Police in Lima, Ohio are asking for the public's help in the bizarre case of a woman who claims to be named "Julia Bay Wadsworth." But baffled cops think that not only is the identity a false one ...
they also suspect there is far more to the already odd story.
It isn't clear why, but "Julia Bay Wadsworth" appears to have gone to extensive (and even painful) lengths to avoid being identified by local authorities, reportedly burning her fingertips to prevent prints from being matched through databases. Moreover, police say the woman (identified during a court appearance as "Jane Doe") did extensive research on Google regarding a number of methods used both to evade identification and possibly obtain false documentation.
Police have told local news sources that they are of the opinion the woman is on the lam from the law — federal authorities in particular. Given the extreme measures to which the individual has resorted to avoid being named, police suspect potential involvement in a crime of significant magnitude. One officer explained:
"Julia Bay Wadsworth," who was working as a caregiver to an elderly woman at the time she came to be in police custody, also reportedly searched various means of under-the-radar escape, including instructions on how to cross the Bering Strait, a
Outside of law enforcement's concerns about "Wadsworth" being a potential fugitive, some have speculated that the woman may have escaped a dangerous situation or could be concealing her identity for other, non-criminal reasons.
In the meantime, the woman calling herself Julia Bay Wadsworth remains in custody on charges of tampering with records, which is a third-degree felony in that jurisdiction. Allen County Sheriff Samuel Crish admits that the ongoing case is "strange."