Dead West: The Death of Lavender Doe

Summary

Dead West: The Death of Lavender Doe – A Detailed Summary

Podcast: Cold Case Files
Host: Paula Barros
Episode: Dead West: The Death of Lavender Doe
Release Date: May 6, 2025

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Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Dead West: The Death of Lavender Doe," Paula Barros delves into one of Gregg County, Texas's most haunting unsolved murders from 2006. This case, notable for its complexity and the eventual breakthroughs achieved through forensic technology and dedicated investigative work, highlights the challenges law enforcement faces in solving cold cases. With over 100,000 cold cases in America and only about 1% solved, Lavender Doe's story stands out as a testament to perseverance and technological advancement in criminal investigations.

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Discovery of the Body

The Fateful Morning

On October 29, 2006, Gregg County locals discovered the charred remains of a young woman beneath the flames of an oil well fire. The discovery was made by two individuals heading to a target shoot, who initially mistook the burning body for a mannequin:

Eddie Hope ([03:24]): "When the target shooters came down, they had smelled smoke and they saw a fire. Really? They noticed what, you know, one of them thought was a mannequin burning. Of course, it was a couple days prior to Halloween, but upon closer inspection, they saw it was a human body."

Initial Investigation

Assistant District Attorney Tanya Reed emphasized the importance of understanding the victim's background to move forward with the case:

Tanya Reed ([01:48]): "As an investigator, you have to know who the victim is, what her age is, who her family is."

Despite the severity of the crime scene—98% of the body burned with no identification—the initial autopsy provided critical details:

Eddie Hope ([05:03]): "She was five'four, fairly petite, believed to be white, possibly Hispanic, with sandy blonde and reddish hair. She had bruising around her throat which could be consistent with strangulation. There was a lack of carbon found in her lungs, suggesting she might have been killed elsewhere and brought to this location."

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The Investigation and Initial Leads

Establishing Identity

With minimal clues, law enforcement employed traditional methods such as media outreach, flyers, and missing person reports to identify Lavender Doe—a nickname inspired by the distinctive lavender sweater she was wearing:

Missy Koski ([07:21]): "The lavender sweater being a pretty color made me think that this is a girl who cared about her appearance."

Despite these efforts, several potential leads, including Brandy Wells, were pursued but eventually dismissed after dental records did not match:

Tanya Reed ([10:18]): "Brandy Wells' dental records were compared to Lavender Doe's, and it was determined not to be a match."

Community Involvement and Emotional Impact

The community's response was profound, with locals like Amanda Gad and Bobby Hodges sharing their personal connections and grief:

Amanda Gad ([11:04]): "This is my baby sister. I wanted to be able to protect her. I never realized how hard it was going to be."

Bobby Hodges ([01:06] & [11:26]): "She was my best friend in high school. Dana was a very friendly person... I wanted to save her, and I couldn't save her."

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Joseph Wayne Burnett: The Prime Suspect

Linking the Crime

Four months post-discovery, a breakthrough occurred when the semen sample from Lavender Doe matched Joseph Wayne Burnett in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS):

Eddie Hope ([13:13]): "Joseph Burnett's occupation was painting oil wells. Burnett was a local sex offender."

Burnett's connection deepened as investigators uncovered his failure to register as a sex offender, leading to his arrest on unrelated charges initially.

The Confession

Under polygraph examination, Burnett exhibited deceptive behavior, heightening suspicions:

Eddie Hope ([17:54]): "Polygraphs aren't admissible in court, and they were going to need more physical evidence or a confession."

Eventually, Burnett confessed to the murder of Phylicia Pearson, another victim, but initially denied involvement with Lavender Doe:

Joseph Burnett ([22:25]): "I guess I want to say. I really want to come clean. I did do it, okay?"

Upon further interrogation, Burnett recounted the events leading to Lavender Doe's death, albeit with inconsistencies:

Joseph Burnett ([24:04] & [24:54]): "Y'all really don't know who she was, her name, or where she was from... We ended up getting to it. ... I put it around her neck, and I tightened it up maybe 20, 30 seconds, and she was dead."

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Breakthrough: The DNA Doe Project

Reviving the Case

Eleven years after the initial investigation, Lieutenant Eddie Hope revisited the case, leveraging advancements in DNA technology and collaborating with the DNA Doe Project:

Eddie Hope ([19:06]): "DNA technology was changing daily... I felt doing the DNA was a good avenue to go down to identify who our victim was."

