ORANGE SOCKS JANE DOE: WF, 15-30, found in Georgetown, TX - 31 October 1979 *Debra Jackson*

https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/8056

Body was found along IH 35 north of Austin at 0430hrs on 10/31/1979. She was nude except for a pair of orange socks, and later became know only as "Orange Socks" girl.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/33uftx.html

Circumstances of Discovery:

The victim was located near Interstate 35 in a culvert 9.4 miles south of the Williamson and Bell County line.

Serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to the victim's murder in 1982, three years after her death. He informed authorities that he picked her up while she was hitchhiking in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the day before her murder in 1979. He claimed that her name may have been "Judy" or "Joanie." Lucas was convicted of her murder in 1984 and sentenced to death; he recanted his confession shortly thereafter. Texas Governor George W. Bush commuted Lucas' death sentence to life in prison shortly before his execution due to the doubt which emerged in this case.

Aside from Lucas' possible involvement in this case, authorities are searching for an anonymous female caller who phoned them on three separate occasions with information regarding this case. The caller claimed that she saw the victim hitchhiking near Georgetown the day of her murder.

Nicknamed "Orange Socks," the victim is buried in a grave marked "Unidentified Woman" in Georgetown, Texas.


Jewelry: Large, elongated oval-shaped silver ring with an abalone shell or mother of pearl-like stone in the center.

Additional Personal Items: Two matchbooks were found at the scene; one was from a Motel 6, the other from a Holiday Inn in Henryetta, Oklahoma. The only other evidence was determined to be a makeshift sanitary napkin, which was labeled among the evidence as a bloody towel.

http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMU/121312

On October 31, 1979, the body of an Unidentified white female was located in a drainage culvert near Interstate Highway 35 in Georgetown, Texas (Williamson County). It is believed she had been deceased 1-2 days prior to recovery. The Jane Doe is believed to have been between 15 and 30 years of age. She was 5’9" and weighed 158 lbs. She had brown hair with a reddish tint, approximately 10 inches long and hazel eyes. She had thick eyebrows and pierced ears. The Jane Doe was described as being unkempt and it appears as if she had spent an extended period of time without the benefit of standard hygienic care. Her fingernails were painted red, of medium length and dirty. Her toenails were excessively long. She had numerous hyperpigmented roughly rounded scars on her lower legs and ankles, which could be attributed to bug bites in various stages of healing. The Jane Doe was found wearing orange socks and a rectangular silver and abalone shell ring on her middle finger.

One silver colered ring with mother of pearl like stone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Socks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



"Orange Socks"

Forensic facial reconstruction of the victim
Born approx. 1949–1964
Status Unidentified for 37 years, 1 month and 8 days
Died October 30 or 31, 1979 (aged 15–30)
Cause of death Strangulation
Body discovered Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, United States
Other names "Joanie Doe", "Judy Doe", "Georgetown Jane Doe"
Known for Unidentified victim of homicide
Height Between 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
and 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)(approximate)
Weight Between 140 lb (64 kg)
and 160 lb (73 kg)(approximate)

Orange Socks (also known as Joanie Doe, Judy Doe and the Georgetown Jane Doe) is the informal name given to an American unidentified female who was murdered on October 31, 1979 in Georgetown, Texas. The body was found naked, except for the pair of orange socks from which her nickname was derived.[1][2] She had been strangled and was believed to have died only hours before the discovery.

The victim, who was white and had been sexually assaulted, was found in a culvert on interstate 35, after being dragged to and thrown over a guardrail. The cause of death was ruled as strangulation, as a large amount of bruising was visible on her neck. Other bruises were also visible due to the body being dropped from the overpass.[7]

The victim's legs were unshaven with a large number of insect bites. She had very long toenails, her fingernails were painted and a hairline scar was observed beneath the chin. Despite these injuries, the victim had not broken a bone during her life. She had reportedly suffered from salpingitis, due to previously contracting gonorrhea. She had ten-inch-long brown hair with a reddish tint, hazel eyes and her age ranged from 15 to 30 years. She was approximately five feet eight inches to five feet ten inches tall and weighed between 140 and 160 pounds. She had a well-maintained set of teeth, despite two of them missing, although they showed little sign of dental care, such as fillings or crowns. A silver ring was found on her hand, containing an abalone or mother of pearl stone. Her ears were pierced.

