Bella Bond case brings attention back to Ware County 'Jane Doe' case from 1988

WARE COUNTY, Ga. — Right on the heels of a major case involving a "Baby Doe" in Boston, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is asking for help involving a "Baby Doe" case right here in Southeast Georgia.

A child's body was discovered in a wooded area off Duncan Bridge Road in the Millwood area of Ware County back in December of 1988.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released a new sketch of a young girl they call "Jane Doe 1988."

Almost 27 years later, the Center and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation released the new sketch, hoping to get some new answers to this very old case.

Investigators say the little girl was about 3 years old and died two months before her body was found in a wooden box on the side of the road. Carol Schweitzer with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said a trucker found the box on December 22, 1988 off Bridge Road in Ware County, Georgia.

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"There was a piece of plywood that was attached to this console. Inside the console, he saw a steel suitcase that appeared to be sealed with cement," said Carol Schweitzer with The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Schweitzer says minutes later, police arrived and found the remains of a 3-year old African-American girl inside.

"She had black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and from there she also had some clothing that she was wearing that resembled pajamas and she was also wearing a diaper," said Schweitzer.

Now investigators are going back to square one, by posting a new sketch on social media, hoping to reach out to a broader audience.

"The resources that were available to authorities back in 1988 have just advanced significantly since then. We can reach a wider audience in social media these days so the new reconstruction is going to be helpful," said Schweitzer.

Officials are hoping the new photo and even national attention from other cases, like that of Bella Bond in Massachusetts will spark new interest in this case.

Anyone with any information about this Jane Doe is asked to contact NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678, GBI Special Agent Dale Wiley at (912) 389-4103 or Ware County Sheriff's Office Lt. Jody Ponsell at (912) 287-2479.

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