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December 20th 1976, was the day residents of Carbon County, Pennsylvania, were shaken from their notion of safety and security. That morning, underneath a bridge on Interstate 80 near Exit 273, a passerby noticed 3 suitcases that had been dumped from the bridge above. Curious, they began to open the suitcase. As the zips peeled apart, the site of human remains was slowly unveiled. The Pennsylvania State Police were quickly summoned to the scene and took over the investigation.
Across 3 suitcases, police found the remains of a young woman who had been dismembered at the torso, head and joints. Disturbingly, investigators also found a fetus that was at 9 months gestation that had been removed during the woman's dismemberment. She had been shot in the neck and strangled to death before being hacked into pieces. Her killer had gone so far as to remove her ears, nose and breasts in a bid to conceal her identity.
Unfortunately, the killer's plan worked, and nobody came forward to claim the young woman, who was estimated to be white or Hispanic, 16 to 25, with brown hair and brown eyes. The woman had something written on her left hand in ink; according to the Doe Network, this was ‘WSR’ followed by a 4 or a 5 and then a 4 or a 7. The woman’s dental records were extremely unique, and she had suffered from dental problems in her short life and would likely have been in pain at the time of her death.
Despite these unique features, nobody came forward to identify her. Whilst her killer had mutilated her face, her remains had been preserved by the Pennsylvania cold, and her face was recognisable at the time of autopsy. A composite sketch of the young woman was made, but still, nobody came to claim her. Investigators dubbed the woman ‘Beth Doe’ and vowed to get her name back.
It would take until 2020 for the case to pick up again when Beth Doe’s femur was sent to Othram for analysis. Othram were able to extract a DNA profile and began genealogical research. Another genealogy company also helped Othram, and within a few weeks, they had found a possible family member. This family member submitted a DNA profile for comparison.
In February 2021, the Pennsylvania State Police and Othram called a press conference in which they identified Beth Doe as 15-year-old Evelyn Colon of Jersey City, New Jersey. Evelyn was last seen in December of 1976 and was pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Evelyn had been living with her boyfriend, 19-year-old Luis Sierra, who was abusive toward Evelyn. In 1977, months after the pair disappeared, Evelyn’s family received a letter written in Spanish which claimed she (Evelyn) and the baby were well.
Evelyn’s family immediately knew something was wrong as Evelyn couldn’t write. They believe Luis penned the letter to keep them away from her. In March 2021, Luis Sierra was arrested and charged with Evelyn’s murder. The case against Sierra is ongoing. Evelyn’s body was returned to her family, along with the body of her baby, whom her family has called Emily Grace. Evelyn and Emily are buried together, and their family regularly visits them.
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