Identifying Lavender Doe

Through investigative genetic genealogy, the DNA Doe Project identified Lavender Doe as Dana Lynn Dodd. The project's meticulous research traced Dana's lineage back to relatives in East Texas:

Missy Koski ([27:20]): "I thought to myself, this is it. We solved the case. We found Lavender's mother."

Confirmation of Dana's identity brought both closure and renewed grief to her family and friends:

Amanda Gad ([34:10]): "Lieutenant Hope... Lavender Doe was Dana, that it was my sister. It was just like everything around me just stopped... Now we know who did this. Now we expect punishment."

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The Aftermath and Reflections

Legal Proceedings

In December 2020, Joseph Burnett faced charges for the murders of Dana Dodd (Lavender Doe) and Phylicia Pearson. Despite his confession, Burnett initially pled not guilty but eventually accepted a plea agreement, receiving a sentence of 50 years for each case:

Tanya Reed ([37:16]): "Joseph Burnett was charged with two homicides..."

Amanda Gad ([37:29]): "I wanted him to suffer more... He's eligible for parole. Once he comes up for that, I plan to be there every step of the way."

Emotional Closure

The resolution of Lavender Doe's case provided a semblance of closure to the grieving families, though the pain of loss remains palpable:

Bobby Hodges ([40:21]): "I feel like her soul is finally put to rest. I'm just glad that she was finally found..."

Amanda Gad ([40:49]): "We chose to leave Dana buried in Longview because I felt like that's where she belonged... She's home, you know, that's where she's at in a community that loves her."

Lingering Questions

Despite the case being officially closed, questions linger about Lavender Doe's circumstances leading up to her tragic end, particularly concerning potential involvement in human trafficking:

Eddie Hope ([38:50]): "What goes through my mind is that she got involved in some human trafficking... They end up putting them in store. Fleecy motels they're around, the drunks, prostitutes, the narcotic users."

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Conclusion

"Dead West: The Death of Lavender Doe" is a poignant exploration of a cold case that underscores the vital role of community involvement, technological advancements, and relentless perseverance in solving complex murders. Through heartfelt testimonies and meticulous investigative work, the episode not only sheds light on the harrowing journey to justice but also honors the memory of Dana Lynn Dodd, ensuring her story transcends the shadows of her untimely death.

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Notable Quotes:

• Eddie Hope ([03:24]): "When the target shooters came down, they had smelled smoke and they saw a fire... they saw it was a human body."

• Tanya Reed ([05:57]): "It's pure evil."

• Bobby Hodges ([11:26]): "Dana was a very friendly person... I wanted to save her, and I couldn't save her."

• Amanda Gad ([34:10]): "Now we expect punishment. He's not a person. He's a monster."

• Missy Koski ([27:14]): "I thought to myself, this is it. We solved the case. We found Lavender's mother."

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This detailed account of Lavender Doe's case not only highlights the intricate nature of criminal investigations but also pays tribute to the victims and the unwavering dedication of those seeking justice.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Bobby Hodges]

She was my best friend in high school and she was always happy, even if she didn't have a good home life.

[Eddie Hope]

Greg county has its share of murders. Bad things happen, but it was nothing like this. Nobody knew who she was.

[Kevin Lord]

She was wearing a lavender sweater.

[Joseph Burnett]

Tell me about that burning girl. So I laid her out on top of wood after I soaked the wood in the diesel and then I poured diesel over her.

[Tanya Reed]

It's pure evil. As an investigator, you have to know who the victim is, what her age is, who her family is.

[Bobby Hodges]

Deep down I knew she was gone, but I wanted to believe that she was still alive.

[Amanda Gad]

This is my baby sister. I wanted to be able to protect her. I never realized how hard it was going to be.

[Narrator]

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only about 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. Eddie Hope is a lieutenant with the Gregg County Sheriff's Office.

[Eddie Hope]

Greg county is a county located in northeastern Texas. I like the pine trees, I like the people. And most of all, I've enjoyed working my whole career for the sheriff's office here. This area is known as the world's richest acre. It's known for the two and a half million barrels of oil that it produced during the 1930s. But there's still plenty of oil here. These oil filled roads attract illegal activity. People back in here, out of sight from the police, doing narcotics or prostitution or a little bit of everything. We're gonna go down there. She was found right around in here When I first heard about the crime, I was shocked. Brett county has its share of murders and bad things happen, but it was nothing like this.

[Narrator]

It's October 29, 2006. A hot morning in Gregg County, Texas. Oil wells spit fire into the warm autumn air. Two locals head down a dirt road to target shoot.

