The police in Fond du Lac County have added a photo and a QR code to the gravestone of “Jane Does”, an unidentified murder victim, so that viewers with smartphones can scan the barcode and obtain more pictures and information about the deceased and the case from the Sheriff’s Office.
This woman is the only unidentified murder victim the county has ever had. When the QR code is scanned, any photos they have, and a limited biography of the individual is revealed to the viewer. The mobile device user is redirected to a webpage on memorylinks.com, which also provides the contact information for the detectives at the Sheriff’s Office who know the case.
The woman was discovered in a creek behind the town of Ashford’s W4617 Skyline Drive. She was discovered on November 23, 2008 at around 9am by three hunters who had the misfortune of stumbling upon her.
Tom Schumacher, from Rock of Ages Fond du Lac Memorial, explained that QR codes are now being used on tombstones so that families can add additional remembrance information for their lost loved ones. It was Schumacher’s decision to donate the gravestone and the barcode, having taken it on after the tragedy hit close to home after a similar circumstance he experienced as a child.
It was newscasts and newspaper articles that finally allowed the remains of Schumacher’s aunt to be identified, years after she had been murdered, and he decided that he wanted to do what he could to help shorten the time that it would take for Jane Does’ family to feel the closure his own family was finally able to obtain.
For more information: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120215/GPG0101/302160009/Police-hope-QR-code-Jane-Doe-s-tombstone-provide-tips?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CGPG-News%7Cs
