a facial reconstruction of Little Jane
found August 13th, 1979

UNSOLVED

The Little Jane Doe of Shenandoah, often shortened to Little Jane, also sometimes known as Rockingham County Jane Doe, is a currently unidentified body.

In the afternoon of August 13th, 1979, Catherine and Arnold Carl were hiking through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia when they saw what, according to Catherine, thought was a "weird looking log". Husband and wife were both nature fanatics, having met in high school at their school's horticulture class and club, so they went over to check it out.

Though, when they approached it, they quickly saw it was anything but. There was an African American girl, wearing a long-sleeved black Lolita style dress, her face cut up. Her teeth were missing, her eyes were missing, and the letter 'J' was carved all over her face. The tips of her fingers were cut off, as well as her toes. Her tongue was also missing. She was determined to be somewhere between ages seven and twelve. While Arnold stayed with the body, Catherine went to go find a park ranger. Afterwards, police were contacted and the body was given an autopsy, in hopes to identify her, but they were unable. They also found that her chest had been poorly stitched up and they discovered her heart was missing. She was determined to have been dead for only a few hours by that point.

Shortly thereafter, Little Jane, as she's known today, was buried in East Point Cemetery in Rockingham County, Virginia, her grave reading;

THE LITTLE JANE DOE OF SHENANDOAH
MAY SHE BE AT PEACE
DISCOVERED AUGUST 13TH, 1979

The grave is visited by hundreds of people every year. Flowers, toys, even children's books, are left at her grave every year.

The name "Little Jane Doe of Shenandoah" was coined by Detective Ross Stone towards the start of the case. Stone was the primary detective in Little Jane's case until his retirement in 2011. Since then, the name has stuck in popular culture, in the multitude of documentaries, podcasts and even essays about her, though oftentimes it is shortened to 'Little Jane'. Since being discovered, the body has been exhumed five times, as technology advances, in hopes to identify her.

A few people believed that Little Jane was the missing girl, Lucy Michelle Weaving, who had disappeared from her Alexandria home in 1979. In 1985, Rockingham County police almost went as far as to hold a press conference officially identifying her as Lucy, though there wasn't much evidence, so they dropped that. Besides, Lucy would soon be found on New Year's Day of 1986 in Norfolk after escaping her kidnapper and running to police.

Since discovering Little Jane's body, Catherine and Arnold Carl have been advocates in helping solve her case. Today, the Carls are both seventy-four. They have four children and many grandchildren. They have said they've made sure to mostly not involve their family in this, though their children have also become advocates in helping solve Little Jane's case, out of their own free will.

In September of 2023, child safety activist, Abigail Alfson, came forward, saying she believes Little Jane may be her younger sister, June Rosette Alfson, who went missing with the girls' step-father, Michael Alfson, six months before the discovery of Little Jane's body.

As of October 22nd, 2023, Little Jane is still unidentified, though the body is currently being exhumed again. Here's hoping Little Jane is soon identified, whether as June or some other girl.