‘Jane Doe’ found dead in 1985 along I-20 in Smith County identified as young mother, wife

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The identity of a woman whose remains were found nearly 40 years ago in Smith County was released Tuesday. According to a press release from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, human remains were found about 75 feet from I-20 near Hwy 69 eastbound while TxDOT crews were mowing along the highway on Oct. 1, 1985. The remains appeared to be those of a woman based on clothing found near her, the release said, and after Lindale police and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office were contacted, the remains were sent to the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy.It was believed that the woman was white or Hispanic, and around 25 years old, the release said, and her body was determined to have been deteriorating near the roadway for a year or more. According to the sheriff’s office, multiple leads over the past four decades have failed to identify the woman. In 2021, the sheriff’s office partnered with the DNA Doe Project for funding to identify the remains, they said. In November of 2023, the DDP identified a possible lead for the identity of the woman. DNA was gathered from possible family members in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, they said, and it was found that the woman has been married in January of 1984 and had a child in July of the same year. After the DNA evidence was examined at UNT Fort Worth, the victim was identified as Sindy Gina Crow, born on Sept. 12, 1957. She was married to Dwight P. Crow, with whom she had a daughter in 1984, the release said, and her last address was in Arlington. David Turner, the original investigator on the case, was at today’s press conference. “This case here was always kind of a challenge because she was never reported missing. Her family lived out of state, she wound up back here in Texas and she was just around everywhere,” Turner said. Rhonda Kevorkian with the DNA Doe Project was also at today’s press conference. “Our team wishes to express our deepest condolences to Sindy’s family and loved ones. We know this is a bittersweet resolution and our hearts go out to all those grieving her loss,” Kevorkian said. Sheriff Larry Smith says now the work of finding her killer begins which can be very difficult. “With it being so old and happened so long ago it will be very difficult. Also, when you don’t have any organs, or anything left with the body you have nothing but skeletal remains it is very difficult. We feel that it is our obligation that she gets a proper burial,” Smith said. An emotional Turner said this day has been something he has worked for for the past 38 years. “I’ve always said, before I pass through the gates, I want to identify her. So, it feels good, you know?” Turner said. Family members of Crow have been notified of the discovery, the release said.