CRIME-AND-COURTS

Identity of woman buried with a rose on her chest still unknown

Cincinnati Enquirer

Buried in a shallowed grave with a flower on her chest, the woman found in Avondale last May still has no name at coroner's office. But due to the work of a BCI forensic artist, officials believe they have a face.

Ohio Attorney General David Yost and Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco released a clay reconstruction of the woman's face Monday.

“No one should slip alone and unknown into the night,” Yost said. “Someone will recognize this woman. She has a name."

Children spotted a portion of her body exposed in a mulch bed in the 400 block of Glenwood Avenue at Alston Park apartments on May 31, 2018. The burial site was near a playground.

The bust was created using remains found from a Jane Doe found last year. It was created in the hope to find out who she was.

She was wrapped in a blanket and had a long-stemmed rose placed in the middle of her chest.

DNA and fingerprints have not given investigators any leads. A CT scan was done of the skull and a 3D model of it was printed to assist with the reconstruction. Ohio State University assisted in this process.

Sammarco said the woman was wearing a tank top, a Smoky Mountain Moonshine T-shirt and a sweater along with loose gray pants when she was found. Earrings and black rope bracelets were found on her body.

Officials said Monday they believed she is between 35 and 60 years old, 5-feet 3-inches to 5-feet 10-inches tall with brown and gray hair. “Schrader” was written in black marker on the tag of the pants.

No cause of death has been determined, but Sammarco said foul play is not suspected. Cocaine and morphine were found in the woman's system.

"We don't feel like this is a homicide," Sammarco said. "They didn't have to bury her. They didn't have to leave a rose behind. Clearly, it was someone who cared about her."

To the person or people who buried the woman, Sammarco is asking them to come forward, even if they do so anonymously.

"We're not looking to criminalize anyone at this point," she said. "We just want the information."

Anyone with information about the woman's identity is being asked to call investigator Daryl Zornes at 513-946-8703 with information.

More:She was buried with a long-stemmed rose at an Avondale apartment complex. Who was she?

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