2009 Jane Doe- Salamanca

SOUTH VALLEY - Human remains found in the Allegheny Reservoir this past weekend have been sent to the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo as speculation about the person's identity runs rampant throughout the region.

Around 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Cattaraugus County Sheriff's deputies were called to the reservoir after a man fishing discovered the skeletal remains in the mud along the shore. The water in the reservoir had recently been lowered for the season and that may have been the trigger that exposed the remains.

Acting Sheriff Tim Whitcomb said currently there are no open missing person cases in Cattaraugus County, and that the department has a "real mystery" on its hands.

"We weren't able to throughly process the scene Saturday because of rain and the limited amount of sunlight we had," he said. "But that's exactly what we did Sunday until the sun went down."

He said that a number of items had been recovered from the area and treated as evidence, although he wouldn't discuss any specifics.

Whitcomb said that visual identification of the remains was impossible since the body was in an "advanced stage of decomposition."

"Mother Nature and the animals had spread it about, but we collected everything we could find," he said. "After ECMC, the remains will be going to a forensic anthropologist where full medical exams will be performed."

Medical information pertinent to several open missing persons cases in the area has been made available to either identify the person or rule out a possibility.

Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office Seeks Assistance Identifying Skeletal Remains

The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office is seeking information to assist in the identification of skeletal remains discovered on the shore line of the Allegheny Reservoir in the Town of South Valley in Cattaraugus County on September 26th 2009.

A forensic examination revealed that the remains are of a female between the ages of 25 to 45. (likely 30-40). Stature of 5'1"-5'8", A person of a smaller build estimated to be have weighed 105-125 pounds. It has also been suggested that the remains have been in the water for a period of one to five years. Additionally an examination revealed that a single rib shows evidence of a healed fracture. Also a fractured left tibia has been noted. Found with the remains was one left winter type boot. Made of tan suede, is mid calf in length and is size 6. The boot is fleeced lined and made in China under the brand name of Hotcakes. The front of the boot is embroidered with red, white and blue flowers and a green leaf. Dental record of the deceased are on file with the Erie Co. Medical Examiners Office for comparison and DNA is currently being obtained for database entry.

Anyone who believes to have any information in regards to the identity of this person, please contact Det. William Welling at the Sheriff's Office (716) 938-9191 extension 2276.

Photos of boot similar to that found with deceased:

DNA could help crack Jane Doe case

Updated: Monday, 06 Jun 2011, 6:45 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 06 Jun 2011, 6:45 PM EDT

Luke Moretti
Posted by: Eli George

SALAMANCA, N.Y. (WIVB) - It's a mystery dating back two years on the southern tier. Authorities tell News 4 that DNA may finally put a name on the bones found at the Allegheny Reservoir.

Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb said, "We're excited. We have much more information than we had several months ago."

Sheriff Whitcomb is talking about the case involving a "Jane Doe," skeletal remains found near the Allegheny Reservoir in South Valley.

"We have new DNA information from what we've recovered from the scene and submitted. We're not releasing that to the public as of yet because we're going to maintain the continuity of the investigation," said Sheriff Whitcomb.

The remains were discovered on the shoreline of the reservoir in September 2009 and were found along with one winter type boot. A preliminary examination done a couple of years ago suggested that the skeletal remains may have been in the water between one and five years.

Sheriff Whitcomb said, "We're looking at somebody probably between the ages of 20 and 30. That being said, we can expect that this is not a natural death. It's certainly not a natural location to expire."

At this point, cold case investigators are trying to identify the Jane Doe. They have cross checked missing persons files locally and elsewhere and still no hits.

"This was somebody's little girl at one time and it's hard for me to believe that somewhere out there, somebody's not missing her. We'd like to find those people that are missing her because we'd like to give her some justice, if that's what needs to be," said Sheriff Whitcomb.

If anyone has any information about the skeletal remains found on the shoreline of the Allegheny Reservoir in 2009, you're asked to contact the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's office at 938-2276.

DNA could help crack Jane Doe case: wivb.com

Sheriff's Office identifies skeletal remains as missing Salamanca woman

Posted: Monday, February 27, 2012 4:01 pm | Updated: 6:29 am, Tue Feb 28, 2012.

By Christopher Michel Olean Times Herald | 0 comments

LITTLE VALLEY — The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office has identified human remains found in the Allegany Reservoir more than two years ago as Traci Douglass, 45, of Salamanca.

