Sumter County Does

Composites of Jock and Jane Doe

Real Name: Unknown at time of broadcast
Nicknames: Jock and Jane Doe
Location: Sumter, South Carolina
Date: August 9, 1976

Bio

Occupation: Unknown
Date of Birth: 1954-1958 (Jock); 1956-1958 (Jane)
Height: 6' (Jock); 5'5" (Jane)
Weight: 150 pounds (Jock); 100 pounds (Jane)
Marital Status: Unknown
Characteristics: Caucasian male with Brown eyes and brown hair. He had extensive dental work which included bridges and crowns. He had an expensive watch and a ring inscribed "JPF" (Jock); Caucasian female with Brown hair and blu-ish eyes. She had two distinct moles on the left side of her face. She was wearing two distinct Mexican-style rings. (Jane)

Case

Details: In August 1976, a young couple was found shot to death by a trucker on a remote road in Sumter, South Carolina. Their similar features made police believe that they may be related, possibly brother and sister, and they carried no identification. On August 9, a witness heard a car driving down a dirt road to where their bodies were later found. He heard gunshots, and then heard the car drive quickly back onto the highway. Investigators believe that they may have been well-to-do, or from another country. They may have been hitchhiking across the United States or were the victims of a carjacking. No drugs or alcohol were found in their bodies, nor were they wearing underwear or had any money. An autopsy revealed that they had eaten fruit or ice cream with that, and a witness reported seeing a couple matching their description at a local fruit stand.
Months after the murder, an employee of a Santee, South Carolina campground claimed that he had met them weeks before their death. He said that the man's name was either "Jock" or "Jacques" and that he and his companion were going to Florida. They soon became friends. He later said that he was the son of a doctor in Canada, and that he and the woman were on vacation. Neither they nor their killers have ever been identified.
Suspects: In 1977, a man in Latta, South Carolina was arrested for driving while intoxicated. A gun was located in his possession; it was determined through ballistics testing to be the murder weapon. The owner of the gun denied any involvement in the murders. He was never charged in the case.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the January 20, 1995 episode which focused on coroners. It also featured the cases of 1987 Jane Doe from Dana Point, California and 1990 Jane Doe from Huntington Beach.

Pamela Mae Buckley and James Paul Freund

Results: Solved. DNA testing later confirmed that the two were not biologically related. It was then believed that they were in a relationship. Several missing couples were considered in the case; however, they were all ruled out. In July 2019, the victims began undergoing testing by the DNA Doe Project. In September 2020, DNA was successfully extracted and research began.
On January 19, 2021, the DNA Doe Project, which had previously solved the Buckskin Girl case, announced that the Sumter County Does had been successfully identified. On January 21st, 2021, Sumter County Sheriff's Office announced the names of the male decedent (Jock Doe) as James Paul Freund of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the female decedent (Jane Doe) as Pamela Mae Buckley of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Both were reported missing in 1975 and likely met while hitchhiking. James was 30 and Pamela was 25 at the time of their deaths. The investigation into their homicides is ongoing. One thing to note is that Freund's initials (JPF) correspond with the letters found inscribed on Jock Doe's ring.

Links:

• The Sumter County Does on Wikipedia
• Website on the Sumter County Does
• Sumter County Does at Sumter County Sheriff's Office
• Jane and John Doe at the Doe Network
• Jane and Jock Doe at DNA Doe Project
• Websleuths Discussion Forum
• Search Begins For Identities of Slain Youths - August 13, 1976
• Victims Still Unidentified - August 13, 1976
• Bodies remain unidentified - September 19, 1976
• The Sumter County Does - January 2014
• Sumter County shooting victims identified through DNA after 44 years - January 19, 2021
• Pamela Buckley and James Freund at Find a Grave

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