A Las Vegas school teacher was looking for rocks at Sand Wash Creek in Congress, Arizona on July 31, 1960 only to discover the partially buried remains of a young child. At the scene, investigators documented a set of adult shoe prints as well as two additional locations of disturbed soil -- potentially failed burial spots. Pathologists determined that the child had been burned and was deceased for 1-2 weeks prior to discovery. Due to the higher temperatures during the summer time, the high decomposition rate of the remains made it difficult to determine a cause of death. Additionally, the pathologists found no sign of skeletal trauma, indicating that the child had no new or healed bone fractures at any point. Due to the suspicious nature of the case, her death has been ruled a homicide.
Pathologists determined that the child was likely a caucasian female. Her original age estimate fell between 2-9 years old, though the current age range is documented as being likely 3-6 years. She weighed around 55 pounds and was around 3’5” tall at her time of death. Her hair was described as brown with a potentially artificial auburn tint. She had a full set of baby teeth which were in pristine condition. The child was found wearing white shorts, a checkered blouse, and male adult flip-flops that had been cut to fit her foot size and were tightened with brown leather straps; her fingernails and toenails had been painted red.
The case gained local and national news coverage but her identity remained undiscovered, leading her to be called “Little Miss Nobody”. The community became deeply affected by the case and fundraised to give the child a proper funeral and service in 1960, to which many attended. The original law enforcement team did pursue multiple possible leads that matched the child’s description but none were confirmed. The case remained stagnant until 2018 when her body was exhumed in order to obtain a DNA sample. A phenotype image was also crafted with the goal of inspiring new tips.
In 2021, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office continued their pursuits for an identity by partnering with Othram Inc. Investigators hope that the use of advanced forensic technology may give insight into the tragic circumstances surrounding this child and her untimely death. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Cold Case Investigator John Shannon at 928-777-7293 or leave a tip anonymously by calling Yavapai Silent Witness at 1-800-932-3232 and reference agency case #1960 or NamUs UP10741. A DNASolves fund has been created to cover the cost of service.
Republished courtesy of DNASolves/Othram. You can view more cases that need help with funding here. Photo credit: NCMEC/Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.