CHRISTMAS TREE LADY IDENTIFIED AS JOYCE MARILYN MEYER SOMMERS OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.
On December 18th 1996, the groundsman of the Pleasant Valley Memorial Park Cemetery in Annandale, Virginia discovered the body of a woman in a section of the cemetery that was close to the infant section. An autopsy revealed that the woman had taken her own life by ingesting Brandy and valium and taping a plastic bag over her head.Â
With her was a small 8-inch Christmas tree, a tape of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner and two $50 bills, one for the cemetery and one for the coroner. The bills also came with a note that read “Deceased by own hand… prefer no autopsy”. Investigators struggled to determine her identity and since 1996, she has been referred to as The Annandale Jane Doe.Â
That was until today and thanks to the tireless work of the Fairfax County Police Department and Othram the Annandale Jane Doe finally has her name back. Using forensic genetic genealogy, Othram was able to find relatives and ended up with one name, Joyce Marilyn Meyer Sommers of Davenport, Iowa. Joyce was 69 years old when she passed away and her family are grateful to finally have answers to what happened to her. According to them, she moved to Virginia in the mid-1980s and did not have much contact with her family. Welcome home, Joyce.
