The Unsolved Murder of Miami-Dade County Jane Doe

On a balmy morning in September 1979, the residents of the Biscayne Gardens Apartments in Miami-Dade County, Florida, discovered a woman's body. The unidentified female lay in the apartment complex's parking lot near a dumpster at the edge of a wooded area bordering the site. For over forty years, the woman's identity has remained a mystery, and she is now known as the Miami-Dade County Jane Doe.

Located in Northwest Miami, Florida, the Biscayne Gardens Apartments sits just east of I-95 and links Miami with the whole of the eastern seaboard. The interconnectivity of where Jane was discovered made locating where she'd originated much more of a challenge.

The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide by strangulation. As to when her death occurred, less could be determined. Based on the condition of Jane's remains, the medical examiner cited that her death occurred just before the apartment residents discovered her.

Due to Jane's body being discovered near a dumpster and the proximity of the apartments to the interstate, investigators deduced that Jane was most likely murdered elsewhere and dumped at the Brisbane Apartments.

Miami-Dade County Jane Doe's Description

Jane was a white female between the ages of 17 and 25. She was about 5'6" to 5'8" and weighed around 120 pounds. She had reddish hair, and her eyes were either grey or green.

At the time of her discovery, Jane wore a yellow floral print scarf, a white t-shirt, and jeans. Her face had a small amount of acne, and the inside of her calves had burns, which points to her being the passage on a motorcycle. Given that her teeth contained fillings, it's apparent that she had access to some dental care at some point in her life.

Investigators discovered that Jane went by the name Faloan S. Love and stated that her birthday was June 3, 1961, making her 18 at the time of her murder. Additionally, investigators found that Jane was unemployed and living at the Young Apartments in Hollywood, Florida. She claimed that her nearest relative was Ben Misa who lived in New York. However, it is unclear as to whether these clues have been confirmed, and as investigators have not released this information.

In 2014, investigators looked into a new lead that Jane may have been a runaway named Tina from Ohio who was known as "Sheeba." Tina was last seen in 1977 leaving her home state of Ohio. However, authorities haven't shared much about this possible lead.

Motorcycle Burns as Evidence

According to an article published on PubMed, motorcycle exhaust burns are more common in children and women as they tend to be passengers on motorcycles. Passengers sit closer to the exhaust pipes, giving them a higher risk of burning themselves as they get on and off the bike. Being that it is hot in FLorid at the time of year Jane was murdered, she was most likely wearing a skirt or shorts. Cool-weather attire makes the possibility for exhaust pipe burns much more possible.

Possible Motorcycle Gang Connection

Because of the burns, some web sleuths have tried to link Jane's death to southern Florida motorcycle gangs. I'm not sure if motorcycle exhaust burns are enough to connect her death to an outlaw motorcycle gang. I tried looking up gang activity in the Miami area in the late 70s. Much of the gang movement seemed to occur later, but one gang did terrorize southern Florida in the late 70s into the 80s. The Outlaws ran drugs, committed murders, rapes, assaults, pimped sex workers, and even decapitated a few folks. Their turf ran mainly in the Fort Lauderdale area, only half an hour north of where the Miami-Dade Jane Doe was found, so it doesn't rule their involvement.