On December 15, 1986, workers maintaining the Amtrak railway tracks behind the Club House Diner on Street Road in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, discovered the skeletal remains of a young woman concealed in brush alongside the gravel railway bed. For thirty-seven years, she stood on the coroner's docket as "Bucks County Jane Doe."
Discovery, Railroad Corridor & Forensic Pathology
Forensic anthropologists estimated the decedent was a Caucasian female between 18 and 30 years old, standing 5 feet 0 inches to 5 feet 3 inches tall. She had been dead for approximately six months to two years before recovery. Cause of death was ruled a homicide.
At the scene, investigators recovered clothing fragments: blue denim trousers, a red-and-white striped shirt, and a distinct gray winter sweater. Despite extensive regional dental comparisons and fingerprint checks against Mid-Atlantic missing persons records, no matching profiles emerged.
| Date / Period | Jurisdiction / Entity | Forensic Event & Chain-of-Custody Record |
|---|---|---|
| Mid 1985 | Philadelphia, PA | Twenty-three-year-old Sherri Lee Cook last seen by family in Philadelphia. |
| Dec 15, 1986 | Bensalem, Bucks Co., PA | Skeletal remains found along Amtrak tracks; indexed as NamUs UP2183. |
| 1987–2020 | Bensalem Police / DA | Traditional searches yield zero leads; facial reconstruction produced by NCMEC. |
| 2022 | Bucks County DA / Othram | District Attorney Matt Weintraub submits skeletal evidence to Othram Inc. |
| Aug 2023 | Othram Lab | Genealogists identify Cook family lineage in Philadelphia; kinship match confirmed. |
| Nov 2023 | Bucks County DA | DA formally announces Bucks County Jane Doe is Sherri Lee Cook; homicide hunt active. |