A Cold Case No More, From Nameless to Known: The 33-Year Mystery of I‑90 Jane Doe

***UPDATE July 21, 2025*** Unfortunately Clark Perry Baldwin will not face trial in Wyoming. He died in custody one day after we learned the name of Cindi Estrada. On a cold April day in 1992, a gruesome discovery along Interstate 90 north of Sheridan would spark one of Wyoming’s most enduring mysteries. For 33 years, she was known only as “I‑90 Jane Doe.” Today, July 17, 2025, we finally know her name: Cindi Arleen Estrada.

Doe Network Image Archive

(Images courtesy of Doe Network)

1. Forensic Reconstruction Sketch,The artist’s rendering that represented I‑90 Jane Doe for decades.

2. Recovered Clothing Blue checkered blouse with ornate buttons, jeans, critical identifiers published online for public tips.

The Day She Was Found

On April 13, 1992, a highway maintenance worker spotted something unusual in a borrow ditch along Interstate 90, about 15 miles north of Sheridan, Wyoming. The scene was grim: the partial remains of a young woman, badly decomposed, her life violently cut short.

Investigators determined she was between 16 and 21 years old, stood about 5′5″ to 5′6″, and weighed around 110 pounds. She had brown hair and was wearing blue jeans and a checkered blouse with ornate buttons, a small detail that would stick in the minds of investigators for decades.

But other details were chilling. Her shoes and personal items were missing—possibly taken as trophies. Even more tragic: she was several months pregnant.

The coroner’s report confirmed what the scene suggested: this was no accident. The young woman had been beaten, strangled, and sexually assaulted.

In the early days, investigators had little to go on. DNA testing was primitive. Missing persons databases weren’t centralized. And without an identity, the case soon hit a dead end. For the next 27 years, she was buried in paperwork and whispers, known only as “I‑90 Jane Doe.

The Sheridan Press, April 14, 1992 page 1 column 5 and 6

The Investigation That Went Cold

Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, the case grew colder with every passing year. Composite sketches and reconstructions were created. The FBI was consulted. Leads trickled in but led nowhere.

Her remains were handled by Ferris Funeral Home, then transported for cremation at the Billings Crematory. But where did she end up? For decades, that question lingered even in Sheridan.

My Personal Connection to the Case

In July 2019, while preparing for the Sheridan Cemetery Tours, which that year focused on murders and murderers tied to Sheridan Cemetery, I stumbled across a brief mention of a Jane Doe connected to Interstate 90.

Curiosity sparked, I dug deeper. I learned that Ferris Funeral Home had been involved as Mark Ferries was the County Coroner at the time. So I contacted Mark Ferries, who had just sold the funeral home. Mark admitted the case was faint in his memory, it had been 27 years, but he recalled two key things:

• The University of Wyoming had retained her skull for forensic analysis.

• The rest of her ashes, returned from the Billings Crematory, were interred in Sheridan Cemetery.

But where? There was no record in the funeral home files, and Mark couldn’t remember the exact location. Somewhere in Sheridan Cemetery lay the ashes of a woman who had no name, no family present to mourn her, and no marker to tell her story.

That haunted me.

Ferries Funeral Home Record Page 191 from 1992 book. DATE IN BOOK WRITTEN AS 1993, THIS IS THE INCORRECT DATE.

The Doe Network: Giving the Missing a Voice

One crucial resource that kept her case visible over the years was the Doe Network, an international volunteer organization dedicated to cold cases and unidentified persons. Founded in 1999, the Doe Network provides a searchable database of unidentified remains, missing persons, and case details for public awareness.

For decades, I‑90 Jane Doe was listed as Case File 390UFWY on the Doe Network:

View the archived case file: Doe Network – Case 390UFWY

These entries often include reconstructions, forensic sketches, and case summaries. For many victims, it’s the only way their story remains in the public eye—and for Jane Doe, it helped keep hope alive that one day, someone would recognize her.

A Killer on the Highway

DNA eventually linked her murder to two others:

• “Bitter Creek Betty” (Irene Vasquez) — Found along I‑80 near Sweetwater County in March 1992.

• Pamela McCall — Murdered in Tennessee in 1991.

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All three victims were pregnant women.

In May 2020, authorities arrested Clark Perry Baldwin, a former long-haul truck driver with a violent past, for the murders of all three women. Baldwin had been on the road during the timeframes and had prior charges for sexual assault and attempted murder.

In May 2025, Baldwin was convicted for Pamela McCall’s murder in Tennessee. He now faces extradition to Wyoming for the killings of Irene Vasquez and Cindi Estrada.

The Breakthrough

Using genetic genealogy, investigators built a family tree from her DNA and located her biological mother.

On July 17, 2025, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed her identity: Cindi Arleen Estrada, age 21, originally from Torrance, California, possibly living in Long Beach at the time of her disappearance.

And according to Ancestry records I reviewed today, July 17, 2025, Cindi Estrada was born on May 11, 1970, in Torrance, California, and her mother’s maiden name was Veldeman.

For 33 years, she had been a Jane Doe. Now, she had her name, her birth date, and part of her family history restored.

Why It Matters

• Identity Restored: She is no longer a statistic. She was Cindi, a young, expectant mother, and full of life.

• Justice Pursued: Baldwin’s extradition means the legal system will finally speak for her.

• Hope for Others: Her story underscores the power of persistence and modern science in solving cold cases.

Timeline of the I‑90 Jane Doe Case

Date	Event
April 13, 1992	Remains discovered near I‑90, 15 miles north of Sheridan, WY.
April 15, 1992	Case dubbed “I‑90 Jane Doe.” Investigation begins.
1992– April 2020	Case remains cold; skull stored at UW, ashes interred at Sheridan Cemetery.
May 2020	DNA links the case to serial killer suspect Clark Perry Baldwin, who is arrested.
May 2025	Baldwin convicted in Tennessee murder case.
July 17, 2025	I‑90 Jane Doe identified as Cindi Arleen Estrada through genetic genealogy.
Pending	Baldwin faces extradition to Wyoming for Estrada’s murder.

A Reflection

In 2019, when I first came across this case, she was still an enigma, a nameless woman in Sheridan Cemetery, her exact burial spot unknown, her story untold. Today, we know who she was: Cindi Arleen Estrada.

Her ashes may rest in an unmarked grave, but her identity, her humanity, and her story are no longer lost to time.