The Bizarre 'Orange Socks' Mystery

On October 31, 1979, the unidentified body of a slain woman was found in a ditch, along Interstate
35 in Georgetown, Texas. After nearly 38 years, this woman's identity remains unknown, but the utterance of two simple words alludes to a truly horrifying story: Orange Socks.

Warning: Some of the photos in this article may be too disturbing for some readers.

Who was Orange Socks? The woman was found partially nude -- wearing nothing but a pair of orange socks -- on Halloween morning in 1979. She was found in a culvert on the outer side of a guardrail along I-35 in Georgetown, Texas. Evidence on her body indicated that she had been dragged to the guardrail before she was thrown over it. Her battered body was covered with bruises and marks -- some of which she had endured during her violent murder, and others from when her body was thrown over the side of the interstate. Police quickly determined that this Jane Doe died by strangulation, due to bruising on her neck. She had also been sexually assaulted.

Her age is unknown, and even though her body was discovered not long after her murder (within hours), it could only be determined that the woman was between the ages of 15 and 30-years-old. Evidence found with her body indicated that she was a drifter (or even a runaway). Her nails were long and unkempt, as was her hair. She had suffered from untreated sexually transmitted diseases, which led to an inflammatory disease of her Fallopian tubes. She had been attempting to maintain her menstrual period with a sort of rag that she had folded into a sanitary napkin, which was found near her body. A matchbox found with her body had originated in the state of Oklahoma.

Serial killer Henry Lee Lucas once confessed to killing this Jane Doe, though he offered no identity for the woman. He claimed that he picked her up while she was hitchhiking in Oklahoma City. He claimed that they had consensual sex once during their time together, but when she rebuffed his request for a second sexual encounter, he decided to kill her and have sex with her lifeless corpse. He admitted to dumping her body in Texas. At the time of his confession, Lucas told detectives that the woman's name may have been either Joanie or Judy.
While it's easy to believe that Henry Lee Lucas claimed this woman as one of his victims, it should be noted that no physical evidence ever tied him to the murder of Orange Socks. Furthermore, he later recanted his confession. It also wouldn't be the first time that a serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas included, had lied to boast a higher kill count. Henry Lee Lucas was among the worst when it came to falsely confessing to crimes. The notorious murderer had once confessed to killing over 3,000 people, which would make him the most prolific serial killer in history. However, there is very little truth to the high numbers the killer had claimed, and it's far more likely that he had only killed a relatively small amount of people in comparison to his boasting. So not only is this woman's identity unknown, her true killer remains unknown as well.

There have been multiple attempts at identifying the Jane Doe known as Orange Socks. Unfortunately, no attempts have ever been successful. Currently, she lays in a modest grave in Odd Fellows Cemetery, in Georgetown, Texas. Hopefully another 40 years don't pass without identification.

Do you think we'll ever know the true identity of Orange Socks?