Also at the scene, a towel, likely used in place of a sanitary napkin, was found along with the body, as if the victim was attempting to control her menstruation without having to spend money on tampons.[3][7] One of two matchbooks found at the scene belonged to a hotel from Henryetta, Oklahoma, which supported the theory she was a hitchhiker or drifter.

continued

In 1982, serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to her murder, although there was no physical evidence that he had been involved in the killing, sexual assault or disposing of the body. In an interview, he stated that he picked her up in Oklahoma, where they had sex.[11] After asking for sex again while he was driving, he claimed that Orange Socks said "not right now" and attempted to leave his car, at which point he killed her and raped her corpse. He then drove her body to Georgetown. Lucas told authorities that the victim had stated her name as being "Joanie" or "Judy". Lucas had previously showed officers how he had supposedly dragged her body over the guardrail when taken to the location where her body was found.

One report claims that at the time of Orange Socks' murder, Lucas was working in Florida, whereas the murder took place in Texas. Interrogators also stated that he had contradicted himself several times when confessing to the murder and his defense also stated that he was shown images of the crime scene before his interview.[8][13] In order to have traveled to Oklahoma, to Texas and back to Florida, it was estimated that he would have had to drive at an average of seventy miles an hour, without stopping, which many find unlikely.[11][16] Lucas later recanted this statement after his conviction in 1984 and by involvement of the then current governor, George W. Bush, his death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment, as the death of Orange Socks was the only case that resulted in his receiving a capital punishment.[15] Lucas had a history of dubious confessons, something that lead others to doubt his truthfulness (he confessed to upwards of 3,000 murders).Lucas himself recanted his confessions, stating that the only murder he had committed was that of his mother, Viola.

After learning that Lucas' sentence had been reduced, the mother of Suzanne Bowers told reporters that she was opposed to the decision along with several others, as Lucas had confessed to murdering the 12-year-old in 1984.



The "Orange Socks" case had been featured twice on America's Most Wantedsince the murder took place. An anonymous woman called to the program on one occasion claiming she had seen Orange Socks hitchhiking the day of her murder, but the lead has not generated any new information.

In 2001, a missing woman's photograph surfaced that resembled Orange Socks. DNA testing, however, did not match. Another report suggests that the victim was a woman who had disappeared in the 1970s, together with her abusive boyfriend. Former missing person Martha Morrison was speculated by some to possibly have been the unidentified woman, but she was eventually ruled out. Morrison's remains were identified in 2015 as a Jane Doe found in Washington the same year she disappeared. Four other missing women, Nancy Jason, Kathleen Rodgers, Pinkie Davis-Herron and Susan Cooke, have also been excluded from the case.

On the 37th anniversary of her discovery, new reconstructions of Orange Socks were released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The organization also entered her into their database.

The "Orange Socks" case had been featured twice on America's Most Wantedsince the murder took place. An anonymous woman called to the program on one occasion claiming she had seen Orange Socks hitchhiking the day of her murder, but the lead has not generated any new information.

In 2001, a missing woman's photograph surfaced that resembled Orange Socks. DNA testing, however, did not match. Another report suggests that the victim was a woman who had disappeared in the 1970s, together with her abusive boyfriend. Former missing person Martha Morrison was speculated by some to possibly have been the unidentified woman, but she was eventually ruled out. Morrison's remains were identified in 2015 as a Jane Doe found in Washington the same year she disappeared. Four other missing women, Nancy Jason, Kathleen Rodgers, Pinkie Davis-Herron and Susan Cooke, have also been excluded from the case.

On the 37th anniversary of her discovery, new reconstructions of Orange Socks were released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The organization also entered her into their database.

