Unidentified Body Found at Lake Thunderbird
If you have any information regarding this tattoo or the unidentified woman, please, call the OSBI hotline at 1-800-522-8017.
View larger image. (Graphic) Compare to this image (see below).
Investigators are still seeking the identity of a woman’s body found in Cleveland County in central Oklahoma (Norman). The body was found August 3, 2008 on the banks of Lake Thunderbird by a visitor. The body was badly decomposed, but a tattoo on the woman’s lower back was still intact.
The OSBI has released a photograph of the tattoo, left. I was a little indecisive about posting the photo. But I asked myself which was more important, that someone might be protected from the morosity of the image, or that this person might be identified. This is a crime blog with a purpose, so the latter won over. I’m sure the majority of readers have seen far worse, and this is not a first even at this blog.The main reason for my hesitation was the fact that so little time has passed that it might prove shocking to someone who knows the person to find out in such a way. But then, she hasn’t been identified, yet, and that may just be the only way. I’ve shared enough anxiety, so let’s continue.
The tattoo was a design centered on a sunburst. The sunburst had a blue crescent on the left hand side of the orb, bordered with magenta. The sun itself was orange and red. There were two smaller stars, to the left and right of the sunburst, connected by stylized flourishes.
On September 5 (last Friday), when I first heard about this case, I did my usual digging around. I didn’t have to look very far to find something interesting. A tattoo of almost identical design was found in an image gallery at Body Modification Ezine (bmezine.com). According to the site, bmezine.com “contains the personal experiences of thousands of people all over the planet, in photo and text form.”
The image gallery page, with the similar tattoo can be seen here, while the photo of the individual tattoo is here. I did happen to contact the OSBI that evening,about a quarter to midnight. I spoke with a lady who gave me an email address to send the link and other info to, which I did. I haven’t heard any response, and the woman is still unidentified, so perhaps this lead went nowhere. Since I’m not really into the tattoo culture myself, and not too familiar with the business side of the artistry, I asked an expert for her opinion.
Who better to go to with my questions than the site where the photo was actually posted? Rachel Larratt, the owner of bmezine.com, was very gracious in sharing a little 411 about the tattoo trade. She also shared her views on this case. She said that identifying the deceased by their tattoos is becoming a common practice of late. She has even helped before with identifying persons in much the same way.
“I’d have to say that the tattoos are pretty close,” says Rachel. “There appears to be what looks like shading that isn’t in the live version but that may just be a residual effect of decomposition or dirt.” I expressed my feeling that maybe the two photos weren’t related after all. The OSBI has still not identified the body. Still, I’m compelled enough to write this post, and Rachel seemed to share my initial belief. “While the design could simply be flash based, which means ‘a lot’ of people could potentially have the tattoo. The color is so similar in each photo.” For those not familiar with tattoo terminology, “flash” is the design as it is drawn on paper or cardboard. Most flash is obtained online these days.
I wondered whether the tattoo was a common design or, perhaps, something more obscure. Rachel was able to help me with my inquiries. “It doesn’t look very “original” meaning it’s most likely based off of flash but considering the quality of tattoo artists varies so much, this could be ‘original.’” I looked quite a bit through online galleries and did happen to see quite a lot of similar designs. “It’s a very traditional style for lower back tattoos which often take a design, such as stars, flowers, suns and mix it on a tribal of black work base.” This seemed to be the case as I continued to look online for a match. Nothing, however, came as close as first image.
Curious to know the record keeping practices of modern tattoo parlors, I asked Rachel about how things are done. She told me that “All artists working in shops keep consent forms. They don’t necessarily include a picture of the design but there is generally a copy of ID to prove the client is of age, answers to generic health questions and a summary of the tattoo. The quality of information varies from shop to shop.” This would mean that if the artist who tattooed this design could be traced, then the identity of the person may be within reach. Of course, the artist has to be located first. In the event that the artist who did the woman’s tattoo did not do so legally, the tattoo may not aid in gaining her identity after all.
The chance that this tattoo may be undocumented is very real, especially since we are talking about a person that just may be from Oklahoma. Oklahoma was the last state to allow legal tattooing, meaning that persons tattooed in Oklahoma before November 1 of 2006 may not be have any official documentation linked to their tattoo. I know as an Oklahoma resident that a few artists opened shops in spite of the laws against it, in what Henry David Thoreau would refer to as “civil disobedience. Rachel advised “this type of action was necessary to get the ball rolling for reform which would allow the art of tattooing to be practiced legally. It brought the industry together to help change the laws. In areas where it’s a county restriction, working within the system is the best course of action.” She also shared her own opinion on the regulation of the tattoo industry and unlicensed practitioners. “There is a reason why they’re working unlicensed and they’re probably not up to the local health code or regulations. The guy coming to a “tattoo party” in your cousins friends basement, is not who you want to get tattooed by.”
Rachel also expressed her concern that tattoo meanings may be misconstrued by law enforcement, especially when it comes to what is or isn’t “gang related.” I can see with the popularity of tattoos and other body modifications on the rise, this would present a very real problem and lots of misunderstanding.
The body found at Lake Thunderbird is still unidentified. If you know anything at all, please speak up. If you have any information regarding this tattoo or the unidentified woman, please, call the OSBI hotline at 1-800-522-8017.
Sources and Links:
OSBI – Help Needed to Identify Body
Identity of woman found dead in lake still being sought
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