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You are here: Home / Unsolved / Hope for Neosho’s Grace Doe

Hope for Neosho’s Grace Doe

June 17, 2012 By Alice

Neosho Grace Doe
Neosho Grace Doe

Hope for Neosho’s Grace Doe as her her case may be televised nationally. “McDonald County sheriff’s detective Lori Howard said Thursday that she received a call last week from a producer of the TV show America’s Most Wanted about doing a episode on the cold case that Howard reopened several years ago.”

Grace’s skeletal remains were found on Dec. 2, 1990, in a weeded area near an abandoned farmhouse on Oscar Talley Road, east of Lanagan, in McDonald County. Det. Howard found out that a 10-year-old boy had actually found Grace’s body about month before she was “officially” discovered by a couple picking up cans along the road. By that time, the body was already decomposed to a large extent and wild animals had gotten to it as well. A month earlier, it would have been mostly intact, however, as Grace is thought to have been murdered on Halloween night, based on the report of a witness who said she heard a woman scream and then a noisy pickup truck drove by.

A few days after Halloween, the unknown 10-year-old reportedly told his parents about seeing a woman’s body near the abandoned house he played in but they didn’t believe him. It was only after media reports came out in December on the murdered Jane Doe that the parents realized their mistake and came forward about their son’s early discovery.

The boy, who would now be in his early 30s, is the only known person to have seen Grace’s body intact. Frustratingly, neither the boy’s name nor that of his parents was ever recorded, and nobody remembers who they were.

Neosho Grace DoeIt would be a great advancement for the case if we can find that boy, now of course a man. This is not about anything he might have done wrong. This is about everything he remembers. A tiny details can make a big difference in a cold case.

The green parachute cord used to hogtie Grace Doe more than 20 years ago was military issue.

Neosho Grace Doe“Detective Lorie Howard has stated that she believes the bindings are the key to solving the case. Last week, she told the Daily that she has untangled at least some of the mystery with the discovery that the paracord used to bind Grace was not available commercially. This improves the chances that it came from a military base.

Neosho Grace Doe cordsWhat she found out was that it isn’t the common 550 paracord, as had been thought. It is actually a MIL-C-5040H Type II cord. That’s military issue. What makes this type different, Howard said, is that instead of the normal seven strands, it has four. As with most military issue paracords, this one has a color code on the inside of one of the strands that helps identify the manufacturer. Howard believes she has tracked it to a company called Continental, which in the early 1990s sold pretty much exclusively to the U.S. military, according to Howard. That tells her something she has already long suspected. “It tells me I need to look locally (for the killer),” Howard said.”

If you recognize Grace, please contact Detective Lorie Howard at 417-223-7430.

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Filed Under: Unsolved Tagged With: DNA, Missouri, Neosho, Neosho Grace Doe, paracord, Rape kits, Unidentified

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Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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