Hello everyone! As always, I wanted to thank everyone for your votes and comment on my last post about Guilford County John Doe- I hope that his identity will be given back to him soon.

Today I wanted to cover a missing person's case from Canada.

BACKGROUND

Autumn Shaganash was 26 when she went missing from Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

She was an Indigenous Canadian, and belonged to the Constance Lake band.

Autumn struggled with depression, anxiety, and started to abuse alcohol, but she was recieving treatment. She was also asthmatic.

At the time of her disappearance, Autumn reportedly didn't do drugs or lead a "dangerous lifestyle". She had, however, been in contact with someone her sister, Lili-Anne Moore, described as a "bad person"- the man was a drug user and had a criminal past. The two met at the Barrie Native Friendship Centre program, where Autumn went for "something to do". Lili-Anne also said that she herself didn't know him well.

Esther Moore, Autumn's mother, said that her daughter was "funny, liked to spend time with friends and family and enjoyed going for walks". The two were often in contact through social media.

Autumn lived with Lili-Anne, and helped her with her kids. Lili-Anne said that her sister was like "a second mom" to her daughters.

DISAPPEARANCE

Autumn was last seen on the 9th of June as she left the house in the Allandale neighbourhood that she shared with her sister, and met up with "someone" on Burton Street around 9 PM- she was caught on the surveillance camera and can be seen leaving the house, passing a nearby convenience store, and meeting up with the suspicious man she was friends with. Her cousin said that Autumn told her that she wanted to go to a bar, but she never specified its name. Around 11 PM, Autumn texted Lili-Moore that she will be staying out for longer, and that she will be back in the morning; She was last seen heading to Barrie's lakeshore for the airshow together with her friend.

On the morning of the 10th of June, Lili-Anne recieved a text message from Autumn (where she was asking her sister for a ride) at 9:30 AM. When Lili-Anne) tried to call three minutes later, she discovered that Autumn's phone was turned off. Autumn was then spotted on the surveillance camera with her friend in the Sunnidale Park area around 10 AM during the March to end ALS; She was carrying a pair of skiis, that she and her friend were supposedly discarding. The police managed to track the last ping of her phone to the Sunnidale Park, in the Kozlov Street area- which is where Autumn was seen last- during the subsequent investigation.

A family member of Autumn's contacted the police on the 12th to report her missing. At the time, police said that they can't rule out human trafficking, as it was a problem in the area, both at the time and in the past; However, they also stated that there is no evidence that would lead in this direction, and that they have no proof that Autumn is held captive anywhere (Autumn's family was convinced that was the case). They also said that the fact that the family reported Autumn missing two days after they saw her last really made the investigation more difficult, as Autumn could've went pretty much anywhere in that time.

After her disappearance, Autumn's social media went silent, despite the fact that she was an avid user. There has been no activity on her bank accounts and no health card records were generated by any kind of medical-type visits. 

Later in June, the family had revealed that they've managed to get into Autumn's laptop to see who she was in contact with that night. According to them, Autumn messaged someone on the morning of 10th saying that she was "at this address", followed by a street name, with no house number or any other details- that was shortly before she asked Lili-Anne for a ride. Autumn was also able to save several snapchats from that night- the photos showed a man and an inside of a house, plus a street name. It was also revealed that Autumn was talking with someone for an hour the morning she went missing, but the call was made through an app, so there's no known phone number that can be investigated.

Police had reached out to people who attended the Walk to End ALS held at Sunnidale Park on the 10th of June to check through any photos or videos they took and see if perhaps they managed to capture Autumn somewhere in the background.

The man Autumn met with that night had been interview multiple times since, but it's unclear if anything came of it. He said that Autumn "was about ten or 15 feet (457 cm) behind (him), and as they were walking southbound just directly in front of Sunnidale Park, there were several people in the area". As the two talked, the man got distracted momentarily, and when he turned around, Autumn was gone.

In January of 2024, Autumn's family hired a private investigator, Derwin Johnson of Toronto-based Present Truth Investigations. In April, Johnson said that he is focusing on contacting the man Autumn was last seen with; However, the man is actively avoiding comunication, allegedly due to his mother's recent (at the time) health concerns. The man also uses "pay-as-you-go" cellphones and frequently changes his number.

On the 21st of June, police revealed that Autumn was allegedly spotted in the area of Regina Street and McIntyre Street in North Bay; However, Lili-Anne saw the surveillance video of the woman in question, and confirmed that it wasn't Autumn.

CONCLUSION

It's a frustrating case, as there seems to be both little and a lot of informations- enough to speculate and make theories, but not enough to say anything for sure.

I certainly think that Autumn's "friend" knows more about her disappearance than he lets on; His story is... Flimsy, to put it mildly. His behavior later in the investigation, with him weaseling out of getting into contact with Derwin Johnson and frequently changing phone numbers strikes me as suspicious too- even if he somehow has nothing to do with Autumn's disappearance, he doesn't seem like a trustworthy person. We don't know anything about the details of his relationship with Autumn, so it's hard to speculate on what exactly was between them. The last video of the two of them carrying skiis was so strange too- it seems like they're going in a line, each one with a single skii. If I saw it on the street I might've think it was odd and move on, but knowing that it was the last footage of Autumn available, it's really weird. Why were they carrying skiis? What happened to them? Is it a normal sight in Canada?

There has been a lot of theorizing, especially from Autumn's family, that she became a victim of sex trafficking and she is unable to contact her family and reach out for help. I'm not sure on what to think; Autumn isn't exactly the usual type traffickers go for- teenagers with troubled home lives or addictions that no one would miss. Autumn was an adult and seemed to be in a relatively stable place in life, with a loving, supportive family, a place to live, and a quiet life. She did seem somewhat troubled due to her mental health issues and beginnings of alcohol abuse, but she was allegedly receiving help and seemed to have the support of her family. Then again, from what I've gathered from the sources, the area where Autumn lived seemed to have problems with sex trafficking, but that doesn't mean that she had to be a victim of it- and human traffickers certainly don't just snatch people from the streets.

I've seen speculations that Autumn might've been a drug user, and I gotta say that I'm open to this possibility. I know that Lili-Anne said that Autumn didn't do drugs, but 1. Family can only know so much. Lili-Anne's words only mean that she never saw any evidence that Autumn did drugs; And 2. Sometimes families of missing people will purposefuly hide the fact that their loved one did drugs, or was a sex worker, or had mental issues- things that might sully their image in the eyes of the public and make them less willing to look for them. I think that it might be possible that Autumn's new "friend" tried to get her into drugs, and something went wrong- perhaps Autumn overdosed or something like that. The messages that Autumn sent that only gave the name of the street she lived at do give me a vibe of a potential drug transaction, but I am no expert in the matter.

Personally, I'm sorry to say, but I think it's unlikely that Autumn is still alive. She was very attached to her family, and I think that she would try to contact them in some way after some time. It doesn't seem like she had a reason to run away and start a new life, and I don't think she's being held captive by anyone either. Her family, however, seems to believe that Autumn is out there, and that she will one day return to them. They have been very active in keeping the case in the spotlight, constantly hanging out new posters and bilboards. Autumn's family thinks that her case isn't treated with the necessary urgency due to her being Indigenous. Indeed, in the United States and Canada there is a "phenomenon" of "Missing and murdered Indingenous women and girls". Cases concerning Native Americans, especially women, girls, and queer people, are often overlooked, dismissed, and remain unsolved. Autumn's case is, sadly,for now, one of many of Indigenous women who never came home. My condolences to all of Autumn's loved ones.

There is a $50,000 for any information that leads to Autumn's whereabouts.

Autumn Hope Shaganash was 26 when she went missing, and would be 27 now. She was of a medium build, stands at 5’3″ (63 inch / 160 cm) and weighed 130 pounds (60 kg). She has brown eyes and straight black hair, and was last seen wearing a black hoodie/jacket, either beige leggings or a pair of shorts (sources vary), and slip-on Puma sandals. She was carrying a Couture purse, and also had in her nose and septum piercings.

If you have any info regarding Autumn's disappearance, contact the Barrie Police Service at (705) 725-7025. Tips can also be submitted anonymously via Crime Stoppers at +1 (800) 222-8477.

SOURCES:

1. ctnews.ca
2. bradfordtoday.ca
3. globalnews.ca
4. barrietoday.com
5. cbc.ca
6. orilliamatters.com
7. storiesoftheunsolved.com
8. ctnews.ca
9. barrietoday.com
10. innisfilltoday.com
11. globalnews.ca
12. barrietoday.com
13. ctvnews.ca
14. midlandtoday.ca

Autumn's websleuths.com thread

On 30 November 2023, the body of a man was located and recovered from the Maroochy River on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. The death has been deemed non-suspicious.

CCTV footage recovered shows the man carrying an Australia Pacific Touring (APT) backpack. APT backpacks are supplied on tours in Australia and may indicate that the unidentified man has travelled from abroad.

Detectives are continuing extensive investigations to identify the man, including DNA testing and working to match the internal surgical nails in the man’s right knee with a hospital. DNA Ancestry testing will determine the man’s lineal descent to help detectives identify possible relatives or a place of origin.

Detectives have also sought assistance from the Australian Federal Police who have initiated enquiries internationally through the global INTERPOL network.

12 months later, the man remains unidentified.

Queensland Police News Article

https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2024/11/29/update-4-sudden-death-maroochydore/

This is a weekly thread for media recommendations. What have you watched/read/listened to recently? What is a podcast, video, book, or movie that you've enjoyed and think others would also enjoy? Let us know in the comments.

Firstly, here is the FBIs announcement on the arrest of John Doe 49: https://x.com/FBIMostWanted/status/1861923179993719001

There is no additional information as of yet.

About ECAP:

On February 21, 2004, the FBI began its Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) as a new proactive approach to identifying unknown individuals involved in the sexual abuse of children and the production of child pornography. A collaborative effort between the FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, ECAP seeks national and international exposure of unknown adults (referred to as John/Jane Does) whose faces and/or distinguishing characteristics are visible in child pornography images. https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap

The individuals posted in ECAP photos may not always be the perpetrators of child sexual abuse. The FBI sometimes intentionally uses vague language in these ECAP posts unless the subject has been pre-indicted. However, it often appears likely based on the context of the photos that the person in question is a suspect. Once a subject is identified, the FBI typically reveals details about their arrest.

A final note regarding the term "child pornography": While some jurisdictions and individuals are choosing to use the more descriptive and accurate term "CSAM", "Child pornography" is still the legal term used on the federal level in the United States. That being said the term may not encapsulate the full horror of what is actually occurring in these cases.

_________________________________

Below is a list of new information released on various ECAP cases. The FBI hopes that someone can help identify the location of the crime scene or identity of the perpetrators.

John Doe 47 - The video depicting John Doe 47 is believed to have been produced prior to April of 2020. Additional photos of the crime scene were released.

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-individual---john-doe-47

John Doe 40 - The video depicting John Doe 40 is believed to have been produced prior to October of 2017. Additional photos of the crime scene and subjects tattoo were released

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-individual---john-doe-40

Jane Doe 36 - Video is likely from 2016. Additional photos of the crime scene and subject were released.

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-individual---jane-doe-36

John Doe 19 - John Doe 19 is explicitly described as a suspect. Additional photos of the crime scene were released.

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-suspect-3

John Doe 17 - Video is from 2007, read my earlier writeup here: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/16f90t2/the_decades_long_hunt_for_john_doe_17_the_fbi/ - Additional photos of the crime scene were released.

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-suspect-1

John Doe 8 - Video is from 2005. He is explicitly described as a suspect. Additional photos of the crime scene were released.

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-suspect-2

John Doe 5 - Oldest ECAP subject still uncaptured. He is explicitly described as a suspect. Additional photos of the crime scene were released.

