Karen Kaye Knippers’ headstone was unveiled during a somber memorial ceremony attended by mostly law enforcement officials on Thursday. She remained known as Pulaski County Jane Doe for 41 years until DNA testing confirmed her identity.
Detective Doug Renno of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department led the multiagency efforts that identified Pulaski County Jane Doe as Karen Kaye Knippers.
Karen Kaye Knippers’ headstone was unveiled during a somber memorial ceremony attended by mostly law enforcement officials on Thursday. She remained known as Pulaski County Jane Doe for 41 years until DNA testing confirmed her identity.
Andrew Sheeley
A solemn service June 30 at Waynesville City Cemetery ended one of Pulaski County’s mournful chapters while also affirming the full story is not yet known. Unveiled to the mostly law enforcement attendees was the headstone for Karen Kaye Knippers. Found murdered outside Dixon in 1981, Knippers’ remains were unknown and buried as Jane Doe. Her identity continued to be a mystery until a positive DNA match in 2021 confirmed Knippers as the murder victim. It was announced 40 years to the day of her death.
“My department has worked really hard on this, especially [Detective] Doug Renno, but everybody in the community pitched in,” Sheriff Jimmy Bench said. “We come together. Law enforcement isn't just any one entity. It's us working together as a team because we’re all for the same goal.”
Resolute and worthy, Knippers’ monument is a far cry from the humble Jane Doe grave marker removed and taken away by Detective Renno.
“When we first started, we thought a successful end to the case would be finding out who she was,” Renno said. “It took us years, but we did find out who she was. We wanted closure for the family. She has one surviving brother and he was very thankful. He said his dad spent years looking for her wondering what happened before he took a court action to have her declared legally dead. This doesn't close the case, but at least it closes one aspect of it. At least we know who she is.”
Karen Kaye Knippers was identified as Pulaski County Jane Doe on May 25, 2021.
Photo courtesy of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department
Knippers was born in Oklahoma on Dec. 4, 1948. She grew up in Florida and was living in the St. Louis area at the time of her death. Knippers' body was found abandoned at a low-water crossing of State Route MM on May 25, 1981. An autopsy and forensic evidence indicated she was strangled and beaten before her remains were abandoned.
“We don't know why she was in the county,” Renno said. “She didn't live here. She did not reside here. She resided in St. Louis at the time, so we don't know how she got here. We don't know who she was associated with.”
The Memorial Chapels and Crematory of Waynesville/St. Robert organized Knippers' memorial ceremony at Waynesville City Cemetery and handled the donations to give her a headstone. Rev. Richard Breeden officiated over the ceremony. He opened and closed his remarks by emphasizing, “God Knows.”
“After death there is an accounting time,” Breeden said, later continuing. “Whatever evil bestowed on this sister in her lifetime will be accountable to God. There is a judgement time. You and I must look forward and trust in that, that the righteousness of God is not only love but it's also judgment.”
Detective Renno himself closed the proceedings by publicly affirming, “This may be an old case, and it may be a cold case, but it’s not a closed case. Someone is responsible and someone knows. As Rev. Breeden said justice comes, we just may not be around when it happens. Hopefully, someone’s conscience will get to them one day, come forward and tell what they know.”
Detective Doug Renno of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department led the multiagency efforts that identified Pulaski County Jane Doe as Karen Kaye Knippers.
Andrew Sheeley
The timeline of discovering Knippers identity was many years in the making. A previous press release from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department details the following:
• In 2012, Lt. Dottie Taylor, Missouri Highway Patrol, Troop I, entered the DNA profile in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Detective Renno became interested in the case and requested approval to relook at the case. Approval was given by Sheriff J.B. King in 2012 to reopen the case. Sheriff Ronald Long and current Sheriff Jimmy Bench continued the investigation throughout the years searching for answers.
• In 2015, Detective Renno and Pulaski County Coroner Mikel Hartness, with the concurrence of Sheriff Long, obtained a court order for the exhumation of Jane Doe’s remains to obtain DNA for use in identification.
• The exhumation was conducted on May 25, 2015, with the help and assistance of numerous individuals and organizations including members of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, Coroner Mikel Hartness, Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillman, members of Waynesville City Hall, Waynesville Fire Department, Dan Cordry excavation service, Mark Beary (Anthropologist), members of the Waynesville Memorial Chapel, and police departments within the county.
• In June 2015, the remains were transported to the University of North Texas, Center for Human Identification, Fort Worth, Texas, for DNA and Forensic Anthropology testing.
• In January 2016, an anthropology report was received on the remains.
• In March 2016, a report was received that the extraction and development of DNA was successful.
• In May 2016, Jane Doe’s remains were sent to the University of South Florida for forensic imaging and isotope analysis.
• In January 2017, a report identifying the results from isotope testing was received.
• In April 2019, Jane Doe’s remains were submitted to the DNA Doe Project, in Sebastopol California. The DNA Doe Project is a volunteer organization using genetic genealogy to identify relatives through DNA research.
• In December 2019, The DNA Doe Project provided a possible name of Jane Doe and the name of a possible relative (candidate).
• In January 2020, the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office located a candidate (possible relative) in Alexandria, Virginia. The candidate informed Detective Renno that he did have a sister that the family had lost contact with in the early 1980s. The candidate (possible relative) agreed to provide a DNA sample for comparison/confirmation. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office in coordination with the regional managers of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NaMUS) and the Alexandria, VA, Detective unit to obtain a DNA sample. The DNA sample was obtained and submitted to NaMUS at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for the development and comparison of DNA.
• In May 2021, the genetic data obtained from Pulaski County Jane Doe and the candidate were entered into the Unidentified Human remains and relatives of Missing Persons indices of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and association between these samples were noted to be 19.4 million times more likely to be the biological sibling (Pulaski County (Dixon) Jane Doe) and of the candidate (possible relative) as opposed to originate from an unrelated individual.
John Hewkin has been a sports fan since he was a kid. He’s played, coached and been a fan of sports. I was a sports writer for 15 years before moving back to Missouri, but to this day you will still find me in my man cave a lot of nights and weekends watching something that requires a ball.
