Murder of Michelle Garvey

Michelle Garvey

Portrait of Michelle Garvey
Born Michelle Angela Garvey
(1967-06-03)June 3, 1967
Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Disappeared June 1, 1982
New London, Connecticut, US
Died July 1, 1982 (1982-08) (aged 15)
Cause of death Homicide by strangulation
Body discovered July 1, 1982
Baytown, Texas, US
Resting place St. Patrick Cemetery, Montville, Connecticut, US
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Known for Murder victim
Relatives Patricia Garvey (mother), John Garvey (father), Sean Garvey (brother)

Michelle Angela Garvey (June 3, 1967 – July 1, 1982) was an American girl murdered in Texas within a month of running away from home in Connecticut.[1] Her body was quickly found but remained unidentified until a 2014 DNA test, after an amateur internet researcher suggested a match between the Texas unidentified decedent and Connecticut missing person data.[2][3]

Circumstances

Michelle Garvey went missing from New London, Connecticut, presumably after running away from home, on June 1, 1982, at the age of fourteen.[4] She was believed to have intended to return to her birth state, New Jersey, or to North Carolina.[1][5] She had a previous history of running away, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Initially, it was unknown what had happened to the victim, as she may have left home to start a new life and could possibly be alive.[6]

Discovery

Artist's sketch of what the then-unidentified Garvey looked like in life

Garvey's body was found on July 1, 1982, in Baytown, Texas, one month after she went missing. Authorities were unable to identify her body, but could determine that the victim was a white female between fifteen and twenty years old with blue eyes and had curly red hair.[7] The cause of death was determined to be strangulation.[8] The girl also had an inverted left nipple, O positive blood type, a scar on one foot, was approximately five feet one to five feet three inches (1.60 m) tall and had one of her ears pierced.[2][7] Her body was found wearing brown clothing, including a long-sleeved, button-down shirt with a distinct horse embroidery on the breast pocket.[8][9] Her pants were made of corduroy material.[10][11] The body was disposed of in a field after she died, possibly merely hours after her murder.[6] She was buried near two other unidentified murder victims, the Harris County Does.[8]

Identification

"I felt so much sadness for them. I've always been very sensitive – compassionate, I guess – even as a little kid." - Polly Penwell, describing her interest with unidentified people [3]

The body was exhumed in May 2011 to obtain a DNA profile to compare to potential matches, including Michelle's brother.[8] An amateur online sleuth, Polly Penwell, came across the cases of Michelle and her unidentified body and suggested to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Harris County medical examiner that they could be the same person after she compared both cases, while using a website known as Websleuths.[3] Garvey was identified in January 2014 after her DNA from her remains was matched to that of her brother that was taken, as it had previously been submitted to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System after being analyzed by the University of North Texas.[2][12] She had remained unidentified for 31 years.[13] She was fourteen when she had left her home in Connecticut and was fifteen at the time of her death.[11][14] She was identified through efforts made by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and by the Harris County Police Department, who eventually contacted her family and obtained samples of their DNA for testing in August 2013.[6][9][12][15][16][17] Since her identification, authorities have continued their investigation, now aimed at finding Michelle's murderer.[12][18]

After being returned from Texas to Connecticut, Garvey's body was reburied by her family on March 1, 2014 in Montville, Connecticut.[19]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Smith, Greg (11 January 2014). "Police: Body found in 1982 in Texas is missing New London teen". The Day. The Day Publishing Company. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Resolved Cases". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Patrick (2 June 2014). "A one-woman CSI unit". Northern Express. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Tuccitto Sullo, Michelle (16 February 2014). "Connecticut Missing Persons Unit makes progress; cases drop from 243 to 166 in 2 years, NamUs says". New Haven Register News. New Haven Register. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Michelle Garvey, Connecticut runaway, 14, identified as body found Texas field in 1982". Associated Press. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Angela Williamson / Michele Garvey case". vimeo.com. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  7. 1 2 "New Facebook page for unidentified children". blog.missingkids.com. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Olsen, Lise (30 May 2011). "'Bone detective' on an identity hunt" (PDF). Harris County Police Department. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  9. 1 2 Postmortem photo at link Van Olson, Cora (13 January 2014). "Missing, now found: Michelle Garvey". Crime Library. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Case File: 21UFTX". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Connecticut runaway, 14, finally identified as body found in a Texas field in 1982 solving a 30-year-old murder mystery". Associated Press (Associated Newspapers Ltd). Daily Mail. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 Glista, Kelly (10 January 2014). "Texas Homicide Victim Identified As Missing New London Girl". Hartford Currant. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Teen found dead in Houston field in '82 identified as missing Conn. girl". Eyewitness News 13 (ABC). KTRK-TV Houston. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "Michelle Garvey, Connecticut runaway, 14, identified as body found Texas field in 1982". Colorado Newsday. Associated Press. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  15. ↑ Vance, Paul (10 January 2014). "Connecticut State Police assist in Texas homicide case; victim missing from CT since 1982". ct.gov. Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  16. ↑ Rizzuto, Robert (12 January 2012). "'Jane Doe' found murdered in Texas 31 years ago identified as missing New London, Connecticut teen Michelle Garvey". MassLive.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Michelle Garvey Identified As Teen Found Slain In '82". Huffington Post. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "Teenage murder victim's body ID'd 31 years after she vanished". KHOU News (Gannett Satellite Information Network). 10 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  19. ↑ "MICHELLE GARVEY". Norwich Bulletin (Legacy.com). 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.

External links

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