12/08/2023
***1983 UNSOLVED HOMICIDE/UNIDENTIFIED VICTIM***
Possibly from Canada or Europe
Ellery Doe was discovered on Dec. 6, 1983 along the eastbound lane of Route 17 (now Interstate 86) in the Town of Ellery, New York, 1.5 miles east of the Chautauqua Lake Bridge, near the Westman Road overpass. She had been shot multiple times.
VITAL STATISTICS
Height/weight: 5 foot 4 inches tall and 128 pounds
Age: Possibly late 30s-Early 40s
Eyes: Brown
Hair: brown hair (some gray at temples)
Other: wart above left eye, mole behind right ear, t-shaped scar on neck. A+ blood type.
Narrative:
A Niagara Mohawk Power Company truck driver discovered Ellery Doe on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 1983, between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. She had been dumped in a shallow, water-filled ditch, about 15 feet from the eastbound lane of Route 17 (now Interstate 86) in the Town of Ellery, New York. The location was 1.5 miles east of the Veterans Memorial Bridge (also known as the Chautauqua Lake Bridge) and approximately 450 feet from the Westman Road overpass. Her body was reportedly found face up and ''partially clad.'' Ellery Doe was the victim of a homicide. According to the coroner's report, she had been shot once in the back, twice in the chest and once inside the mouth with what was characterized as a ''large-caliber weapon.'' After combing the shoulder of the road with rakes and a metal detector, a large fragment of an expended bullet was eventually located, though it is not known what connection that bullet fragment had in the woman's death. Investigators believed that Ellery Doe could have been in the ditch for up to 24 to 36 hours before she was discovered (possible date of death between December 4-6, 1983). Snow cover would have buried her from view until the cold, drizzly rain showers revealed her body. Unfortunately, for several days following the discovery, bad weather including a Wednesday snowstorm hampered a thorough search and investigation of the vicinity.
Ellery Doe was described as a white female, 5-feet 4-inches in height and 128 pounds. She was likely in her late 30s, perhaps somewhere around 30 to 37 years of age at the time of discovery. She had brown eyes and long brown hair (sometimes described as ''dark'' or ''mousy'') with flecks of gray at the temple. Distinguishing marks included a 4 mm wart (report says above the left eye, but there seems to be one below her left eye in her picture), a 15 mm raised mole behind the left ear, and a T shaped scar on her throat. Her blood type was A positive. She did not wear any nail polish. She had unshaven legs, but was shaven over the bridge of her nose & armpits. According to one anthropologist, it appears that she had given birth to at least one child in the 15 years prior to her death Ellery Doe did not match any missing person reports from the region.
Evidence actually hinted that she may have come from somewhere outside the United States (possibly Canada or Europe). One example of the evidence suggesting a foreign connection: the clothing she was found with included a white V-neck camisole (80% wool, 20% nylon) that was manufactured in Capri, Italy, an item that was not then available for export. Other clothing items she was found with included a high-quality green, brown and red checked trench coat with a belt and button cuffs that was reversible to olive drab wool (inside tag 40, possible metric size), a homemade plaid wool skirt in various shades of brown, blue and red in 3'' squares, with a black silk lining, and a blue-gray wool crewneck pullover. Ellery Doe was found without shoes (though it has been determined that her shoe size would have been a 5 or 6). She was found without any jewelry or any other personal property.
The medical evidence also suggests European or Canadian origin. Ellery Doe had expensive bridgework on the right side of her mouth that appeared to have been done in Europe - at least the gold was reportedly of European origin. She also had an IUD which was foreign made (Finland, Belgium and Holland) that was then available in Canada but not available for distribution in the United States. Ellery Doe was found with a handwritten note on paper from the Blue Boy Motor Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. There is no identifiable message on the note, just abbreviations and numbers. Investigators have been unable to clarify what they mean.
The early investigation hinted at some possible sightings. Several employees at truck stops along Interstate 90, including a service station near North East, PA, thought they might have seen a woman resembling Ellery Doe on the evening of Monday, Dec. 5. So it is possible that Ellery Doe may have been traveling east along I-90, which swings around the Great Lakes through Chicago.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department (CCSD) emphasizes that this is still an open case and that they continue to investigate leads as they develop. Nevertheless, the case of Ellery Doe went cold long ago. ''There is just no new information since way back when,'' Officer Jim Hanson from CCSD stated. ''We've been checking missing person files, but nothing has come up. She's still on the nationwide computer, there's been checks every now and then out of the country for missing persons, but there's just nothing. Nothing as far as identification on her or suspects.'' Computer checks in the United States, Canada and Interpol have not produced any hits with missing person reports resembling Ellery Doe. Attempts to identify her through fingerprints have also been unproductive. Her biometric data is currently listed on NamUs, the National Institute of Justice's National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, at https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case #/15489
If you have information on this case, contact the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department at 716-753-4231 or your local law enforcement agency.