[Eddie Hope]

When the target shooters came down, they had smelt smoke and they saw a fire. Really? They noticed what, you know, one of them thought was a mannequin burning. Of course, it was a couple days prior to Halloween, but upon closer inspection, they saw it was a human body.

[Narrator]

Tanya Reed is an assistant district attorney at the Gregg County DA's office.

[Tanya Reed]

As they were walking to the area, the body was still smoldering. At that point, they called the sheriff's department.

[Eddie Hope]

98% of her body was burned. There was no form of ID or purse on the victim. It was not possible at that time to put an identity to the body.

[Tanya Reed]

They proceeded to, of course, take photographs of the area, took photographs of the two target shooters, their shoes and she.

[Eddie Hope]

Had been placed on some wood and had some more wood placed on top of her. And a gas can was found at the location, which indicated to the investigators that somebody had tried to burn this body intentionally to cover up a crime.

[Narrator]

Etched in the mud by the entrance are a telling set of tire tracks.

[Eddie Hope]

With the investigators finding the tire tracks at the gate, it told them that, you know, somebody had tried to exit that way and may not be familiar with this area.

[Narrator]

Hoping for more clues, investigators send the body to a forensics lab for an autopsy.

[Tanya Reed]

They determined that her age was anywhere from late teens to early twenties. She was five'four she was fairly petite.

[Eddie Hope]

Believed to be white, possibly Hispanic, with the sandy blonde and reddish hair. She had bruising around her throat which could be consistent with strangulation. There was a lack of carbon found in her lungs. Told investigators that she might have been killed somewhere else and brought to this location.

[Narrator]

Technicians at the lab checked the victim for signs of assault and find a semen sample.

[Eddie Hope]

The condition of her teeth showed investigators that she came from a good background. She still had two baby teeth. The report stated that was highly unusual for somebody 19 to 24 years old. They recovered partial articles of clothing. Her pants, said one tough babe on them. Also a piece of lavender clothing, a sweater. And she had some burned cash on her.

[Tanya Reed]

The one thing that stuck out in my mind was the money that was left in Jane Doe's pocket. Because if there's money there, then the person obviously did not want money from her. Whoever did this had murdered this individual. Went to the trouble of getting gasoline, pouring it on them, lighting a match, and leaving the person there. It's pure evil.

[Eddie Hope]

The biggest question the investigators were thinking is, who is she? You know, where did she come from, who put her here, and why?

[Tanya Reed]

As an investigator, you have to know who the victim is, what her age is, who her family is, does she have a husband? Law enforcement did many different things to try to identify Jane Doe. They went to the media, they went to tv, local newspapers, putting up flyers, things of that nature.

[Eddie Hope]

Several names came up of missing people in our area, and the investigators at that time were running these people down, putting eyes on them, being able to rule them out. It's frustrating because you kind of get your hopes up and they're dashed again.

[Narrator]

As a police look for new leads, her pale purple sweater inspires a nickname, Lavender Doe. Kevin Lord and Missy Koski work for the DNA Doe project.

[Kevin Lord]

I think the name Lavender Doe really helped the case stand out from all of the other thousands and thousands of Jane and John does out there.

[Missy Koski]

The lavender sweater being a pretty color made me think that this is a girl who cared about her appearance. Knowing the brand of jeans that she was wearing, one tough babe really made me think this was a girl who wasn't gonna put up with anything. But then I thought, how could she be in this horrible situation, this confident, pretty girl? It didn't make sense that a girl that would dress that way would be found out in the woods. She wasn't wearing hiking boots or things like that. It seemed that she was not in her normal environment.

[Kevin Lord]

She could just be like anyone girl next door. It didn't necessarily seem like she was experiencing homelessness or living kind of a transient lifestyle. Did Lavender Doe have a family? Did they report her missing? It's all kind of really a mystery and heartbreaking.

[Narrator]

Police wade through the steady drip of missing person reports until one case catches their attention.

[Tanya Reed]

Brandy Wells was a young woman. She was about to begin school, and she had been staying with her mother, who lived in Tyler. And she was planning on going out that particular night to a bar or a club. This was like her last hurrah before she started school again. Brandy Wells drove to Longview, to what is now the Electric Cowboy, but at the time was called Graham Central Station, just a country western dance bar. She didn't stay but maybe an hour to an hour and a half. She was last seen leaving the nightclub through surveillance video. And also it appears that there is an individual who leaves the bar about the same time that Brandy does appears to be walking to his truck, almost in the opposite direction of Ms. Wells. And then something stops him. And then he turns and goes to a different direction.

[Narrator]

Brandi and the man vanish into the Texas night.

