PRESS RELEASE:
1975 Maury County Jane Doe Identified

May 8, 2024
Maury County Sheriff’s Department
Columbia, Tennessee
On February 14, 1975 two hunters found skeletal remains on Joe Brown Road in eastern Maury County near I-65. Forensic examination in 1975 by Dr. William Bass at the University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology determined that the remains were that of a black female between the age of 17-21.

The remains have been stored at the University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology in Knoxville, Tennessee since that time.
Over the years the case has been looked at many times, DNA samples have been taken and examined but no clues to the identity were ever discovered.

In 2012 Lt. Jerry Williams (retired) began looking at the case again and revived efforts to identify the remains. He had more forensic tests done and re-interviewed as many people as possible. Many people that were connected to the case in 1975 are now deceased. Numerous tips and leads were chased of missing persons that fit the description but nothing matched.

In 2019 we began working with DNA Doe Project. DNA Doe Project is a volunteer driven non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to identify John and Jane Does and return them to their families.

Their donors provided funding for new DNA testing and research by Genetic Genealogists to start work on tracing genealogy of Jane Doe. It took the efforts of four labs over three years to successfully create a DNA profile which was uploaded to GEDmatch.com in 2022. A distant match was found of a possible relative and the family tree began to build. Volunteer Genetic Genealogists spent more than 530 hours building the family tree.

In April 2024 DNA Doe Project provided a potential sibling. After making contact with the sibling we were able to confirm that she was a full sibling by DNA match. She relayed to us that she had a sister that went missing in the fall of 1974 but was never officially reported as missing. Her sister was a black female, 19 years old. The family had been searching for her since that time. All other siblings are accounted for.

It has been determined through DNA that the remains are that of 19 year old Annie Carolyn Jenkins of Memphis, Tennessee. She had been visiting with relatives in Chicago and in the fall of 1974 she left on a flight bound for Tennessee. This was the last known contact with her family. Her remains were recovered in Maury County in February 1975.

Her remains will be returned to her family who have been searching for her for 49 years.
This remains an open homicide investigation.
Sheriff Bucky Rowland would like to extend his thanks to Detective Keith Wrather, Lt. Jerry Williams (retired), Gina Wrather, Genetic Genealogist, all the other’s that have worked on this case over the years since 1975 and his special thanks to DNA Doe Project, their volunteers and donors who made this identification possible.