Sherri Ann Jarvis

Sherri Ann Jarvis was born on March 9, 1966, to Karolynn "Kerry" Jean Zinski and Melvin "Tim" Lloyd Bremer Jr. Her stepfather was Donald Jarvis, and she took his last name along with at least one of her siblings. She grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and went to Forest View Elementary and Central Junior High School. Around 1979, Sherri was removed from her parents' care because of chronic truancy. She was sent to a youth crisis shelter in Stillwater, Minnesota. However, around her 14th birthday in 1980, she ran away before a court hearing. She spent months on her own, and in August 1980, she wrote to her mother, saying she planned to come home between the ages of 18 and 21. Unfortunately, by Halloween, she was killed by an unknown assailant. On November 1, 1980, a truck driver found her body near the Sam Houston National Forest, lying face-down in the grass about 20 feet from Interstate Highway 45, two miles north of Huntsville. The driver called the police at 9:20 a.m. to report his discovery. She had been dead for about six hours, putting her time of death around 3:20 a.m. She was wearing a rectangular brown pendant with a smoky blue or brown glass stone on a thin gold chain around her neck. High-heeled red leather sandals with light brown straps, which she had been seen carrying earlier, were also found nearby. The rest of her clothing was missing. The coroner determined that she died from asphyxia due to ligature strangulation, likely with pantyhose. Fragments of the pantyhose and her underwear were found inside her vaginal cavity, probably to prevent bleeding while her body was moved. She had been sexually assaulted with a large blunt object both vaginally and anally before her death. There was no biological evidence of conventional rape. She was also severely beaten, with visible bruises, swollen lips and right eyelid, and a deep bite mark on her right shoulder. On January 16, 1981, Sherri was buried in the Adickes Addition at Oakwood Cemetery after an open-casket funeral. The cemetery is in the same city where her body was found. She was buried under a tombstone that read, "Unknown white female. Died Nov. 1, 1980." Recently, a new tombstone was placed at her grave, see Sherri Ann Jarvis Gravesite, including her name, nickname, photograph, and the inscription "Never alone and loved by many." Read more at Walker County Sheriff's Office and Othram Team to Identify Walker County Jane Doe.