Texas Authorities Using Facial Reconstruction In Effort To Identify Remains Of Girl Found In Suitcase 3 Years Ago
MADISONVILLE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The Madison County Sheriff's Office and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are trying to solve a disturbing 3-year-old cold case.
The agencies created a facial reconstruction to show what the child may have looked like in life.
The reconstruction was made using a CT scan of her skull.
The victim's remains were found on Sept. 17, 2016 near the 7800 block of I-45 north in Madisonville, Texas inside a black suitcase.
She was between 2 and 6 years old and was found wearing a pink dress and a diaper.
The girl was also found with a feeding tube. She likely had a condition called micrognathia, which would have affected her ability to eat on her own. She also would have likely needed professional medical care throughout her life.
It's estimated that she was deceased for three to five months before she was found.
Forensic experts believe she was Caucasian or Hispanic and had thick, dark hair.
New genealogy research now reveals she also had Native American lineage.
While she was found in Texas, a pollen analysis completed on her remains suggests she was from the southwest U.S. or the adjacent region in Mexico. It's even more likely she was from southeast Arizona.
Madisonville is 145 miles southeast of Dallas.