Lisa Roberts

In this episode, we shine light on the story of Precious Jane Doe, murdered in 1977 and identified through the work of investigative genetic genealogy in 2020.

Murder

In August 1977, a young female hitchhiker gets a ride from a young man driving a Chevy Nova. She tells him she is trying to get home to a trailer she shares with two male roommates. He asks her if she wants to get some beer with him first, so the two stop at a local market in Everett, Washington and buy a six pack before driving to a wooded area behind a local school.

There, she turns down his requests for sex. At first, the man seems fine with this and goes to the trunk of his car where he grabs a peacock feather to give to her. He also grabs a bungee cord which he wraps around her neck and uses to pull her from his vehicle. Once out, he shoots her to death and leaves her body behind.

She won’t be found until several days later on August 14th when her body is discovered by people picking blackberries. With no identification on her, she is listed as a Jane Doe.

The Man
Meanwhile, the man is arrested in the nearby town of Gold Bar after he is witnesses in a public park brandishing a weapon. He is arrested soon after and booked for some marijuana charges. Upon his release a few days later, he arrives at a friend’s house where he confesses to murdering a woman in Everett. 

A few days later, the friend tells police about this crime. They searched his mother’s house, where he had been staying, and located the car, but not him. Assuming he will arrive at his pre-trial hearing on the drug charges, they plan to arrest him there. He doesn’t show up.

It takes 1 year longer until he is caught. Upon his arrest and transfer back to Snohomish County, he confessed to the murder of the unidentified woman. Though he later pleaded innocent, he was convicted of her murder later that year and sentenced to prison.

Identification Attempts
Throughout the years, attempts to identify the unknown woman fell short of their goal. Her fingerprints, processed by the FBI, did not match any on record. In 1988, a forensic odontologist looked at her teeth and revised previous assessments of the woman’s age. Originally thought to be between 20-30, his estimate placed her at 17-24. He also noted dental repair work to her front teeth that had not been noticed earlier.

Around 1992, a detective did a clay model of Jane Doe, hoping it would help identify her. This was the first visual update since her original drawing from the 1970s.

In 2007, a different detective, Detective Scharff, takes over her case. He hopes that the collection of her DNA will help, so her body is exhumed and a DNA sample was obtained. This renewed interest also spurs another examination of her remains. She is determined to be between 15-24 with her age most likely between 16-19.  A new sketch is done of the young woman.

To aid in her identification, Detective Scharff names her Precious Doe, a name that will be used for her going forward. 

An Unusual Assist
One of the methods used to identify Precious Doe is enlisting the help of her killer. Out of prison, he tries to remember details about the woman that will aid in her identification. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time and complicated by the fact they only knew each other for about an hour, the man is able to recall few details. 

In 2017, more attempts are made to identify her through DNA. The sample taken previously was unable to be used in genealogy databases used by researchers. New DNA is obtained through rootless hair samples at the University of California Santa Cruz. These are genetically linked to an individual using a DNA database. Complicating this case is the realization that Precious Jane Doe was adopted. This adoption slowed progress, but she was identified in 2020 as Elizabeth “Lisa” Roberts.

Lisa Roberts
Lisa was born Elizabeth Marie Elder in 1959. After her parents’ divorce, her three older siblings stayed with her father. Elizabeth was adopted and became Elizabeth Roberts though she preferred the name Lisa.

Lisa attended Roseburg High School and was a junior when she ran away from home on July 25th, 1977. Her parents reported her missing, but for some reason her missing person profile was deleted within hours. Not long after she left, she called home and her father wired her money in Everett, Washington. She never picked up the money.

Lisa was murdered 15 days after leaving home.

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People and Cases Mentioned in this Episode:
Elizabeth “Lisa” Roberts (solved unidentified persons case and murder case)