Michelle Yvette Busha, previously known as Blue Earth Jane Doe, (November 2, 1961 - c. May 26, 1980) was a woman who was reported missing on May 9, 1980, from Bay City, Texas. Her body was found in a drainage ditch on May 30, 1980, in Blue Earth, Minnesota. It appeared she had been strangled. She was identified when her body was exhumed in August 2014 to obtain new DNA samples, and the DNA was positively matched to samples submitted by Busha's family members in 2007.
Background[]
Busha and her sister were homeschooled by their mother and stepfather. She first ran away from home at the age of 17, and was found by police in Colorado. She subsequently went to live with her father in Bay City, Texas. Busha had a rebellious streak and often fought with her father. She ran away in December 1979, but left calls with family for several months letting them know she was okay. The calls stopped in May 1980.
Case[]
Crime scene
On May 30, 1980, her body was later found in a ditch, having been raped and tortured.
In June 1988, Robert Leroy Nelson confessed to Busha's murder while being questioned about an unrelated sexual assault case. She was still unidentified at the time. He worked as a state trooper at the time, and said he offered Busha a lift when he saw her walking along the I-90. He did not know her name but believed she was heading to Oregon. His confession was considered credible and he was convicted of the crime and was sentenced to two life sentences.
Gallery[]
Media[]
- Busha's case was profiled on an episode of Who Killed Jane Doe in 2017.
- Busha's photograph appeared in the final episode of The Confession Killer.
Sources[]
- Michelle Busha on Wikipedia
- USA Today
- CBS News
- Grand Forks Herald
- Reveal News
- Mankato Free Press
- Michelle Busha at the Doe Network
- Who Killed Jane Doe?
- NCMA (archived)