Dana Wilkes
Tony Bigoms Jr.A medical examiner’s report says it’s unknown how a woman was killed before her body was dismembered and dumped along a creek bank nearly three months ago.
The remains of Dana Wilkes, 48, were found Nov. 25 near Youngstown Road. Her head and hands, along with part of her forearms, were severed from her body. Animals and decomposition had set in from the waist up, also making it challenging for forensic pathologists to determine how she died.
“The head is absent, neck severed at the third cervical vertebra; the resection margin shows a pattern consistent with tool mark,” the report states.
Bruises were noted along her midabdomen and neck, according to the report. A toxicology report also showed Wilkes tested positive for alcohol and methadone.
Wilkes was identified by her ankle tattoos of Mickey Mouse and two butterflies, chest X-rays showing sternal wires and an orthopedic plate in her lower neck, according to the report.