Howard County police share update on 1971 cold case

Howard County police will share an update on a cold case that dates back to 1971. The Jane Doe murder is the department's oldest case
By JT Moodee Lockman
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — Howard County police will share an update Thursday on a cold case that dates back to 1971.
The Jane Doe murder is the department’s oldest case, officials said.
According to police, the woman was found in a field off Route 99, east of Woodstock Road, in July 1971.
She was hospitalized and treated for her injuries, which stemmed from an assault, police said.
The woman never regained consciousness and died two months later, according to police. She has remained unidentified since then.
Police described the woman as 5’1″, weighing about 100 pounds. She had light brown hair that was beginning to gray, and a hump in the midsection of her nose, according to police.
Howard County cold cases In March, Howard County police closed the department’s second-oldest cold case, a 1975 murder.
The case involved 20-year-old Roseann Sturtz, who was found dead in a wooded area of Columbia after last being seen alive outside a club in downtown Baltimore in August 1975. Police said her body was found nearly five months later.
In March, officers closed the case after recovered evidence revealed the killer was already serving a life sentence in a Maryland prison.
Charles William Davis Jr. was determined to be the killer after a detective found a letter dated 1981 that offered Davis blanket immunity from prosecution for information about Sturtz’s death.
The detective interviewed Davis, who ultimately confessed to being responsible for Sturtz’s death.
Also in March, Howard County police revived a case from 1981 relating to the death of a couple tied to the former Enchanted Forest Amusement Park.
Officials believe the couple’s death was due to a case of mistaken identity. A reward of $30,000 is being offered for information in that case.
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