Crime scene photographs

http://unidentified.wikia.com/wiki/Orange_Socks


Orange Socks

"Orange Socks" was a female between fifteen and thirty that was found nude, except for a matching pair of orange socks, which led to her nickname. Henry Lee Lucas, who confessed to her murder, was later acquitted, as it is believed that he was untruthful, as he was with other cases, including that of Tammy Alexander, known at that time as the Caledonia Jane Doe.

Case
Orange Socks' body was found face-down in a culvert along a highway in Georgetown, Texas. She had been sexually assaulted and was strangled. Along with the pair of socks on her body, she also wore an abalone/mother of pearl stone on a ring.



Orange Socks' ring

Orange Socks is believed to have been a transient or a runaway. Strong evidence supports this, as she had keys from an Oklahoma motel, long nails, insect bites, unshaven legs and a makeshift sanitary pad. She had salpingitis, which was due to having untreated gonorrhea.

One woman called after the case was featured on television and stated she had seen a person matching the victim's description hitchhiking in Texas. No other information of the victim in life is available.

Henry Lee Lucas confessed to her murder and was sentenced to death. It was later discovered that police officers from the area had him look at crime scene photos and then confess during interviews, which they would use to gain recognition for solving cold cases. After Lucas was acquitted, he died in 2001 due to heart problems.



Theories
Orange Socks had physical characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome.
She may have left a household that rejected her or she may have left home once she became an adult.
She may have been killed by the same person as Walker County Jane Doe, as both were found under similar circumstances.
She may have been a prostitute.
She may have been a hitchhiker

Orange Socks



Sex Female
Race White
Location Georgetown, Texas
Found October 31, 1979
Unidentified for 37 years
Postmortem interval Hours
Body condition Recognizable face
Age approximation 15-30
Height approximation 5'8 - 5'10
Weight approximation 140 - 160 pounds
Cause of death Strangulation

http://amwfans.com/thread/826/orange-socks-jane-murder-texas




Authorities in Texas are trying to identify a woman who was murdered in 1979. AMW aired this case in 1998.

On Oct 31, 1979, the remains of an unidentified white female, in her early to mid 20's were found off Interstate 35 in Williamson County, Texas. She was called Orange Socks Jane Doe because she was found nude, except for a pair of orange socks. She had a large oval-shaped silver ring and had excellent teeth with no sign of dental work. She was strangled to death hours before she was found. An important clue was that she had two matchbooks, one from a Holiday Inn in Henryetta, Oklahoma.

In 1982, the infamous serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to this murder. He claimed that he picked her up in Oklahoma City and killed her after they stopped at a truck stop to eat. Texas Governor George W. Bush commuted Lucas's death sentence to life imprisonment due to doubt that emerged in this case. Lucas confessed to 350-600 murders in total in order to get better prison living conditions. It was revealed that investigators would give Lucas case details and then he would confess to the crime. Among the crimes he confessed to was the murder of Jimmy Hoffa and the delivering of poison to infamous Jonestown cult leader Jim Jones. In the Orange Socks case, investigators later found a timecard that placed Lucas in Florida at the time of Orange Socks Jane Doe's murder. Lucas later said that he confessed to the murder in an effort for "legal suicide". Lucas died in prison in 2001. He was also the supposed accomplice to Otis Toole, who was later named the killer of Adam Walsh, even though Lucas wasn't involved in the Adam Walsh murder.

Investigators are also trying to identify an anonymous female caller who called them three times about this murder. She claimed she saw the victim hitchhiking near Georgetown, Texas on the day of the murder.

-----

Thoughts? I think we can all agree that Henry Lee Lucas is not the killer of Orange Socks Jane Doe. However, the only guess I have is that someone picked up the victim while she was hitchhiking and murdered her.

Admin Note #1: According to the Doe Network, if you have any information on this case, please contact the Texas Department of Public Safety at 800-346-3243 or 512-424-2810

http://canyouidentifyme.blogspot.com/2012/01/joanie-doe-im-known-for-my-orange-socks.html




Joanie Doe: I’m known for my orange socks.

