Orange Socks

"Orange Socks"
Forensic facial reconstruction of the victim
Born	approx. 1949–1964
Status	Unidentified for
Died	October 30 or 31, 1979 (aged 15–30)
Cause of death	Strangulation
Body discovered	Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, United States
Other names	"Joanie Doe", "Judy Doe", "Georgetown Jane Doe"
Known for	Unidentified victim of homicide
Height	Between 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) and 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)(approximate)
Weight	Between 140 lb (64 kg) and 160 lb (73 kg)(approximate)

Orange Socks (also known as Joanie Doe, Judy Doe and the Georgetown Jane Doe) is the informal name given to an American unidentified female who was murdered on October 31, 1979 in Georgetown, Texas. The body was found naked, except for a pair of orange socks that led to her nickname. She had been strangled and was believed to have died hours before the discovery.

Evidence and physical description

Sketch of victim from the side

The sexually assaulted, white female was found in a culvert on interstate 35, after being dragged to and thrown over a guardrail. The cause of death was ruled as strangulation, as a large amount of bruising was visible on her neck. Other bruises were also visible due to the body being dropped from the overpass. The legs were unshaven with a large amount of insect bites. She had very long toenails and the fingernails were painted and a hairline scar was observed beneath the chin, but she had never broken a bone during her life. She reportedly suffered from salpingitis, due to previously contracting gonorrhea. She had ten inch long brown hair with a reddish tint, hazel eyes and ranged from 15–30 years old; was approximately five feet eight inches to five feet ten inches tall and weighed between 140 to 160 pounds. Despite two missing teeth, she had a well maintained set of teeth, although they showed little sign of dental care, such as fillings or crowns. A silver ring was found on her hand, containing an abalone or mother of pearl stone; her ears were also pierced. Also at the scene, a towel, likely used in place of a sanitary napkin, was found along with the body, as if the victim was attempting to control her menstruation without spending money. One of two matchbooks found at the scene belonged to a hotel from Henryetta, Oklahoma, which supported the theory she was a hitchhiker or drifter.

Confession by Henry Lee Lucas

See also: Henry Lee Lucas

File:Orange Socks crime scene.jpg

Crime scene where the body was found.

In 1982, serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to her murder, although there was no physical evidence that he had been involved in the killing, sexual assault and the disposing of the body. In an interview, he stated that he picked her up in Oklahoma, where they had sex. After asking for sex again while he was driving, he claimed that Orange Socks said "not right now" and attempted to leave his car, which led him to kill her and rape her corpse after her death and then drove her body to Georgetown. Lucas told authorities that the victim had said her name had been Joanie or Judy and even showed officers how he dragged her body over the guardrail when taken to the location where her body was found. One report claims that at the time of Orange Socks' murder, Lucas was working in Florida, whereas the murder took place in Texas. Interrogators also stated that he had contradicted himself several times when confessing to the murder and his defense also stated that he was shown images of the crime scene before his interview. In order to have traveled to Oklahoma, to Texas and back to Florida, it was estimated that he would have had to drive at an average of seventy miles an hour, without stopping, which many find unlikely. Lucas later recanted this statement after his conviction in 1984 and with involvement of the current governor, George W. Bush, his death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment, as the death of Orange Socks was the only case that resulted in a capital punishment consequence. Lucas had confessed to murdering many others that lead others to doubt he was truthful; his confessions totaled up to over six hundred murders. Lucas himself recanted his confessions, stating that the only murder he had committed was that of his mother, Viola. After learning that Lucas' sentence was reduced, the mother of Suzanne Bowers told reporters that she was opposed to the decision along with several others, as Lucas had confessed to murdering the twelve-year-old in 1984.

Media appearances and further investigation

File:Orange Socks2.jpg

1990 sketch, created by Karen T. Taylor.

The "Orange Socks" case had been featured twice on America's Most Wanted since the murder took place. Despite the high success rate of arrests the show has led to, the case remains unsolved. An anonymous woman called claiming she had seen Orange Socks hitchhiking the day of her murder, but the lead has not generated any new information.

In 2001, a missing woman's photograph surfaced that resembled Orange Socks. DNA testing, however, did not match. Another report suggests that the victim was missing woman who had disappeared in the 1970s with her abusive boyfriend. Former missing person Martha Morrison was speculated by some to possibly have been the unidentified woman, yet she was eventually ruled out. Morrison's remains were identified in 2015 as a Jane Doe found in Washington the same year she disappeared. Two other missing persons, Nancy Jason and Susan Cooke, have also been excluded from the case.

See also

• Walker County Jane Doe, an unidentified female found exactly a year later in Huntsville, Texas.

External links

• Orange Socks at The Doe Network
• Orange Socks at Find a Grave
• Facebook page ^{Postmortem photo at link}
• Orange Socks at NamUs