When veteran detective Craig Whitfield joined the South Bend Police Department in September to take a fresh look at cold cases, one of the first files he opened was a “Jane Doe” from 2007.
That’s police-speak for a found body that can’t be identified.
Police have recently discovered that Jane Doe was 39-year-old Tracy L. Martin, who’s been missing for 16 years.
"There's something about an unknown individual, or a Jane Doe," Whitfield says. "They don't have a name. I've always felt it's important that that person gets their name back."
On September 29, 2007, police responded to the 600 block of Blaine Street, where a man who had been trimming weeds found a person’s mostly skeletal remains. They couldn’t be identified and the case grew cold.
On Dec. 11, WNDU featured a picture of Martin’s skull in a Michiana Unsolved segment. Within 48 hours, police received a tip, and they soon used DNA from a relative of Martin’s to identify her.
Now police want to know who killed her.
Lt. Kayla Miller urges anyone with information to call Michiana Crime Stoppers at 574-288-STOP.
"If you are afraid to talk to police for whatever reason, now you have a safe place that you can provide anonymous tips and say, 'I know Tracy. I knew Tracy, and here's what I know about the final days of her life."
