“I’ve been in law enforcement 28 years and this is the first case that I’ve been involved in where we have a child that’s deceased that we’re not able to identify,” said Oregon State Police captain, Tim Fox.
Oregon State Police
Police released a sketch Monday of a girl found dead in the woods of Lincoln County last month.
The girl is believed to have been between 6 and 10. Her remains were discovered near the parking lot of the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor on Dec. 10.
Authorities don’t have an exact date of death, but the condition of the remains indicate the girl died at least a month before her body was found. Police have not released the manner of death.
“We keep some information back, and that is to help us solve the crime,” said Oregon State Police Capt. Tim Fox.
He called the case very unusual.
“I’ve been in law enforcement 28 years, and this is the first case that I’ve been involved in where we have a child that’s deceased that we’re not able to identify,” he said.
Police say they are unaware of any reports of missing children matching the girl’s description. They’re hoping the sketch may spark someone’s memory, and they’re asking people to come forward with information.
“We’re received numerous tips at this point and we’re investigating all of those,” Fox said.
The girl’s race has yet to be determined by DNA analysis. But she was between 3-foot-10 and 4-foot-6-inches tall, and her long hair was either black or dark brown.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is working on the case with the Oregon State Police. NCMEP has hundreds of cases of unidentified children, but only nine in Oregon, the oldest dating back to an Ashland toddler in 1963.
The Oregon State Police ask anyone with information that might help investigators identify the girl to call 800-442-0776.