Search continues for identity of murdered woman

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A young woman's life came to a violent end last Thursday. A killer dumped her body on Sharpcrest Street in southwest Houston after shooting her in the head, neck, and chest. Her identity remains a mystery. No one has come to claim her body. No one knows her name.

Doctor Sharon Derrick is the identification manager for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Derrick said any Jane Doe case can be complicated.

"Think about the number of individuals who come through our office each year. In 2016, we have an estimated 4,700 cases that were brought to our office. We didn't have a single girl like this," said Derrick. "So that tells you something about the rarity."

Derrick said she hopes someone can help her office identify the dead woman. The Hispanic woman was just 5 feet tall and weighed 108 pounds. She had long dark, wavy hair, and pierced ears. She was wearing a shirt with a pink "Slope Bunny embroidered emblem, Old Navy brand blue jeans, white Converse shoes with red stripes, and purple socks. She also had 3 metal rings on her hands including one compromised of elephants.

"No young woman should end up deceased before her time. That's for sure," said Derrick. "Then to have her family not know where she is ... I can't even imagine what that would be like. We take it very seriously to try and find the family."

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences posts unidentified decedent fliers on their website. They are graphic in natural including photos of the deceased. < https://ifs.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/UnidentifiedDecendentFliers.aspx

They report about 350 open cases including one dating back to 1957.