Police positively identify remains of little girl found in 2012 who suffered blunt force trauma

OPELIKA, Ala. (TCD) -- Two people have been arrested following the positive identification of a girl whose remains were found almost 11 years ago.

According to the Opelika Police Department, on Jan. 28, 2012, officers were called to Brookhaven Trailer Park after a resident found skeletal remains. Officials reportedly located a skull in the yard and found more bones in a shallow grave nearby. Investigators also recovered a child’s pink shirt and "a small bundle of curly hair."

The victim became known as Baby Jane Doe and Opelika Jane Doe.

The remains were sent to an FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, and the autopsy reportedly showed the girl was Black, between 4 and 7 years old, and malnourished. The Opelika Police Department said Baby Jane Doe suffered at least 15 fractures to her skull, ribs, shoulder, and arms, all of which were "attributed to blunt force trauma."

The trauma reportedly occurred before she died.

Baby Jane Doe was reportedly most likely blind in one eye due to a fractured eye socket.

Her death was ruled a homicide that most likely occurred in between the summer of 2010 to 2011.

According to the statement, detectives previously tried to take DNA samples but couldn’t due to the "condition of the remains." In 2022, Opelika Police worked with Othram Labs, which retrieved DNA from her scalp, and Astrea Labs, which used DNA from her hair. Othram then created a genealogical profile of the girl, and that was uploaded to a database shared with a genealogist with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

In October 2022, police reportedly identified Baby Jane Doe’s father as Lamar Vickerstaff Jr. He grew up in Opelika, then joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in several different cities. Police found him in Jacksonville, Florida, in order to "notify him about his daughter’s death."

Vickerstaff allegedly "did not provide investigators with any information on the identity of Jane Doe," and neither did his wife, Ruth Vickerstaff.

Ruth Vickerstaff reportedly said she and Lamar married in 2006 and she did not know who Jane Doe’s mother might be.

In December 2022, officials found 37-year-old Sherry Wiggins in Maryland, and she confirmed she was Jane Doe’s mother. She reportedly told police she gave birth to Amore Wiggins in January 2006, but Ruth and Lamar Vickerstaff obtained full custody in 2009.

Wiggins has reportedly been paying Lamar child support since 2009.

Police learned Amore was never enrolled in school or taken to any doctors.

On Jan. 17, police arrested Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff in Jacksonville. Lamar was booked on suspicion of felony murder while Ruth was charged with failure to report a missing child. They are currently in custody in Florida and will be extradited to Alabama.

MORE:

• Opelika Police Identify Baby Jane Doe - Opelika Police Department