Jeanette Marcotte Identified: Human remains found in Malabar, Florida, in January 1985 have been identified as Jeanette Marcotte, a Canadian who disappeared from Saskatchewan in 1981 or 1982 while reportedly traveling to Vancouver. Identification Method: The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Medical Examiner’s Office and Othram used genetic genealogy to confirm her identity. Investigation: Authorities are examining a possible link to John Crutchley, the convicted kidnapper known as the "Vampire Rapist," but Marcotte’s cause of death remains undetermined because the remains were skeletal. Officials continue to review evidence and seek new leads.
Canadian Woman From Early 1980s Identified; Authorities Probe Link To Florida 'Vampire Rapist'
Jeanette MarcotteOthram
Human remains discovered in a wooded area of Malabar, Florida, in January 1985 have been identified as Canadian national Jeanette Marcotte, who went missing in Saskatchewan in 1981 or 1982 while reportedly traveling to Vancouver, B.C. The identification was made using genetic genealogy after collaboration between the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Medical Examiner’s Office and forensic laboratory Othram.
Discovery and Identification
Marcotte's skeletal remains were recovered in a densely wooded section of Malabar and were initially entered into records as the "Malabar Jane Doe" because investigators could not identify her at the time. Her remains were located adjacent to those of another woman, Kimberly Walker, who had been identified earlier through dental records. Decades later, advanced DNA and genealogical techniques led to Marcotte's positive identification.
Possible Suspect and Case Context
Tod Goodyear, public information officer for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed investigators are exploring whether Marcotte’s death is connected to John Crutchley, a convicted kidnapper and rapist who became widely known in the 1980s as the so-called "Vampire Rapist." Authorities say Crutchley lived in Malabar and was long a suspect in several unsolved cases in the area, though no murder convictions tied him to those cases.
John CrutchleyFlorida Department of Corrections
“John Crutchley lived in Malabar. He was suspected of just about anyone we found for a while. Now, whether he did it, who knows?” — Tod Goodyear, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
Crutchley's Criminal History
Crutchley pleaded guilty in 1986 to kidnapping and sexual battery after abducting and torturing a 19-year-old woman who later escaped in November 1985. He was never convicted of homicide, but investigators have long considered him a person of interest in multiple unsolved killings. Crutchley was released on parole in 1996, returned to prison in 1998 on a drug conviction, and was found dead in his cell on March 30, 2002; investigators determined his death was accidental, caused by autoerotic asphyxiation.
Current Status and Open Questions
Because Marcotte's remains were skeletal when recovered, the medical examiner has been unable to determine a definitive cause of death. Authorities say many questions remain, including why Marcotte was in Florida and whether her death is linked to other local unsolved cases. Investigators continue to review evidence and pursue any leads that might clarify the circumstances of her disappearance and death.
Note: Identification was announced following coordination between local law enforcement, the medical examiner, and a private forensic laboratory using genetic genealogy techniques. Officials continue to ask anyone with information about Marcotte’s movements in the early 1980s to come forward.
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