Jeanette Elizabeth Brown was well-known by police in South Tucson, where she was arrested a number of times for prostitution.
She was last seen alive on June 12, 1997, in the area of South Fourth Avenue and Interstate 10. A month later, her decomposing body was found at the bottom of a steep 100-foot embankment along Redington Road.
Clad only in a black sports bra, Brown was found rolled in carpeting that was bound with wire. Sheriff's investigators estimated she'd been dead about a week when she was found July 15, 1997. The blond-haired, blue-eyed Brown, who was 5 feet tall and weighed 140 pounds, was still wearing several pieces of jewelry: a single gold-color hoop earring and two rings - one a gold-color band with a diamond chip; the other gold and silver in color, adorned with the image of the Virgin Mary.
Police used a tattoo on her left ankle - a flower with the name "Dillon" inked across it - and dental records to identify her.
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Brown was a mother, but her children were not living with her at the time of her death. She would have turned 30 the week her body was found.
STATUS
Because of decomposition, investigators could not determine a cause of death, though at the time detectives said her slaying did not appear random, according to an Arizona Daily Star story. Brown's case is active and was last reviewed in January 2007, said Jason Ogan, a spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
Detectives do not know whether she was sexually assaulted, but a mixture of DNA was found on the wires used to bind the carpet roll, he said.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Star will feature some of the Tucson-area violent crimes that remain unsolved - sometimes many years later.
Anyone with information is urged to call 88-CRIME. Tips also can be submitted online at www.88crime.org; or by text message at 274637, then enter tip259 plus your text message.
Contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or at 573-4191 if you have been a victim of an unsolved crime or if you are related to a victim.
Jeanette Elizabeth Brown