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-suspect-5

_____________________________________________________________

Maria Isabel Elizalde vanished from her Dallas, Texas, residence 9 years ago on November 25, 2015. The Elizalde family was in the middle of preparing their, Thanksgiving meal the night before,

Maria and her sisters asked if they could go play with some neighbors. They left the house between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The last person to see Maria was her stepfather. He saw her playing with her sister in the family's yard at around 9:00 pm

Only a few minutes later, Maria's mother, Kathleen Rodriguez, called for her children to come back home. The other two girls returned, but Maria never returned and has never been heard from again.

When she was still an infant. Maria's paternal grandmother took her to Mexico. Maria's mother was banned from having contact with her daughter for years. Allowed to have contact with her for years. One year before Maria disappeared, she was returned to her mother after unconfirmed allegations that she had been sexually abused by a relative in Mexico. She occasionally acted out, having once run away from home. But Maria did return after a few hours. Her mother described her as very naive. She may still be in Dallas, or she may be in Balch Springs, Texas, or Cedar Hill, Texas.

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1258708/1

https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/33943

https://charleyproject.org/case/maria-isabel-elizalde

I am happy to announce that the DNA Doe Project has been able to identify Travis County John Doe 2021. Below is some additional information about our work on this identification, in addition to some links regarding this case:

A man found dead in Austin in 2021 has been identified by volunteers from the DNA Doe Project. Working with the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, the DNA Doe Project used investigative genetic genealogy to resolve this case, utilizing a DNA profile developed from the remains and uploaded to a public database to build a family tree for the unidentified person. The name of the formerly unidentified man is being withheld.

On March 10, 2021, an African American man was found dead in the city of Austin, Texas. He was thought to be between 50 and 70 years old and was around 5’10” tall, but little else was known about him. With no clues as to his identity, his case was brought to the DNA Doe Project, whose expert volunteers work pro bono to identify John and Jane Does and restore their names.

A team of volunteer genealogists began working on this case in September 2022 and found a common ancestor that connected two distant DNA matches of the unidentified man. Soon afterwards, and less than a month after research on the case commenced, a member of the team came across a descendant of that ancestor who was born in Texas and who fit the description of the John Doe.

“Our team quickly identified a woman born in North Carolina in the 1850s as a likely ancestor of this man,” said team co-leader Matthew Waterfield. “Just a few weeks later, we found that a great great grandson of hers had moved to Austin, and he turned out to be Travis County John Doe.”

With multiple pieces of evidence pointing to this man as a likely candidate, his name was provided to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, who confirmed his identity in November 2022.

This identification would not have been possible without distant cousins of the unidentified man having uploaded their DNA profiles to GEDmatch. Gwen Knapp, team co-leader on the case, said “Having numerous relatives in the databases makes it easier for us to return Jane and John Does to their families. My hope is that people who have taken DNA tests will upload to databases such as GEDmatch and DNA Justice, so that we can restore the names of more of the thousands of unidentified people out there.”

The DNA Doe Project is grateful to the groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, who entrusted the case to the DNA Doe Project; Genologue for extraction of DNA and whole-genome sequencing; Kevin Lord for bioinformatics; GEDmatch Pro for providing their database; our generous donors who joined our mission and fully funded this case; and DDP’s dedicated teams of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists who work tirelessly to bring all our Jane and John Does home.

https://dnadoeproject.org/case/travis-county-john-doe-2021/

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/texas-missing-unidentified-human-remains-dna

These days, not a lot remains of the town of Dalmorton. Located on the Boyd River in northern New South Wales, Australia on the traditional lands of the Gumbaynggirr peoples, Dalmorton came into being during a gold rush in the 1860s. At its peak it hosted up to 5,000 residents who were served by no less than thirteen pubs. Mining activity continued even after the gold rush subsided, supplemented by timber milling for the hoop pine that grew in the valley, and the town’s position on the road between the larger towns of Grafton and Glen Innes guaranteed it some traffic.

However, as the twentieth century progressed, Dalmorton was bypassed following the construction of the Gwydir Highway between Grafton and Glen Innes. Slowly its essential services closed, and by 1966 there was no longer a police station, post office or general store in the town. Today, Dalmorton is only reachable by dirt road. Only a few buildings and the cemetery remain, and a litany of abandoned mineshafts that speckle the nearby hills bear testament to the town’s gold rush origins. A popular campsite near the town is managed by the National Park Service, and the area attracts visitors who enjoy the gold fossicking and bushwalking opportunities that the area has to offer.

In April of 2003, one such visitor was on a bushwalk near Dalmorton when they noticed a car abandoned in the scrub. They reported the car to police, setting the scene for a missing persons case which is as bizarre as it is little-known. This post details the mystery of “John Ray Green”, a man with the rare distinction of simultaneously being both a missing person and unidentified.

The Car in the Scrub

On 15 April 2003, a bushwalker was hiking in the area of Jackass Creek outside Dalmorton. The walker noticed a blue 1990 Holden Apollo car abandoned in the scrub and notified police, whose enquiries established that the vehicle had been there for at least two weeks. Contemporary media coverage describes the location of the car’s discovery as ‘very isolated’, making it likely that it was some distance away from the area’s main thoroughfare, the Old Glen Innes road. Indeed, although this road crosses a waterway called Jackass Creek, the goldfield by this name is located a couple of kilometres north of Dalmorton in remote hill country. This area is reachable only by poor-quality tracks and would have been seldom frequented by others.

Police traced this vehicle to one John Ray Green, age 71, of Urunga, NSW, a coastal town more than three hours’ drive away from where the car was found. Photos of John are linked here: he was of European appearance, around 170cm tall with a thin build, grey hair, a moustache, and a full beard. He was described as a gold prospector who enjoyed the outdoors and went camping frequently.

Given how many old gold mineshafts there were around the area of John’s disappearance, it was immediately suspected that something had happened to him while he was prospecting. While extensive search efforts failed to find John’s body, it is believed to this day that he likely died in the area, possibly after falling down a disused mine shaft close to where his car was found.

Sorting Out the Timeline

Police attempted to trace John’s movements to establish when he went missing. The official missing persons page for John on the Australian Federal Police website states that he was last seen on 15 May 2003 by neighbours, who stated that he told them he was going to Sydney to attend a funeral. This source also states that his car was found on 15 April 2004.

However, I suspect that these two dates are incorrect, as they make no sense given the rest of the information which is available about the timeline of John’s disappearance. An ABC article from August 2003 states that his car was found on 15 April 2003, not 2004. The publication date of this article tells us that the location of John’s car was known at least eight months before the date of discovery stated in the missing persons case summary.

Furthermore, if the dates in this case summary are correct and John was last seen in early May 2003, this would mean that he somehow made it back to his home hundreds of kilometres away after abandoning his car in an extremely remote spot. He would then need to lie low during investigations about his whereabouts following the reporting of his car to police on 15 April, before announcing his departure to his neighbours and disappearing for good. A Coffs Coast Advocate article from August 2006 states that John had been missing since March of 2003, and I think that this timeline is more plausible.

Overall, I think it’s most likely that John was last seen by his neighbours sometime in March 2003. His car was then noticed in the bush near Dalmorton around the start of April, two weeks before it was officially reported to police on 15 April. Indeed, police note that “it [d]oes not seem as though he disappeared from there of his own free will”.

John’s Life and Personality

John was never formally reported missing by anyone; he is presumed to have disappeared based on the discovery of his car and police’s inability to trace him. Details about his life are scarce, but based on a birth certificate found in his home he was born in 1932, making him 71 at the time of his disappearance. 

It is known that between 1977 to 1990, John lived in the Sydney suburb of Hurstville, working as a cleaner for Randwick Council. He then lived in the central New South Wales town of Young for some years: this town is famous for its cherries, and John worked on Young Fairview Orchard as a cherry tree pruner until February of 1994. There is a gap of approximately four years in John’s known movements, but by 1998 he was living on the north coast of New South Wales in the Ballina area, with stints in Evans Head, Woodburn, and Wardell.

By the time of his disappearance in 2003, John was living in Urunga, a couple of hours south of the Ballina area. He was described by investigating officer Grahame Burke as “reclusive, polite but unsociable”. When searched after his appearance, his apartment contained no personal possessions such as photos, letters, a diary, or even old paperwork like tax returns. A search of his phone records revealed that he had only made one call in the six months before his disappearance (the available information is that this call was placed ‘to a newspaper’).

Police could only uncover one instance of John volunteering any information about his family: he told acquaintances about the death of an aunt, but police weren’t able to trace her and suspect this story was a fabrication. (It’s not clear whether there’s a linkage between this story about the death of an aunt, and the funeral which John told neighbours he was travelling to Sydney for prior to his disappearance.)

Identity Fraud

However, by far the biggest twist that emerged from the police investigation is that “John Ray Green” was not the real name of the missing man. The real John Ray Green was alive and well in Western Australia, and he had no idea that this man had been using his name and identification for nearly three decades.

Police’s suspicions were first aroused when a birth certificate located in the man’s Urunga home ‘did not match his name’. The exact timeline of the man’s identity fraud is a little unclear, but from what I can make out, he began using the name John Green when he started working for Randwick Council as a cleaner in 1977. To quote police, he then “hit the jackpot” in 1990 when via unknown means, he managed to obtain a copy of a Western Australian birth certificate for John Ray Green. He then updated his personal details to fix any discrepancies between those he’d previously been providing, and the ones on the birth certificate. Reading between the lines, the references to the birth certificate ‘not match[ing] his name’ refer to the Randwick Council employment records from the 1977-1990 period, when the impostor didn’t have access to all the information needed to accurately assume the identity of John Ray Green.

New South Wales police tracked down the real John Ray Green to the small town of Narrogin in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, situated a couple of hours southeast of the state capital of Perth. Amazingly, Green believed that he recognised the man from church services in the nearby town of Brookton some years ago. To quote Green, who was a Jehovah’s Witness: "I'm pretty sure I've seen him before. A scruffy-looking bloke like that tends to stand out at one of our meetings because we are a pretty clean-shaven bunch.” Furthermore, Green claimed that other people also recognised the man, including Green’s daughter and a businessman from neighbouring Pingelly.

Police believe that the man who stole John Ray Green’s identity is likely to have been from WA originally, but to date they have been unable to establish his original identity or locate any relatives. Furthermore, there have been no matches to the identity thief in fingerprint records.

Standstill: Summary and Questions

The last new information I could find about this case was shared in July of 2006, and even then the lead investigator (Detective Senior Constable Grahame Burke) clearly felt the case was at a “standstill”. After three years of investigation, he was unable to present a case to the coroner: not only was there no body and thus no confirmation of death, but the identity of the man was not known. Police continue to appeal for information from anybody who had dealings with the man in late 2002. They have also tried to publicise the case in Sydney and Western Australia in the hopes that people who recognised the man would come forward.

However, nearly two decades on from these final updates, the conundrum of the man known as “John Ray Green” remains not only at a standstill, but is now in danger of being forgotten entirely. Very little information is freely available about this case online, so I hope that by sharing what I have learnt from trawling the newspaper archives, the true scale of this mystery will be better known. (As a side note, this is a tough case to research as search results get swamped by content about John Green, the young adult novelist!)

