Update: Atlanta shooting victim identified as 17-year-old from Carrollton, GA

[moriah]

Last edited Sat Sep 30, 2017, 12:13 PM - Edit history (2)

http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/facial-reconstruction-of-unidentified-shooting-victim-released

POSTED: SEP 28 2017 04:50PM EDT

ATLANTA - Investigators said they had to use facial reconstruction to try to identify a woman killed last week in northwest Atlanta.

Atlanta Police released a photo of that reconstruction completed by a NCMEC Forensic Artist. The victim was found dead in the area of 1700 block of Hortense Place NW last Thursday morning.

Police describe the victim as between 16 and 22 years old with short straight black hair, brown eyes, a medium build, about 5’7” in height, and weighed about 179 pounds.

The victim was wearing a black nylon Adidas warm-up jacket, a blue and white striped shirt, black denim jeans, multi-colored socks, and pink Nike flip-flops.

A red flora scarf was found underneath the woman’s body and may have been worn over her head. Her earlobes were pierced twice.

Investigators said the woman had multiple scars on her left thigh and a scar on her left ankle.

Please share out if you are in the Atlanta or surrounding areas, or know people who are. The case isn't getting a lot of media attention -- the Telegraph ran something based off of a FB share mainly that's the first non-local media piece about this poor child.

The officer's interview explained they don't think she was homeless -- she was well-groomed and nourished. But no purse or backpack was found with her, and she didn't even have any receipts in her pockets to try to go to those businesses and get even blurry photos of her in life.

She was shot multiple times at close range in the face and torso. The lack of anything useful for identification on her body and shots to the face could indicate she knew her murderer, as most murder victims do.

She's someone's daughter. Please help her get her name back. Thank you.

[moriah]

1. RIP, Dennetta Franks.

http://www.11alive.com/news/jane-doe-police-need-help-identifying-woman-killed-in-the-street__/479640463

She was reported missing to Columbus police on September 9, 2017.

Her family saw the reconstruction on the news and contacted Atlanta PD.

[MineralMan]

5. I'm glad she now has a name.

It is good that artistic reconstruction can lead to a fast identification.

What a horrible way to go, though!

[moriah]

6. The NCMEC team is amazing.

There's another group of forensic artists that donate their time to getting as many reconstructions done as possible for adult unidentified decedents -- Project EDAN. "Everyone Deserves A Name".

http://www.untfsu.com/forensicArt.html

They have been getting some good federal funding after their volunteer efforts, as well as that of the Doe Network, led fo many identifications. Now they have the NamUS database, a national database for law enforcement, coroners, and families to access and run more sophisticated searches.

They had some budgetary constraints on processing Family Reference Sample DNA recently, so had to prioritize, but they are back to their prior funding and progress on getting DNA samples from cold cases and from family members of long-term missing people as well as hotter cases.

I am hopeful that identification within 10 days becomes normal even when the murderer tries hard to prevent identification like they did here. The longer the victim remains nameless, the longer families have to sit in that limbo of not knowing, and the harder it is to find the killer.

I am kind of a nerd on this topic, and it may seem gruesome... but it's necessary that these images get made and publicized. One reconstruction in my state was recognized years later after a former college kid saw the news, saw the resemblance to the nice lady who would wave to him as he went to class, and called the tip in. He'd never known that nice lady was suspiciously missing.

[malaise]

2. Too sad

[moriah]

3. Very. These cases are rather personal for me.

We've found out what happened to our missing relative -- though my father died without ever getting to see his own father's grave.

But when it's likely a child they've found... I start crying. Especially as it seemed like the case wasn't getting much media coverage and time was ticking away with every day she remained nameless.

If I see any legitimate fundraisers for the family I will post them. The coroner may not release her body for burial right away because of the murder investigation, but nobody plans to have to bury their teenage daughter.

[malaise]

4. i understand

that must have been painful for your dad

Kick - Let's rec this for visibility