[Tanya Reed]

Her car was found approximately seven miles from the location where Lavender Dough was found. Brandi's purse was still in the car. Her ID Was in her purse. The driver's seat had been pushed back to where it appeared that someone else had been driving. Law enforcement believed that Brandy Wells could be Lavender Doe.

[Eddie Hope]

It was important to us to identify Lavender Doe, and Brandi Wells was brought up as a lead in the case.

[Narrator]

Two weeks after Lavender Doe was murdered, police tracked down Brandi's dental records, hoping for a break in the case.

[Tanya Reed]

Brandiwell's dental records were compared to Lavender Doe's, and it was determined not to be a match. I can only imagine what it feels like for investigators whenever they have a lead, and then it's determined not to be a match, almost deflating.

[Narrator]

Undeterred, police turned to a forensic artist for help.

[Eddie Hope]

On December 7, 2006, a clay construction of Lavender does head was put out to the media. The hope was for somebody to recognize this person, but nobody around here really knew who she was.

[Tanya Reed]

Does she not have someone out there that loves her and is looking for her? And if she does, then why are we not hearing from them?

[Narrator]

Amanda Gad is Dana Dodd's half sister.

[Amanda Gad]

The first time that I seen Dana, she was in the pool, swimming. She was in the water, smiling, her big old dimples. It was like a warmth washed over me. This is my baby sister. I wanted to be able to protect her. I never realized how hard it was going to be.

[Narrator]

Bobby Hodges is Dana Dodd's best friend.

[Bobby Hodges]

She was my best friend in high school. Dana was a very friendly person. She was always happy, even if she didn't have a good home life. I wanted to save her, and I couldn't save her. And she told me that she would be dead in a year if she left my house. And then we didn't hear from her again. And that's when we started looking for a Jane Doe.

[Eddie Hope]

Lavender doe was buried Dec. 23, 2006, in White Cemetery in Longview, Texas.

[Missy Koski]

So many times when a person isn't known, they're buried in what's called a pauper's grave or an unmarked grave. This community cared about Lavender Doe. This community wanted to keep her memory alive in hopes that her case was solved someday.

[Eddie Hope]

The community kind of took her in and cared for her as one of her own. They would place flowers on her graveside.

[Tanya Reed]

Way before I ever knew that I would end up with this case. I just felt a draw to go out there. I did see the plot. I felt sadness. And she's still unidentified.

[Eddie Hope]

When nobody claimed her within the first few days, that's when, personally, I was thinking that she's not from around here because somebody would be missing her. You know, I also thought, well, maybe she was a child that grew up in a wooded area, didn't go to public schools. Maybe parents kept them pretty much hid from the world. You know, maybe they got tired of dealing with a child. Maybe she had a hot shot of dope, but whoever took her back there had to know where they were going.

[Narrator]

Four months after Lavender Doe is murdered, police catch a break. The DNA profile from the semen sample collected at the crime scene gets a hit in codis, the combined DNA index system. The suspect's name is Joseph Wayne Burnett.

[Eddie Hope]

Joseph Burnett's occupation was painting oil wells. Burnett was a local sex offender.

[Tanya Reed]

Mr. Burnett was living in Upshur county but had not registered there. So law enforcement began at that point to get an arrest warrant for failure to register.

[Eddie Hope]

When investigators interview Burnett, he tells them that obviously he was with Lavender Doe due to his semen being in her. But the advice, he did not kill her.

[Narrator]

Investigators listen as Burnett recounts meeting Lavender Doe. He begins by saying he never got her name.

[Tanya Reed]

He stated that he was at Walmart in Longview. And as he's sitting in his truck, he sees a group of individuals. They had brochures in their hand. Lavender Doe then goes to his vehicle. There's conversation. He claims that she gets in his vehicle. They drive somewhere, they have sex and drops her off at a house. And after that, he went to meet a friend of his by the name of heart attack at a convenience store.

[Eddie Hope]

He used heart attack as an alibi. Heart attack was just a acquaintance of his that he knew from South Longview, where. Where Joseph was known to pick up prostitutes.

[Tanya Reed]

When law enforcement did attempt to locate heart attack, they were told that he was no longer living in the area, that part of his story was not able to be verified. Joseph Burnett did consent to having a polygraph. It was set up with a polygrapher. And the results of that, in the polygrapher's opinion, was that Joseph Burnett was deceptive in his answers.