Few individuals have the dual distinction of being missing persons while also being unidentified. This case involves a fascinating twist of fate: if this man had not gone missing, it is likely that nobody would ever have discovered his act of identity theft. However, this combination of features also presents some unique barriers to resolving this mystery. In concluding this write-up, I want to pose a few questions which are still on my mind, which I’ll order from least to most mysterious:

• Did the man die near Dalmorton? If so, how? To me, this is the least intriguing part of this case. We really don’t have any concrete evidence on this point, but circumstantially, I think it is most likely that he died while prospecting for gold. If he fell into an abandoned mineshaft, he might never be found: they’re notoriously hard to search safely, and can spontaneously collapse which would conceal his remains permanently. While we can’t definitively rule out suicide or foul play, Occam’s razor tells us that death by misadventure is a perfectly plausible explanation. On the other hand, I think the idea of the man intentionally planning his disappearance and secretly leaving the Dalmorton area alive is so implausible and involves so much difficulty that it can be ruled out.
• Did the man lie during his last encounter with neighbours? Given how little we know about his life and movements, it’s not clear whether the man’s story about attending a funeral in Sydney was true or false. If he could be connected to a funeral in Sydney, this would improve the chances of identifying him. However, he also seems to have been so secretive that this could have just been a cover story to explain away his extended absence on a prospecting trip.
• Was the man in hiding or on the run? On several occasions, police stated that they believed the extent of the man’s secrecy, lack of personal possessions and identity fraud meant he was likely in hiding or on the run from something. If so, what was this? Was his life genuinely in danger (giving rise to possible foul play theories), was he on the run due to criminal history, or did he just not want to be found by certain people from his past? To me, the man’s pattern of behaviour is equally explainable by the idea that he was a recluse who wanted to be untraceable to family and old acquaintances.
• What was the man’s real identity? Will it ever be known? These are obviously the million-dollar questions in this case. Some circumstantial signs seem to point to the man being from Western Australia or having spent time there, especially being seen in church services by (among others) the man whose identity he stole. However, in the absence of an identification from members of the public, it’s hard to imagine that this case will be solved. His fingerprints (presumably taken from his home or his council personnel records) have not been matched to any on file, and unless some of his belongings happen to be stored in evidence, it will be impossible to do any forensic genealogy work without his body to extract a DNA profile from. Even details such as the man’s age are no longer certain: while it’s widely reported that he was born in 1932, this information is taken from the birth certificate and therefore may not be accurate.

Sources

AFP Missing Persons Profile

Newspaper Articles (From Archives; Not Accessible Publicly)

Coffs Coast Advocate - August 25, 2006

In the week following Independence Day of 2020, a 32-year-old Boston man leaves his friends, while apparently vacationing in Cape Cod, to drive to a Speedway gas station late Monday night (July 6th) and is never seen or heard from again. While is vehicle is seen driving across the Sagamore bridge at 3:30AM the following morning, Matthew Eric Silveira by all accounts vanished shortly thereafter. His vehicle was discovered the following weekend on July 12th, parked along a rural road named Black Pond Road, just south of the Truro community city limits. Black Pond Road is directly off the main artery (Route 6) which carves through Cape Cod and ends in Provincetown. His cell phone last pinged Tuesday morning in the area of Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

According to the NYPost, camping gear and his cellphone was recovered in the vehicle. It is not known whether this camping gear was intended to be used in the are where his vehicle was recovered or if it was in the vehicle for another purpose., Matthew has been described as having a history of making "suicidal statements". There is no indication at this time that Matthew was suicidal. At the time of his disappearance, Michael was 32 years old, weighing 200 pounds at approximately 5'11''.

Following the discovery of Michael's car, a K-9 team, police, and a search-and-rescue team yielded no trace of Matthew despite employing flyovers and drones. The are where his vehicle went missing is sandwiched by two large, expansive beaches which face Cape Cod and the Atlantic Ocean, and there are multiple small ponds within one mile of the last known location of his car; many small ponds punctuate Black Pond Road, which continues to Horseleech Road, a road which stops short of the shoreline. This area is flat and rural, with little to no development of any kind surrounding it. Black Pond Road bisects a miles-long clearing for high-power lines.

Matthew's NAMUS: https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/72061/details?nav

Some Notes:

1. Partial skeletal remains were discovered nearly two years later in the town of Truro, north of where Matthew's car was discovered. At this time, there is no indication that there is a link between the remains and Matthew's case.

2. There is, at this time, no indication of foul play in Matthew's disappearance.

3. Matthew's car was discovered two hours from his home in Beverly, Massachusetts; he was seen by local friends in Wellfleet before disappearing.

4. The gas station in Plymouth which Matthew was last seen at is over an hour from Wellfleet; Matthew left from this gas station and returned back towards the Wellfleet area rather than continuing on home towards Beverly.

5. While Matthew has been described as having made suicidal statements in the past, there is no indication that Matthew was suicidal at the time of his disappearance.

On May 5, 2024 Roy Whited failed to show up for Sunday morning worship service at the DeRosset Church of Christ, just a few miles east of Sparta, Tennessee where he served as pastor. In addition to serving as pastor of the small church, Whited worked as a real estate agent and auctioneer, and was a well-loved former White County High School basketball coach. Whited was well known around Sparta, and appeared to be an upstanding member of society.

When he didn't show up for Sunday service, neighbor and friend Doug Watts went to his house to check on him. Mr. Watts found the Whited house apparently undisturbed, and his cell phone was sitting on its charger. Mr. Watts then called 911 to report Mr. Whited missing. According to reports, the law enforcement response was relatively quick and soon an investigation began. It was determined that a Ring doorbell recorded Mr. Whited pulling his truck into his driveway on Lovejoy road at about 3:30 p.m. on May the third. He was later reportedly seen by an unidentified neighbor walking down Lovejoy Road in a beige shirt and cowboy boots at about 4:00 p.m. that same day. No one has seen Mr. Whited since.

Volunteers and first responders began a search that eventually expanded to cover more than 2000 acres and lasted more than a week. The searchers also used dogs and helicopters to assist in the search. No trace of any kind was ever found. Several local news reports made the comment that Mr. Whited just seemed to disappear into thin air. A local message board contained a post that the dogs did acquire a scent trail that ended at the top of a high bluff in the area. However, there was no evidence that Mr. Whited fell or jumped from the bluff, and the dogs were unable to acquire the scent trail at the bottom. Officials are confident that Mr. Whited did NOT commit suicide as there is no evidence of depression or other difficulties, plus the fact that decaying bodies even in the most remote areas attract vultures that can be seen circling from miles away.

Roy’s brother, Lynn Whited, who lives in Alabama said that it was very unusual for Roy to go anywhere without his cell phone. Lynn Whited also reported that about a week prior to his brother’s disappearance, Roy mentioned to him that he was out of shape and was going to start walking again. Lynn surmises that Friday, when Roy got home, his phone was almost dead, so he put it on the charger and went for a walk. Lynn Whited traveled to DeRosset and joined in the search for his brother, to no avail.

Since his disappearance, the White County Sheriff’s Office has searched many different properties throughout White County and scanned hours of surveillance footage, but there has been no sign of Mr. Whited. Friends, concerned residents, reporters, and even former White County High School basketball players who were coached by Roy Whited more than two decades ago gathered at the White County High School gym, on September 17, to hear and share updates about the search for Mr. Whited. A private investigator has also become involved in the search.

White County Sheriff Steve Page says the case is baffling. He considers Roy Whited a friend and says that he will never stop looking for him. Sheriff Page says that the case is badly in need of new leads.

At the time of his disappearance Mr. Whited was 64 years old. He is a white male with brown hair and eyes, about 5'11" tall and weighed about 175 lbs.

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/roy-whited-tennessee-2024-missing-person-rcna174564

https://spartalive.com/stories/find-coach-whited,126292

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/sparta-pastor-still-missing-nearly-6-months-later/

https://x.com/TBInvestigation/status/1787303950594584943

Roughly two years ago I posted in this subreddit about the bizarre disappearance of the Romer couple. It appears their vehicle (and possible remains) have been found in a Brunswick, Georgia retention pond after vanishing from their Holiday Inn hotel room 44 years ago. Thank you to everyone who reached out to let me know about the breakthrough in this case!!

https://people.com/human-remains-found-in-georgia-pond-possibly-linked-to-couple-s-1980-disappearance-8751603

Case Summary: An elderly couple, Charles and Catherine Romer vanished on April 8th, 1980 after checking into a Holiday Inn in Brunswick Georgia. They were traveling from their winter home in South Florida to their residence in Scarsdale NY. At around 5 pm, a Georgia highway patrol officer spotted their 1979 Lincoln Continental parked near a group of restaurants. The Lincoln and the couple were never seen again. On April 11th, hotel management contacted the police after the couple failed to check out. Their luggage, a bottle of scotch, and some financial documents were found in the room. An extensive search of the area concluded with no findings.

EDIT: Grammar/Spelling

At 10:30am on December 16, 1935, 29 year-old actress Thelma Todd was found dead in the driver’s seat of her Lincoln Phaeton. The car was parked in a private garage attached to a home owned by Jewel Carmen, the estranged wife of Thelma’s boyfriend and business partner, film director Roland West. Thelma, who rose to fame playing the “straight woman” in comedies starring the Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, and Laurel & Hardy, was in the prime of her career when she was found dead. After an investigation and autopsy, it was later ruled that Thelma had died of carbon monoxide poisoning, though it is unclear whether her death was a result of murder, suicide, or simply a fatal accident. While the official cause of death was listed as “accidental with suicidal tendencies,” Thelma Todd’s death remains one of Hollywood’s most enduring mysteries almost 90 years later.

Thelma Todd and Roland West

Thelma Todd was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts on July 29, 1906. After winning the title of Miss Massachusetts in 1925, she was discovered by a Hollywood talent scout and was quickly signed by Paramount. While Thelma’s success in Hollywood was defined by her presence in comedy films, in 1931 she decided to make a foray into dramatic films, and was cast in the crime drama Corsair, directed by Roland West. Thelma and West began a romantic relationship during the making of Corsair, despite the fact that West was married to actress Jewel Carmen at the time.

Thelma’s relationship with West ended shortly after filming wrapped on Corsair. Then, in 1932, Thelma suddenly married Pat DiCicco, an agent, film producer, actor – and rumored mobster who worked for Lucky Luciano. According to reports, Thelma and DiCicco’s relationship was volatile, with many of their arguments ending in physical violence, including one fight that resulted in a broken nose for DiCicco and an emergency appendectomy for Thelma. The two divorced in 1934, after just two years of marriage.

Following her divorce from DiCicco, Thelma resumed her relationship with Roland West. They also went into business together, opening Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café, a supper club on Pacific Coast Highway, just north of Santa Monica in the Castellammare area of Pacific Palisades. The Sidewalk Café became a Hollywood hotspot frequented by celebrities, politicians, and even mobsters. 

Thelma and Roland lived in an apartment above the restaurant, though West was still married to Jewel Carmen at the time, who lived in a house just up the hill from the restaurant. While the two residences were only about a block apart, the route from the cafe to the house and garage included a steep staircase with over 200 steps. It was in the garage of this home that Thelma’s body was found. 

“Accidental Death with Suicidal Tendencies”

On December 14, Thelma attended a party thrown by actress Ida Lupino and her father Stanley at the Trocadero, a popular Hollywood restaurant and nightclub. Guests at the party reported that Thelma was in good spirits, although she apparently had a confrontation with her ex-husband, Pat DiCicco, at some point during the night. DiCicco had been invited to the party and a seat was saved for him beside Thelma. But when DiCicco showed up with another woman, Thelma became angry and there was a confrontation between her and her ex-husband.

At 1:50 am, Thelma called West and told him she would be leaving soon and coming home, but right after that call, she ran into some friends and spent over an hour talking with them. Thelma finally left the party around 3:15 am on December 15; she was driven home by her chauffeur, Ernest O. Peters, and they arrived at her apartment at the Sidewalk Café at 3:45 am. Normally, Peters would walk Thelma up the stairs to her apartment, but that night she declined his assistance. This was the last confirmed sighting of Thelma Todd until her body was found in the garage the next day. 

Just over 24 hours later, at 10:30 am on December 16, Thelma’s assistant, Mae Whitehead, discovered the actress’s lifeless body in the front seat of her car. Mae thought her employer had simply fallen asleep, but she quickly realized that Thelma was dead and the police were called. 

The state of Thelma’s body–and whether or not she had any injuries–is one element of the case that has long been debated. Some reports claim that the only injuries on Thelma’s body were a bruise on her forehead and a split lip, which would likely have been caused by falling unconscious and hitting her head on the steering wheel. However, other reports released shortly after her death claim that Thelma had bruises around her throat, a broken nose, and two broken ribs. 

