Death of Janice Marie Young

Janice Marie Young (born Janice Marie Brock[1] and known primarily by her middle name) was a formerly unidentified American girl who was pushed into the path of a moving vehicle on June 9, 1973.[2]

Janice Marie Young
Photograph of Janice Marie Young
Born
Janice Marie Brock

(1957-06-17)June 17, 1957[1]
DiedJune 9, 1973(1973-06-09) (aged 15)
St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Cause of deathRoad traffic incident
Known forFormerly unidentified decedent
HeightBetween 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
and 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)

A man was arrested for her murder, but the charge against him was eventually dropped, as the suspect's "intent could not be proven."[3]

The victim was identified on May 20, 2015, nearly 42 years after her death, after her brother noticed similarities between the unidentified victim and the circumstances surrounding his runaway sister and the match was confirmed through DNA.[4]

Physical description and circumstances

At around 1:00 AM on June 9, 1973, a teenage girl was seen arguing with a man at the intersection of 11th Avenue South and 8th Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida.[5] She was armed with a knife and a broken bottle. The man, later identified as Lawrence Dorn, shoved her into the path of a moving truck, stating this was an act of self defense.[6][7] She died at the scene.[3]

The victim appeared to be between 14 and 16 years old, but may have been as young as 11 or as old as 20. Her wavy hair was auburn and shoulder-length. Her eyes were noted as a unique shade of blue. She had noticeably short fingernails, which is consistent with nail biting.[8] Other distinctive features were three birthmarks on her back, a chipped tooth, no visible dental work, and freckles on her shoulders. It is possible that her tooth was chipped when she was struck by the vehicle.[9]

She had two earrings in one ear. A piercing in her other ear had healed. She wore a ring that was missing its stone. At the time of her death, she was wearing a multicolored dress and purple tights.[2]

Investigation
Facial reconstruction of the victim. Her brother, Timothy Young, recognized her as his sister.
"To Gloria, ...call Mark and say hello and also that I was planning on going to see Mark in Virginia... Signed, Marie"
- Text written in Janice Young's unfinished letter.

It was strongly believed that the deceased girl was a runaway.[9][10] It was known that she had been given clothing by other people, indicating she had little in the way of belongings.[2]

She had been spoken to by police officers shortly before her death. These officers believed that she was not the person whom they were trying to locate at that time.[1] She had given various alias names during previous confrontations, using her birth name as well as the first names of "Cindy" and "Maria" and the last name of "Bromke."[2]

It was suspected that she was involved with the illegal drug trade and that this may have been a motive for her death.[2][11][12]

Among her possessions was a letter written in pencil with the name "Gloria" on it. The letter said that she was "on break," which led to speculation that she may have had a job at the time. It also made references to people whom she had met in the states of North Carolina and Virginia. The penmanship was said to be poor, and no address was on the envelope.[8]

Dorn was arrested and charged with the victim's murder. Eventually, this was reduced to manslaughter but charges were later dropped and the criminal case was closed.[3][6] The reason was that police were unable to "prove [Dorn's] intent" when he pushed Young.[1][13]

She was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Florida.[13] In 2010, her body was exhumed from an unmarked grave to obtain a DNA sample, in the hope that it would aid in identifying her.[1][2]

Identification

Janice Marie Young was identified on May 20, 2015.[4] Timothy Young, her younger brother, had reportedly searched for decades for his missing sister. He had been using her adoptive name, "Young", when making this search. When he made an Internet search using Janice's birth name (Brock), he found a police sketch of the victim, which bore a strong resemblance to Janice. He subsequently reported this to police by telephone on January 28, 2015.[14]

Investigator Brenda Stephenson was faxed documents regarding the adoption of Janice and Timothy. She stated that she knew immediately that Janice was the unidentified girl after reading her name on the documents. Janice's DNA was later compared with that found in the victim's remains and proved to be a positive match.[1] The two siblings had lived in foster care after being taken from the custody of their parents. Their family name was changed from "Brock" to "Young" after they were legally adopted in 1969.[14]

Janice had run away from her adoptive parents' home in Newport News, Virginia, after being raped by an adoptive sibling; her brother had witnessed the rape.[7][14][15] She told her brother of her intention of running away, packed a pillow case with belongings, left the home, and did not return.[1]

Her remains were eventually transported to her brother for cremation.[7][16]

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References
  1. "Press Conference: 42 Year Old Cold Case Solved". YouTube. St. Petersburg Police Department. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  2. "Case File 381UFFL". The Doe Network. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  3. Daylina Miller (February 12, 2010). "Unlocking a Mystery". University of Southern Florida. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  4. Sheeka, Strickland (21 May 2015). "Unidentified Body is Missing Sister of Monroe Man". Fox 4 News. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  5. "Tampa Bay Cold Case Project: CASE 11". International Consortium for Forensics, Anthropology, and Human Rights. University of South Florida. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  6. "St. Petersburg police identify missing girl, 42 years later (w/video)". Tampa Bay Times. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  7. "Man searching for sister helps solve St. Pete cold case". My Fox Tampa Bay. Fox News. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  8. "Case Report - NamUs UP # was1342". namus.gov. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  9. "Jane Doe 1973". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  10. Wise, Scott (3 November 2014). "Who is she? Share this photo to help solve a 40-year-old mystery". CBS 6. CBS. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  11. "Pinellas Florida Jane Doe June 1973". Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  12. "St. Petersburg Florida Jane Doe--1973". 1 December 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  13. Thalji, Jamal (February 4, 2010). "USF anthropologist to help exhume unidentified St. Petersburg murder victims". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  14. Strickland, Sheeka (21 May 2015). "Exclusive interview: Monroe Man finds out Jane Doe is his missing sister". Fox 46. Fox News. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  15. Dean, Jenny (21 May 2015). "St. Pete Police solve 42-year-old case". 10 News. Gannett. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  16. Chambers, Carson (21 May 2015). "1973 cold case murder leads St. Petersburg Police to form new squad". WFTS Tampa Bay. Fox News. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
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