Can we identify her? Part II of the El Dorado Jane Doe Mystery

Earlier, I wrote about the mysterious case of the El Dorado Jane Doe -- a woman who called herself "Mercedes" among friends and fellow prostitutes. In 1991, her murdered body was found in a motel room where her boyfriend (and pimp) had been living. He was convicted of killing her, but her true identity has never been revealed. "Mercedes" was an identity thief, and possibly a former child runaway who lived her life under the security of assumed identities. In Part II of my series of posts about this Jane Doe, I'm going to highlight various missing persons cases that may or may not have some kind of relation to "Mercedes." Can we identify this unidentified woman, and bring an end to a 26-year-old cold case?

Karen Tompkins
Karen was 11-years-old when she vanished from her home in Torrance, California, in 1961. She was last seen leaving a class she had been attending at her elementary school. When she never returned home that afternoon, her family reported her missing. It's been many, many years and Karen has
never been found. While there have been a number of theories -- and suspects -- in her case, nothing has ever really stuck. It should be noted that this child was 11-years-old at the presumed time that the El Dorado Jane Doe may have been born, but since nobody knows anything about this woman, I've allowed a cushion of several years in order to hopefully expand the possibilities in solving this case.

Ann Marie Burr
Little Ann Marie was only eight-years-old when she vanished from Tacoma, Washington in 1961. Her case seems suspiciously like many others in which a child has mysteriously vanished from her own bedroom as her family slept. Her family claims to not know what happened to her, and evidence that may have been factual (or planted) indicated that someone broke into the house and kidnapped the sleeping child. However, the dog didn't bark and nobody awoke to any sounds of disturbance. While it seems more likely that someone known to the child did something to her, it's just as likely that someone broke into the family's residence and kidnapped that child. Anne Burr has never been found, so there is really no telling what happened to her or where she ended up in her life (if she made it out of Tacoma at all).

Diana Moon Yoli
Seven-year-old Diana was last seen in September 1962 in North Carolina. The child, along with her younger brother, both went missing together while on their way to a playground near their home. Extensive searches for the children have never returned any evidence, but there has been at least one suspect in their case. A convicted pedophile (who is now deceased), was a suspect. However, no evidence ever tied him to the disappearances.

Foul play is definitely suspected in the disappearance of Diana Moon Yoli, and her little brother. With there being so many years passed and no evidence of any solution, anything is possible in their case.

The Giusti Girls
A 20-year-old mother and her two very young daughters went missing in 1963 from the town of Port Townsend, Washington. This unsolved case comes with very little information, but it's widely believed that all three of the Giusti girls are deceased. 

Twenty-year-old Sharon Giusti, along with their two babies, was reported missing by her husband. She reportedly left the family residence with the children in their car. The husband claimed to police that he had been out working in a field on their property when she left. A search for the trio only led to the discovery of the family's vehicle, which had been abandoned just a mile away from their home.

It's a suspicious story, that certainly puts the missing mother's husband in a negative light.
However, anything is possible when no signs of the missing mother and daughters have ever been found. I want to note that Sharon Giusti, and her daughters, were all redheads -- just like the El Dorado Jane Doe. I want to also point out that little Michelle Giusti -- who was only a year old at the time of her disappearance -- had blue eyes. The El Dorado Jane Doe had striking, noticeably blue eyes.

The two missing children -- one-year-old Michelle Renee, and infant Clara -- could be anywhere. Sharon could be anywhere. They are all most likely deceased, hidden somewhere in the rural region surrounding Port Townsend. But what if?

Lynn Luray
This young girl was 15-years-old when she disappeared in 1964, from Long Beach, California. There aren't many details available in this cold case disappearance, but it's believed that she was last seen with an unidentified older male. Lynn had red hair.

It should be noted that, since Lynn was 15-years-old at the time of her disappearance, that she'd probably be too old to be the El Dorado Jane Doe. However, there are photos that exist of the unidentified Arkansas woman that make her appear to be a bit older than 30 -- while others do make her appear to be far younger. She was a redhead, however, and as I've repeated: Anything is possible in these unsolved cases.

Mildred and Patricia Zentner
Mildred -- a 28-year-old mother -- and her two-year-old daughter vanished in 1964 from Michigan. Their cases don't come with a lot of information, but foul play has long been suspected. Mildred was a redheaded woman, and her young daughter appeared to have fair, red-colored hair.

What is known indeed paints a typical suspicious story, which has been repeated at least once in this post: The missing mom's husband claimed that she took their daughter and left him (leaving clothes and other belongings behind, of course). Jesse Zentner claimed to detectives that he had spanked
his daughter, which caused an argument between he and his wife. He said he left, and when he returned they were gone. Mildred supposedly left behind a typed note, but Jesse destroyed it. It's indeed suspicious, but no traces of either mother or daughter have ever been found.

Kathleen Shea