Officially, Thelma Todd’s death was classified as “accidental with possible suicidal tendencies.” The police’s theory was that, upon returning home from the party at the Trocadero, Thelma was locked out of the apartment by Roland. Unable to get into the apartment or wake Roland to let her in, Thelma walked to her car parked in the garage up the hill from the café. Given that it was a chilly night in December, the police theorized that Thelma went to her car to warm up and turned on the ignition so she could use the heat, which flooded the garage with carbon monoxide, resulting in her death.

Discrepancies and Unanswered Questions

On the surface, Thelma’s death would appear to be nothing more than an unfortunate accident. However, there are a number of details that complicate the narrative posited by the police.

The first strange detail is the state of Todd’s hair and clothing; despite the fact that the night she disappeared was exceptionally windy, Todd’s hair was still neatly styled when her body was found. Her shoes were also in pristine condition, which wouldn’t be the case if she had walked the distance from her apartment above the cafe to the garage. During the investigation into Thelma’s death, a female police officer of about Thelma’s size made the walk wearing a similar pair of shoes to the ones Thelma was wearing on the night of her death; by the time the officer made it from the café to the garage, the shoes were scuffed and worn. In addition to her shoes not being damaged, Thelma’s stockings were untorn and her feet were clean, so she also didn’t make the walk without her shoes.

Additionally, Thelma’s friends stated that making the walk to the garage would be very out of character for her as she did not enjoy exercise and complained of an old ankle injury that made walking distances difficult for her; in fact, Thelma always had her assistant bring the car to her at the restaurant as she refused to make the walk up the hill to the garage. Also, this would not have been the first time Roland had locked Thelma out of the apartment; when this had happened in the past, Thelma had broken the window to gain entry to the apartment rather than walk to the garage.

There are also conflicting stories about whether or not Thelma would have been able to unlock without waking Roland. Most reports indicate that Thelma did have a house key on her when her body was found, but it is not clear if this single key could have gained her entry to her apartment. Some sources claim that the apartment had two separate locks–a door lock and a deadbolt–that required two different keys. Thelma may have only had the key to the door lock, not the deadbolt, which Roland engaged before going to bed that night. 

Another inconsistency was that Thelma’s autopsy showed undigested peas in her stomach; peas were not served at the party at the Trocadero, and all evidence points to the fact that Thelma went directly from the party to her apartment. Along with the peas, Thelma’s blood alcohol level was quite high when she was found but other guests from the Trocadero party reported that she had only consumed a few drinks and did not seem impaired when she left the party. (Though it should be noted that the BAC discrepancy could be caused by the delay between her death and the discovery of her body.)

There were also two unconfirmed reports of Thelma Todd’s activity on December 15, the day between the party and the discovery of her body. Thelma’s friend Martha Wallace stated that she received a call from someone she believed to be Thelma at around 4:00pm on December 15 telling her that she’d be arriving at her party soon with a surprise guest. However, the caller never identified herself and Thelma didn’t show up at Martha’s party, so it cannot be confirmed that the caller was indeed Thelma Todd. Jewel Carmen, West’s estranged wife, also reported seeing Thelma on December 15, saying that she witnessed her in the garage sitting in the passenger seat of an unknown man’s car. 

Despite the finding of “suicidal tendencies,” the idea that Thelma committed suicide has been rejected by almost everyone who knew her, and was also doubted by the LAPD investigation. When her body was found, her trunk was full of dozens of wrapped Christmas gifts, and she had recently put a down payment on a property near the café where she hoped to build a garage (so she would no longer have to have her car parked so far from the supper club). While the feelings of close friends and family cannot be evidence of suicidal inclination, it is important to note that Thelma did not have a history of depression or past suicidal tendencies or ideation. In addition, carbon monoxide poisoning was a fairly well-known phenomenon at the time of Thelma’s death, so it is highly likely that she would have been aware that sitting in a running car in a closed garage was a recipe for disaster. 

A Cast of Shady Characters

In addition to the strange details surrounding Thelma’s death, in the months leading up to her death, Thelma had been dealing with stalkers and extortionists. She had received letters from someone threatening to kill her and to burn down her restaurant if she didn’t pay the letter writer $10,000. The letters were traced to a man named Harry Schimanski, who was arrested in 1935 for the crime. Another man, Edward Schiffert, believed he and Thelma were involved in a secret romantic relationship and also sent her threatening letters. He was later committed to a mental institution. 

Thelma was also rumored to be having troubles with mobsters who wanted to use her supper club as a gambling hall. Supposedly, Thelma refused this request, leading to a feud with the mob and Lucky Luciano. Given her ex-husband’s ties to the mob–and to Luciano in particular–rumors flew after Thelma’s death that the mob was somehow responsible and that Luciano and Thelma were having an affair. However, other sources claim that Luciano and Thelma never even met.

A Classic Hollywood Mystery

So what happened to Thelma Todd? One of the main challenges in this particular case is that it occurred during the reign of the Hollywood studio system, which was incredibly invested in maintaining strict control over the actors in their employ. The Big Five studios (of which Paramount was one), promoted promising talent via the star system, which often included morality contracts for the actors and was designed to cover up behaviors and incidents that could “damage” the star’s image. 

This image control is obvious in the reports that were written immediately following Thelma’s death. For example, the day after Thelma’s body was found, the LA Times ran a story stating that Roland West was residing with his wife Carmen, and that his relationship with Thelma was only one of business partners. The true arrangement–that Roland and Thelma were romantically involved and lived together above the café while his estranged wife resided in a house a few hundred yards away–was quite far from what would have been considered “wholesome” at the time and so was not reported accurately. And yet details like this are incredibly important–particularly given that the sequence of events set forth by the police is based on the fact that Thelma and Roland were living together in an apartment above the café on the night of her death. An accidental death would be the most palatable to the studio, as either a suicide or murder would have brought much more scandal to Thelma Todd’s death. 

What is clear is that there are many unanswered questions in the death of Thelma Todd. Was her death a careless accident, one brought on by being locked out of her home by a spiteful boyfriend on a cold December night? If this is the case, how did she get from her supper club to the garage without the wind messing up her carefully styled hair or the long uphill walk causing any scuffs to her shoes or stockings? And where did the undigested peas in her stomach come from if they weren't served at the Trocadero?

Many of the facts related to Thelma’s case have been sensationalized in books, film, and television, but 90 years after her death, the circumstances that led to the death of one of the most popular actresses of the early Hollywood system remain a mystery.

Sources:

https://hollywoodrevue.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/the-mysterious-death-of-thelma-todd/

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-mysterious-death-of-massachusetts-movie-star-thelma-todd/

https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-thelma-todd-19351217-story.html 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-05-05-9102090725-story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/26/archives/reports-miss-todd-bruised-on-throat-prosecutor-will-question.html 

This is a weekly thread for off topic discussion. Talk about anything that interests you; what's going on in your world?. If you have any suggestions or observations about the sub let us know in this thread.

Hello everyone! As always, I'd like to thank everyone for your comments and votes under my last post about the Baltimore Jane Doe- I hope that her identity will be given back to her soon.

Today I wanted to bring up another Doe case.

DISCOVERY

On the 1st of February, members of the Oak Ridge Volunteer Fire Department were called regarding a brush fire near a densly wooded area in a quarter mile off Billet Road, near Highway 150, near Oakridge, North Carolina, USA. Once the fire was exstinguished, the firefighters discovered a charred body. It's not clear if the victim was in a prone or supine position, as different sources differ regarding that detail.

The victim was a male, most likely white, but one early newspaper said that he was probably Latino. He was an adult (but younger than 40, most likely 25-35). He was 5' 9" (69 inch / 175 cm) and 143 lbs (65 kg). His hair was brown or black, he most likely had a mustache, and that's really all that can be said about his features- sadly, John was charred beyond recognition. Scraps of blue Fruit of the Loom briefs (size 34-36), jeans, and black, gray, and white plaid material were found on his body.

Further investigation confirmed that John was a victim of homicide by gunshot. He was shot in the base of the skull with a shotgun about 25 yards (23 m) from where his body was found. He was then doused with gasoline and set on fire. A gas can with a nozzle had been found on the other side of the woods.

Due to a lack of other clues regarding John's identity, his skull had been sent to University of Tennessee in Knoxville to create a clay likeness of him. His skull had to be painstakingly put together due to the damage it sustained. The photos of it were circulated in local communities, but nobody recognized John.

CONCLUSION

There was one lead regarding the identity of John- the mother of Garrie Lane Davis, who went missing in 1991, thought that the reconstruction looked like her missing son. However, when fingerprints of Garrie and John were compared, they weren't a match. Something is off about how this was reported, however; Another source states that John's fingerprints are unavailable (perhaps they couldn't be taken due to the burns). The only other possibility that comes to my mind is that his fingerprints were taken, but the file itself was lost with time.

This case is very troubling- someone was murdered in cold blood (even the detectives called it "execution-style") and set on fire to hide any evidence, and yet there is no clues as to who he was, who killed him and why. I wonder if John was involved with some dangerous individuals, and was killed due to having debts or going against whoever murdered him. It's also worth knowing if he was killed by one person or a group.

I post a lot of Doe cases, but something about this one just feels paticularily brutal, in some way- to be killed in the woods in such a gruesome manner and set on fire, as if whoever killed you tried to erase your whole identity, only to remain unidentified for over 30 years...

Fortunately, we have John's dentals (which were described in detail; His teeth were "natural and intact. Tooth 1 and 16 erupted. Tooth 17 and 32 impacted. First four premolars (#4, 13, 21, 28) missing with spaces closed (evidence of orthodontic preparation). Crowding of lower anterior teeth and rotation of tooth 10. Amalgam restorations on Tooth 3, 5, 14, 18, 19, 20, 30, and 31. Caries on tooth 3."), and most importantly, his DNA- it's even uploaded into CODIS. The only thing left to do now is to perform genetic genealogy on it, and hopefully find John's name and create some leads as to who might've killed him. Of course, it's easier said than done- genetic genealogy is a complex process. Still, I hope that John's case will be solved soon, as all the necessary pieces are there and just waiting to be assembled.

If you believe that you have any info regarding John's identity, contact the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner at (919) 743-9000 (case number 92-94)

SOURCES:

1. doenetwork.org
2. NamUS.gov

John Doe's websleuths.com thread

Hello everyone! I wanted to make a quick update on one of the cases I wrote about quite a long time ago- it's been two years since then, in fact. It's a relatively small update, as the Jane Doe has not been identified yet- but a new reconstruction made by artists in NCMEC/National Center For Missing And Exploited Kids has been made.

I know that this case generated quite a lot of discussion back when I first wrote about it, so I figured that a lot of you would be interested in knowing what happened with it next. This is also the first reconstruction of Jane that has ever been made and shared; I hope that maybe this post will reach the right person, and that seeing her face will make someone remember her.

To recap: On the 18th of June 2021, severely decomposed remains of a teenage girl (about 14-17 years old) have been found in Texas, County Road 225, east of County Road 226 in Wharton County. She died due to multiple gunshot wounds, and had been in the field for "months at most". She was about 4' 8"-5' 2" (56-62 inches/142-158 cm), and her weight cannot be estimated. She had long, dark hair, and that's about it when it comes to physical traits that remained. She was wearing a shirt saying "OHANA" that also featured Stitch from the disney movie "Lilo and Stitch". Other than that, she was wearing shorts with images of mugs and donuts, and a lightweight jacket from the "Love Tree" brand. She was barefoot, and was found with three rings on her fingers- one with two hearts, another with a large clear/white stone, and another that had multiple clear/white stones. They were described as "gold", but I doubt that they were made out of real gold. You can read my original, more detailed write-up here (but please keep in mind that it might've not aged too gracefully).

Jane's reconstruction can be seen here. Please take a look and consider sharing the image.

If you believe that you have any info regarding Jane's identity, please contact the Wharton County Sheriff's Office at (979) 532-1550 (case number 20210608).

