Who is Princess Doe?

The true identity of Princess Doe may never be known, but there is still a small shred of hope that someone out there might know who she is. The young woman's body was located in Blairstown, New Jersey on July 15, 1982 and the story surrounding her remains is just as fascinating as the nickname authorities in Blairstown gave her. Her case was the very first "unidentified person" report to be filed into the NCIC database by the FBI -- and that's just the very, very tip of the iceberg.

All that can be known about her until someone comes forward is the story developed by the clues as they are known -- and to create a story about a victim who lacks a voice is difficult. I can only hope her story has an ending that gives someone out there closure, but as it stands she died violently and ended up a cold case Jane Doe -- immortalized with the title of royalty: Princess Doe.


Princess was very young, between the ages of 14 and 18 years old when her badly beaten body was located  in a wooded area near the north side of Cedar Ridge Cemetery (Route 94, Blairstown). Her body had been partially disrobed and she was bludgeoned -- beaten so severely that her face was unrecognizable. She suffered a brutal death. Due to the level of decomposition and lengthy exposure to the elements, medical examiners were unable to determine whether or not she had been sexually assaulted, nor were they able to tell if she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Considering the condition of her body and the action of being disrobed, it's likely that she was sexually assaulted -- or otherwise this was done so as to "stage" the evidence of sexual assault. She had been exposed to the elements for upwards of three weeks during a hot and humid summer.
                 
She stood at around 5'2", 110 lbs.., and had shoulder length brown hair. However, her eye color is unknown due to the level of decomposition. This vital piece of information remains unknown. The clothing found with her remains is pictured above along with an intricate (and interesting) gold toned cross necklace. The cross necklace itself seems rather unique. She was found without undergarments or shoes. The quality of her clothing paired with the health of her teeth lead officials to believe that she was once from a middle class family before somehow becoming "estranged."

It should be noted that she only wore nail polish on her right hand. This tells me that she was interrupted in between hands, finishing her right before whatever happened to her happened. The fact that she lacked shoes and underwear only further adds to my suspicion that she was taken from her home by surprise or was dumped in the location where she was discovered as the secondary or tertiary crime scenes.

The fact that nobody was reported missing around the time make claim to this poor murder victim only raises more suspicion.

The Princess Doe story has interested many people for many, many years. In fact, she's one of the few cold case "Jane Doe" stories  that has a specific website dedicated to factual information and the search for answers. The site shares an interesting tradition of meeting at the Cedar Ridge Cemetery every July 15th to pay memory to the murdered young woman. Her headstone interestingly (and truthfully) reads:

"Dead among strangers, remembered by all"

For over 30 years these memorial meetings are held. Will there be 30 more before her identity is truly known?