Julie Gwenn Davis is Princess Blue
Just shy of 30 years since Princess Blue was found, we've finally learned her name! Julie Gwenn Davis was identified by DNA submitted to the Texas Rangers by her brother. To everyone's surprise, Princess Blue was a match. I am heartbroken that Julie's family has been missing her for all these years, not knowing what became of her, but grateful for their persistence and dedication to Julie. She can finally be laid to rest by her loved ones, with her name, and Princess Blue's case is finally closed.
On a Monday evening, around 5:00pm, and a man was on his way home from work. He'd been traveling south down Highway 288, heading to Alvin when he knew he needed to make a quick pitstop. Crossing over 288, he pulled to the dead-end of CR-101 to relieve himself. He glanced over to a nearby pile of brush and trash, and something in the pile caught his eye. He walked over to get a closer look and, as fate would have it, he saw a human skull nestled amongst the refuse, framed by an old tire.
He hopped back into his vehicle and finished his drive home, unsure of what to make of what he'd just seen. When he got home, he told his wife about his discovery, then phoned the Manvel Police Department. Authorities arrived on scene and there she lay, waiting for someone to rescue her from the pile of rubbish and refuse. On her small fingers, she wore a collection of rings; around her wrist was a pearl beaded bracelet. They recovered the skeletal remains of the young woman who would later be called "Princess Blue". Her jewelry and whatever forensics experts could gather from her remains would be the only chance for her to reclaim her identity. Here we are, nearly 30 years later, and she is almost as mysterious now as she was on that fateful day in 1990. We have an idea of what she may have looked like, we have a pretty extensive list of people that she isn't (ruled out by DNA), but that one big question remains. Who is Princess Blue? |
What We KnowSeptember 10, 1990 - Manvel, TX
15-20 years old White, Possibly Biracial (White & Black) Est. Year of Death: 1984-1989 Cause of death: Unknown Est. Height: 4' 10" - 5' 2" Est. Weight: Slim to medium build Hair & Eye Color: Unknown Distinguishing Characteristics: Had left lateral incisor extracted 3 months - 1 year prior to death. Had not given birth. Cause of Death: Undetermined |
Frequently Asked Questions - "Princess Blue"
who does the class ring belong to?
That we don't know. What we do know is that it didn't belong to her, as she was too young to have graduated high school in 1975. It was thought that maybe it belonged to her mother, older sister, or other close female relative, but many of the women who graduated from that high school in 1975 have been contacted by myself or others looking into her case, and we don't think that she was a relative of a graduate. As of now, I think it may have been pawned or stolen, then she came into possession of it.
isn't there an inscription in the ring?
No, there isn't. There may have been an inscription of some sort originally, but the ring was resized twice, and any engraving was lost in that process, unfortunately.
have you contacted the class ring companies?
I, as well as investigators and others, have contacted Balfour and Jostens to inquire about records for the ring. Unfortunately, both companies only keep records of that nature for about 4-5 years. After that, the ring owner would have to have original paperwork to have any type of service or replacement for their ring.
What has been done since the original autopsy in 1990?
Sometime between 2005-2007, a second forensic examination was done to get a better idea of her race, age, height, etc. Those results were not made public, but we know that some of the information made available originally has since been corrected (she was originally thought to be Hispanic, but the second examination determined her to be biracial - white with an African American parent or grandparent). Her estimated age was also narrowed down from 16-25 years to 15-19 years. The sketch seen above was also released around that time, I believe.
Why hasn't she been identified yet if she has dna in the system for comparisons?
While it's unfortunate that her DNA sample hasn't turned up a match to any missing persons who also have DNA samples in the system, it's helped to narrow down the list of possible matches considerably.
My current theory is that she may have been in foster care prior to her disappearance and death, and either ran away or "aged out". It has certainly happened before, and it's sad to think that someone can go missing without actually being reported missing, but it's a possibility. I've contacted many of the foster placement agencies that were around in the 1970's and 1980's to inquire about any girls who match her description that may have run away or "aged out", but have yet to get any responses. DCFS and CPS only keep records for 7-8 years, and agencies on local levels are more likely to retain records from that long ago. What about new testing that wasn't around in 2005?
Stable Isotope Analysis (Read more about SIA here) has proven to be quite a helpful tool in determining where an unidentified person may have lived in the last 10-20 years of their life. It can provide information on what region that person may have grown up, where they were leading up to their death, etc. Because Princess Blue was only 15-20 years old, the results from SIA could, theoretically, give us an idea of every region that she ever lived in. I have inquired about the possibility of having this testing done for Princess Blue, but have yet to receive any response.
Comparing her DNA sample to genealogy databases is also an option, but inquiries regarding those comparisons have gone unanswered thus far. |
NamUs Link for #UP989
Doe Network Link for #137UFTX
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