Link to age progression photos

Nine-year-old Andrew, 7 year old Alexander and 5 year old Tanner Skelton are the sons of Tanya and John Skelton. In 2010 the Skelton’s were in the middle of a contentious divorce. Tanya had full custody of the boys her soon to be ex-husband John had visitation. John wasn’t happy about this arrangement and weeks earlier he’d used his visitation to try and kidnap the boys, driving them to Florida. When pressed by police he brought the boys back and returned them to their mother as legally required, but he deeply resented that Tanya, who he was very angry with, had custody of the children, had custody of “his boys”.

In November, with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, the couple again discussed visitation. John wanted to spend the holiday with his sons. It was agreed that the boys could spend Thanksgiving with John and sleep over at his home. It was agreed that John would bring the three boys back on Friday, the day after the holiday.

When John didn’t return the boys and didn’t respond to calls, Tanya notified the police. When neither John nor the boys could be located, an Amber Alert was released by law enforcement in Lenawee County. Meanwhile, John Skelton appeared in a local emergency room with minor injuries. He told staff that he’d tried to take his own life and that’s how he’d hurt himself.

When asked about his children, he revealed that he’d turned them over on Friday afternoon to Joanne Taylor. He didn’t have much information about her. They gleaned that Taylor, who supposedly lives near Jackson or Hillsdale Michigan drives a silver van. Investigators were not able to locate anyone matching this description.

John Skelton said that his children were safe, that Taylor would take the boys to an underground network, and that they’d grow up on a nice farm, where no one would find them. No evidence of this so-called network was found. When they searched his online footprint, nothing on John’s cell phone or computers showed him talking with anyone who could be involved in the disappearance of Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner.

A search was done of John’s cell phone records. They tracked his movements from Michigan to Ohio, where the phone stopped. A massive days long search was done of the area, both where John stopped in Ohio and the route that he traveled to get there. There was no sign of the boys.

In 2011 John Skelton was charged with parental kidnapping, but he took a plea. He pled guilty to three charges of unlawful imprisonment and was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison. While John Skelton sits behind bars, claiming that the boys are finally safe, the family and friends of the three children wait for answers.

As of this writing, there has been no sight or sign of the boys since Thanksgiving of 2010. All three boys, if they are still alive, are now teenagers or early 20s. If you have information on the case, please contact the Morenci Police Department 517-458-7104 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

additional reading - Tragic Twist in Missing Skelton Brothers Case: Mom Wants Sons Declared Dead - Newsweek

Disappearance of 3 Skelton brothers has haunted Morenci, Michigan, for more than a decade

Police announced Thursday that the human remains found near Burden Pond in Troy, NY on October 20th belong to 27 year old missing woman Amanda King from Bethlehem, NY. An unidentified woman discovered her skull while walking her cat in the South Troy preserve. Police also found ribs and other bones buried while spending the day excavating the area. The remains were originally thought to be missing 12 year old Jaliek Rainwalker, but he was quickly ruled out with dental records. Within the following month, the State Police forensic lab was able to extract DNA from the femur and roots of the teeth that were recovered from the remains which led to Kings identification. Due to the condition of the remains and possible exposure to animals and the elements, investigators have not been able to determine a cause of death.

Amanda King was last seen on October 16, 2013 leaving the Conifer Park treatment center in Glenville, NY where she was receiving treatment for a heroin addiction. It's believed she was picked up by an unidentified person after leaving just 10 days after checking in. Police tried to get video of who picked her up from Conifer Park, but the facility’s surveillance video had already been taped over since weeks had already past. She had no cellphone, car or credit card, leaving little opportunity to trace her movements.

Amanda grew up in Bethlehem, NY and attended Bethlehem Central High School which her father says is where she started experimenting with drugs. Her drug use eventually led to heroin which is the addiction she battled with until the day she disappeared. The years following high school, Amanda had been arrested a few times for drug possession and had gone through detox and rehabilitation programs, but was unable to get a handle on her addiction. She began hanging with a rough crowd and even turned to prostitution for money to buy heroin. Her father said she once traveled down to Virginia for sex work and was left stranded in a motel with no ride home. He bought her a plane ticket to fly home. She would always check in with him every few weeks usually either looking for money or a ride from somewhere. The last time her father seen her, she called him and had him pick her up at what he believed to be a crack house in Albany and drove her to Conifer Park for court-mandated treatment. After ten days, she decided she couldn't continue to go through with the treatment and left against the facilities recommendation. That was the last confirmed time she was seen before being picked up by the unknown individual. In the following month around early November, there were reported sightings of her around the Watervliet Avenue area of Albany where she was known to frequent a motel and sell sex, but police questioned the reliability of those sightings since they came from other heroin addicts in various states of intoxication. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/skeleton-identified-troy-19934614.php https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/troy-police-probe-discovery-skull-burden-pond-19850718.php https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/5-years-later-What-happened-to-Amanda-King-13412257.php https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Missing-daughter-s-dad-Nowhere-to-hide-from-5913830.php

In my research, I discovered something very interesting. On September 19, 2017 another woman's body was found at the same location in Troy, NY in Burden Pond. At the time, city police spokesman Capt. Daniel DeWolf said patrols were dispatched to the pond about 3:30pm for a report of a body of an unidentified white woman found in the water. The police said that they didn't believe foul play was involved, but an autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death. I couldn't find any further updates on who the woman was or what the autopsy concluded. Assuming Amanda was buried there shortly after going missing in 2013, that would mean there were two bodies of dead women there at the same time. Detectives often say they don't believe in coincidences. Many have speculated that Amanda might have been killed by one of her Johns. I have to wonder if this woman was also a sex worker who might have been killed and dumped there by the same John who used that location as a dumping ground? Sex workers and drug addicts (which Amanda was both) are often overlooked and not investigated as seriously as a child or clean living missing adult would be. They are also in the most danger to meet foul play. Could this second woman have fallen in the same boat and simply brushed off? If anyone has info or an update on this second woman, please update. https://www.troyrecord.com/2017/09/20/body-pulled-from-burden-pond-police-say-foul-play-unlikely/ https://www.timesunion.com/allnews/article/Troy-police-say-woman-s-body-recovered-Tuesday-12214345.php

It's unclear if Amanda's body was buried in such a way that would suggest she was buried by someone, or just buried by the elements over time. The preserve is frequented by many visitors so it's hard to believe the later would be the case. The police also haven't officially announced that they believe she has met foul play to this point that I have found. Anyone with information about King is asked to contact Troy Police detectives at (518)270-4771.

After over two years of uncertainty, the remains of Charlotte Lester, who went missing in Warwick, Rhode Island, have been discovered, and a suspect has been arrested. This development raises many questions: What evidence finally led authorities to her remains? Did new technology, witness cooperation, or revisiting the case files play a role? Lester's disappearance had left the community and investigators with few leads for years, but this breakthrough demonstrates the importance of persistence in unresolved cases. With Warwick Police providing few details so far, what do you think might have been the key to solving this mystery? Could this case set a precedent for tackling other long-standing disappearances? https://www.turnto10.com/news/local/charlotte-lester-remains-identified-suspect-arrested-first-degree-murder-warrant-warwick-police-department-exeter-east-greenwich-november-20-2024#

On October 10,1973, game commission officers found the decomposing body of a 12-19 year old girl in a rural area of Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. The body was several feet off of Tomstown Road and Moonshine Road.

The body was covered in tree branches, brush and a green piece of plastic with a white seal on it that read “national sanitation foundation, testing laboratory 8505”. Through records it was found that this facility did not exist. At the time, her cause of death was listed as undetermined.

She was buried at Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Lebanon and in 2016 her remains were exhumed for DNA testing. Through chemical isotope testing it was determined that she didn’t grow up in Lebanon County, instead she probably grew up in the south or southeastern United States.

She would remain unidentified for 51 years until her identity was confirmed as 14 year old Ruth Elizabeth Brenneman, from York County. She was born on November 26,1958. She was last seen at the beginning of the 1973 school year when she left her home to go to school and never returned home. Her remains were found 47 miles away from York County, however it was not disclosed where in York County she lived or what school she attended. Her death is now being investigated as a homicide.

https://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/local/2024/11/21/female-found-dead-in-lebanon-county-in-1973-was-from-york-county/76465733007/

https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lebanon-county/human-remains-identified-1973-lebanon-girl/521-a9bcdb85-81cf-46b8-bd41-7e82f98edd2f

The body of 17-year-old Esther Gonzalez was found off of a highway near Banning, California, on February 10, 1979; she had been raped and bludgeoned. Esther's body was found by a man named Lewis Randolph "Randy" Williamson. He was described as being argumentative during the call he made to report his discovery and was given a polygraph exam; he passed it, which led to his being eliminated as a suspect. In 2023, the Riverside County Cold Case Team sent evidence to Othram, Inc., in hopes of identifying Esther's rapist and killer through genetic genealogy. Williamson died in 2014, but a blood sample taken during his autopsy was compared to DNA from the crime scene -- it matched.

• NBC News
• Riverside County District Attorney's Office

On a cloudy March day in 2011, a woman's lifeless body was discovered in the small town of Arvin, California, a suburb of Bakersfield.

The body, stripped nude, had been posed in a degrading manner and lay prone against the dirt road of an active vineyard. A closer inspection suggested that the remains belonged to a middle-aged white (or Hispanic) woman, only recently deceased. Jane Doe's killer went to great lengths to prevent investigators from identifying her, going so far as to remove her head and thumbs from her body to avoid a match with her fingerprints and dental records. Without her head, and with no evidence at the scene, investigators couldn't determine her exact cause of death, nor could they determine who she was. She had no tattoos or any other unique identifiers, only two scars: one a single mastectomy scar, the other an abdominal incision, thought to be from a C-section.

Most troubling, however, was that her body appeared to have been drained of blood. Local law enforcement were puzzled by the case: despite the woman being mutilated and then bled dry, no signs of violence were found at the scene of the crime. One investigator, Ray Pruitt, remarked, in a 2018 article discussing the then-cold case, that the crime scene looked as if someone had posed a mannequin in the middle of the road.

Stymied by a lack of leads after so many years, the Kern County Medical Examiner’s Office reached out to the DNA Doe Project in 2020 with hopes that their expertise could point towards a name for the unidentified woman. However, genealogists hit yet another roadblock: Jane Doe was Ashkenazi Jewish. While she had numerous matches in GEDMatch and FTDNA, they represented extremely distant cousins of hers, likely inflated by how endogamous* Ashkenazi communities are. Stymied by numerous name changes and inaccessible Eastern European records, the team reached out to Adina Newman, the founder of a non-profit that uses genetic genealogy to reunite Jewish Holocaust survivors with their blood relatives, in hopes that she may be able to help pinpoint an identity.

Finally, after three years of research, the team zeroed in a possible candidate, and arranged for the woman's living relatives to take a DNA test, which confirmed her identity as Ada Beth Kaplan, aged sixty-four at the time of her murder.

Ada Beth, named for her aunt Ada who passed away during the Great Depression, was the only child of Mary Shapiro and Louis Kaplan, born in New York City, and raised in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, living with her parents and grandfather, Joseph. She graduated from Forest Hills High School and later moved to southern California as an adult, marrying her husband Glenn Moore in a Las Vegas wedding at age 39. There is no evidence that Ada ever had children.

The last known trace of Ada appears in a Santa Clarita, California newspaper letter-to-the-editor on Thursday, Dec 24, 2009, fifteen months before she was found murdered. At the time, she lived in Canyon Country, a neighborhood encompassing the eastern portion of Santa Clarita. Little is known about her disappearance, though her estranged husband, who she had separated from by this point, commented in the local newspaper that his wife had left him for a wealthy man while he struggled financially on social security payments. She had never been reported missing.

Ada was survived by several cousins and an aunt (now deceased).

*Marrying exclusively within one's ethnic group, leading to a genetic bottleneck. For further information on Jewish endogamy, see article 3.

