The text below includes graphic content that may not be suitable for all readers.

December 20, 1976, would change the community of White Haven, Pennsylvania forever. On that day, a teenage boy found the body of a young, pregnant woman was found dismembered and placed into three suitcases after being thrown carelessly over a bridge by a killer who has never been brought to justice. She was brutally murdered. The woman, aged between 14 and 25 was strangled and shot in the neck.

            Like her killer, the young woman’s identity remains a mystery. For nearly forty years, she’s been the victim of a brutal crime that took her life alongside her unborn daughter, who would have been born within the next few weeks. She is known only by the nickname “Beth Doe,” a term that was picked by strangers.

            On Instagram, a morgue photograph of the victim was uploaded in comparison to a forensic facial reconstruction, which is an estimation of the subject’s appearance in life. The uploader gave details of the case and also used everyday hashtages containing words such as “pregnancy” that puts anyone searching for such terms at risk for a horrendous surprise. Other users have also reposted the picture, seen under the tag #BethDoe.

 The partial image that is shown is an actual photograph of the face of this unfortunate woman after her body was found. Her eye is open slightly and is glazed over and her skin is discolored. Her nose, which her killer had sawed off of her face, is missing and leaves a gaping hole lined with bloody tissue from where it used to be. Below it is her mouth, which is gaping in agony.

            I am used to seeing morgue photographs of unidentified bodies through my research as a Wikipedia contributor, blogger, and online sleuth. I have seen people of all ages that have died without their names due to various causes. Beth Doe’s was different. Previously, I recognized her only by the facial reconstructions that were created to show an accurate representation of her in life to erase the tremendous trauma she experienced in order to help trigger memories from those that had seen her alive.

Despite this, the moment I found the image, I was crying. Angry tears rolled down my face when I was slammed with the brutal reality of the crime. Seeing how this poor woman was violated in such a way and knowing that her murderer has remained free for forty years is indescribable. For hours, I found myself in an unshakable rage.

            Instagram’s terms of use forbid images depicting graphic violence from being uploaded. Beth Doe’s case should not be excluded. Although only a fraction of the morgue photograph is shown, it is enough to disturb anyone that sees it, even for online sleuths like me that are somewhat desensitized from seeing images of unidentified bodies. The picture has been online for over seven weeks and has received hundreds of likes and comments. All reports that I have filed have not resulted in the removal of the pictures.

Please, Instagram, remove these images of Beth Doe’s autopsy. It is incredibly graphic and will undoubtedly upset many that come across it. Take in mind that using this image is ultimately disrespectful for the victim, even as she remains nameless to this day. She and her baby girl died without dignity and lost even more when her murderer chose to mutilate her body further.