "Florida" on front.

No one came forward to claim her body. She received a pauper's burial in Rotten Bayou Cemetery, now St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Most of the evidence collected that could have identified her washed away in Hurricane Katrina, Faulk said.

DNA samples are on file of Hardwick and Self. Samples from the remains could show it is one of them.

Faulk believes it's more likely to be Hardwick. He said he enlarged an autopsy picture and a picture of Hardwick, and the facial lines and bone structure appear to be identical.

Identifying the dead

The National Institute of Justice and many forensic groups consider DNA "the gold standard" for identifying remains, especially when all that's left is bones.

State and federal laws view cemeteries as a sacred place of rest for the dead.

Courts typically don't allow a body to be exhumed unless compelling reasons are presented.

Faulk said he became interested in exhuming the body after being contacted by several missing-person groups. He wants to identify the woman for her family's sake.

"If it had been 15 years and my daughter hadn't been found or identified, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night," he said.

In a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1978, one justice wrote, "The dead are to rest where they have been lain unless reason of substance is brought forward for disturbing their repose."

Faulk believes he has sufficient reason in this case.



Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/09/486238...l#storylink=cpy
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
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~*Mia*~
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I think I remember reading a long while back that Faye Self was ruled out years ago for this Jane Doe, but can't remember anything about Nelda Hardwick.
~*Mia*~

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Ell
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This from LSU: As far as I have seen, Nelda was not ruled out as a match through either us or NAMUS. We too think there is real potential here, but can’t say anything for sure until DNA can be done. Thanks.

Todd Matthews said she was ruled out but didn't know by what means
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
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Ell
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I spoke with the old Investigator, she said she had never ruled her out, but Dr. McGarry had DNA at one point and lost all the records and her DNA sample in Hurricane Katrina.. She also stated that this was a hit and run and hopefully the woman who hit her will come forward.
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
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LoneWolf624
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The way I understand it a group of kids in an SUV initially thought they hit a deer, then came forward the next day. Jane Doe's eyes are a "unique gray color" while Hardwicks eye's were not that color.
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Ell
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The investigator said it was a hit and run and it was a woman who hit her and has never been solved.. this was straight from the Investigator.. don't know where the other sites got their info, but I had read the same thing you did.
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
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Ell
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HANCOCK COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -
Flowers and a note that reads, "We love you and will be bringing you home soon," sit beside the grave of a woman. For 15 years, she has been known only as Jane Doe. But one family now believes answers are buried in that Hancock County grave.

"If it's not her, I would be stunned and shocked," Lori Test said. "I would totally be stunned and shocked, because I firmly believe in my heart it's her."

Lori Test is convinced the woman is her aunt Nelda Hardwick. Lori; her father, Richard Test; and their family members want the body exhumed so DNA tests can be done. They're hoping for answers, and closure.

"I would very much like for her remains to be brought home where they can be buried and the children can have a grave site to visit her," Richard Test said.

Coroner Jim Faulk said all the information from the autopsy and case information on Jane Doe matches that of Hardwick. From the hair and eye color, to the height and weight, even measurements on the face and scars on the body. Also, Hardwick had dentures and Jane Doe did not have teeth.

"If there is one chance in 1,000 that it's not, then her DNA will go on a nationwide website and be compared to missing people from coast to coast, and we will find out who she is," Faulk said.

The Jane Doe in Hancock County was hit and killed in the middle of the night walking down Interstate 10 in 1998. That was five years after Hardwick put her four children to bed in Louisiana, and wrote a note saying she was going to the store and would be back shortly. She never returned.


"I honestly think she was abducted in Lake Charles and I think she escaped from in this area and that's the reason she was out on that interstate," Richard Test said.

The past 20 years have been torture for Hardwick's family.

"I got a call the other day from a number and you just always wonder, 'Is that Nelda?'" Lori Test said.

The family now believes a call from Nelda will never come. What the family hopes for now is that the coroner will get permission to find out once and for all if Jane Doe is Nelda Hardwick.

Friday, Coroner Faulk presented the case to the judge himself, because he could not get funding to enlist the help of an attorney. The hearing was hitting a few snags, but an attorney stepped in and volunteered to take the case for Faulk and the family at no charge.

A new court hearing on whether to allow Jane Doe's body to be exhumed is set for October 18th.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23159410/family-...ane-doe-exhumed
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
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Ell
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ACTION ALERT - By Todd Matthews - DoeNetwork

This month the DoeNetwork received a call from Hancock County Coroner Jim Faulk in Mississippi asking for help in his mission to identify a Jane Doe http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/178ufms.html who was discovered back in May 8, 1998. As a representative of the DoeNetwork, I referred Coroner Faulk to a colleague of mine at the University of North Texas who has agreed to perform the DNA extraction and testing free of charge.

