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facial reconstruction of Punk John, made by Ross Hendricks Discovered September 21st, 1984
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facial reconstruction of Punk Jane, made by Ross Hendricks Discovered September 21st, 1984
PARTIALLY SOLVED
Punk John and Punk Jane are two formerly unidentified bodies.
When Ingrid Smith stepped outside her apartment and went into the alleyway to smoke, she found the bodies of two young adults. One male and one female, both believed to be in their early twenties. Both had dyed black hair. The female was 5'7 and weighed 123 pounds and the male was 6'0 and weighed 156lbs. Both were missing their hands and their feet. The John Doe had been almost completely beheaded and the Jane Doe had been bludgeoned beyond recognition. It appeared the Jane Doe had been raped and that they'd both been robbed.
They were buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, with a joint grave reading;
PUNK JANE AND PUNK JOHN DISCOVERED SEPTEMBER 21, 1984
They were nicknamed Punk John and Punk Jane due to the clothes they were wearing, which were, as I'm sure you guessed, in the punk style.
Here we go with the theories.
The killer(s) have never been caught, and there are several theories. Some believed them to be, after her arrest, victims of Cheryl Anna Jackson, but as she was able to name all her victims, and also she only exclusively killed men, this was disproven.
Some believed it to be a hate crime, which would seem possible, as they both had purple laces, which represents gay pride in the punk community.
Their bodies would be exhumed in 1995, 2006 and 2017.
Finally, on October 31st, 2023, thirty-nine years, one month and ten days after their discovery, they were officially announced to have been identified using genetic genealogy as Micha James Rogers and Josie Alexandra Tree.
The two had both been born in Buchanan, Virginia, Josie on February 13th, 1962, Micha exactly two months later. They lived down the street from each other and grew up close friends. They would be taken in by the punk culture when they were in high school, especially after coming to terms with the fact that they were a gay man and lesbian woman. Once they turned eighteen, according to Micha's older brother, Eddie, he and Josie became very nomadic, living the lifestyle that is today referred to as either gutterpunk or crust punk. They lived mostly on the streets, but called their families frequently. Last they heard of them was ten days before the discovery of their bodies. Josie had called her mother, saying she and Micha were doing fine, and then Micha called his parents, and said he and Josie were doing fine and were in Boston, Massachusetts. That would be the last time they ever heard from them.
"I found it weird," Josie's younger sister, Connie, said in a recent interview. "I didn't understand why Micha and Josie had just suddenly broken off contact. We all had a fantastic relationship with them, none of us, not my family, nor Micha's, none of us had a problem with them being gay. I always knew deep down they were gone. I think I always knew that."
The families had attempted to report the two missing, but they were unable, as they were adults and they also couldn't give police a good starting point.
On December 10th, 2023, they remained buried in Woodlawn, but were given a new headstone, reading;
JOSIE ALEXANDRA TREE FEBRUARY 13, 1962 - SEPTEMBER 1984 MICHA JAMES ROGERS APRIL 13, 1962 - SEPTEMBER 1984 CARPOOLING ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL
"We chose those headstones because it's what Josie and Micha wanted," Micha's older brother, Tony, said. "When the song came out, they loved it. I remember distinctly the both of them talking about wanting it to be referenced on their future tombstones, as a joke of sorts. And here it is. If they can somehow see this, I'm sure they're laughing their asses off."
Another detail worth noting about the two is that, according to their families, they did have an interest in unidentified decedents, such as the Lady of The Dunes, Boy in The Box, etc.
May Josie Alexandra Tree and Micha James Rogers rest in peace.
a photo of Micha and Josie, dated summer 1982
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