COLUMBUS – Ohio’s attorney general and the Franklin County Coroner have released a forensic artist’s rendering of a woman’s face in hopes of finding out her identity nearly 20 years after she died.
A forensic artist with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation created the likeness of the woman based on a photograph taken after her death in 1999 in an effort to generate tips about her identity.
“My hope is that by releasing this photo, we can provide closure to the family and friends of this woman. As coroner, I take seriously our duty to serve the community of Franklin County and speak for those who cannot,” said Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz
The woman was found in front of the Kahiki restaurant on E. Broad Street on Nov. 28, 1999, and she died at a hospital the same day, apparently of natural causes.
“This woman’s identity has remained a mystery for nearly two decades, but we hope this image will result in some new leads,” said Attorney General Mike DeWine. “Someone had to have known her before she died, and perhaps this picture created by our forensic artist will spark someone’s recollection of a friend or family member who hasn’t been seen for several years.”
The woman was 5’7″ tall and weighed 140 pounds. She had reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, pierced ears, and small scars on her nose and left cheek.
At the time of her death she was wearing a straw hat, blue coat, overalls, blue socks, sunglasses, and gray metal earrings (actual clothing pictured above, right).
Anyone with information on this woman’s identity should contact the Franklin County Coroner’s Office at 614-525-5290 or the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 740-845-2406.