23 years later, police still looking for 'Tiger Lady' ID

KNOWLTON TOWNSHIP, N.J., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- After 23 years of searching, New Jersey State Police are still trying to identify a dead teenager who has become known as "Tiger Lady" because of the distinctive tattoo on her left leg. Authorities released new forensic sketches with the hope of bringing attention back to the case.

The teen's naked and partially decomposed body was discovered on Oct. 26, 1991 near a rest area just off Interstate 80, a rural New Jersey highway in Knowlton Township, Warren County. Police said she was aged 17 to 19, between 4-foot-10 and 5-foot-1, and 105 pounds. She had blonde or brown hair and brown eyes. The seven-inch-long tattoo -- a crouching Bengal tiger -- was on the calf of her left leg. It was a crude tattoo, likely not done by a professional, police said.

When the woman's body was initially discovered, police were confident the body art would quickly lead to identification, The Star-Ledger reported. The case remained cold for years. With the onset of social media, the police department's forensic artist updated the sketches showing her with both hair colors and a new sketch of the tattoo.

The original renderings look like hand-drawn pencil sketches. By comparison, the new artist renderings are in color and look more realistic.

"We can reach a half million people or more through social media. Please like and share this post. Someone knows something," authorities wrote on Facebook.

In 1993, authorities told The Star Ledger that the woman's death might be connected to serial killer Joel Rifkin, who was convicted of killing nine women in the New York area. He is a suspect in more than 17 murders.

The New York Times reported Tiger Lady was one of three unidentified bodies found near I-80 at the time.