Member-only story
Mystery Resolved: 1988 Jane Doe Found in Springfield, Colorado, Identified as Nora Elia Castillo
Nora was initially reported missing in 1996, and daughter had submitted DNA in 2004
In June 1988, a farmer walking through his fields twenty miles outside Springfield, Colorado, discovered skeletal human remains. The Baca County Sheriff’s Office was immediately alerted, and several more parts of the remains were found. Baca County Sheriff’s Officers searched the farmer’s field for several days, finding several items of clothing: grey corduroy Levi pants and a beige winter coat with faux fur collar and cuffs. A 1986 quarter was found in one of the pockets.
The Baca County Coroner could not determine a cause of death, only that the remains had been in the field for one to three years.
According to the Doe Network, most of the skeleton had been bleached by the sun, and part of the spine was still attached. The coroner estimated that the remains belonged to a woman aged sixteen to twenty-two years old, possibly Hispanic, Native American, or European. The coroner also noted the woman’s extensive dental work, including two silver cast crowns, the technique of which suggested she was from Mexico or close to the border.
