Coconut Creek police ask for help in decades-old murder case after victim’s name is revealed

A woman who was fatally shot in the head and known as “Jane Doe” for the past 45 years has been identified as Barbara Overby, 24, of Fort Lauderdale, the Coconut Creek Police Department said Wednesday.

Now that Overby has been identified, police are asking members of the public to come forward with any leads that might help identify her killer, the department said in a Facebook post.

On Sept. 28, 1981, officers went to the 6700 block of Lyons Road to investigate after a woman’s body was found in a canal. An autopsy revealed she died of gunshot wounds to the head.

She had no identification on her and was labeled “Jane Doe.” The case went cold for decades.

In November, the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office found her original fingerprint card in its archives and ran it through the National Crime Information Center database, police said.

There was a hit, and the fingerprints matched Overby’s.

A detective found Overby’s family, who had not seen or heard from her in more than 45 years, in North Carolina, police said. The relatives shared photos of her with authorities.

“The family recalled rumors of her residing in Florida but could never be completely sure,” police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 954-973-6700. The investigation is ongoing.