Deanna Criswell

Deanna Lee Criswell (officially known as "Jane Doe 19" until she was identified) (September 20, 1971 – c. November 1987) was an American girl from Washington state who was murdered by firearm at age 16 and remained unidentified for 27 years.

Deanna Lee Criswell was born in 1971 and grew up with her family in Spokane, Washington.

She had a sister, Debbie, who was fourteen years older.

Deanna's parents divorced when she was three years old.

Her father Jerry Criswell was a trucker, and her mother, who had custody of Deanna, worked two jobs to support her family.

A year after her parents divorced, Debbie left home at the age of 18.

While growing up, Deanna often spent time with her maternal grandfather when her mother was away.

Following his death, she became a "rebellious teen" and became involved with a questionable group of older peers.

Deanna later moved to Seattle, where she lived with her father.

Her behavior improved, but when she reached age 15, she began to act out again.

She returned by bus to Spokane to live with her mother.

Six months before her death, Deanna ran away from home and lived on the streets, occasionally telephoning her father, but remaining estranged from her mother.

She began a relationship with 36-year-old William "Bill" Ross Knight.

Criswell's body was found on November 25, 1987 in Marana, Arizona, near Tucson.

They began to search newly available online databases, focusing on unidentified persons in Arizona after learning that their niece had called her sister from Tucson in late 1987.

After he relocated to Tucson, Arizona, Knight sent Deanna a bus ticket in September 1987 so that she could join him.

Deanna did not call her father after reaching Tucson, but did call her older sister Debbie from the city.

Deanna's father was not immediately concerned when he didn't hear from her, as he believed that she was able to "take care of herself."

By Christmas, with no word, he attempted to file a missing person report, but local officials declined to cooperate due to Deanna's history of running away.

Deanna's body was discovered by a homeless man on November 25, 1987, in a culvert along Interstate 10 in Marana, Arizona.

The man walked to the local police station to report the find.

Police noted tire tracks at the scene, indicating the girl had been killed at another location and disposed out of sight after death.

The remains were transported to the Pima County medical examiner for an autopsy, for determination of cause of death and a full description of her body.

It was determined the girl had been dead about two weeks.

It was also discovered the victim had recently had sex, but there was no evidence of rape.

The victim was estimated to have been between 17 and 21 years of age, at a height of around five feet, three inches, and a weight of 138 pounds.

She was thought to be European American, or a Hispanic or Native American with fair skin.

Her brown hair was determined to be short and curly.

Her eye color could not be determined, as the body had decomposed.

The body had no distinctive scars, birthmarks or tattoos.

She did have unusual and large upper front teeth, with a gap between the center two on top.

He had died in 2005 of illness in prison, where he had been sentenced on robbery charges.

He had used a .22 caliber pistol in a robbery, the same size of the gun that killed Criswell.

They came across "Jane Doe 19"'s profile online at the Doe Network and believed the young woman's image, from a forensic facial reconstruction prepared by the FBI in 2010, resembled their niece.

The aunt and uncle contacted law enforcement, who obtained DNA from family members and were able to confirm the match.

Authorities strongly suspected that William Ross Knight was the killer; Criswell had been involved with him when she went to Tucson.

In 2014, Criswell's aunt and uncle, who had last seen her when she was only a baby, began to look for her.

The Marana Police Department announced her identification on February 11, 2015, aided by the sophisticated technology of forensic facial reconstruction and DNA analysis, and by websites set up by amateurs to help identify missing and unidentified persons.

After Criswell's parents divorced, family members became estranged, and Criswell had periods of running away from home.

She was never officially reported as missing.