[Narrator]

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[Eddie Hope]

Investigators asked Burnett to polygraph. He agreed, and he showed deception during his polygraph. Investigators were certain that he had something to do with Lavender's death. But polygraphs aren't admissible in court and they were going to need more physical evidence or a confession. Investigators searched Burnett's truck. They want to be able to match a plaster cast of the tire tracks to the tires on his vehicle, but none seem to match the impressions that they took at the crime scene.

[Narrator]

Unable to place Burnett at the crime scene, the investigation comes to a halt.

[Eddie Hope]

Well, it was frustrating to the investigators to have the information they have as far as the DNA and actually being able to locate Burnett and interview him and him not confess. He called a charge on a fail to comply as a sex offender, and he went away for 10 years.

[Tanya Reed]

But we were still no closer to identifying who Lavender Doe was.

[Narrator]

With every lead a dead end, the case of Lavender Doe goes cold until 11 years later, when investigator Eddie Hope turns to DNA to identify the victim.

[Eddie Hope]

On a personal level, it was just a case that I thought about a lot with hopes of solving it. At the time, DNA technology was changing daily, weekly. And I had been looking into the DNA Doe Project, and I felt doing the DNA was a good avenue to go down to identify who our victim was.

[Kevin Lord]

The DNA Doe Project is a non profit humanitarian initiative that helps identify Jane and John does, using investigative genetic genealogy to solve these cases, identifying these Jane and John does, it's really important to me, and I think it's just human dignity, that each person should be able to have their name when they die and when they're buried.

[Missy Koski]

I first heard about the Lavender Doe case in the summer of 2018. The case really stuck out to me because she was found in Texas and I live in Texas, and I thought this would be really cool to be able to help solve a case in Texas.

[Kevin Lord]

The first step in identifying Lavender Doe was to get her DNA. Thankfully, the University of North Texas had already done some DNA testing for codis. And so we were able to utilize the DNA extract that they already had. The next step so that we could get the file we needed was to actually have the DNA sequenced. That, of course, costs money. And so we ended up fundraising the costs for the DNA sequencing. And that was put out as a kind of a fundraiser online to try to help raise these costs. And within four days, people interested in the case from all over the Internet actually helped fund that case.

[Narrator]

Results are expected in two months. Yet only days later, the case takes an unexpected turn.

[Eddie Hope]

July 19th of 2018, I was contacted by the Longview Police Department. Reference to a missing female named Phylicia Pearson. Then the boyfriend listed was Joseph Wayne Burnett.

[Narrator]

Joseph Burnett remains the prime suspect in Lavender Doe's murder. After serving his 10 year sentence, he's been a free man for over a year.

[Tanya Reed]

Phylicia Pierson's mother reported her missing. She had been told by Joseph Burnett that Phylicia had been with Mr. Burnett at a motel in Longview. And he left to go get cigarettes, and when he came back, she was gone.

[Eddie Hope]

Longview PD looked at 30 hours of surveillance video from the motel, and they saw Joseph Burnett a lot, but never once did they see Florida Felicia Pearson. Phylicia previously had told her mother about a wooded area in South Longview, that Joseph had taken her when he was upset with her and had put hands on her.

[Narrator]

Five days after Phylicia disappears, police make a grisly discovery in those same woods.

[Eddie Hope]

I called Longview. I said, hey, I got a body here. And this person is badly decomped. So their crime scene came out, we marked it off, and they went in and rolled and came out and told me that he was Phylicia.

[Narrator]

Police arrest Burnett. He denies having any hand in the death of yet another female companion. But a month later, Burnett changes his tune.

[Eddie Hope]

Why are we here today?

[Joseph Burnett]

I guess I want to say. I really want to come clean. I did do it, okay?

[Eddie Hope]

Did do what?

[Joseph Burnett]

I did murder Felicia. She was sitting on the bed with my wallet. I had a little bit over $1,500 in that wallet. I said, felicia, I said, give me my money that was in the wallet. And she said, that's not your money. That's our money.

[Tanya Reed]

That's when he proceeded to argue with her at some point, go out to his truck, retrieve a rope from his toolbox.

[Joseph Burnett]

When I put it over her head, we both froze. When I pulled her rope, she said.

[Eddie Hope]

With Joseph, I don't want to die.

[Joseph Burnett]

I got them two girls, and I cut that rope. I got it off of her, and I didn't feel no heartbeat or no pulse.

[Eddie Hope]

He confesses to killing Felicia, and then he starts speaking with them about burning a female. Several years ago, Longview PD calls me. I thought then that today's the day he wants to come clean. I went into the interview room with the Longview detectives. Then we start going into lavender dough.

[Narrator]

Burnett describes events from 12 years ago as if they happened yesterday.