-

https://nypost.com/2024/01/09/news/california-police-id-ada-beth-kaplan-as-headless-body-in-vineyard/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signal/138385674/

https://www.jta.org/2024/01/15/united-states/a-murder-victim-was-anonymous-for-13-years-jewish-genealogists-found-her-name

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signal-ada-k-moore-opinion-2009/138351349/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signal-ada-beth-kaplan-c1985/138349107/

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/kern-sheriff-ids-canyon-country-woman-as-2011-cold-case-murder-victim/

https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/mystery-woman-in-the-vineyard-gruesome-murder-remains-unsolved/

https://trellis.law/case/pd045305/moore-glenn-vs-moore-ada-k

I'm new to write ups and reddit in general, however lurking for a while and being inspired by people like u/TaraCalicosBike I have decided to write about a historical case that i have not seen discussed here, While there was a concrete conviction, The murder is still disputed as most and seen as a miscarriage of justice, leaving doubts as to who the true perpetrators were. (Also sorry if I messed up formatting or didnt follow the rules, also my English isn't exactly great)

Joel Emmanuel Hägglund was born on October 7th, 1879 in Gefle, Sweden (Today known as Gävle). He was born to a working class family, his father, Olof Hägglund, Working as a conductor on the Gefle-Dala Railway. Olof supported his wife and 6 surviving children, with the family not having any other means of financially support. Hence it was tragic when Olof died when Joel was 8 years old. This deeply affected the family and meant that Joel and his siblings lived in relative poverty. However, the family stuck together with Joel's mother Margareta Hägglund taking over the role of head of the household.

Despite being just 8 years old, Joel assisted as a fireman in a Steam Crane as well as later working in a rope factory. He, along with his brother Paul Hägglund, worked various jobs to support their siblings and mother. However, in 1900 when Joel was 21, He had contracted a bad case of Tuberculosis and moved with his brother to Stockholm to seek more advanced treatment. While in Stockholm in 1902 with his brother, Joel learned that his mother, Margareta, had passed after a failed operation for her back pain. Shortly after this, in October of that year, Joel and Paul left Sweden for the United States.

Joining The Industrial Workers of the World

Joel started working odd jobs in New York City before moving to Chicago. In Chicago, he lost his job in a machine shop for allegedly trying to organize fellow workers in to a union. He then moved to Cleveland before finally making his way to San Francisco in 1906. He was present during the devastating earthquake that occurred the same year.

Finally, Joel ended up in San Pedro, California in early 1910. He joined the "Industrial Workers of the World" (IWW) under the name of Joesph Hillstorm. Members of the IWW were known as "Wobblies' and Joe quickly rose to be the the secretary of the San Pedro area. During this time, Joe worked as a Dock worker among other odd jobs. Joel was also known for his talent in song-writing and poetry and created several Socialist poems and songs, mostly relating to the struggles of working class Americans.

During all this, Joe attended and even led several strikes across the entire west coast, In 1911, He took part in the Mexician Revolution by joining an army in Tijuana whose goal was to overthrow the Mexican Dictatorship. After this uprising was dispersed, he assassisted in union activity in San Diego and later attended a Railway strike in British Columbia. In 1913, while in San Pedro, Joe had an encounter with the local police after he was named for being a ringleader of a local dockyard strike. He was arrested on a charge of vagrancy and held for 30 days. By this time, Joe started going by the pen name of Joe Hill, the name he is commonly recognized by today.

He then moved to Utah to take part in the Tucker Railway Strike. During this time he created many contemporarily popular songs and poems, Including the song "There is power in a union" and also writing a poem from which the phrase "Pie in the Sky" was coined.

Murder of John G. Morrison

On January 10th, 1914, Two armed bandits entered the Morrison family grocer on 778 S. West Temple Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. They concealed their identity with red Bandanas. John Morrison, The owner of the shop was shot and killed instantly, Witnessing this, John's son Arling emerged from the back of the shop and shot one of the assailants in the chest, before himself being gunned down. There were several witnesses to the crime and the police quickly arrived on scene not long after the two masked assailants had fled.

Initially, the police believed that the Morrisons were targeted as a simple robbery, however nothing significant was taken from the store. Another avenue of investigation was that John Morrison was a former police officer and it was considered that one of the men he arrested may have killed him in a revenge killing. In the following days the police arrested and questioned 12 different men.

The same night, a few hours after the crime and in another part of town, Joe Hill arrived at a doctors office with a bullet wound in his chest. He stated he was shot after a dispute with a "lady's husband" but refused to name who shot him, or who the woman was. Joe quickly recovered without incident, however once police discovered he had a injury consistent of that was inflicted on one of the assailants, he was arrested. During the following searches, Hill was discovered to have a red Bandana matching that of the murderers. However, no weapon was located, despite the doctor who treated Joe being adamant that he had one on him that night.

The police questioned several eyewitness, including the 13 year old child of John Morrison, named Merlin, when first shown Joe Hill, he stated "No, that's not him at all". However, Merlin later stated that he believed the man who shot his father and brother was in fact Joe Hill. Another eyewitness also stated they believed that Hill was the one who shot the Morrisons.

Joe Hill stated adamantly that he did not commit the murders, however, he was unable to provide a alibi and refused to disclose the names of those in the dispute where he was supposedly shot. Hill stated that he was shot while he had his hands on his head. The bullet wound that entered through his coat and exited 4 inches lower, confirmed this fact. Hill's lawyers also stated that 4 other men were treated for bullet wounds at various doctors around Salt Lake City, and that if an assailant got injured in a robbery, they would be unlikely to seek medical help.

Despite the extremely circumstantial evidence, the Jury took just under 4 hours to find him guilty. Joe Hill was sentenced to be executed by firing squad.

Appeals for Clemency and Execution

Appeals to have Joe Hill's verdict poured in from all over the world, both the Swedish Public and members of the Swedish Government called for clemency. Then president Woodrow Wilson also wrote to the governor of Utah several times asking to stay the execution of Joe Hill, however, these calls were all ignored. The governor of Utah, William Spry, was convinced that Joe Hill had commited the murders.

Joe Hill was executed by firing squad on November 19th of 1915. A large crowd of spectators were present, many of these fellow members of the IWW. Joe Hill was the one who reportedly gave the command to fire, saying "Fire!- go on and fire"

Joe Hill's will stated that he had noting to divide and that "Moss does not cling to rolling stone". He was memorialized in many songs, including the well known "I Dreamed I saw Joe Hill Last Night"

Hill's Guilt and Other Potential Suspects

Many today, as many also did contemporarily, seriously doubted Joe Hill's involvement. The prosecution only had circumstantial evidence, and Joe Hill was treated in an entirely different part of town then where the murder took place. Many of the eyewitness were hesitant at best, and his trial became a media frenzy due to his involvement in many Socialist movements in Utah at the time. Most believe that Joe Hill was simply a scapegoat, he was an immigrant and a political dissident, and police didn't have much to go off of, so he was simply picked as a quick way to wrap up the case and get rid of a political agitator.

Most believe that Magnus Olson, known by his peuysdoman Frank Z. Wilson, was a better suspect. He was arrested by police before Joe Hill was and was reportedly in the same area of the robbery when it occurred. He had an extensive past of criminal behavior which continued after the Morrison Murders. He later worked for Al Capone and was allegedly involved in the Saint Valentines Day Massacre. Many believe that police should have investigated Wilson further. Wilson also bragged about his criminal activities, including other murders, later in his life.

Many doubt that Joe Hill would target a small family owned store. He was known only to go after large Industrial operations, such as railways and copper mines. There are also questions as to who assisted Hill in the Murders, as two gunman were reported to have taken part in the robbery. Also, Hill lacked a motive, and Robbery wasnt uncommon in the area, and especially not for the Morrisons. The Morrisons were robbed twice before the Murder, with John saying after a robbery a few years prior (which Hill could have not commited) that the assailants wanted to kill him instead of robbing him. Furthermore, there were 12 other suspects that were released without any investigation.

Later Developments

In 2011, William M. Adler wrote a book about Joe Hill's life and eventual arrest and Execution. He presented a previously unknown letter as evidence against Hill's guilt. In the letter, Hill writes to a woman he was romantically involved with, Hilda Erickson. He writes that Hilda's former fiancé, Otto Appelquist, had shot him after a dispute over her. Otto had preciously asked Hilda if she was going to leave him for Hill. Hill was shot just a week after Hilda ended her relationship with Otto. Making it extremely likely this was the dispute he was referring to.

Despite all this evidence against his guilt, The descendants of the Morrisons firmly believe that Hill was guilty, and many of them have actively protested against memorializing Hill.

Sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Hill_(activist)#Trial https://aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-people/joe-hill https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joe-Hill https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/27/us/27hill.html https://local.sltrib.com/charts/joehill/morrisons.html

This writeup may be a bit unusual as it focuses on the Suspect instead of the Victim, however there is limited information on the Morrisons and the only one I could find was clearly biased, So I hope it's okay. Regardless, It is tragic that the Morrisons were murdered, regardless of who commited it.

Poster by me. Information from NamUs. Photos from NamUs and Google Images.

Hello, Reddit! Previously, I covered a recent Georgia Jane Doe case. I had such a positive response to that post that I have decided to continue covering these fairly niche Doe cases. Please feel free to share the poster/post around the internet; the more eyes on it, the better. Also, per my last post, I encourage cross-posting on r/gratefuldoe or any other subreddits that focus on Doe cases.

I have named this Doe the "Texas Butterfly Jane Doe" because of her tattoo. Sadly, there are so many Harris County Jane Does that it can get confusing. Thus, this is the name I have given her; I hope it'll stick and give her case more word-of-mouth.

Note: I am just a web sleuth/criminal justice college student; I have no insider knowledge or involvement in the cases I write up on. I write these write-ups in the hope of engaging the community with these cases. And bear with any grammatical inaccuracies. I do my best.

Basic Background

On July 21, 2020, our Doe was located in a grassy area at the 2000 Block of Ahrens Street in Houston, Texas. I have provided a map pinpoint of where I believe this location was. The area was grassy and located behind a few small warehouses and businesses. It is not disclosed who discovered her or how.

What is known is that her remains were partially decomposed, but not fully skeletal. However, the remains were decomposed enough to make it difficult to estimate weight or eye color.

The (estimated) location where Texas Butterfly Jane Doe was discovered (via Google Earth).

Identifying Information

According to the information provided by NamUs and the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, this is all we know about our Doe. Unfortunately, a facial reconstruction has not been developed as of posting this.

As mentioned above, her body was partially decomposed, indicating that she had been dead for likely a week or longer. It is hard to calculate for sure, as I am only a scientist in training, but given the humidity and blazing heat of Texas in the summer, decomposition rates could be altered. A quick search of the weather showed that July 2020 reached temperatures up to 90F, with lots of rainstorms.

What we do know is that she was a Caucasian female, likely between 45-70 years of age. She was between 5'5" and 5'6" with no exact weight estimation. Her long hair was partially gray; the ends were brown/black. While her eye color is not known, it is known that she wore eyeglasses, though I cannot find a description online of her glasses.

Perhaps her most distinct feature, and the reason that I nicknamed her the "Texas Butterfly Doe," is her bright and colorful butterfly tattoo. Located on her outer left calf, the butterfly has various shades of turquoise, blue, and red in an avant-garde pattern. From the photo, it looks quite large and has some fading to it.

Butterfly Doe was found wearing a bra and underwear, yellow hospital-style grip socks, white and pink athletic sneakers, size L stretchy black pants, and a dark blue "Stronger Than Cancer" shirt with a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon on it.

It is likely that Doe had/was in remission for breast cancer. This is evident not only by her shirt but also by the yellow hospital socks she wore. Though hospitals vary on their sock color policies, many hospitals use the color yellow to indicate a patient who is a fall risk. It is possible that Doe had previous experiences in hospitals, cancer or otherwise, and had been a fall risk.

Any fan Wiki is an unreliable source, but it is worth noting that the Unidentified Awareness Wikia lists three NamUs entries that have been "ruled out." I cannot confirm the validity of this, but I will note here that the three names listed are Althea Rogers, Tara Blue, and Maria Nelson.

It is unknown how or why Doe was in this area. If anything was found on her person, it has not been disclosed publicly. Therefore, we can assume she had nothing on her; no phone, no wallet, no purse, and no keys. Nothing.