One method of travel for me was hitchhiking. My life wasn’t the pretty picture you like to hear about when you think of young white girls in their 20’s. I wasn’t a model. I wasn’t a debutante. I wasn’t a college bookworm. No, my life wasn’t anything like those girls’.

I owned very little. I wore orange socks. My toenails were long because I didn’t have clippers to cut them. My legs were unshaven because I didn’t have a razor to shave them. I rarely had water to bathe properly. I may have exchanged favors for food, rides, or money. I had untreated gonorrhea. Perhaps I was mistreated and that’s what set me on the road. I was young. I was alone. I was trying to survive.

The question is was I hitchhiking in Oklahoma when a man named Henry Lee Lucas picked me up? He stated he bought me lunch then had unsatisfying sex with me, which led to him to strangling me to death. After which, he then had unsatisfying sex with me again. He claims he dumped me in a culvert off the “IH35 southbound toward San Antonio.” He remembered this because he injured his knee on the guardrail. He also told them he thought my name was Joanie or Judy. This convicted serial killer later recanted his statement about killing me.

Another possibility, one that makes people scratch their heads, is that I wasn’t picked up by this serial killer in Oklahoma. Instead, according to an anonymous caller, I was seen hitchhiking near Georgetown, Texas on the day of my murder.

The complete truth is unknown. They did find me dead, by strangulation, dumped in a culvert. There was even evidence my body was dragged, possibly over a freeway guardrail.

The reality is that I was a 20-something-year-old woman who stood 5'8", weighed 135 pounds, had red hair and hazel eyes, and I was murdered on October 31, 1979. My body was found in culvert near Georgetown, Williams County, Texas. I was only wearing my orange socks and have since been dubbed “Orange Socks.”


If you have any information about this young lady, please contact:

Texas Department of Public Safety
P O Box 4087
Austin, Texas 78773-0422
Phone: (512) 424-5074
or
Williamson County Sheriff's Office
512-943-1389

CASE# U8904002

PROFILE DATA AT A GLANCE: Williams Texas Jane Doe October 1979

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190115/sheriff-dna-found-from-two-or-more-men-in-1979-orange-socks-killing

Sheriff: DNA found from two or more men in 1979 “Orange Socks” killing

DNA has been found from two or more men in the “Orange Socks” case involving an unidentified woman who was found strangled in Williamson County in 1979, according to a tweet from Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody on Tuesday afternoon.

“DNA is being processed to separate the contributors and generate possible profiles,” the tweet said.

Further details were not yet available. Chody said in September that new DNA evidence had been found in the case.

The woman was found strangled in a concrete culvert along Interstate 35 near Georgetown on Halloween Day 1979. She was wearing only a pair of orange socks and has yet to be identified.

RELATED: Williamson Sheriff: New DNA in 1979 “Orange Socks” killing

Henry Lee Lucas, who once confessed to hundreds of murders nationwide but later recanted them all was convicted in 1984 of strangling the woman. He received the death sentence but it was commuted to life in prison after doubts were raised about his confession, including an investigation that showed he might have been in Florida when the woman was killed. Lucas died in 2001 in prison.

Investigators have described the woman as being in her mid-20s, white, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 135 to 140 pounds. Her hair was brown with a reddish tint and she had hazel eyes and pierced ears. She was wearing an oval-shaped abalone shell and silver ring when she died.

Her case was featured twice on “America’s Most Wanted” TV show.

http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/williamson-county-officials-make-progress-in-1979-orange-socks-cold-case

Williamson County officials make progress in 1979 'Orange Socks' cold case



GEORGETOWN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - The Williamson County Sheriff's Office has processed DNA evidence found on the scene of a two-decade old cold case.

According to Sheriff Robert Chody, preliminary forensic evidence testing on DNA found on the victim's socks revealed two or more male contributors.

Sheriff’s say the DNA is being further processed to separate the contributors and generate possible profiles.

On October 31, 1979, a passerby found her nude and bruised body in a concrete culvert on that Halloween day. For almost 40 years, nobody has claimed her leaving detectives wondering not only who she is, but also who killed her.