[Joseph Burnett]

It was Saturday, and I had met heart attack over by that store and seen him. And that really did happen. That's why in my story, that was my Alibi talked to heart attack. And then I went to Walmart.

[Eddie Hope]

Where was the girl at this point?

[Joseph Burnett]

At Walmart somewhere walking around.

[Eddie Hope]

She talked with any kind of accent? No, she talk East Texas.

[Joseph Burnett]

She talked a little bit country.

[Eddie Hope]

Joseph wanted to be in control. It was more like he was speaking to an audience.

[Joseph Burnett]

Y'all really don't know who she was, her name, or where she was from. I told her, you need. Hello. Hey, you need some help? And she's like, no, I'm trying to sell something. I said, yeah, I'll help you. Do you want to go somewhere? You want to go park somewhere? And she said, yeah, we can go wherever. She said, but it's up to you. She said, I'm really not from here. We went parked down by the lake.

[Eddie Hope]

We're under the Cherokee Bayou Bridge. This is the location that Joseph Burnett brought our Jane Doe. And he said that his grandfather used to take him fishing under this bridge all the time.

[Joseph Burnett]

We were parked down there at the bayou. And I don't remember if it was 40 or 50, but I gave her that money, and she put it in her pocket. And then we ended up having sex.

[Narrator]

And investigators keep Burnett talking. His two murder confessions begin to sound suspiciously the same.

[Joseph Burnett]

But a little bit later, I got my wallet, and I went in my wallet and all my money was gone. And I said, now you done. You know, everything was good, but now you done pissed me off. I said, you stole my money from me. And she. She was like, I don't have it. Just take me back to Walmart.

[Amanda Gad]

This and that.

[Joseph Burnett]

And we ended up. We ended up getting to it. We started cussing and fighting. And then what happened? I went around to the driver's side of my truck. I opened up my toolbox, and I got a rope out, and I grabbed the rope and I put it around her neck, and I tightened it up maybe 20, 30 seconds, and she was dead. That quick. She just quit moving. I really started getting nervous because now I didn't let things go too far, you know, Yes, I got my money back, but I done took somebody's life, you know what I'm saying? Now I'm fixing to go to prison.

[Eddie Hope]

And he sits under the bridge in his truck for about 45 minutes to an hour, trying to figure out what he's going to do with her body. And that's when he took her on back off of Fritz Swanson in the woods that he had been to once before and decided he was going to dispose of her body by burning her. It makes me feel Sad that somebody's last breath was taken under this desolate bridge. I don't think anybody should have to die that way.

[Narrator]

Burnett is indicted on two counts of murder. But the mystery remains. Who is Lavender Doe?

[Missy Koski]

We uploaded Lavender Doe's DNA to GEDmatch in October of 2018.

[Kevin Lord]

The top match was around a second cousin once removed. And so that was pretty exciting for us.

[Missy Koski]

There's a fever that takes hold. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I just want to solve the case.

[Kevin Lord]

So when we first started exploring Lavender Doe's DNA matches, we noticed that there were a lot of Czech ancestors that she had. And these ancestors all seemed to come over and settle in the Chicago area. We found one branch of the family that moved to Arkansas that was really interesting to us because it wasn't quite Texas, but it was at least closer.

[Missy Koski]

After a few weeks of researching this family, I found something that just blew my mind. I found a descendant in East Texas.

[Kevin Lord]

Her name was Valerie, and she lived only about 30 minutes from where Lavender Doe is found.

[Missy Koski]

I thought to myself, this is it. We solved the case. We found Lavender's mother.

[Eddie Hope]

We arrived at Valerie's house. I told her we were working with the DNA Doe project on a Jane Doe that we had in Longview. Valerie didn't have any idea of who it could be in her family.

[Kevin Lord]

We were really, like, completely shocked that she didn't have any idea who Lavender Doe was.

[Missy Koski]

I didn't believe her. I thought, there's something she's holding back.

[Kevin Lord]

I was a little bit in disbelief, like we couldn't imagine that it was just a coincidence.

[Missy Koski]

I wondered if maybe Valerie didn't want to say the truth. I wondered if maybe she had given up a child for adoption. But we had to find the truth. Lavender Doe needed her name back.

[Narrator]

While Valerie might not know Lavender Doe's identity, her DNA could provide the answer.

[Kevin Lord]

I started talking with Valerie directly. She had taken a DNA test, and she was willing to provide those results to us. We saw that she was indeed a first cousin once removed. That meant that one of her cousins was most likely Lavender Doe's parent.

