The Marion County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in identifying a homicide victim found five years ago on Interstate 5, between Woodburn and Gervais.

On Jan. 12, 2004, a farmer found the body of a Hispanic or white woman in her late teens or twenties along a fence on I-5, near milepost 268. The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office estimated she had been dead for 5-8 months.

Although the cause of death is undetermined, detectives ruled it homicidal violence.

The woman is thought to be approximately 4-foot-10 to five-foot-three and heavyset, though not obese. She had black or dark brown hair, 18 inches long.

A titanium orthopedic rod was found in her left femur (upper leg bone). MCSO detectives tracked the manufacturer of the rod to Mexico City and learned it was made in 1999 in a 10-unit lot, which the manufacturer sold to medical supply companies and public and private Mexican hospitals.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in attempts to identify the woman through the orthopedic rod, but yielded no results as records were not kept on who had the orthopedic rods installed. It is believed the implant would cause the woman to have limited bending motion in her left leg and noticeable stiffness when she walked or sat, an MCSO release said.

The FBI laboratory in Quantico, Va. performed a facial reconstruction from the woman's skull, and the FBI and MCSO distributed the information through media outlets in Mexico, trying to find information on the woman. They have now expanded the campaign to Oregon.

To share information on the possible identity of the woman or the circumstances surrounding her death, call MCSO detective David White at 503-540-8007 or e-mail him at dwhite@co.marion.or.us.