DNA Tests, Photos Might Help Identify AZ Girl Found In Suitcase

ARIZONA – Just more than three years ago, on Sept. 17, 2016, a Texas man was mowing a pasture’s edge close to Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston when the mower hit an object.

That object turned out to be a black suitcase containing a size 4 diaper, a pink dress adorned with butterflies and hearts and the words, “Follow Your Dreams” — and the skeletal remains of a 2- to 6-year-old girl, in addition to the girl’s feeding tube, all tucked inside white plastic trash bags.

Facial reconstruction performed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in addition to new DNA ethnicity clues and Arizona-linked pollen testing, leave authorities like Madison County Sheriff Travis Neeley with more hope that the identity of the “little girl with the feeding tube,” as she is called by NCMEC, will be found.

The little girl, also called “Madisonville Jane Doe,” is believed to have been deceased three to five months before her remains were discovered, according to NCMEC. Forensic experts say little Jane Doe was likely Hispanic or Caucasian and that she had thick, dark hair.

New DNA ethnicity testing has revealed that she is also of Native American descent. Additionally, after scientists performed pollen analysis testing, they believe she is most likely to have come from southeast Arizona, or, they say, she might be from elsewhere in the Southwest U.S. or an adjacent area of Mexico.

Facial reconstruction completed by NCMEC forensic artists was based on a CT scan of the little girl’s skull, and revealed that her jaw was smaller than typical. Her small jaw size is believed to indicate the medical condition “micrognathia,” which would have affected her eating ability and resulted in the feeding tube’s (surgical) placement. Because of the condition, medical care would have been a requirement during her lifetime.

Authorities, including Neeley, believed the feeding tube itself might have been instrumental in helping to identify the girl, but attempts to track the girl’s 1.2 centimeter feeding tube by the number inscribed on it, “aa4069f02,” so far have produced no leads.

“It’s normal for anyone who has compassion to be bothered by this case. This is a young child,” Neeley told NCMEC. Though little Madisonville Jane Doe’s body showed no signs of trauma and the exact cause of death is still unknown, “the manner of her death was ruled a homicide,” according to NCMEC.

“These kinds of cases are the worst kind,” Neeley said. “They’re frustrating because you feel helpless. I mean, I cannot bring nobody back to life by no means, but I want to bring some kind of peace, if nothing else.”

Anyone who recognizes little Madisonville Jane Doe from NCMEC’s composite artwork or knows anything about the case is asked to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).