KSP NEWS RELEASE
Cold case in Knox County
Gray, Ky. On April 1, 1985 the body of an unidentified female was located at a rural dumpsite alongside U.S. 25E in Knox County, Kentucky in an area commonly known as Gilliam Hill. The body had been placed in an old refrigerator and an autopsy revealed she had been murdered. The unknown female was estimated to be between the ages of 25-35 years old. She was wearing two different necklaces, one with a heart pendant and the other with an eagle pendant. Witnesses reported seeing the unknown female the day prior at a truck stop in Corbin, Kentucky. She was allegedly attempting to get a ride to North Carolina. Kentucky State Police-Post 10 is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying this unknown female. Additional information can be found on NAMUS.gov (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System). If you have any information, please contact Kentucky State Police-Post 10 606-573-3131
UPDATE
Kentucky State Police Post 10 has new information regarding a possible identification of red headed, Knox County Jane Doe.
KSP Post 10 Public Affairs Officer, Trooper Shane Jacobs has confirmed KSP Detectives have been in contact with individuals from North Carolina who believe this unidentified Jane Doe may be their mother. They told investigators their mother went missing more than 30 years ago.
“We are planning on collecting DNA samples from possible family members as early as next week. There is DNA on file in this case. We are hopeful the DNA comparison, which will take several months, will lead to an identification of the Knox County Jane Doe. However, similar situations have came up in other investigations where DNA did not lead to an identification. We must view the facts of the case from an investigator’s perspective and not from the perspective of hopeful family members looking for a lost loved one.” Sgt. Danny Caudill.
Trooper Jacobs said Detective Aaron Frederick is heading this investigation. Jacobs also said KSP Post 10 Criminal Intel Analyst Chris Daniels has played a key role in sharing and gathering information as part of this investigation. Anyone with information should contact Det. Frederick at KSP Post 10.
UPDATE
In April 2017 Kentucky State Police was contacted by FBI Latent Print Operations Unit in reference to a positive fingerprint match found at the crime scene. Detectives tracked down and interviewed the possible suspect and concluded he was not involved in the crime. With no leads with this case Kentucky State Police issued a press release in June 2017 asking for the public’s assistance and any information.
In October 2017, Detective Aaron Frederick and Intelligence Analyst Chris Daniels at Kentucky State Police Post 10 was contacted by a family member of Espy Regina Black-Pilgrim, this family member after seeing a shared social media post, believed Espy may be the Jane Doe located on the side of U.S 25E in Knox County, Kentucky in April 1985.
Det. Frederick and I.A. Daniels from Post 10 traveled to North Carolina to take DNA samples from the suspected children to send to National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) for comparison. Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office, along with the assistance from the FBI was able to confirm with positive DNA match that Espy Regina Black-Pilgrim is the Knox County Jane Doe. The family now has some closure to their missing loved one after 33 years. Mrs. Pilgrim was the last unidentified person at Kentucky State Police Post 10.
This is still an ongoing murder investigation and anyone with information is ask to contact Kentucky State Police-Post 10 (606-573-3131).
Post 10 would also like to thank the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina for their assistance.
