Authorities have identified the remains of a Brooks County, Georgia woman whose body was dumped in a cornfield dating back to Halloween night in 1981. The case has been cold for over thirty years and has only made headlines again after investigators received a phone call leading to a break related to the crime. The young woman, known to law enforcement as “Jane Doe” her tombstone read, “Known Only to God” She was found in a cornfield, in Dixie, Georgia. She was left there on the side of the road for the birds. Her body was also covered in limbs and leaves to hide the brutal attack. Her body was brutally beaten and stabbed in the stomach and the autopsy stated that she was strangled which was the leading cause of the go.

Her corpse was also disfigured which made also made it difficult to obtain an identification. Detectives had little information to gather due to her body being severely beaten, there wasn’t much information except that she was 5’2″ and 105 lbs. Investigators determined that her age was between the ages of 18 and 24. Police were able to find a sketch artist and released a sketch of the victim to the public hoping that someone could identify her, but no leads became available to the public or to law enforcement officials. They also checked missing person databases and no positive matches were made at the time.

Investigators were able to apprehend the suspect in the case of “Jane Doe’s” murder, George Newsome. He was a traveling fair worker in another town close to where the victim was found. After searching his car, police were able to match the same type of rope used to strangle the victim. However, Newsome didn’t cooperate with the law enforcement and escaped their custody. in 1983, he was arrested again and admitted to her murder. He stated that he met her at a fair in Tallahassee, Florida, but didn’t release her name. He later passed away in prison in 1988. He won’t be able to hurt anyone else the way he did to “Jane Doe”.

Afterward, a woman called the police and stated that she saw a sketch on social media of a lady who resembled her missing friend, Cheryl Hammack. Police did a DNA test with the samples they obtained from family members and it was a positive match. DNA testing wasn’t available in the ’80s but has certainly left a tremendous mark in this case. Cheryl can now finally rest in peace and her family can have some closure and peace of mind. They’ll be able to remember her for the loving person she was and a good friend and daughter.