Margaret Fetterolf (Former Unidentified Female)

1976 Homicide Victim

Update (September 2021): "Woodlawn Jane Doe" Identified After 45 Years

On September 12, 1976, Baltimore County detectives located the body of a young woman in the 5600 block of Dogwood Road near the Lorraine Park Cemetery in Woodlawn. The woman had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Over the years, the victim has become known as “Woodlawn Jane Doe,” named after the area of the County where she was found.

The complexity of this case dates back decades. In the beginning, detectives relied on simple sketches of the victim to generate leads in the case. That began to change, as advancements in DNA testing were made. Detectives soon found new avenues to pursue in hopes of identifying Jane Doe. In 2006, detectives requested evidence in the case be tested. In 2015, with the assistance of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, pollen testing took Baltimore County detectives to the Boston area. The following year, which marked 40 years since the killing happened, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released a new facial reconstruction image of Jane Doe. A detailed timeline is available on 

The biggest break in the case came earlier this year. With assistance from The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Bode Technology, additional DNA testing was conducted. The results helped to identify “Woodlawn Jane Doe.”

We now know Margaret Fetterolf lived in Alexandria, Virginia. She was 16 years old when she was killed. Family members say she went missing in 1975. By knowing Margaret’s identity, detectives are now one step closer to catching the suspect(s) responsible for her murder.

The Baltimore County Police Department would like to thank the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Bode Technology. A timeline of this case is available on the Northwestern University Knight Lab website. 

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Homicide Unit's Unsolved Case Squad at 410-887-3943 or Communications Team at 410-307-2020. 

Reward Offered

Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland, an organization that is separate from the Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County Government, offers rewards of up to $2,000 for information that leads to the arrest and charges in connection with felony offenses.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Metro Crime Stoppers by phone, text, online or mobile app.

Phone: 1-866-7LOCKUP

Web tip: metrocrimestoppers.org

Mobile App: P3TIPS

Original Post

On September 12, 1976, the body of a Caucasian female was located in the 5600 block of Dogwood Road in the Precinct 2 Woodlawn area of Baltimore County, a short distance from the Lorraine Park Cemetery. The victim died as a result of asphyxia and her death was ruled a homicide.

She is believed to have been in her late teens to mid 20s, approximately 5' 8" tall and weighed 159 pounds. She had shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, a 1.5" scar on her left thigh and a "rough" (not professionally done) tattoo of letters that appear to be "J.P." on her upper right arm.

When discovered, she was wearing a white-beige pullover short sleeve top, beige-yellow Levi jeans, a white bra, brown colored shoes, and a rawhide string necklace with a small round blue object affixed.

Since her discovery, detectives from the Baltimore County Police Department have launched an extensive investigation in an effort to locate the person or persons responsible for her murder. In addition, nationwide missing person and fingerprint searches have been conducted in an effort to identify the victim. The attempt to find her killer(s) and all efforts conducted to positively identify her have been unsuccessful.