So, why was this woman wandering in the grassy area behind a random warehouse? Was she a cancer survivor? Is it known who did her tattoo? Why has no one been looking for her?

You can find her NamuUs page here, and her page on the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences here.

If you have any information regarding the Texas Butterfly Jane Doe, contact the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (Case #ML20-3041) at (832) 927-5000. Or, contact the Houston Police Department (Case #957815-20) at (837) 394-1872.

[Edited to add more information]

Hello everyone,

I am a student at Goerge Mason University attending a forensic sculpting class with the extremely talented Joe Mullins. He recently finished the facial reconstruction of a Jane Doe from Loudoun County, Virginia -- you can find out more (and see her face!) here: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/forensic-artist-creates-3d-likeness-of-victim-in-1973-loudoun-county-cold-case/3774503/ and here: https://coldcase.vsp.virginia.gov/loudoun-county-sheriff-office/case/loudoun-county-sheriffs-office-case-1973-000528-jane-doe-foundry-rd-taylor-rd/, or here: https://www.loudoun.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=9470

Here's some information about her:

She is a black female estimated to be between the ages of 18-25. Her body was first discovered on an embankment in Lincoln, Virginia in 1973. She had been shot to death, and it was estimated her body had been there for about two days. She was wearing bright orange pants, a bright orange sweater, a colorful plaid jacket, and a blue stone ring (these are all pictured in NBC's interview). She had no shoes on, and no identification. Her DNA is on file, but there have been no close enough matches.

The case quickly went cold, and she was buried in an unmarked grave with no name until 2021 when Loudoun detectives found a single document related to her case stashed away in an old folder. After countless hours of research, in 2023 her grave was discovered and her body was exhumed so her skeletal remains could be used for identification. Virginia law states that unidentified persons can not be reburied, but work is being done so she can have a respectful reburial as soon as possible.

My class has watched this Doe's face go from a blank 3D-printed skull to a woman who could have been our classmate and friend. Even though she was abandoned all alone in rural farmland all those years ago, we all care deeply for her and would be overjoyed if her name could be returned to her. If anyone has any information, please contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's department.

Thoughts and points of discussion:

Jane had no forms of identification on her when her body was found. Could her killer have taken it, or could there have been a reason she wasn't carrying any?

Was she from the area she was found? Washington D.C. is roughly an hour from where her body was discovered, so this would have been far for her to travel if she was a student or young professional visiting the city.

A number of schools in this area in 1973 would have still been segregated, while others were not. If you are someone you know has a yearbook from this year and this area, please check it!

This is a case that I recently learnt about and I believe it's not covered enough.

15-year-old teenager Hannah Deterville was a popular student who was studying for her GCSE exams at St Thomas More Catholic school in Chelsea.

Hannah's brutal murder has never been solved and despite numerous police appeals and renewed searches, her killer is yet to face justice they so deserve.

The West London schoolgirl was last seen on the evening of - January 2nd 1998 - she left her home to meet a friend.(Friends name is unknown.) Despite being familiar with the local area, she was never seen alive again.On the evening she disappeared, Hannah was last seen wearing a grey bomber jacket, orange jeans and red Reebok trainers. Hannah had told her mum that she was going to her friend, she said that she would be home later that evening.Tragically, she was not seen again until her body was discovered three weeks later.

The police revealed an anonymous phone call had been made to the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard, three weeks after her murder, this call led them to the discovery of Hannah's body close to a beauty spot in Greenford, partially hidden by forestry - this area is known to the "gay community" and to dog walkers but despite police appeals, they were unable to trace the identity of the caller or contact them for further information.

Hannah sadly suffered 20 stab injuries to her neck and face in a brutal and frenzied attack. The forensic examination showed no signs of SA, nor had she appeared to be robbed. The police are unable to establish a clear motive.

The police believe that she was was killed within 12 hours of her abduction. They also suspect her body had been kept for several days, before it was carried by what they suspect at least 'two people' to the woodlands.

In the pursuing investigation, it was revealed that a local shopkeeper- who apparently knew the teenager- mentioned to the police, that he had heard Hannah arguing with a unknown person on Harrow Road. Police are unable to establish if this argument is related to the case but they did state they believed her attacker was familiar with the Harrow Road area. They state the killer would have been visibly covered in blood on the evening of question.

To date there have been so leads or suspects in Hannah's case. Her poor mum June has no justice served for her daughter, who was just a child.

Thank you for taking the time to ready Hannah's case, I apologize if I have made any mistakes, this is my first time doing a write up, thank you again.

-link

Who is Michelle Knotek:

In August 2003, David and Michelle Knotek are arrested for connections to multiple murders at their house in Raymond Washington, prompted by a call from their own daughters. The following year, the court would divide 3 murder charges against the married couple, David would be sentenced to 15 years in prison and Michelle sentenced to 22 years for 2nd degree murder and manslaughter off plea deals. The victims included boarders Kathy Loreno in 1994, Ronald Woodworth around 2003 and Michelle's nephew Shane Watson in 1994. Michelle abused Ronald and Kathy through various bizarre chores and punishments eventually murdering them, with David cleaning up the crime scenes and burying their bodies in the backyard. Shane moved in with the family in 1988 and shot to death by David in fear that he would go to the police over Kathys death. David also confessed to burning Shanes body and spreading the ashes at the beach, he would have been around 18 years old at the time.

There were several other allegations of abuse, fraud, and neglect against the Knoteks made. Witness testimonies included how she would put Ronalds feet in boiling water, force roommates and Shane to strip and do chores outside and the less heinous but important allegation of falsifying her credentials in caretaking and credit card fraud. Michelle had a pattern of using her dead house guests money and credit cards after their untimely deaths.

James Mcclintlock:

James Mcclintlock was an 81 year old veteran and Raymond resident who hired Michelle in September 2001. James had been a client of Olympic Area Agency on Aging, Who Michelle had been hired by in april 2000, though she only lived a few miles away from James and had previously been a family friend. Michelle was fired for poor and inconsistent performance in June 2001 before James had hired her as a caretaker. Witnesses claim that they could hear Michelle shouting at James but police who knew James said that he wouldn’t be silent if Michelle was mistreating him.

In 2002 February 9th James died of a head injury in his home. The death went without a second thought since James had been seen falling out of his mobility scooter before and required help walking around. After the Knoteks arrest however, locals and victims families insisted that officers reopen an investigation on Mcclintlocks demise. His will left around 5000(some sources say 8000 so idk), dollars, his dog Sissy and his property to Michelle. Weirdly enough the will had a clause where she would only inherit his estate after the dog had died.

Sissy died in shortly after, but the Seattle Post Intelligence claims that Vetters Animal Hospital doctors confirmed Sissy was alive and had been dropped off. Soon after James death, David Knotek was found to be using his social security number and credit cards to make multiple purchases until his arrest. Attorneys for Mcclintlocks family and Kathy Lorenos family both protested the original ruling of James death but to no avail, the case has been closed with James death ruled accidental.

This is different from other cases I’ve covered, and I apologize if it comes across as disrespectful to insist foul play in accidental deaths. I wanted to cover this case because Michelle Knotek is a free woman. They released her in 2022 and I think it's genuinely important that police reopen this case because it could get Michelle locked back up.

Rest in peace James.

https://komonews.com/archive/another-victim-might-be-linked-to-raymond-deaths

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/suspicions-raised-over-another-death-1121626.php

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/dog-adds-twist-to-raymond-case-1121726.php

Hello everyone! This is the first proper update post on a case I've written about in the past, and I'm very sad to say that it isn't really a positive one, where someone was found safe, or a John/Jane Doe was identified and brought back to their loved ones.

I wrote about the case of Charlotte Lester here about six months ago. You can get more in-depth informations there, but the gist is that Charlotte was last seen on the 16th of May 2022 in Warwick, Rhode Island, USA, and was reported missing by her friends three days later. Her beloved dog, Chloe, was found abandoned in the streets, which only made everyone worry about Charlotte more, as she was almost literally inseperable from her pet that she called her "baby". On the 23rd of May, Charlotte's car had been found abandoned in a parking lot of a hospital, with nobody under Charlotte's name being registered as a patient. During the searches of a nerby wooded area, strange notes written by a man named "Mark" (assumed to be Mark Perkins, Charlotte's associate, whose house has been searched by police on the same day the notes were found) have been discovered. The notes themselves were written like love letters, with "Mark" saying that he was "falling for (Charlotte) deeply".

Today it has been revealed that Mark Perkins has been taken into custody for the disappearance and murder of Charlotte Lester. A hunter has allegedly "uncovered some additional informations" and called the police- said information most likely being Charlotte's remains, as it's confirmed that they have been found. Charlotte's remains have been found in Exeter, but police doesn't want to reveal where exactly.

In 2022, on the 16th of August, Perkins was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, malicious damage, first degree robbery and disorderly conduct after he attacked a talk show host John DePedro with a lawnmower after DePedro went onto Perkins' property to interview him on a livestream about Charlotte's disappearance. DePedro was actually struck in the leg by one of the blades, and had to go to the hospital to treat his wounds.

This is a developing case and it's expected that more info will be released soon. I will update this post once it happens.

EDIT: Hello again. Sorry for the update being so late- timezones and all.

It has been revealed that when Perkins was interviewed about Charlotte's disappearance in the days following the report, he was "calm" and "unaffected". He said that Charlotte stopped texting him a few days earlier and that he had no idea where she was. A day later, Perkins' friend reported that she spoke with him a day after Charlotte went missing; She noted that Perkins' hands seemed to be "covered in blood" and that they were "covered in scratches and bite marks". Perkins told his friend that he got in a "blowout of the century" with Charlotte and that his house was a "bloodbath". He even said that he "thought (he) killed (Charlotte)".

Perkins' house had been searched the next day, and a bloodstain was found in his bedroom; His bedframe also had traces of blood on it, but not his mattress- turns out Perkins bought a new one under an alias two days earlier. A bloodstained shirt, hanging on a clothes line over a bottle of bleach was also found in his basement. The blood taken from the bedframe matched Charlotte's mother's DNA profile.

Security cameras in the hospital where Charlotte's truck was found abandoned showed that Perkins was the one who drove it there. He was also caught on security cameras around the neighbourhood driving an "unknown item" in his truck two days after Charlotte vanished- he was gone for about three hours, and when he returned, the item wasn't in the car anymore.

Charlotte's remains were found in a wooded area off of Plain Road within the Wood River Arcadia Management Area- she was identified using dental records. The investigators found out that Perkins visited different spots in said woods across two years since Charlotte's disappearance, including some very close to where her remains were found. He is going to be back in court next week in connection to an unrelated case and he's currently held without bail.

It's a sad update, but it's good to have some closure- Charlotte can now rest under her own name, her family can give her a proper funeral, and the suspect is arrested and charged. Rest in peace, Charlotte, and my condolences to her family and loved ones.

If you believe that you have any info that can help, contact the Warwick Police Department at 401-468-4200

SOURCES:

1. wpri.com
2. abc6.com

Tonya Kita Harvey was a transgender woman who grew up in Buffalo, New York, residing in the Ferry Grider home projects with her mother and siblings. Tonya was born as “Mark,” named after her father, but her mother, Arnester Harvey, knew that her child was different from an early age- and she did her best to accept these differences, as any loving mother would. Arnester recalls how many people who surrounded the family would tell her that her child was gay, starting around when Tonya was seven or eight years old. Arnester, however, didn’t feel like this was exactly accurate, but couldn’t put a finger on what exactly was different about her child, saying to the Daily Public:

“I was, like, ‘He’s a kid, he should be able to do what he want to do’. You can’t put anybody in a box.”

Around this age, Tonya started going by the gender neutral name of “Boo,” in place of being called Mark, despite not having come out yet to loved ones as transgender. Boo began to be bullied around the neighborhood and at school for being different, which upset her mother enough to enact a huge change in their lives: Arnester was determined to get her and her children out of the projects and into an area that would be more accepting of Boo’s identity, saying:

“When I saw Boo being bullied and everything, I was, like, ‘I gotta get him out of here’. I gotta work hard and get my kids out of the projects.”

