Overview

• Oregon State Police’s Human Identification Program located an interment marked “Unknown Woman 1946” at Mountain View Cemetery in Oregon City and exhumed the remains this week.
• The recovered material is degraded and will undergo advanced forensic testing and analysis to try to confirm the woman’s identity.
• Parts of the body were found in April, July, and October 1946 in burlap sacks along the Willamette River, with clothing recovered from the Clackamas River.
• Examiners determined the victim was a petite white woman likely between 30 and 50 years old who died from blunt-force trauma to the head before her body was dismembered.
• Investigators, including state forensic anthropologist Hailey Collord-Stalder, voiced hope of restoring the victim’s name and credited cemetery staff for their assistance.