Atleast two possible matches to this Jane Doe (both from Louisiana) have caught the eye of Coroner Faulk. Faye Aline Self, https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/1370 of Coushatta, and Nelda Louise Hardwick, https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/625 of Lake Charles. Both bear similarities to his “Jane Doe” who died in the county of a hit-and-run accident in 1998. .

Coroner Faulk approached the judge with the cost analysis, but was denied approval to exhume. According to an article in the Shreveport Times,“...She wants 100 percent without reasonable doubt,” Faulk said of the judge. “Everybody wants these remains exhumed and tested. All it will take is one hit on CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and we’d have a match and know who this woman is. ...”

Coronor Jim Faulk could use the public's support in asking the judge to reconsider her judgement. Denying this exhumation denies a family the potential ID of their loved one and a resolution to this very old case.

Possible leads have been established and the tools await. Science must now patiently await a decision. Please send your letters of reconsideration to my email J.ToddMatthews@gmail.com and I will make sure that they get delivered to the appropriate people.
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
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ID613
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Ell,Aug 19
2013 - 03:02 AM
ACTION ALERT - By Todd Matthews - DoeNetwork

This month the DoeNetwork received a call from Hancock County Coroner Jim Faulk in Mississippi asking for help in his mission to identify a Jane Doe http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/178ufms.html who was discovered back in May 8, 1998. As a representative of the DoeNetwork, I referred Coroner Faulk to a colleague of mine at the University of North Texas who has agreed to perform the DNA extraction and testing free of charge.

Atleast two possible matches to this Jane Doe (both from Louisiana) have caught the eye of Coroner Faulk. Faye Aline Self, https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/1370 of Coushatta, and Nelda Louise Hardwick, https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/625 of Lake Charles. Both bear similarities to his “Jane Doe” who died in the county of a hit-and-run accident in 1998. .

Coroner Faulk approached the judge with the cost analysis, but was denied approval to exhume. According to an article in the Shreveport Times,“...She wants 100 percent without reasonable doubt,” Faulk said of the judge. “Everybody wants these remains exhumed and tested. All it will take is one hit on CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and we’d have a match and know who this woman is. ...”

Coronor Jim Faulk could use the public's support in asking the judge to reconsider her judgement. Denying this exhumation denies a family the potential ID of their loved one and a resolution to this very old case.

Possible leads have been established and the tools await. Science must now patiently await a decision. Please send your letters of reconsideration to my email J.ToddMatthews@gmail.com and I will make sure that they get delivered to the appropriate people.

First, let's clear up the easy portion of this convoluted mess of so-called investigations by Todd and the agency he "works" for. Let's just call it the "N" agency. He had NOTHING to do with getting the ME hooked up with NTU for a FREE DNA test! So now among all his self proclaimed accomplishments, he is just an altrustic, caring individual who arranged this DNA test? For those who are in the dark about Government grants and agencies receiving those grants which have grown too large and have even a larger number of inept employees, here is the real deal on the DNA and the coercion going on with these cases that are entered into the national data base headed by NTU.

THis agency wants every missing person case entered in the system, Short and sweet - they want to be the be all end all of MP/UP resolved cases. So, if a LE agency is working a case NOT entered by the "BIG" agency, and they want NTU to do the DNA and enter it into the National registry for DNA comparison...it WON" happen unless or until that LE agency hands over the case to the agency for which Todd promotes. Now, if the LE decides NOT to enter their case with "N" then the DNA gets entered ONLY in the LOCAL DNA data bases. And, yes it is free for the DNA test, but the conditions by which one gets DNA in CODIS sounds a bit like coercion.

Also considering the amount of errors on these reports being entered into N, I would suggest LE keep their own cases and seek out researchers who are donating hours as part of their continuing education in Forensic Genealogy and other investigative studies.

Gotta give credit where credit is due. Todd is good at PR. He PRd himself into one of the most high paying, do nothing jobs in the US. If anyone thinks that is untrue, just review the errors on the cases being entered. TRY to get the case managers or Regional managers to correct that false info and come back here and post how wonderful, efficient and necessary that agency truly is.

As to Nelda Hardwick, I hope she is identified soon. Her family needs answers. May they find a measure of peace with what ever the outcome of this MS hearing returns in October. And may these ME's and families and those being Todd's grunts (not my word, I give that to the Regional mgr who gave that name to those of us who give out time to researching these cases) wake up to the political games going on at a very high level with very high stakes.

Think on this: If the coroner's office had enough evidence, meaning all these discrepancies between the MP and UP cases (MS unidentified)did not exhist, then WHY would Todd need anyone to flood the court with pleas to unearth the UP? The cases, both of them are flawed, for whatever reason. If that doesn't work, Todd wants you to notify the media for added pressure?

Bottom line? "N" needs "matched" cases. They need justification for grant money and they will, according to Todd's request, do nothing less than try to influence the court rather than do the RESEARCH to clear up the discrepancies. Shameful!

If you want to find yourself with a summons to appear in MS court on 18 OCT then by all means send a letter. By the way, why send it to Todd? Will he alter it?
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