ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI — For more than four decades, an unidentified little girl has remained at the center of one of St. Louis’ most enduring cold cases.
Known publicly as St. Louis Jane Doe and later “Precious Hope,” the child was found on February 28, 1983.
For years, investigators attempted to determine who she was.
DNA testing and database searches produced no confirmed identification.
Then, in 2023, a social-media post introduced a possible name:
Jeanetta Brooks.
According to the information reported at the time, a person using the name “finding-jeanetta” was searching for an older sister named Jeanetta Brooks.
The information described Jeanetta as being born May 15, 1973, which would have made her approximately nine years old when St. Louis Jane Doe was discovered.
The account reportedly connected Jeanetta to Terre Haute, Indiana, and St. Louis and stated that relatives had not seen her since Valentine’s Day 1983 — February 14.
That date immediately drew attention.
Just 14 days later, on February 28, 1983, the unidentified child was discovered in St. Louis.
The reported age, date and geographic connections prompted renewed interest in whether Jeanetta Brooks could potentially be connected to the unidentified child.
POLICE WERE ASKING FOR INFORMATION
Nothing had produced an identification.
The new social-media information therefore represented another potential avenue for investigators to examine.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the St. Louis Homicide Division at 314-444-5731 or CrimeStoppers at 877-371-TIPS.
Another part of the Jeanetta Brooks account raises a separate question.
The family history described in the 2023 search said Jeanetta’s mother had been incarcerated and was released in 1986.
According to the account, after her release, the mother reportedly attempted to reconnect with Jeanetta but was allegedly prevented from seeing or speaking with her.
That creates an important historical question:
If Jeanetta Brooks was a real child who had disappeared from her family in 1983, was a missing-person report ever filed—particularly after her mother’s release in 1986?
At this point, a contemporaneous missing-person report under the name Jeanetta Brooks has not been located in the publicly accessible records reviewed for this article.
That does not establish that no report ever existed.
Historical police and NCIC records are not all publicly searchable, and a report could potentially have been filed under another name, spelling, jurisdiction or classification.
The Jeanetta Brooks theory should therefore be treated carefully.
Later researchers also questioned whether portions of the Jeanetta story could be independently verified.
The lack of independently confirmed records became an important part of the subsequent discussion surrounding the lead.
The 2023 development represents a possible lead that generated renewed public and investigative attention at that time.
The significance of the 2023 development goes beyond whether the Jeanetta Brooks theory ultimately proves connected to Jane Doe.
It demonstrates how a case that had remained unresolved for approximately 40 years could suddenly receive new attention because someone recognized a possible connection.
Her official identity has not been publicly established.
And somewhere in the historical record may still be information capable of answering the question investigators have been asking since 1983:
WHO WAS LITTLE GIRL HOPE?
She deserves more than a case number.
She deserves her name.