Monday’s announcement is based on the results of an ongoing forensic investigation conducted since Sept. 26, 2009, when a fisherman discovered a skeleton in a remote area of the reservoir in the town of South Valley. At the time of the remains’ discovery, sheriff’s office officials said the skeleton was in an advanced state of decomposition and had been at its location for some time.
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After processing the scene and collecting evidence, the remains were submitted to the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo for examination. Forensic lab tests on the remains resulted in a partial DNA profile. Also a forensic odontological exam developed a dental profile. The remains were further examined at the Forensic Anthropology Center at MercyHurst College in Erie, Pa.

Last April, the remains were further examined at the Department of Forensic Biology, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York City for a more detailed DNA analysis. This exam resulted in a suitable DNA profile being obtained.

During the first days of the investigation, law enforcement ruled out the skeleton as that of Corrie Anderson or Lori Bova, two Jamestown women who have been missing for more than a year.

In following up on other leads, Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office detectives came across the case of Ms. Douglass, who had not been seen in a while. Detectives located the Ms. Douglass’ relatives and obtained a DNA from her family which was then submitted for analysis and resulted in a match.

A press conference on the investigation is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at sheriff’s office in Little Valley.

Anyone with further information on Ms. Douglass and her disappearance is asked to contact Detective William Welling at 938-2276. All calls will be kept confidential.

Cattaraugus County Sheriff Tim Whitcomb could not be reached to comment by press time.

(Contact reporter Christopher Michel at. Follow him on Twitter, OTHChris.)

Cumberland Times-News
April 21, 2012
Woman’s N.Y. death mystery
DNA helps police ID body of former Cumberland resident found in reservior

Jeffrey Alderton
Cumberland Times-News

— CUMBERLAND — As authorities in New York state continue to investigate the death of 45-year-old Traci Douglass, a former Cumberland resident whose body was recently identified with state-of-the-art DNA testing, her former best friend in the Queen City hopes someone can provide police information to help solve the case.

“Traci knew an awful lot of people in Cumberland and she easily befriended people,” said city resident Rhonda Lynn Fazenbaker.“If someone talked to her before she went missing, if they have any information — even something they may not think is important — please give that information to police.”

A woman’s body was found on the Kinzua Reservoir on Sept. 26, 2009, by a pedestrian who called police. A few weeks ago, Fazenbaker heard from Douglass’ daughter, who said her mom’s body had been identified as the woman who was found in the reservoir.

Douglass’ death is believed to be a result of foul play, according to the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department. The FBI has provided assistance in the case.

“I would like to find out who did this to her and to help her daughter to get some closure. I’m glad they now have her body and will be able to put her to rest. I understand she will be brought back to Garrett County for burial,” said Fazenbaker, who contacted the Times-News in an effort to publicize information about Douglass and possibly stir information that will aid investigators.

“I met Traci when she moved to Cumberland around 1994. She lived at Fort Cumberland Homes and had a daughter and son who were twins. Her son Dylan died in 2001, when he was 9, of brain cancer at home and he had hospice care.

“Traci worked at Flowerland on Virginia Avenue for a while. She was born and raised in Bloomington. I believe she lived in Baltimore County for a few years when she was first married. She remarried while she was living here. She took her daughter, Winter, and moved to New York about three to five months after Dylan died.

“Traci was my best friend. She was dating my boyfriend’s brother when I first met her. After she moved, we talked about four times a month. She seemed to be doing OK and was working in a book store up there in Salamanca. Her daughter was in school at the time. Traci wasn’t depressed.”

In December 2006, Fazenbaker was contacted by Winter, who said that she couldn’t find her mom.“Winter said a lady had come into McDonald’s where Winter worked and told her that her mom was going to meet her boyfriend and that he had been abusive to her in the past,” recalled Fazenbaker.“Winter asked me what should she do. I told her to report her mom missing.”

For six years, Douglass’ family and friends remained clueless about her disappearance. Now that her body has been identified, police are working to determine who is responsible for her death.

Cattaraugus Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb said,“This effort is a plea to anybody in the public to please contact us if you have any information whatsoever regarding Traci Douglass. We would like to hear from anybody and everybody in her social circle. Any piece of information that they may have, that may seem insignificant to them, may be very significant to us. We want to get to know her. We want to get to know every job she had, every friend she had, every enemy she had, every landlord she had. We want to know where she slept, where she ate, what her hobbies were, what made her happy, what made her sad, Any piece of information that the public has about Traci, we want.”