According to detectives, the woman was found lying in a ditch along Interstate 35. To this day the woman has not been identified and the Williamson County Sheriff's Office has only referred to her as "Orange Socks".

Authorities believe advances in DNA testing can eventually give the answer of who the suspects are and who the victim is.

If you have any information on this case, contact the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit at 512-943-5204.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/crime/williamson-county-officials-identify-victim-in-1979-orange-socks-cold-case/269-376d1bed-b35a-49ab-b3cf-12c73358cb8a

Williamson County officials identify victim in 1979 'Orange Socks' cold case

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Williamson County officials have finally identified the woman who was found dead about 40 years ago wearing only orange socks.

Sheriff Robert Chody made the announcement on Tuesday, stating more details would be released Wednesday morning. He did not reveal the woman's identity.

''Orange Socks'' has been identified as Debra Jackson of Abilene, Texas

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190807/40-years-after-her-death-debra-jackson-of-abilene-identified-as-orange-socks

40 years after her death, Debra Jackson of Abilene identified as ‘Orange Socks’

GEORGETOWN — Solving a mystery that has baffled investigators for 40 years, Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody announced Wednesday that the homicide victim found in 1979 and known only as “Orange Socks” was 23-year-old Debra Jackson of Abilene, who left home in 1977.

The sheriff’s office got a break in the case when Jackson’s sister saw a composite sketch of Jackson on TV that was released by the sheriff’s office in June, Chody said. Officials found out this past weekend that the sister’s DNA matched Jackson’s.

The investigation was known as the “Orange Socks case” because Jackson, who had been strangled, was found nude except for orange socks. She was discovered in a concrete culvert on Interstate 35 north of FM 972 in Georgetown on Halloween Day 1979.

Jackson left Abilene in 1977 and in 1978 went to Amarillo, where she worked at a Ramada Inn, Chody said at a news conference Wednesday. She also worked in 1978 at an assisted living center in Azle, northwest of Fort Worth.

Scars on her lower legs shown in autopsy photos are consistent with impetigo scars family described from her childhood, the sheriff said. Impetigo is a bacterial infection. Her family also recognized her abnormally long toes and uniquely shaped earlobes, Chody said.

They thought she had run away from home and was “doing OK,” said sheriff’s Sgt. John Pokorny. She was never reported as missing, officials said.

Chody said it was too early to identify a suspect in her death. “I spoke to a family member,” he said. “They said, ‘We can let her rest now.’”

After Jackson’s sister saw her sketch on television, she provided her DNA to a nonprofit group called the DNA Doe Project that was working with the sheriff’s office.

Jackson’s DNA and her sister’s DNA test results matched when they were loaded into a genealogy database called GEDmatch, said Jackie Jones, a member of the DNA Doe Project who spoke at the press conference.

Male DNA from Jackson’s fingernail clippings is still being investigated, Chody said. “We’re hoping there’s a witness still alive and says, ‘Hey, I knew Debra,’” he said.

He asked anyone who knew Jackson after she left Abilene to call detectives at 512-943-5204.

Chody said identifying the victim was “a big deal,” and he praised the cold case unit. “We haven’t solved the case, but we solved something not done in 40 years.” Chody formed the cold case unit a few months after he took office in 2017. It consists of retired investigators who volunteer their time. Chody said they worked more than 1,000 hours on the Jackson case.

The case was featured twice on the “America’s Most Wanted” TV show. Investigators have described the woman as being in her mid-20s, white, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 135 to 140 pounds. Her hair was brown with a reddish tint and she had hazel eyes and pierced ears. She was wearing an oval-shaped abalone shell and silver ring when she died.

Henry Lee Lucas, who once confessed to hundreds of murders nationwide but later recanted them all, was convicted in 1984 of strangling the woman.

He received the death sentence in her slaying, but it was commuted to life in prison after doubts were raised about his confession, including an investigation that showed he might have been in Florida when the woman was killed. Lucas died in 2001 in prison.

Chody declined to comment Wednesday about whether Lucas was still considered a suspect in the Jackson case.