On May 17, 1968, along U.S. Route 25 near Georgetown in Scott County, Kentucky, a utility worker spotted a heavy green canvas tarp bundled and tied with rope beside a cedar grove. Inside was the decomposing body of a young woman wrapped in a military canvas tent bag. For thirty years, she was known simply as "Tent Girl"—the iconic cold case that inspired the birth of the modern internet amateur sleuthing movement.
Discovery, Autopsy & The Canvas Tarp
The victim had been dead for approximately one to two weeks. She was estimated to be between 16 and 25 years old, standing 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 110 pounds, with reddish-brown hair. An autopsy determined she had been asphyxiated. She wore no clothing, and her hands had not been amputated, allowing detectives to obtain a full set of fingerprints.
Scott County officials were unable to match her fingerprints or dental records to missing persons reports. In 1971, local residents purchased a headstone in the Georgetown Cemetery inscribed: "Tent Girl. Died May 17, 1968. Age about 20 years. Unidentified."
Chronological Case Timeline
| Date / Year | Location | Event / Investigative Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1968 | Georgetown, KY (US-25) | Body discovered in heavy canvas tent bag; dubbed "Tent Girl." |
| 1987 | Georgetown, KY | Young factory worker Todd Matthews learns of the case through his father-in-law (who found the body). |
| 1997 | Early World Wide Web | Matthews discovers an online missing persons posting by the Hackmann family seeking Barbara Taylor. |
| April 1998 | Georgetown Cemetery | Kentucky State Police exhume remains for early nuclear DNA comparison. |
| April 23, 1998 | Frankfort, KY | KSP confirms positive DNA match: Tent Girl is 24-year-old Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor. |