[Missy Koski]

We found There were over 25 first cousins in that generation. As we were building down the family tree, we came upon Robyn Novotny. She was the right age to be a parent of Lavender. Does she also look like she had some trouble in her life? She was married to a man named John Dodd. There wasn't a lot of stability in this family, and that sparked our interest.

[Kevin Lord]

There was also a younger woman, Dana Dodd. We could see that she was exactly the same age as what we believed Lavender Doe to be. And so we could see that her Social Security number hadn't been used. We didn't find any Facebook accounts, any Instagram accounts, anything like that. I'm at the coffee shop and pretty much all of the hairs on the back of my neck are just standing up because everything seems to fit. Like I'm kind of getting the chills again as I think about it.

[Missy Koski]

We found Lavender Doe. We knew we found her, but we needed the DNA to confirm who she was.

[Kevin Lord]

I reached out to Lieutenant Hope and gave him all of the information that we had on Dana.

[Eddie Hope]

The mother was deceased and John Dodd was a transient down in Jacksonville, Florida. I spoke to his daughter, Amanda. Amanda was a half sister to Dana.

[Amanda Gad]

Dana Lynd was my baby's half sister. Dana did not have a chance to even start her life. Both parents being addicted to drugs and alcohol. Dana's mother left right around, I think it was her second birthday. She just walked out on her. Our father, he would leave Dana with anyone who was able to take her in. She always had a backpack with her. She learned that from an early age to always be prepared. It was hard for her. It was 1999. We got a call from our father's ex saying that we needed to go to Orlando to pick up Dana or else she would be in foster care. We picked up Dana the next morning and she came home with us. Once she started talking, there was no time passed in between there. Just normal conversations every day, like, you know, sisters would. She started to become a normal teenager to let that breath out and say, okay, I can do this. I can be who I need to be.

[Bobby Hodges]

Dana Lynn Dodd was my best friend in high school. We were frickin frack. She looked out for me and I looked out for her. She was very bubbly, sunshine. Dana had a lot of dreams. She wanted to travel. We were young and we partied, of course. And that's when I started noticing that she was getting a little bit more into the partying than I was.

[Amanda Gad]

And that started her down that road of more drugs, more problems, that addiction coming out. She was 18 and she's already pretty much lived her whole life on her own. Nothing I said or did could get through to her.

[Bobby Hodges]

I just felt like Dana was losing herself at that point. I said, we're going to try and get you clean. Instead, Dana decided to go with a friend of ours to a company, sell a magazines. I felt like it was a front for other things.

[Amanda Gad]

We tried to talk her out of it. Dana being the free spirit. She was being out on her own, getting to travel, and making money.

[Bobby Hodges]

When Dana left, it was really hard for me to handle that, and I held that burden for a very long time.

[Amanda Gad]

Initially, Dana started up north towards, like, Ohio, Iowa, and Indiana. At first, Dana was calling, you know, every week. And then, you know, it seemed like the phone calls were getting further and further apart.

[Narrator]

The family has no idea that Dana has gone west to Texas oil country.

[Bobby Hodges]

I would beg her to come back home. Dana would say, we're traveling and making a lot of money. This is gonna work.

[Amanda Gad]

We started looking for Dana in about nine months after our last contact with her, which would have been around 2004.

[Bobby Hodges]

And we were looking all over the United States at that point.

[Amanda Gad]

As the years went on, I convinced myself that, you know, she was out there and doing her thing. I didn't want to think that something may have happened to her. Even though I knew something did. I just denied it.

[Bobby Hodges]

I did hold out a lot of hope. Whether Dayna was strung out or not, I didn't care how broken she was. I was still ready to have my best friend back.

[Amanda Gad]

When Lieutenant Hope reached out to me, I looked at the picture. I lost it. I did. You know, I started crying. I knew Lavender Doe was Dana.

[Missy Koski]

We started to hear more and more about Dana's actual life. Some of it was very hard to hear. She wasn't who I imagined.

[Kevin Lord]

Part of it was kind of heartbreaking. But on the other hand, I could really relate to Dana. It kind of really allows you to see the whole story from different angles.

[Narrator]

Investigators still need to confirm that Dana and Lavender are one in the same. They send a DNA test to Amanda.

[Kevin Lord]

We're all really just kind of sitting on pins and needles waiting for those DNA results to come back.

[Narrator]

Two months later, the DNA DOE project completes the DNA comparison.

