Doris Joanne Girtz:Found 1979, Watts Township, Pennsylvania

   

Doris J. Girtz circa 1971


  Doris Joanne Girtz was born in 1954 or 1955. 


  She went to Streetsboro High School in Streetsboro, Ohio. That is a small town east of the Cleveland/Akron area along Interstate 80. 


  I haven’t been able to find out much about her early life. I did find that she married a man named Robert L. Keeton on September 13th, 1973. I didn’t find anything in the newspapers about their wedding. I found that the two divorced in 1974. Robert Keeton sued for divorce on the grounds of gross neglect of duty. Was Doris already missing then? Or had the marriage just broken down?


  The next time the name "Doris Joanne Girtz" is found in any available documents it was because her body was finally identified. 



  In late June of 1979 a man was out rock collecting along the Juniata River in Watts Township near Duncannon, Pennsylvania. He happened upon a set of skeletal remains and contacted the police. 


  The victim still had several pieces of turquoise jewelry on. (The fact that the jewelry was still there is similar to Annette Stewart’s case as well. She was found near Snow Shoe, PA. in March of 1983. She still had all of her gold jewelry with her.) 


322 along the Juniata River



  The spot where Doris Joanne Girtz was found is very memorable and scenic. (As was the spot that Annette Stewart was found.) I think this fact is significant. The photos don't do it justice. The road runs alongside and above the Juniata River for a long stretch. Placing Doris Joanne Girtz there was not random.  It is not a convenient place to stop.




  Jerry Leon Johns was a serial killer trucker. He grew up in Flat Rock, Michigan. He was caught in March of 1985 in Knoxville, TN when a victim survived. He never left prison in Tennessee after that. He died in 2015. (He had tied her up with strips of cloth torn from her own t shirt. He strangled and beat her, especially about the head.)


 

   A few years later the TBI would develop a DNA profile and in 2018,  link him to the DNA left behind on Tina Marie McKenney Farmer. She was taken from Indianapolis by Johns in late 1984 and murdered and left off the side of a scenic hillside off I-75 near Jellico, Tennessee. She was found on January 1st, 1985. She had accepted a ride from him to travel south to look for work.


  I believe that he also left Traci Sue Walker there on that hillside in 1978. She disappeared from Lafayette, Indiana in 1978. She was found on that same spot also in 1985. Traci was unidentified for decades and known as Elk Valley Jane Doe for all that time. (That hillside overlooks Elk Valley.)

I-75 overlooking Elk Valley near Jellico, TN.

  There’s something Johns seems to have liked about these scenic areas with a steep hillside right off the side of the interstate. In my opinion this had significance to him. He could drive past later and remember the crime by the memorable scenery. 


  A few years ago before I was writing about Jerry Leon Johns, I drove from Indiana to Knoxville for a concert. (It was Billy Strings and it was awesome.) As we came across this stretch of I-75 I realized that I had also come through this area as a kid on a family vacation. It is that unique and memorable.

  Annette Stewart was a high school student taken from Cleveland in November of 1982. She was found down an embankment off I-80 near Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania in March of 1983. That’s also a very scenic and beautiful area. (I have written about Annette’s case as well.) Annette was found down an embankment and wrapped in a sheet. She was found dressed but without shoes.

I-80 west of Snow Shoe, PA.


The photos don't do it justice. This is an area of beautiful rolling hills.


  I submitted a tip and sent a letter to authorities in Pennsylvania. If there’s anything to test, I suggest they look at Jerry Leon Johns. 


  Doris Joanne Girtz still had a lot of living to do. She deserves to still be here. I wish we knew more about her. What was her favorite song? What was her favorite food? What was she like? What dreams did she have for her life?


  Rest in peace Doris Joanne Girtz. 


  If you have information about Doris’ case please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (717) 671-7500. 

Her case number is H5-0149355. 

  



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