Murder of Sherri Jarvis

According to a detective working the cold case in the 21st century, only one inmate was of a similar age to the victim.

Investigators were never able to establish a connection between the two.

Investigators traveled to both the Rockport and Aransas Pass districts to consult with law enforcement personnel regarding any missing females whose physical descriptions matched that of the victim.

Staff at schools in both districts were also contacted by investigators for the same purpose.

Sherri Ann Jarvis (March 9, 1966 – November 1, 1980) was an American murder victim from Forest Lake, Minnesota whose body was discovered in Huntsville, Texas on November 1, 1980.

Her body was discovered within hours of her sexual assault and murder, and remained unidentified for 41 years before investigators announced her identification via forensic genealogy in November 2021.

Despite initial efforts to discover both her identity and that of her murderer(s), the investigation into Jarvis's murder gradually became a cold case.

Numerous efforts were made to determine her identity, including several forensic facial reconstructions of how she may have appeared in life.

The investigation into her murder is ongoing.

Prior to her identification, Jarvis was known as the Walker County Jane Doe in reference to the county in which her body was discovered and where she was later buried in a donated casket.

At this location, she had exited a blue 1973 or 1974 model Chevrolet Caprice with a light-colored top, which had been driven by a white male.

This witness stated the girl had asked for directions to the Texas Department of Corrections Ellis Prison Farm.

After receiving directions, the girl had left the Gulf station on foot, and was later seen walking north on Sam Houston Avenue.

This same girl was later seen at the Hitch 'n' Post truck stop alongside Interstate 45, where she again requested directions to the Texas Department of Corrections Ellis Prison Farm, claiming "a friend" was waiting for her at this location.

In response, a waitress drew a map providing directions to the prison farm which she then handed to the girl.

This waitress informed investigators that she had suspected the girl was a runaway and that in their brief conversation, the girl had informed her she was from either Rockport or Aransas Pass, Texas.

The girl had also claimed to this waitress that she was 19 years old; when the waitress had expressed doubts as to her claimed age and further asked if her parents knew her whereabouts, this girl had reportedly replied, "Who cares?"

Both inmates and employees of the Ellis Prison Farm were canvassed and shown mortuary photographs of the victim, although none was able to identify her.

On November 1, 1980, the nude body of a girl estimated to be between the ages of 14 and 18 was discovered by a truck driver who had been driving past the Sam Houston National Forest.

She was lying face-down in an area of grass approximately 20 ft from the shoulder of Interstate Highway 45, and two miles north of Huntsville.

This motorist called police at 9:20 a.m. to report his discovery.

The victim had been deceased for approximately six hours, thus placing her time of death around 3:20 a.m. A rectangular brown pendant containing a smoky blue or brown glass colored stone on a thin gold chain necklace was found around her neck.

Her ears were pierced, but no earrings were found in her ears nor at the crime scene.

High-heeled red leather sandals with light brown straps, which investigators would subsequently discover the girl had been seen carrying while alive, were also recovered from the scene.

The remainder of her clothing was missing.

The decedent was approximately 5 ft in height, weighed between 105 and 120 lb, and was described by the Harris County Medical Examiner as being a "well-nourished" individual.

Her eyes were hazel, and her hair was approximately 10 inches in length and light brown in color, with what has been described as a possible reddish tint, although her hair bore no evidence of having received color treatment.

The decedent's fingernails were bare, and her toenails had been painted pink.

Distinctive features upon her body were a vertical scar measuring one-and-a-half inches at The Edge of her right eyebrow and the fact that her right nipple was inverted.

Due to the general condition of the decedent's body, including her overall health, nutrition and the excellent dental care she had received in life, she was believed to have come from a middle-class household.

The cause of death was certified by the coroner to be asphyxia due to ligature strangulation, possibly inflicted via a pantyhose, fragments of which—along with the decedent's underwear—were found inside the victim's vaginal cavity.

The pantyhose and underwear had likely been placed inside the girl's vaginal cavity in an attempt to prevent her body from bleeding as she was transported to the site of her discovery.

She had been sexually assaulted prior to her death with a large blunt instrument both vaginally and anally.

It is unknown if the girl had been conventionally raped, as no biological evidence attesting to this form of sexual assault was discovered either at the crime scene or in the coroner's subsequent examination of her body.

The girl had also been severely beaten prior to her death as many bruises were evident across her body, with her lips and right eyelid, in particular, being extensively swollen.

In addition, her right shoulder bore a deep and visible bite mark.

Following exhaustive witness appeals and extensive media accounts regarding this murder, numerous individuals (all of whom are now deceased) informed investigators they had seen a teenage girl matching the decedent's description within the 24 hours prior to her murder.

These individuals include the manager of a South End Gulf station and two employees at the Hitch 'n' Post truck stop, all of whom described this girl as wearing blue jeans, a dirty yellow pullover, and a white knit sweater with noticeably large pockets which extended past her waist.

This girl had been carrying red leather-strapped high heel sandals.

According to the first witness, the girl—appearing somewhat disheveled —had arrived at the South End Gulf station at approximately 6:30 p.m. on October 31.