Mystery surrounds ‘Harpeth River Jane Doe’ nearly 5 decades later
DAVIDSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nearly five decades have passed since a fisherman discovered a body caught on a small tree while out on the Harpeth River.
However, to this day, no one knows who the “Harpeth River Jane Doe” is, nor how she ended up in the river. Her body was found on March 24, 1976, about 200 yards from a bridge on McCrory Creek Road and downstream from the Harpeth River State Park in Davidson County.
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After Metro Nashville police responded, they determined the teen had drowned in the river, but whether it was accidental, or the result of a homicide remains unclear. Investigators said there were several abrasions on her body, indicating she might have been held underwater.
She was found wearing only blue jeans, a white bra, rawhide bracelet and choker style necklace with beads and a white dove on it. A forensic artist with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) later created a facial reconstruction of the girl featuring her necklace.
But it was a photograph found in the teen’s back pocket that reportedly helped detectives learn more about the days before she ended up in the river. The photo was of a young blond-haired boy with “Little Charlie” and a phone number written on the back.
The phone number belonged to a Nashville man who told investigators he and his brother-in-law had seen the girl about 10 days before she was found in the river. He claimed they picked up the teen and her friend on Highway 24 as they were hitchhiking.
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He described her friend as a slender blond girl, around 14 to 17 years old, who wore wire rim glasses, according to the NCMEC. However, investigators said they were never able to locate or interview the girl the man described.
The man told police the two girls had run away from a mental hospital in Minnesota and were on their way to Florida, but it’s unclear if those claims were true. The two men said they dropped the girls off at Interstate 24’s Winchester exit.
Reports indicate the men were questioned but never labeled as suspects. The “Harpeth River Jane Doe” is believed to have been around 14 to 17 years old, weighing around 120 pounds and about 5-feet, 2-inches tall with long black hair and brown eyes.
In addition to her jewelry and clothing, detectives noticed a few other unique features. She reportedly had a mole on her left temple, old scars on both of her arms that may have been from cigarette burns, two surgical scars on her abdomen and an oddly positioned “fang” tooth.
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According to the NCMEC, it’s possible that her name may have been Sherry or Cheryl. However, efforts to uncover her identity remain ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Metro Nashville Police Department at 615-862-8600.
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