Real Name: Unknown
Nicknames: Little Miss Panasoffkee
Location: Panasoffkee, Florida
Date: February 19, 1971
Case[]
Details: On February 19, 1971, two teenagers hitchhiking along Interstate 75 discovered the partially submerged body of a young woman floating beneath the Lake Panasoffkee Bridge in Florida. It is believed that she had been tossed from the bridge. She was in her late teens or early twenties, carried no identification, and had been dead for several weeks. She had been strangled with a man's belt that was still wrapped around her throat. Police were unable to identify her or her killer. She was laid to rest six months later.
Ten years later, the case was reopened by Sheriff Jamie Adams and the woman's body was exhumed. Sheriff Adams had forensic anthropologist Dr. William Maples examine her. He discovered that she had orthopedic surgery to her right ankle, which was done by drilling holes in the leg bone and then winding the tendon through them. This was called the Watson-Jones or modified Watson-Jones technique. He believes that the physician who performed the surgery would remember doing that.
Sheriff Adams next contacted forensic artist Linda Galeener, who is an expert in making composite sketches based on human remains. She used x-rays and photographs of the woman's skull in order to make new composite sketches of her. She also created age regression sketches to show how she may have looked at younger ages. This technique had never before been used by law enforcement before then. Flyers were sent by Sheriff Adams throughout the country with the new sketches, but her identity remains a mystery.
The woman was estimated to be 5'2", about 100 pounds, and approximately twenty years old. She had a large amount of surgery done to her legs as well as extensive dental work. This included crowns, caps, and fillings. She had also given birth to at least one child. Police suspect she may have been well-cared for, left a family behind, and might have been a runaway.
Suspects: Police believe that after the woman is identified, her killer will be identified as well. The killer might have worn a man's size 36 belt, which was found around her throat.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the October 14, 1992 episode. It was also profiled on Cold Case Files.
Photograph of "Konstantina"
Results: Unsolved. Several tips came in as a result of the broadcast. However, none led to the victim's identification or her killer. In 2012, a new analysis of the woman's isotopes indicated that she had been from southeastern Europe, most likely Greece. It also revealed that she lived in Europe until about one year prior to her murder. The amount of lead in her teeth also indicated that she may have been from the mining town of Lavrio, Greece.
In Fall 2012, the case was featured on a Greek missing persons show. A viewer called in and stated that she believed the victim was a friend of hers named "Konstantina", who had a brother serving in the Navy near Lavrio. She said that they both went to a school in Kifisia, a suburb of Athens, and were taught home economics. The caller, Konstantina, and several other girls were part of a program for the school that sent them to either the United States or Australia, with a two-year contact for work. The caller said that she had lost contact with Konstantina in 1970 when they were both sent to separate countries: the caller to Australia and Konstantina to the United States. As of yet, no new leads have surfaced on her whereabouts and her relatives have not been located.
The victim and her killer remain unidentified. Sadly, Sheriff Adams passed away on September 15, 2022 at the age of 81.
Links:
- Little Miss Panasoffkee on Unsolved.com
- Little Miss Panasoffkee on Unidentified Wikia
- Little Miss Panasoffkee at Wikipedia
- Little Miss Panasoffkee on the Doe Network
- Little Miss Panasoffkee on NamUs
- Little Miss Panasoffkee on NCMEC
- Little Miss Panasoffkee Facebook Group
- Artist's work may give clue to '71 slaying - August 28, 1988
- Efforts continue to identify 1971 victim - May 14, 1989
- '71 death brings TV show to Sumter - April 4, 1992
- Sumter gets help from TV - May 17, 1992
- Murder victim is still nameless - May 25, 1992
- 'Unsolved Mysteries' to feature '71 slaying - October 7, 1992
- TV broadcast leads to tips in 1971 slaying - October 16, 1992
- Police still sift clues in slaying - November 27, 1992
- 25 years later, body is unnamed - February 19, 1996
- Little miss Panasoffkee - October 8, 2006
- Shocking revelations about the girl of the lake… - January 12, 2012
- Clues emerge in cold case murder that may be tied to Tarpon Springs - June 30, 2012
- Science helps detectives advance Sumter County cold case - October 31, 2012
- Incredible CSI techniques offer clues to identity of 1971 murder victim - November 12, 2012
- A Jane Doe Gets A Backstory - November 13, 2012
- Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee — an enduring murder mystery after 50 years - February 19, 2021
- Search For Little Miss Panasoffkee’s Real Name And Killer Continues, Even After 50 Years - March 1, 2021
- Websleuths Discussion on Little Miss Panasoffkee
- Little Miss Panasoffkee at Find a Grave