u/Mountain_Map8175

Image 1 — Baldock Woman, or ‘The Girl in the Afghan Coat’
Image 2 — Baldock Woman, or ‘The Girl in the Afghan Coat’
Image 3 — Baldock Woman, or ‘The Girl in the Afghan Coat’

Baldock Woman, or ‘The Girl in the Afghan Coat’

On February 18th, 1975, at approximately 6:15am, a young woman died after being struck by multiple vehicles, near Baldock, Hertfordshire, England. She was dubbed Baldock Woman - or Baldock Jane Doe - and was also given the name ‘The Girl in the Afghan Coat’, due to the coat she was wearing when she died.

Jane Doe had last been seen alive at around 5:30am, the same morning she was killed. She had hitched a ride with a milkman, awake early delivering milk. She told him her name was ‘Ann’ or ‘Anne’ and that she was planning on hitchhiking to London. She spoke with a foreign accent and appeared to be in distress, seeming either scared or worried. This was the last confirmed contact she had with anyone, before she died.

She was described as a white woman, between 17-25, 5’3” and of thin build. She had fair, shoulder length hair and hazel eyes. In the original reconstruction, her hair is depicted as curly/wavy, though the most recent depictions show her as having straight hair. Additionally, Jane Doe had several significant identifiers: a pierced right ear, a wart on both of her abdomen and her left leg, as well as a scar on her right leg.

At the time of her death, she was wearing: a brown Afghan coat which became the basis of her nickname, a brown leather waistcoat, a ‘Chelsea Girl’ brand blue cotton blouse, a white cotton floral blouse, black jeans from the French brand ‘Prisu’, a ‘Levi’ brand mini skirt, a chiffon lace scarf which was worn as a wrap, and ‘Prova’ brand tights. When found, she carried no ID and wore no shoes.

In 2010, a new facial reconstruction was created and a brand new appeal for information was launched. The reconstruction was circulated in several newspapers across the UK. After seeing this appeal, a man named David Liversedge came forward; he claimed he had met her while hitchhiking on London’s North Circular during a thunderstorm, and that the woman had lived with him and his wife, Barbara, in Bedfordshire for six months in 1972. She told them her name was Odile Ludic, but was unsure of the exact spelling. It was believed she was in her early 20s at the time. She often spoke of a mother and a sister, as well as several friends and a boyfriend whom she claimed to spend a lot of time with. Whilst living with the Liversedge’s, she worked for Plug International in Henlow, Bedfordshire. She also regularly visited Stotford Social Club, and said she had friends in Newquay, Cornwall. Eventually, she moved from Bedfordshire to Cambridge.

In 2025, Locate International — a UK-based charity doing excellent work to identify UK Does — discovered a newspaper article from November 25th, 1972, detailing a house fire at a bedsit where a French student named ‘Odile Ledoux’ was residing. The forename and age matched what David had told them, as well as the information in regard to her living in Cambridgeshire. At the time, Odile had been attending the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (now known as Anglia Ruskin University), where she was studying English. Locate International are currently investigating this case, with appeals active in both the UK and France.

It’s worth noting that it’s unconfirmed that Odile Ludic/Odile Ledoux are the same person, and also that the Odile living with David and Barbara Liversidge is actually Baldock Jane Doe. Websleuths seem sceptical of the match, especially as the Baldock Woman told a milkman — the last person to see her alive — that her name was Ann(e). If she was scared or worried in the time leading up to her death, it’s possible she may have been running from someone, and was using a fake identity.

One other interesting thing to note is the single ear piercing. In the sixties and seventies, a single ear piercing on a woman was seen as a sign of rebellion. The typical trend was to wear clip-on earrings, but young women at the time, aiming to rebel against societal norms, would often pierce their own ears. It was prominent in the punk and hippy subcultures, amongst others. The specific style of coat Jane Doe was wearing was also extremely popular with the hippie movement, in the seventies and into the early eighties. It’s very possible that she was a member of this specific subculture, and may have had friends also within this movement.

There are no known exclusions in this case. Locate International are actively investigating leads in both the UK and France.

Unidentified Awareness Wiki

National Crime Agency

Doe Network

Locate International

BBC

The Comet Article

u/Mountain_Map8175 — 6 days ago

Islington John Doe (1975)

On January 8th, 1975, a young man fell from the seventeenth floor of a block of flats, in Islington, London, England. He died of his injuries, and his death was ultimately ruled an accident. He was dubbed Islington John Doe (1975).

He was determined to be a white man, 20 years old, 5’8” (173cm) and of medium build. He had dark brown curly hair though his eye colour had not been confirmed. Nptably, one of the toes on his left foot had an abnormality - specifically described as a ‘peculiarity’ - though it’s unclear exactly what this means. Based on the reconstruction, he may have had prominent teeth to some degree, as they are visible in this sketch.

Islington John Doe was found wearing: a blue sleeveless jumper, a blue shirt, blue trousers and black shoes. On his person was a bus ticket from Southampton, a port city approximately 80 miles - or 130km - from London, where he was discovered. It’s unclear whether this was a return or one-way ticket. In the 1970s, Southhampton was still very much an industrial city; its port was its heart, with cargo ships, ferries and passengers arriving from dozens of ports worldwide. It’s possible he was not identified or reported missing in the UK as he arrived in the UK via one of these boats, and intended on moving to London to start a new life. Again, this is just speculation, and he could have lived in and grown up around Southampton, or someone in the UK, his whole life, but it would explain his lack of identification.

