Donate to help solve cold cases in Jackson County.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and a generous donation, Baby Jane Doe now has a name: Alishia Heinrich. But many other victims in Jackson County still remain nameless. By donating to the Sheriff’s Auxiliary Fund, you can contribute to efforts for genealogical research on these unsolved murders.
“Sometimes it’s hard for agencies to get funding for genetic genealogy on cold case investigations. And it can be even harder to raise funds for John and Jane Doe cases. These victims don’t have family members advocating for attention on their cases. Sometimes it takes people within the community to step up and be the advocate for the case of a stranger. There are more cases than anyone can imagine that need your help. And a financial contribution to genetic genealogy testing is a huge resource. The only things that have been missing to push these cases forward are people willing to help to find a resolution and truly believe, like we do, that every case is solvable.”
Baby Jane
gets a name.
After 38 years, she finally had a name again: Alisha Heinrich.
Since December 1982, investigators and the community couldn’t forget the Baby Jane Doe found dead in Mississippi’s Escatawpa River. They rallied around the unidentified child and pulled money together for a funeral as well as a headstone engraved with ‘Known only to God.’
“When she was found, she was barefoot and wearing only a red-and-white checked dress and a disposable diaper,” Greg Bodker said on a new podcast, noting details from the autopsy report. “Her strawberry blonde hair with loose curls was about shoulder length and she had either brown or blue eyes.”
Baby Jane Doe was around one and a half years old.
For years, the case languished like thousands of others across the country. But with advancements in DNA technology and the rise of genetic genealogy, which uses science to determine familial relationships, there has been an uptick in identifying victims and perpetrators – most famously the so-called Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, in April 2018.
Investigators reopened Baby Jane Doe’s case in 2008 and pursued every tip. The next year, her body was exhumed but it would take 10 more years – and a donation to pay for the expensive testing – before there was a break in the case. On December 4, 2020, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office announced that Alisha and her mother, 23-year-old Gwendolyn Mae Clemons, had been identified.
A new audiochuck podcast, Solvable, which premiered July 19, 2021, examines the case and includes interviews with current and former law enforcement.
“We really talk about the way the case hit home for them,” Amanda Reno, a genetic genealogist and the podcast’s co-host, told DailyMail.com.
For the community, she said, “there’s a huge sense of relief.”
And while Alisha has now been identified, mystery still surrounds what happened to her and her mother, Gwendolyn, who is still missing. They were last seen in November 1982 around Kansas City, Missouri.
Donate to fund genealogical research on cold cases and help the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department solve more cases like Baby Jane’s.
Solvable: the podcast.
A law enforcement officer and a genetic genealogist team up with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department to solve one of Mississippi coldest cases. Listen to all ten episodes here.