We, at LostNMissing Inc., are happy to announce that Alabama's Jane "Sally" Doe has been officially identified as Edith Allen of Georgia.
Report below:
Who is Jane "Sally" Doe? 3 years later, authorities discover she is Edith Allen of Georgia
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on August 13, 2013 at 9:54 AM, updated August 13, 2013 at 10:05 AM
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on August 13, 2013 at 9:54 AM, updated August 13, 2013 at 10:05 AM
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Jane "Sally" Doe, found wandering the hospital's waiting area on Aug. 31, 2010, is 63-year-old Edith Allen of Douglasville, Georgia. In addition to identifying the woman who has barely spoken in three years and now is bedridden and on a feeding tube, authorities on Monday arrested a Georgia woman who they say has collected more than $25,000 in Allen's social security benefits over the past three years.
"It's a relief to me,'' said Lt. Scott Bartle, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation agent who has spearheaded the search for justice and Allen's true identity. "It's been a long, drawn-out process over something that should have never happened."
Bartle has charged Allen's caretaker, 59-year-old Cathy Jean Thomas of Douglasville, Georgia with identity theft. Bartle, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and Douglas County sheriff's deputies arrested her in Georgia Monday evening. She is being held in the Douglas County Jail awaiting extradition.
Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey has scheduled a press conference for today to discuss the case. The conference will be held at 1 p.m. in the Blount County Commission board room.
At 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing less than 90 pounds, Allen was found that August 2010 afternoon with no identification, nor could she speak. Her short-cropped hair had been recently colored a dark brown or black, and she was wearing large, black-rimmed glasses, possibly in an attempt to disguise her. They estimated her age to be between 55 and 60 at the time she was found.
Doctors and nurses in the emergency room diagnosed her with a urinary tract infection and prescribed antiobiotics. She was dehydrated, malnourished and a choking risk. The nursing staff quickly grew fond of her, and gave her the name Sally.
In the following months, newspaper articles and television spots ran, looking for Sally's next of kin. No one ever came forward.
The ABI got involved, sending fingerprints and DNA to law enforcement nationwide for comparison in missing persons' databases. They also performed facial recognition screenings with age progression and compared those to the National Database of Unidentified Adults.
Eventually she was moved to a nursing home and, in May 2011, her health took a turn for the worse. She became confined to a wheelchair and stopped making any attempts to speak.
In October 2011, Bartle and Sally's other primary caretakers gave an extensive interview to AL.com and The Birmingham News. Her social worker is Laura Fulbright, director for the Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Mental health Authority. That authority supports her and oversees her care.
Because she doesn't have an identity, she doesn't qualify for Medicaid. Her medical bills for the past three years are more than $200,000.
Her appointed legal guardian is attorney Sid Summey. All worked tirelessly on her behalf, and feared someone may be collecting her Social Security checks.
In the 2011 article, investigators and caretakers released what few clues they have about Sally's identity: a possible Cesarean section scar, dentures with the imprint "000 E Allen," and the hospital gown with the fleur-de-lis print. Bartle said they fielded more than 2,000 leads following that story, but none panned out.
Over the past month, the 2011 story from AL.com and The Birmingham News resurfaced on Facebook and once again became widely circulated. A tipster reached out to LostNMissing Inc., a nationwide non-profit, volunteer group with Allen's identity.
LostNMissing then got in touch with Bartle, and the ball started to quickly roll. Allen had been living with a family member of Thomas and that family member passed away. That's when Thomas took over as Allen's caretaker.
Investigators requested Casey subpoena medical records and financial records. "I got a doctor's name and called over there,'' Casey said. "They provided us with a photo. This woman was our Jane "Sally" Doe."
What authorities do know is that Thomas became Allen's caretaker in 2009 and remained so until Allen was dropped off at St. Vincent's East in 2010. Thomas, authorities said, filled out the necessary paperwork to take charge of Allen's social security benefits.
Bartle said investigators believe it was a relative of Thomas who actually dropped Allen off at the Birmingham hospital. Thomas has denied dropping off Allen at the hospital, Bartle said.
"Thomas did acknowledge receiving Edith Allen's money and using it to obtain goods and services that never went to Allen,'' Bartle said. "For three years, she has reaped the benefits of those checks."
Because Allen was once in a Blount County nursing home, Casey took the case. Allen has since been moved and authorities won't say where she is being cared for because people kept showing up at the previous facility claiming to be relatives.
Thomas is being held on $50,000 cash bond. She is charged with a Class B felony, and Georgia investigators also are looking into additional charges in connection with the case.
"We are elated that we have discovered Sally's true identity: Edith Allen. This case reveals a flaw in our system that allows persons to accept benefits for those with disabilities without accountability,'' Casey said. "I hope that legislation will be passed in the future that will require fingerprinting or DNA samples for those with intellectual disabilities so that we can protect them from those who prey upon them and mistreat them for the sole purpose of taking their money."
"I appreciate the work of ABI, JBS Mental Health, and her guardian on this case,'' Casey said. "I look forward to seeking justice on behalf of Edith for the last three years that her identity was stolen."
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