Amore Joveah Wiggins, formerly known as Opelika Jane Doe (born January 1, 2006 – c. 2011) was a formerly unidentified murder victim whose skeletal remains were found in a trailer park in Opelika, Alabama.^[2] Her identity was not known until nearly 11 years later in January 2023. Wiggins's father, Lamar Vickerstaff, was subsequently charged with felony murder and failure to report a missing child, while her step-mother, Ruth Vickerstaff, was charged with the latter. If convicted, Lamar would face up to life imprisonment without the possibility parole or the death penalty, and Ruth would face up to 10 years in prison.^[4]

Discovery

On January 28, 2012, a resident discovered a skull at Brook Haven Trailer Park, 1775 Hurst St. in Opelika, Alabama. Police searched the surrounding area and found more remains, including a pink, long-sleeve shirt with heart buttons and ruffles, nearby on a creek bank. It is unknown if that shirt belonged to the victim.^[5]

Investigation

Forensic facial reconstruction of Wiggins while she was unidentified.

Detectives determined the skull belonged to a young African American girl, around 4–7 years of age. Evidence from her bones indicated she was malnourished, and she also had a visible deformity on her left eye. This could be natural or a result of injury or abuse. Forensic artists at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children created an image of what Jane Doe may have looked like. Detectives looked at school and birth records, but this yielded no results.^[6] In 2017, the University of South Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science performed isotope testing on her bones, which indicated she lived in Southeastern United States.^[7]

Identification

In January 2022, Opelika Jane Doe's remains were sent to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. A DNA extract from the remains was used to build a comprehensive genealogical profile, which was uploaded to a genealogical database. The Opelika Police Department retained Barbara Rae-Venter, known for helping police investigators identify the Golden State Killer, to produce investigative leads which were returned to Opelika Police Department.

In January 2023, Othram confirmed that Opelika Jane Doe has been identified as Amore Joveah Wiggins.^[10] 50-year-old Lamar Vickerstaff was identified as Amore's father in October 2022. He was born and raised in Opelika, Alabama, before he enlisted in the US Navy. He also spent time in Norfolk, Virginia; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Jacksonville, Florida.^[11][12]

In December 2022, Opelika detectives traveled to Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville where Vickerstaff was stationed at the time to notify him of his daughter's death. Vickerstaff did not provide any information to authorities regarding his daughter's identity. Vickerstaff's wife, Ruth, to whom he had been married since May 2006, told detectives that she did not know who Vickerstaff's daughter was or who was her mother.^[11]

Rae-Venter identified the biological mother to be Sherry Wiggins, who resided in Maryland. In December 2022, aged 37, she confirmed she was the biological mother of Amore. Sherry Wiggins was a native of Norfolk, and provided documentation showing that the Vickerstaffs obtained legal and physical custody of her daughter in 2009. At that time, her visitation with Amore was suspended. She also provided documents showing that she had continuously paid child support to Vickerstaff since 2009.^[11]

Amore Wiggins's funeral was held on February 25, 2023, in Norfolk, Virginia.^[1]

Arrests of Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff

On January 17, 2023, the Vickerstaffs were arrested in Jacksonville, Florida. Lamar Vickerstaff was charged with felony murder and failure to report a missing child, and his wife Ruth was charged with the latter. They were held at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office until their extradition to Lee County, Alabama.^[12]

See also

• Murder of Emma Grace Cole, similar child murder case
• Killing of Kenyatta Odom

References