Murder of Carolyn Eaton

Carolyn Celeste Eaton (October 1, 1964 – c. February 1982) was a formerly unidentified American teenager from Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, who was found murdered along Interstate 40 in Williams, Arizona, on Valentine's Day 1982.

The young woman had been last seen alive with an unidentified older man on February 4, 1982, at the Monte Carlo Truck Stop near Ash Fork, Arizona.

[2] On February 14, 1982, the decomposing body of a young woman was found by an Arizona state trooper searching for a tire that came off a passing truck.

[2] The victim's jeans had torn belt loops suggesting that she had been dragged 25 feet off the roadway to the site of her discovery.

However, the medical examiner believed that she died of suffocation or asphyxiation because her hyoid bone wasn't broken and there was no other trauma to her body.

The autopsy also revealed that a left lower molar (Tooth #19) had been drilled in preparation for a root canal about 1 week before the victim died.

[2] According to the Doe Network, a Northern Arizona University student believed that he gave a ride to a girl matching Valentine Sally's description on February 2, 1982, near Cordes Junction.

The man ordered breakfast, but Valentine Sally refused to eat due to a toothache which concerned her companion.

[5] Wilkins was able to identify Valentine Sally as the girl she had assisted when detectives showed her photos of the clothes found alongside the body.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children later created and released two facial reconstructions made from CT scans of the victim's skull.

He wore a two-toned checker patterned leather vest and a black felt cowboy hat with a peacock feather attached.

It has been speculated by online sleuths that the sketch and description could match serial killer Royal Russell Long, but a connection has not been established by investigators.

Jones, a retired FBI agent, eventually left for health reasons, but he was credited for keeping the case alive.

A match was found on Valentine Sally's tree of which the Cold Case Squad determined to be a cousin.

On February 22, 2021, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office publicly announced the identity of Valentine Sally as 17-year-old Carolyn Celeste Eaton of Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri.

Forensic reconstruction of Valentine Sally by Carl Koppelman .