[Amanda Gad]

Lt. Holt, he said he got the results back and that Lavender Doe was Dana, that it was my sister. It was just like everything around me just stopped. It was like a relief that I found her, but not the way I wanted to find her. Lieutenant Ho. He explained to me the individual who did this. He told me the whole story of what happened. Now we know who did this. Now we expect punishment. He's not a person. He's a monster.

[Narrator]

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[Tanya Reed]

One thing I would like you to.

[Missy Koski]

Do My mother's last request that my.

[Narrator]

Sister and I finish writing the memoir.

[Missy Koski]

She'D started about her German childhood when.

[Narrator]

Her father designed a secret superweapon for Adolf Hitler. My grandfather, Robert Lesser, headed the Nazi project to build the world's first cruise.

[Tanya Reed]

Missile, which terrorized millions and left a.

[Narrator]

Legacy that dogged my mother like a curse.

[Eddie Hope]

She had some secrets. Mom had some secrets.

[Missy Koski]

I'm Suzanne Rico.

[Narrator]

Join my sister and me as we.

[Tanya Reed]

Search for the truth behind our grandfather's work and for the first time face.

[Narrator]

The ghosts of our past.

[Amanda Gad]

Jeez, who is he?

[Narrator]

Listen to the man who Calculated Death. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tanya Reed]

Joseph Burnett was charged with two homicides, one being Dana Dodd and the other being phylicia pierson.

[Narrator]

On December 15, 2020, Burnett is finally brought before the court to face justice.

[Tanya Reed]

Joseph Burnett pled not guilty at his arraignment, even though there was a confession. Yes, we did go ahead and start working towards trial.

[Amanda Gad]

I wanted to go to court. I wanted to hear his story. I need to know why he did it. Then he took a plea agreement.

[Narrator]

Burnett is sentenced to 50 years at each case. For the families, it is Small comfort for their loss.

[Amanda Gad]

Justice hasn't been served here. And it won't be served until the.

[Tanya Reed]

Day that you are dragged to your.

[Amanda Gad]

Health, where I hope every waking minute is tenfold.

[Eddie Hope]

The pain that you have enforced onto.

[Amanda Gad]

Me, onto Felicia's family and everybody else. The judge asked, did he have anything to say, and he just said he wanted to get it over with. No emotions, no asking forgiveness, no nothing. Didn't care. I wanted him to suffer more, you know, I want him to be there forever. He's eligible for parole. Once he comes up for that, I plan to be there every step of the way, no matter what. How old I am, I'm gonna be there.

[Narrator]

Though the case of Lavender Doe is solved, there's still one outstanding question.

[Kevin Lord]

We were really wondering how she ended up in Kilgore, where she was found.

[Eddie Hope]

What goes through my mind is that she got involved in some human trafficking. A lot of the magazine selling crews will promise people the world. They end up putting them in store. Fleecy motels they're around, the drunks, prostitutes, the narcotic users. They don't have any way to really get home.

[Bobby Hodges]

The magazine company, I believe, was trafficking Dana. She just didn't want people to know. But it just. It was all there in black and white. Dana didn't want to be a burden to anybody, and she knew that. She kind of burned some bridges with some people, and she. She didn't want to hurt anybody anymore. So Dana made it a point to carry that load, that heavy load on herself. And I believe that she felt that she couldn't get out of that situation.

[Amanda Gad]

Once we went back to Longview and to give Dana the proper headstone, that's when, you know, it really hit me that, okay, this is where she's at. This is, you know, okay, you found her. I do plan on going out there for her birthday again. I want to bring her some pictures of her nephews and her nieces, but mainly I just want to bring her love. I think that's all that needs to be done is, you know, stand by her graveside and let her know I'm there. Without the volunteers working with the detectives, there's nothing I can say or do to show how much we appreciate what they did.

[Bobby Hodges]

I feel like her soul is finally put to rest. I'm just glad that she was finally found and somebody actually kept looking for her family. There are still kind people out there in the world. I feel like Dana is in the right spot. There is an owl there on her grave site, and I wrote on the owl. Dana. Bob and I did leave her a presentation, a photo of me and her.

[Amanda Gad]

We chose to leave Dana buried in Longview because I felt like that's where she belonged. Because they did take care of her. They, you know, they didn't forget about her. And that meant a lot to us. I feel Dana was searching for someplace, somewhere like that. And yeah, she found it. She's home, you know, that's where she's at In a community that loves her.

[Eddie Hope]

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[Narrator]

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[Eddie Hope]

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[Joseph Burnett]

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[Eddie Hope]

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[Narrator]

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[Eddie Hope]

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[Narrator]

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[Eddie Hope]

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[Narrator]

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