Femtalities

The 50-Year-Old Mystery of Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee

No name — No justice

Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee is a name given to the Jane Doe found partially submerged in Lake Panasoffkee, Florida on February 19, 1971. The discovery was made by two teenage hitchhikers who spotted her body in the water beneath a highway overpass that crossed the lake. They flagged down a passing state trooper who brought detectives to the scene.

The victim was found dressed in a green shirt, green plaid pants, and a green floral poncho. She was wearing a white gold watch, a gold necklace, and a gold ring with a transparent stone, leading to the conclusion that she might be married, but they were unable to retrieve fingerprints due to the state of decomposition in the body.

The subsequent forensic examination performed by Dr. William Schutze concluded that she had been killed at least thirty days before her body was discovered. It was determined that she was between 17 and 24 years old at the time of her murder, stood between 5 foot 2 inches and 5 foot five inches, and weighed about 115 pounds. She had brown hair and high cheekbones. Considerable dental work was present. It included numerous silver filings and a porcelain crown on one of her upper right teeth. Pelvic exams revealed that she had borne at least two children.

The belt used to strangle her, a man’s size 36, was still wrapped around her neck and one of her ribs was broken, leading detectives to…