14-03-2025
Was the Wetzel County Jane Doe the victim of a serial killer?
LITTLETON, (WBOY) — Beginning as early as 1978 and potentially lasting until 1992, the bodies of multiple women were located off of several highways in the United States, all sharing one unique trait—red or reddish hair. One of the confirmed victims was a West Virginia resident, 28-year-old Lisa Ann Jarvis, also known as Lisa Ann Nichols and Lisa Ann Fuller.
In 1984, Jarvis was found dead in Arkansas and was described as having strawberry blonde hair. While other confirmed victims were found in Tennessee and Kentucky, it's possible the killer also made a stop in Wetzel County, West Virginia.
On Feb. 13, 1983, an elderly couple contacted law enforcement to report what they first thought was a mannequin that had been thrown over a hill along US Route 250 in Littleton, as the area was known for illegal trash dumping. This mannequin turned out to be the body of a woman, and a possible victim of the 'Redhead Murders.'
The woman has remained unidentified since, and is known today only as the Wetzel County Jane Doe. According to The Doe Network, the woman had been dead for two or three days, but had only recently been moved to the area, as snow had fallen in previous days and there was no snow on her body. Fresh tracks and footprints were also found near the body.
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A possible witness was subjected to 'forensic hypnosis' and described a white male in his 40s who stood at roughly 5 feet 10 inches tall. An unnamed additional suspect was already serving a life sentence, but he could not be prosecuted without the victim being identified. A cause of death could not be determined and strangulation was excluded as a possible cause as there were no ligature marks or bruising on her neck, but suffocation could not be ruled out.
The Jane Doe was described as having auburn, medium length hair and possibly brown eyes, standing at around 5 feet 5 inches tall and being between 30-45 years old. She had a scar on her index finger, double pierced ears and orange painted toenails. She had also recently been fitted for dentures, and may have been seen at a bar in Wheeling before her death. No clothing, jewelry or personal items were found. She was not suspected of being linked to the Redhead Murders until 2 years later.
In 2018, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation linked the late Jerry Leon Johns to one of the Redhead Murder victims, Tina Marie McKenney Farmer. Johns was already serving time in prison for the aggravated kidnapping and assault of a woman who 'resembled Tina Farmer', which he was convicted of in 1987. He died while in custody in December of 2015.
Although these deaths have been linked together by many, it has never been confirmed that they are connected. Law enforcement from multiple states noted that the cases had several 'dissimilarities' between them in addition to the similarities.
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