UPDATE 4/9/2021- Evelyn was living with Luis, the father of her unborn child in Jersey City, New Jersey. She had called her mom to let her know she was not feeling well and asked if she would bring over some soup, but when her mother arrived, nobody was there. A neighbor told her mother that the family in the house had moved away. Later that year, the family received a letter from Evelyn in Spanish (as she was Puerto Rican) that was postmarked from Connecticut. She said she had given birth to a baby boy, not to worry about her and she would contact them if she had needed anything. Her family assumed she was safe and therefore never reported her missing.
UPDATE 3/31/2021- Beth Doe was identified as Evelyn Colon of New Jersey. She was 15 years old at the time of her disappearance. 63 year old, Luis Sierra of Ozone Park, NY has been charged with one count of Criminal Homicide and is currently in custody awaiting extradition. We will continue to update you as the case unfolds.
Three suitcases held the remains of a young soon-to-be mother that was sexually assaulted, strangled, shot, and dismembered. Her remains along wither her baby were stuffed into a suitcase and thrown off of I-81 Bridge over the Leigh River near White Haven, PA (Luzerne County)
Evelyn Colon AKA (Beth Doe & Baby Jane Doe)
Age: Late Teens/Early Twenties - Found: 12/20/1976
Est. Date of Death: 12/13/1976-12/19/1976
Ethnicity: Causcasian - Sex: Female
Height: 4'11"- 5'4" - Weight: 140-150lbs (9 Months Pregnant)
Hair Color: Dark Brown - Eye Color: Brown
Location Found: Leigh River- White Haven, PA (Luzerne County)
State of Remains: Recognizable - Nature of Death: Homicide
Injuries: Beth Doe was carrying a nine-month female fetus, had been sexually assaulted, strangled and shot in the neck (postmortem). Her body was then dismembered with a serrated blade, including her unborn child. Her nose, breasts, and ears had been removed and were never found, along with most of her hair. The dismemberment was described to be unlike that of a surgeon, but not "haphazard."
Distinguishing Characteristics: Beth was 9 months pregnant with a female fetus. she suffered severe tooth decay, had some molars extracted in her teen years, and some fillings. A 2-6 inch scar was visible above one of her heels and two moles on her face (one above her left eye and one on her left cheek) may have developed during her pregnancy. Beth Doe had type O blood.
Clothing/Items Found: Both Beth Doe and Baby Jane Doe were placed in 3 suitcases (that were spray painted black and the handles were cut off) and thrown from the I-81 bridge near the Leigh River in White Haven, PA (Luzerne County). Two of the suitcases were striped with red, blue, and white, and the other one was tan with a plaid design. Straw, packaging foam, a bedspread (reddish-orange in color with yellow and pink embroidered flowers), and fragments of a newspaper had been used to wrap parts of the body. The newspaper was later determined to have been The New York Sunday from September 26, 1976, and was linked to the northern part of New Jersey.
Missing Persons Ruled Out: Madelyn “Maggie” Cruz, Sheryl Ann Tillinghast, Annastaes Banitskas, Iris Brown, Valerie Cuccia, Teresa Fittin, Trenny Gibson, Rory Kesinger, Anna Leatherwood, Georgia Nolan, Sherry Roach, Mary Robinson, Patricia Seelbaugh, and Denise Sheehy
DNA: Available- According to analysis of Beth Doe's tooth enamel, she was most likely born in western or central Europe (The Balkans, most likely Serbia or Croatia) and moved to the US as a child or a teenager. The analysis also indicated that she had lived in the US for at least 5 years before she was killed. As for the fetal analysis, the results suggest that the geographic origin of gestation occurred in the Southeastern USA.
Dental Records: Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
NameUs Case Number: 8913
NCMEC: 1104191
NCIC: U833004226
Any one with information is asked to call Pennsylvania State Police at 570-459-3890, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 800-843-5678. If you would like to remain anonymous you can call PA Crime Stoppers at 800-4PA-TIPS
CASH REWARD: Up to $1,545 for information that leads to the identification of Beth Doe.
Sources:
Unsolved: Beth Doe – The Pennsylvania Rambler Beth Doe Of Pennsylvania: The Dismembered Body Of An Unidentified Pregnant Woman Was Found Underneath An Overpass - The Criminal Journal Tip that linked Pa. murder victim to Massachusetts didn’t pan out, police say - The Boston Globe CRIME HUNTER: 1976 Pennsylvania cold case hits roadblock | Toronto Sun Police get tip on 1976 murder of ‘Beth Doe’ | News | citizensvoice.com Media Release #1956, Unidentified Beth Doe and Female Fetus, East Side Borough, Carbon County, PA | Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers (crimewatchpa.com) Count Every Mystery: December 20, 1976 White Haven, Pennsylvania Beth Doe and Fetus Carbon County Beth Doe - Trace Evidence - Bing video Beth Doe - Wikipedia New images released in 1976 Beth Doe case | News | standardspeaker.com 30 Nov 2014, A5 - The Morning Call at Newspapers.com Unsolved Cases: A New Weekend Patch Feature | North Hills, PA Patch https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/03/found-in-1976-in-eastern-pa-beth-doe-now-has-an-id-and-so-does-her-alleged-killer.html? utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=pennlive_sf&fbclid=IwAR3AjDESem4bcg3mI_DrDmgPZe_1vW3iO5ROSWnWK9kcNVsjLQseBID9IvQ