When walking through this Colorado cemetery, I stubbed upon a headstone reading “Jane Doe.” In my research, I came to find out she was a murder victim back in the 1950’s.
In recent years, another curious person was walking through this same cemetery. She also stumbled upon Jane Doe's headstone. But this cemetery wanderer was a local historian and wanted to put a real name to Jane Doe.
At the base of the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado lies Columbia Cemetery. Due to its fantastic view and beauty, it is a popular place for walkers. So, it is not uncommon to walk around the cemetery reading the headstone as you stroll through. But this headstone reads:
“Jane Doe April 1954 Age about 20 years”
One day in the late nineties, Boulder Historian Silvia Pettem read this same headstone and wanted to know her story. Working with local enforcement agencies, she discovered the woman was murdered almost 55 years before. Her body was found in a river canyon in the Boulder Creek area.
Back in 1954, law in enforcement was informed by two male University of Colorado Boulder (CU) students, who had been hiking along Boulder Creek just below Boulder Falls, that they found a body of a woman. Her body was lying on rocks at the bottom of a 29-foot embankment. The students are quoted as saying, "At first we thought it was a store window dummy," one of the students was quoted as saying.
All identification had been removed from the victim’s body. She was estimated to have been 20 years old. She was stripped of clothing, beaten, and left for died, and then was exposed to the elements for three or four days. Her skull was fractured and there were many injuries along the left side of her body. All that remained were three bobby pins in her long reddish-blonde hair.
An article was run in the local newspaper with the headline, “Girl Found Slain Near Boulder!” The article described the woman in detail in hopes of finding out who she was. But no one ever claims the body.
After an unsuccessful attempt to establish her identity, local citizens donated funds for Jane Doe’s burial and headstone in Columbia Cemetery. Where she still lies today with "Jane Doe" engraved on her headstone.
Silvia Pettem's Quest
Silvia felt this was someone’s daughter and wanted to bring the family solace after all these years by finding out who she was. Silvia convinces local authorities to exhume the body. The forensic artist Frank Bender recreated the victim’s head by using the skull and newspaper description from years past.
Original bust of Jane Doe at the Boulder County Sheriff's Headquarters.Photo byGenerations Found YouTube
They distribute the story and pictures of the sculpture to the media. In hopes that someone might recognize her. In 2009, Silva receives an email from someone saying that Jane Doe might be her Great Aunt. She claims that the sculpture looks like her grandmother’s lost sister Dorothy Gay Howard.
The great niece explains that Dorothy disappeared from her home in Arizona in 1954. She had run away before and the family hoped this was the case and she would return. So, they never reported her missing.
To verify that this might be Dorothy, the surviving sister submits a DNA sample. Only to find that they are a match, and they are sisters. Jane Doe has been identified after more than a half a century.
But who killed Dorothy?
They search for murder suspects from the time and find Harvey Murray Glatman. Harvey Glatman spent eight months in the Colorado State Penitentiary after he was convicted in Denver on burglary charges from May 1945. In 1951, he was arrested and imprisoned there and was paroled in New York. He then returned to Denver to live with his parents.
But October 31, 1958, at the age of 30, he was in Los Angeles, California. Where he was arrested and admitted to raping and murdering two professional models and a divorcee from Los Angeles, whom he met through a “lonely-hearts” agency. He was arrested in Orange County, California after unsuccessfully trying to kill a fourth victim. In 1958, he was later killed in the San Quentin gas chamber for their murders.
Front page of Los Angeles Times about Harvey getting arrested.Photo byMurderpedia
But in 1954, he was still living with his parents in Denver. He had also been accused of assaulting other women in Dorothy’s neighborhood. But they could never officially connect him to Dorothy’s murder. He took his secret to the grave.
To this date the killer of Dorothy Howard has never been identified. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to please contact the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
Jane Doe Remembered
In a small collection at the entries of the Boulder County Sheriff’s office are glass cases filled with historical items. When you stroll to the end of the display cases, you will find items involved in finding Dorothy. Including the head bust of Dorothy made from her skull.
In addition, there is a large Styrofoam gravestone replica of Dorothy’s Jane Doe headstone. The replica was made for T.V. show America’s Most Wanted in 2006 when they made a show segment on the Jane Doe Case.
Dorothy Gay Howard's new headstone with old Jane Doe headstone embedded.Photo byGenerations Found YouTube
Now when cruising the Columbia Cemetery in Boulder, Colorado. You can find an amendment to Jane Doe's headstone with the name Dorothy Howard. In addition, near her headstone, is a bench in memory of her. Rest in peace Dorothy.
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