Additionally, Islington in the 1970s was a relatively poor area. Though there were signs of gentrification, it was largely marred by overcrowding, high crime levels, squatting and neglect. It’s possible John Doe was down on his luck and had simply lost contact with his family, due to hard times, hence why he wasn’t identified. Further, Islington wasn’t typically an area immigrants tended to favour when moving to London in the 70s, though it isn’t impossible someone might move there. There were large communities of Irish, Welsh and Jamaican peoples, so this may have been a draw for someone looking to settle into a community.

There are no known exclusions listed in this case. Unfortunately, Islington John Doe does not have a Doe Network page that I can find, so I’m unsure if there are dentals, DNA or fingerprints available for comparison. However, as his remains were presumably in a good state, given his short PMI, I am hopeful there may be fingerprints and/or dentals available.

Unidentified Awakeness Wiki

UK National Crime Agency

u/Mountain_Map8175 — 13 days ago

Iver John Doe (1973)

On May 30, 1973, a man stepped in front of a lorry on Langley Park Road in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. He was declared deceased at a local hospital and his death was ruled a suicide. He was dubbed Iver John Doe.

The day of the incident, it was a clear, dry day. The lorry driver, travelling along the B470 Langley Park Road described seeing the man standing on the footpath as he approached the junction with Hollow Hill Lane. Without warning, the man stepped into the lorry’s path, with his hands held up as if in surrender. The driver hit the brakes and swerved in an attempt to avoid the man, but he seemed to follow the vehicle’s path, and the collision was unavoidable. This account was confirmed by other passing motorists at the scene. The man was taken to Wexham Park Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. 

He was described as a Middle Eastern, between 30-45, 6’ tall with a slim build. He had black wavy hair and brown eyes, with a moustache. He wore: green checked suit trousers and jacket from the brand ‘Dunn & Co.’, a white shirt with a mauve pattern, a mauve tie with patterning that matched the shirt, grey socks, black shoes, a silver crucifix on a chain and a ‘Lammar ’ yellow metal watch. The reconstructive sketch also seems to show a missing tooth or teeth, but there’s no confirmation of that in any sources I can find online.

Dunn & Co. was a popular British high street brand, which typically traded in formal attire, such as the suit John Doe was found wearing. It’s unlikely his clothing itself was unique, and formal attire like this as everyday wear was much more common in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. The watch, attributed to the brand ‘Lammar’ (stylised ‘lammar’ in various sources) does not seem to pull up any results. It’s likely this is either a misspelling of the brand ‘Lamar’, a more affordable vintage Swiss-made brand, or? If the spelling is correct, potentially an off-brand dupe of the ‘Lamar’ brand.

Additionally, the man was found wearing a silver crucifix. Crucifixes tend to be worn by those following Christian religion; primarily Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran Christians. If the man was Middle Eastern, he may have been from Cyprus, the only country in the region which is primarily Christian. However, Christianity is prevalent throughout the region, so it’s impossible to pin down exactly where he was from without genetic testing. I don’t believe this was ever done in this case, and it’s unknown whether there is DNA available. It is interesting to note, however, that Cypriot people formed one of the largest immigrant communities in the UK during the 1960s; many migrated during the 50s and 60s due to conflicts and instability at the time. They primarily settled in London and Northern industrial cities, and Iver is not too far from London itself.

Articles asking for information have been published in recent years, but there doesn’t seem to be any updates on this case. There are no exclusions listed for Iver John Doe.

Unidentified Awareness Wiki

Doe Network

u/Mountain_Map8175 — 15 days ago

A month or so ago, I submitted Eldy Yojana Lopez Perez as a potential match to San Miguel Jane Doe (2021). The match was then submitted to law enforcement, due to the significant similarities in Eldy and Jane Doe’s dentals.

A couple of weeks later, I received confirmation that Eldy is NOT a match for Jane Doe, and can be officially ruled out. San Miguel Jane Doe’s PMI was recent (around 2021), while Eldy had disappeared in 2018, and so it was deemed unlikely. Further, Eldy’s brother’s DNA is on file, as it was believed she may have been another Jane Doe found in the area (I’m unsure the outcome on this, but it seemed that she was not this Doe either) and so, if she is located, DNA will ping to her brother.

I really hope both families are able to get closure soon; that Eldy is located and San Miguel Jane Doe gets her name back.

Eldy’s NAMUS

Jane Doe’s Wiki

u/Mountain_Map8175 — 24 days ago
▲ 919 r/OldestColdCases+1 crossposts

After 38 years, DNA Doe Project have identified Three Points John Doe as Rogelio Morales Caudillo.

Three Points John Doe was found skeletonised, having been murdered and buried in a shallow grave, in a remote desert wash, near to Ryan Airfield in Tucson, Arizona. Estimates placed his PMI at 1-2 years prior to discovery and his age at 17-18.

Pima County Medical Examiners Office brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, who created a DNA profile. He was determined to be of Mexican descent, with roots in Sonora, Mexico. A family of interest was also identified and research began. A potential family member was then contacted.

The family member had no knowledge of any missing family members but asked around and, eventually, the name Rogelio Morales Caudillo was given to investigators. He was the cousin of the woman contacted.

Rogelio had disappeared in 1986 from Tucson, Arizona two years prior to John Doe’s discovery.

DNA was taken and Three Points John Doe was confirmed as Rogelio Morales Caudillo.

Rest in Peace, Rogelio.

DNA Doe Project

u/Mountain_Map8175 — 1 month ago