Clark County Coroner's Office uses Web to put a name with a face
Naming the nameless
Each coroner or medical examiner's office has its own way of naming the
deceased with the commonality being Jane Doe, John Doe or simply Doe if the sex
is undetermined. At the Clark County Coroner's Office, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the
unidentified are given an additional name based upon the location of the find or
a unique characteristic of the case.
"I don't remember cases by their number," says P. Michael Murphy, Clark
County Coroner. "But I can tell you that John 'Eighth St.' Doe was found on
Eighth St., hand partially sticking up from the ground, with multiple tattoos,
because John 'Eighth St.' Doe has meaning to me. It is actually case No.
03-5005, but I wouldn't have known that if I didn't look at a list."
The Clark County Coroner's Office uses this method of naming specifically to
make an imprint and personalize the cases. "I have to honestly think a moment to
tell you what Jane 'Cordova' Doe's real name is," Murphy gives as an example.
"It's Crystal Figueroa, but I have to say Jane 'Cordova' Doe first before I can
think of Crystal Figueroa because that is who we knew, who she was to us."
In addition to the assigned name, each Jane or John Doe also is identified by
a case number and date of find.
