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Jan. 18, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal


Dead girl's case has police stymied

Investigators have no solid leads, still don't know child's name

By BRIAN HAYNES
REVIEW-JOURNAL





A mobile billboard showing the photo of an unidentified girl heads down Arville Street on Tuesday. The girl, nicknamed Jane Cordova Doe, was found dead last week in a trash bin. The truck was donated by Mobile Billboards of Las Vegas.
Photo by John Gurzinski.



Greg Bernacki, left, and Bob Francesconi look at maps of area schools Tuesday in the parking lot of Bracken Elementary School. The volunteers for Nevada Child Seekers were visiting schools while looking for leads in the case of Jane Cordova Doe, the girl who was found dead last week in a trash bin.
Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Her face has been put on fliers, on mobile billboards, in newspapers and on TV.

Yet police still don't know the name of the little girl who was found dead last week in a Las Vegas apartment complex trash bin. And investigators have no strong leads.

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"Nothing solid, which is kind of baffling," said Las Vegas police Lt. Lew Roberts, whose homicide unit took the lead on the case Tuesday.

Other police sections, including missing persons, remained on the investigation, he said.

"We're all at it together, trying to figure out who this girl is and who did this to her," Roberts said.

The Clark County coroner's office was awaiting toxicology results before ruling on an official cause and manner of death.

Police have been working since Thursday morning to identify the young girl, who was clean and well-kept when a man found her in the trash at The Fountains at Villa Cordova apartments on Eastern Avenue, near Sahara Avenue. Until her real name is determined, the girl will be called Jane Cordova Doe, named after the apartments where she was found.

The girl was about 3 years old and appeared to be Hispanic. She was wearing a white fleece jacket with pink hearts. Her body showed no signs of obvious trauma.

In the days since the discovery, investigators have canvassed neighborhoods near the apartments and schools across the valley. With few clues and no local reports of missing children matching the girl's description, police began looking outside the state.

"We believe this search might take us into other states or possibly into Mexico," said Sgt. Chris Jones, a police spokesman. "We're not sure how long or if, in fact, her or her family lived in Las Vegas. They may be undocumented immigrants."

Police have said the case might be profiled on the television show "America's Most Wanted."

In Las Vegas, volunteers with Nevada Child Seekers visited nearly every school Tuesday, passing out fliers and talking with school administrators in hopes that a student might recognize the girl.

"You just don't want to rule anything out," said Stephanie Parker, the group's executive director.

Police also enlisted the help of Mobile Billboards of Las Vegas, which has been rolling down the streets of Las Vegas with a 10-foot-by-20-foot poster with the girl's photo and a police contact number. An account executive with Mobile Billboards, Calee Vetkoetter, met with Las Vegas police last Wednesday about a proposal to use the billboards to help find missing people and wanted suspects.

The dead girl was found the next day, and police came to Vetkoetter on Friday. The first billboard was rolling Monday. Under direction from police, its route focused on Hispanic neighborhoods. On Tuesday, the billboard went to the Strip.

Marla Letizia, president of Mobile Billboards of Las Vegas, said she hoped she doesn't have to run the billboard for long.

"Let's truly all hope that within less than a week, they have their answers," she said.

Anyone with information can call 229-LOST or leave anonymous tips with Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

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