Snohomish County Jane Doe (Update)

There has been an update in the Snohomish County "Precious" Jane Doe case (episode # 66 of the podcast). Police have identified her as 17-year-old Elizabeth Ann Roberts, who went missing just a couple of weeks before her murder...

Today I am bringing you an update in a case that I originally covered about two years ago: that of Snohomish County Jane Doe, who - it was reported just yesterday - has finally been identified after more than 40 years.

If you recall from my original episode, this Jane Doe was a hitchhiker that was picked up in Everett, Washington by a troubled young man named David Marvin Roth. On the evening of August 9th, 1977, Roth drove this young woman to a secluded area, where he strangled and then shot her several times in the face with a rifle, before leaving her for dead. Her body was discovered days later by a couple of berry pickers near Mariner High School. Found decomposing and without any form of identification, the murdered young woman would be marked as a "Jane Doe" until further notice.

David Marvin Roth would quickly be identified as the potential killer, but wasn't apprehended for more than a year. As soon as he entered police custody, he confessed to the crime, but knew very little about the victim: claiming to have known her for a short time before killing her, and never catching her name. He was later sentenced to life in prison, serving out his sentence at Walla Walla State Prison (alongside such names as Gary Ridgeway, Robert Yates, and his own brother).

In 2005, Roth was paroled, and actually seemed to have rehabilitated himself after 26 years in state prison. He would cooperate with investigators in attempting to identify the still-unknown murder victim, but would pass away about ten years later (2015). At the time of his death, Snohomish County Jane Doe's identity remained unknown, and investigators have been working tirelessly to give this murder victim her name back decades later.

Now, they finally have.

A team attempting to identify this unknown murder victim ended up using just a few strands of hair left over in an evidence locker (the rest of the young woman's remains had been buried long ago). After paleontologists had painstakingly acquired a useable genetic profile, that was submitted to genealogical websites, and was ultimately used to narrow in on some of the victim's identity.

Elizabeth Ann Elder was born on November 3rd, 1959, but her parents would divorce soon after her birth. She would later be adopted at the age of two by another family, taking on their surname. Over time, she would become known as Lisa Roberts.

On July 25th, 1977, Lisa was reported missing by her father in Roseburg, Oregon, where she lived with her adoptive parents and siblings. She had been hanging out with her friends that night, but just never came home; and was quickly labeled a runaway. About two weeks later, she would call her family from Everett, Washington - asking for some money - and they agreed to do so if she came home. She told the family that she would think about it, and the money was transferred to a local Seafirst Bank in Everett, but Lisa never arrived to pick it up.

At the time of her death, Lisa Roberts was just 17 years old, but her 18th birthday would arrive in months. That was when most runaways were typically removed from missing children's databases (for another example of this conundrum, listen to the Millbrook Twins episodes). Because of that, there was really no widespread effort to find Lisa; she was just a missing young adult that was theorized to have run away from home for good.

Lisa had been missing for just 15 days when she encountered David Marvin Roth, who ultimately brought her life to an undignified and violent end. Because many of her identifying features were disfigured by the time police found her body, they theorized that she had been 20 to 30 years old due to her tall and lanky frame.

Over time, attempts to identify Lisa had been sidetracked by the available evidence: namely, the lack of facial features (due to the gunshots), the several days of decomposition at time of discovery, and the overwhelming list of potential matches (many of whom were older than Lisa). Yet, investigators would continue to run down leads, hoping that advancements in DNA testing would eventually led them to the truth.

Snohomish County Sheriff's detective Jim Scharf was among the voices pushing to give this murder victim back her name; ultimately leading the charge in Washington state on genealogical research to identify murder suspects and victims. Through his pressing, hair follicles from Lisa's body were sent to Dr. Ed Green down in California, who used a cutting-edge procedure to recover DNA forensics from the rootless hair. This sample was then sent to Barbara Rae-Venter (one of the many forensic genealogists that helped identify the Golden State Killer) who was able to determine the victim's name: Elizabeth Ann Roberts.

Once known as Snohomish County Jane Doe - and even "Precious" Jane Doe, more recently - Lisa Roberts has finally been given back her real name. Her remaining family members are hoping to have her body reburied at their plot in Hood River, Oregon, officially bringing an end to the mystery that has plagued them for decades.

However, a minor mystery still remains. When she phoned her family in August of 1977, Lisa spoke about a woman she was staying with in Everett. Investigators would like to identify this woman, who they believe might have more information about Lisa's final days or weeks. It's very likely that she might not even be aware that Lisa died; due to the reports about the murder victim being 25- 35 years old at the time. If you know anything, please contact the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office at 425-388-3845.

Until such a time, however, it seems like this story has finally been resolved.