Missing Chester County teen identified as 'Tiger Lady' victim in 1991 N.J. cold case

A woman whose remains had a distinctive bengal tattoo appears to have been from Coatesville, prosecutors say

New Jersey State Police created a rendering of young woman whose body was found in the woods of Knowlton Township in Oct. 1991. Thirty years later, Warren County prosecutors say they have identified the victim as a missing teenage from Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
Source/Warren County Prosecutor's Office

Prosecutors in New Jersey say they have made a breakthrough in a homicide investigation that has gone unsolved for 30 years, identifying a young woman whose body was found in a wooded area of Warren County. 

The teenage victim in the so called "Tiger Lady" cold case, named in reference to a tattoo found on her calf, is believed to have been a missing woman from Pennsylvania, Warren County prosecutor James Pfeiffer said Wednesday.

“Through ongoing collaboration and investigation, ‘Tiger Lady’ has been identified as a missing teen from Coatesville, Pennsylvania,” Pfieffer said.

Authorities did not immediately provide the victim's identity, but said further details would be revealed on Friday.

The woman's body was found on Oct. 26, 1991 in an area off an exit ramp of Interstate 80 in Knowlton Township. At the time, investigators said the victim had been deceased for several days and appeared to have died as a result of a homicide. She was estimated to be between 17-19 years old and had a distinctive tattoo of a bengal tiger on her left calf.

Pfeiffer took office in Warren County last year and had set a priority to use DNA technology to identify victims in cold case investigations. 

The New Jersey State Police Cold Case unit is expected to join Pfeiffer on Friday to provide additional details on the latest findings in their investigation of the case.