Do you know who murdered Alisha Ann Heinrich in 1982? In the cold December of 1982, the body of a small child was discovered in the Escatawpa River near Moss Point, Mississippi. For 38 years, she was known only as 'Delta Dawn' or 'Baby Jane,' her identity a mystery. It wasn't until 2020 that genetic genealogy finally gave her a name: Alisha Ann Heinrich. She was a little girl of approximately 18 months.
Alisha and her 23-year-old mother, Gwendolyn Mae Clemons, had been reported missing from their home in Kansas City, Missouri, around
Thanksgiving of 1982. They had reportedly left with Gwendolyn's boyfriend. Not long after, witnesses in Moss Point reported seeing a distressed woman in a blue plaid shirt and jeans, carrying a young child near the Interstate 10 bridge. This woman repeatedly refused offers of help from concerned passersby.
An autopsy revealed a grim sequence of events. Alisha had been partially smothered before being thrown from the bridge while still alive, ultimately drowning in the river below. Her body was recovered between 36 and 48 hours after her death. A truck driver had reported seeing the body of an adult woman floating in the river, which prompted the search that led to the discovery of Alisha. Despite extensive searches, Gwendolyn's body was never found, and she remains a missing person.
The investigation into Alisha's death has been ongoing for decades. Gwendolyn Clemons' boyfriend at the time, who returned to Missouri alone after their departure, has been considered a person of interest and a suspect in the case. However, he is now deceased. The circumstances surrounding what happened to Gwendolyn and who was responsible for Alisha's death remain an active investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. While they assume the worst for Gwendolyn, her ultimate fate is unknown.
