On November 12, 1991, a hunter witnessed a man hitting a woman and placing something in a plastic bag near Jacob Johnson Lake in Warner. The man saw the hunter and fled the scene with the screaming woman in a car. The hunter later found a warm, deceased infant in the bag. In 2009, DNA testing revealed that the infant's mother was Penny Anita Lowry, a 37-year-old Virginia woman. Lowry confessed to the murder in 2010, but has never revealed the identity of the man who assisted in the crime. The man has not been identified and remains at large.
The Murder Case Of Baby Jane Doe
On November 12, 1991, a hunter was near Jake's Lake in Warner, Oklahoma when he heard a woman screaming and saw a man hitting something. After the couple left the area, the hunter discovered the body of a newborn baby in a trash bag.
The hunter realized that he had witnessed the woman giving birth and the man beating the infant to death. He called authorities and reported finding a towel and brick, thought to be the murder weapon, near the body. Police launched a search for the identity of the baby girl, nicknamed "Baby Jane Doe" or "Warner Jane Doe," and the community held a memorial service for the child. The killer has not been identified.
Suspects
The couple was described as being around 20 years old and of Caucasian ethnicity. They fled the area in a mid-70s white-on-red Chevrolet. The man is not believed to be the father of the mixed-race baby, as the witness saw him beating the infant to death. Despite the witness's account, investigators were unable to make any progress in the case and it remained unsolved for several years.
Arrest And Confession
In July 2009, DNA testing identified the infant's mother as a 37-year-old Virginia woman named Penny Anita Lowry, who was 19 at the time of the murder. She had previously been interviewed by authorities but denied being pregnant. DNA testing also identified the child's father, but he is not a suspect as he is African-American and the male attacker was described as being Caucasian.
After DNA evidence identified her as the mother of the infant, Penny Anita Lowry confessed to killing her child and pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the murder in October 2010. She was sentenced to 45 years in prison, but has refused to reveal the identity of the man who participated in the crime.