Arnester worked as a nursing assistant for the New York State Department of Corrections for 20 years at this point, and she saved up enough money to move away from the Donovan Drive home and into a home along Burgard Street in the Bailey-Kensington neighborhood. In this area, Boo began to blossom into herself, but she also had what her mother would have considered a bit of a rebellious streak. Boo would often sneak out of her home at the age of 14, going downtown to a club called Club Marcella, and would often leave her home to spend time at hair salon along Main Street, where she was welcomed with open arms. A stylist who worked at the Garth Beauty salon, and who now owns it, named Vaughn Mciver essentially took Boo under his wing, in an order to protect her, saying to the Daily Public:

“Honestly I gravitated towards Kita because so many people in the community kind of did not like her. She was a lot to deal with. At that time, I felt I could take her underneath my wing before somebody really hurts her.”

Vaughn became an integral part in the Harvey family, and Boo would call him “Dad” until the day she died. Vaughn acted as a parental figure to many young people in the neighborhood who had questioned their sexuality, and was a huge influence in the lives of those children and their families. Vaughn comforted and helped Arnester learn to accept her own child’s blossoming identity when she was struggling between her religious faith and her child’s needs, saying:

“My struggle come in is that I don’t want to be a disappointment to God.. I don’t want God mad at me. At the same time, God gave me a child that I know felt like a woman, that I believe deep down inside was a woman.”

And with Vaughn stating:

“A lot of families, they don’t know how to cope with homosexual children. I came from a super supportive family, so I didn’t identify with those things. So it was easier for me to talk to their parents and help them understand like my parents understood.”

With the influence of Vaughn and the love of her family, Boo began to be more comfortable being herself, and began to wear feminine clothing to school, where she attended Lafayette High. After High School, Boo attempted to enlist in the army, under her legal name “Mark,” but they told her that she was not eligible to enlist, and also, that she had a life threatening illness, though it doesn’t seem to be stated exactly what the illness was.

As Boo grew older and took on her new name as Tonya, she began to sing cabaret in nightclubs, where she met many friends who looked up to her. She was described as a talented singer and a wonderful dancer. Tonya began to transition, going to Mexico to complete the process, and when she came back, she was described as a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community. She inspired many others who were starting their journey in transitioning, and many, many people found her to be an inspiration, with one friend saying:

“Throughout the years she gave me, you know, tactics—what I needed to do. She was a big staple in the LGBT community here in Western New York. She brought back a lot of things, she inspired a lot of young trans women that came out in this community around this time.”

On Tuesday, February 6, 2018, at 5:30 pm, Tonya was leaving her home to go to the store when she was fatally shot on a dead end street, Shepherd Street in Buffalo. According to sources, there were a few men on the street and Tonya was heard yelling, before she was shot six times, in the head, neck, buttocks, groin, and back. Police arrived on scene to save Tonya’s life, but by the time they arrived, it was too late, and she was pronounced dead on scene. Nine millimeter shell cases were strewn around Tonya’s body. Tonya’s killer has never been identified, and her murder had sent shockwaves through not only the community of Buffalo, but of the LGBTQ+ community that she was so important to.

There was a rumor that went around, and whether it is accurate or not, is not clear, that Tonya had witnessed a murder only four days before her death, and that she was killed in order to be silenced. Days before, Douglas Padre Johnson was murdered at 134 Wick Street, and he was 47 years old. It was rumored that Douglas worked at a drug house in Buffalo, which sat along a similar dead end street to where Tonya had been killed. Douglas had been stabbed numerous times, and his body was left out in the open and had been covered with snow when discovered. Strangely, his body was discovered the same day that Tonya had died, and it was only three streets away from the scene of Tonya’s murder. Douglas’ murder has never been solved.

On the night of Tonya’s murder, Arnester sat down in her living room to watch some television, and she had put on a show about makeup, which reminded her of her daughter. As she was sitting there thinking of Tonya, she heard a loud bang on her door, which startled her. Arnester looked out the window to see her son, who looked incredibly angry, and she opened the door to ask him what was wrong. Her son stepped inside and asked her to sit, but Arnester refused, and asked him again what was going on. That’s when he broke the news to his mother that Tonya was dead, and she had been murdered. Arnester refused to believe that her daughter was dead, and demanded to know if her son had seen the body. Her son told her that he hadn’t, but she had been identified from her various tattoos. Arnester wouldn’t believe her daughter was no longer with her, until she finally saw the body at the funeral home, and reality set in.

Tonya’s funeral was held at noon on February 12, 2018 at TL Pickens Mortuary located at 66 E. Utica street in Buffalo, and remembrance rally was held in her honor on February 18th at City Hall. After Tonya’s death, police begin to dive into the investigation, stating initially that they believed that her murder was a hate crime. Later, the Erie county DA’s office released a statement about the crime, where the spokeswoman stated:

”[The office is] extremely concerned about a spike of homicides of transgender people across the country and will be, as part of this investigation, looking into whether or not this is a potential hate crime.”

Though police initially stated that they believed Tonya’s murder was a hate crime, they backtracked and later stated that they can not be completely certain that it was a fact. Very little has been released to the public about the investigation, and media coverage on Tonya’s case had significantly dwindled over the years. Tonya’s family had put in place a $4,000 reward for any information leading to a resolution in her case, and in 2019, another remembrance rally was held in her honor at City Hall. Tonya has yet to receive justice, 6 years after her murder. However, Tonya is still remembered by her family, the community, and the LGBTQ+ community, with many people having nothing but loving, kind things to say about her:

“When I first seen her I was traumatized how beautiful she was,m. She was the epitome of looking like a woman.” - Elaise Watson

“I want her death to mean something. Boo was the type of person that encouraged others that came into the lifestyle, that it’s okay. Her legacy is that if this is the way you feel you have to go, it’s okay. She helped a lot of people accept who they were. That’s part of how Boo was.” - Arnester Harvey

”[Tonya was] a beautiful girl, not just on the inside, but on the outside as well. She was a great performer. She was very talented.” - Ebony Johnson

Links

The Daily Public

Human Rights Campaign

In March 2017, an attack helicopter fired on a boat of Somali refugees near Yemen, killing 42, despite the boat being marked with a refugee flag. Survivors claim the helicopter was an Apache, possibly linked to the Saudi-led coalition, though they denied involvement. Both American and Saudi denied involvement even though they are the only ones in that region to have apache helicopters. Why hasn’t no government entity admit to it?

This tragedy remains unsolved, with no justice for the victims. Thoughts or theories?

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/air-strike-kills-42-refugees-off-yemen-somalia-demands-investigation-idUSKBN16O0VN/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39302560.amp

https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/26/yemen-attack-refugee-boat-likely-war-crime

This is my first write up! Iiih, scary! It's not a murder, but a strange phenomenon from my home country Sweden!

In the early 1980s, a strange condition swept through the small Swedish town of Bua in Halland. Known as the Bua Disease (Buasjukan), or Värö Hip (Väröhöft), this baffling phenomenon left medical professionals scratching their heads. First reported in 1982, it primarily affected young women around age 12-13, who made up 85% of the cases. While the epicenter was Bua, similar cases emerged in nearby towns such as Veddige, Borås, and Mölndal. Over five months, the mysterious affliction surged, only to fizzle out an vanish.

The symptoms were: hip pain, limited movement, and difficulty walking. Crutches became commonplace in school corridors. Some were even hospitalized and treated with traction—a procedure involving weights and pulleys to rest the hip joint. Yet despite these efforts, no underlying cause could be identified. Viral infections were suspected but ruled out after thorough investigations, including tests conducted at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States. The students seemed to recover naturally after a period of rest, with no lasting effects.

Tomas Jakobsson, then a school nurse at Bodaskolan in Borås, recalled how the outbreak began:

“Girls suddenly started showing up at the office and knocking on the door. They complained about hip pain and difficulty standing. At first, we were quite puzzled about what it was. Some of them were sent to the school doctor, who couldn’t figure it out either, and some were referred to the orthopedic clinic. Other schools were affected too, but I think we were the most affected.”

For Malin Kjellberg, one of the earliest cases, says this about het experience: “It started when I was eleven. I got a pain in my hip and had trouble walking. We went to see a doctor, and I was admitted to the hospital for a few days. They put me in traction—a sock-like thing around my foot with a weight attached to stretch the joint. I actually found the whole hospital stay kind of exciting. When I got home, I was given crutches, and soon, a friend who’d been hospitalized at the same time had crutches too. But within weeks, it wasn’t just us. Suddenly, 80% of the girls in my class were using crutches, and even a few boys. Then it spread beyond our class, all over Bua.”

Despite the widespread impact, doctors couldn’t pinpoint the cause. Orthopedic specialists noted signs of inflammation and speculated about viral infections, but no definitive link could be established. Treatments like traction, common at the time, likely did more harm than good. One orthopedic specialist admitted:

“We used traction thinking it might relieve pain, but it didn’t help at all. It might even have made things worse. Still, the kids recovered quickly and without lasting issues. We concluded it was likely some sort of viral infection causing muscle pain, though we could never prove it.”

Youth physician Kristina Berg Kelly eventually proposed that the outbreak was psychosomatic, attributing it to mass hysteria. She was supported by orthopedic specialist Christer Allenmark, who agreed that the later spread of symptoms was psychologically driven, though he still believed that some of the initial cases might have had a viral origin.

As the epidemic grew, so did local speculation. The media theoriesed that there could be a link to the remissions from the Värö pulp mill or radiation from the nearby Ringhals nuclear power plant. Some even suggested the disease had been brought by Swedes working at the Bai Bang paper mill in Vietnam. Yet none of these theories held up.

Claes Göran Sandblom, a reporter for Hallands Nyheter a local magazine, recalled the intense curiosity and fear in the community:

“There were already plenty of theories about environmental hazards when the Ringhals nuclear plant and the pulp mill were built. People were worried something harmful was being released into the water. As the problem spread, the concerns grew. You couldn’t dismiss it outright. These kids were in real pain. The whole thing was so strange—completely mysterious.”

After around five months, the reports of Buasjukan stopped. No new cases emerged, and those affected returned to their normal lives, leaving researchers and residents alike to wonder what had really happened. Was it an unidentified virus, an environmental factor, or simply a mass psychological phenomenon?

Links (in Swedish, but Google Translate should help!)

https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buasjukan https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/299544?programid=3103 https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/5509113 https://www.hn.se/nyheter/varberg/35-ar-sedan-mystiska-buasjukan.653b25bf-78c2-42c3-b8eb-ad6a78e67530 https://www.hn.se/nyheter/varberg/doktorn-som-skulle-losa-mysteriet-med-buasjukan.e6ec3692-7d3c-4185-ad0a-bc2babe9d464

Police have made what ITV News believes is the oldest cold case murder arrest in British history.

A 92-year-old man was held by detectives investigating the 1967 killing of a widow in Bristol.

The prime suspect is being questioned on suspicion of the murder and rape of Louisa Dunne who was found dead at her home in Britannia Road, Easton.

Despite a large police inquiry which lasted years, her killer evaded justice.

But detectives say a breakthrough in recent weeks has led them to make this arrest.

Today’s arrest was made in the Ipswich area of Suffolk by members of Avon and Somerset Police’s Major and Statutory Crime Review Team (MSCRT).

Mrs Dunne’s family has been informed of the arrest.

The murder of Louisa Dunne appalled Bristol. The twice-widowed pensioner was a well-known figure in the Easton neighbourhood and was often seen walking to the shops in her black velvet coat and shawl.

A neighbour found her dead in the front room of her house on 28 June 1967. She had spent the previous evening at a friend’s home nearby.

A key clue was a palm print found near the window, prompting police to collect thousands of prints from local men, but no match was ever found.

Avon & Somerset Police Statement

ITV News

BBC