reconstruction of Lady of the Dunes, created in 2010
On July 26th, 1974, a teenage girl was walking her dog around the area of Provincetown in some dunes, that teenager was Sandra Lee. Sandra discovered the body of a female; the female was heavily decomposed and lead on her front. She was missing both of her hands, and her head was almost decapitated.
The female would be named “the lady of the dunes” as to
where she was placed (in the dunes) and the fact that her identity was and is unknown.
James Hawkins was the first on the scene with Sandra’s
mother, he states he saw the woman with nothing but a blue bandana around her
head. She was completely naked; her clothing was placed nearby. The crime scene
was completely undisturbed, and no clues were left behind, a few footsteps were
left; however, these were deemed as unconnected.
Additional reconstruction, seeing the victim with and without freckles.
The press release
statement stated a lot of new information about the woman, she was likely
between the ages of 20-40 with a height of 5’6 and a weight of 145 pounds. The
woman had reddish hair with an athletic build, she had received extensive
dental work, meaning she was most probably wealthy.
The cause of death was ruled as Blunt force trauma, this was
because of the wounds found on the head and neck of the woman. The murder
weapon was most probably a foldable shovel or an item that is easy to carry.
Police went through
missing person cases and lists of approved vehicles driven through the area; no
matches were found.
No other evidence was found, the woman was buried in October
1974 after the case went cold.
Many exhumations have occurred over the years, once in
1980,2000 and 2013. These occurred as an effort to identify the poor woman;
however, all have been unsuccessful.
Theories
A few leads arose, in 1987 a woman from Canada told a friend
she thought she saw her father strangle a woman in the area at the time, the
woman who made these allegations is still being tracked down.
Another woman said the woman resembled her friend who
disappeared from Boston in 1974. However, this was ruled out and said not to be
connected, and the friend eventually turned up.
Rory Gene Kesinger was thought to be the woman, she was a
convicted felon. However, after bone marrow testing did not connect the woman
with Rory’s mother, the lead was dropped.
Rory Gene Kesinger
The movie “Jaws” has
raised a theory about this case, an extra in this movie was seen wearing a blue
bandana and blue jeans. Joe Hill, the son of Stephen King, was reading a book
named “the skeleton crew” the centrepiece of this book was “the lady of the
dunes”. At an anniversary screening of jaws, joe hill saw a woman that matched
the description of the woman.
The theory is just that, a theory. It’s a stretch but is
this woman the lady of the dunes? We may never know.
James Whitey Bulger.
Suspects
James Whitey Bulger was known as an Irish American crime boss
who led a winter hill gang, James was noted to have a lot of charges against
his name. Including Murder, extortion, narcotics and conspiracy to commit other
crimes, he served his first sentence at Alcatraz for robbery in 1959.
James Whitey Bulger.
James was in the area
at the time of the woman’s death, and murders committed by this man involved
hands and teeth being removed. This was done to make it harder to identify the
victims and is like that of the lady of the dunes.
On the 30th of October, James was found dead in
his cell in the federal transfer centre in Oklahoma.
James was 89 years old, he had been beaten to death with a
sock-wrapped padlock and shiv, his eyes were wholly removed.
Hadden Irving Clark
Hadden Irving Clark was a murderer and
suspected serial killer, he is serving two 30-life sentences at an eastern
correctional institution in Maryland. He was convicted of murdering 6-year-old
Michelle Dorr in 1986 and 23-year-old Laura Houghteling in 1992.
Hadden confessed to the murder of the lady of the dunes in
2004, he explained that he buried evidence in his grandparents back garden. His
confession was doubted because of his schizophrenia, follow-ups were done to no
new information.
Additional reconstructions
His confession was discounted; however, it must be noted
that while in prison, he has allegedly drawn pictures relating to the case of
the woman.
Additional reconstructions.
The lady of the dune’s identity is still being reconstructed,
and sketches are being made. Her unnamed grave might one day have a name on it.
Hopefully, this is sooner rather than later. On July 26th of this
year just 3 weeks today (at the time of release) it will be 45 years since the
discovery of this woman.
The lady of the
dunes dental charts and DNA is still available if you have any idea who this
woman is or would like to test the DNA? Please contact:
Oakland County was known as a safe and wealthy county, however, at least 4 children were murdered in this county. This made the county of Oakland worried, and parents kept their children safe at home. The Oakland County child killer has never been caught and may possibly still be alive, and well, the closure has never been given to these families.
Individuals in Oakland county went from not locking doors to
locking doors and double checking that they were locked. The murders stopped in
1977, but for mark Stebbins, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich and Timothy King
it was too late
The murders
mark Stebbins, Aged 12.
On Sunday, February 15th mark Stebbins left an American
Legion Hall and told his mum he watched to go and watch a war movie on
television. Mark sets off walking home alone, this was the last time mark was
seen alive.
At 11pm Marks mother
reported him missing after becoming increasingly worried about his absence,
this is when his mother described what he was wearing and what he looked like.
Mark was described as 4ft tall 100 pounds, and he had blue eyes with reddish
hair.
Marks family was told
that they would have to wait 24 hours before they can report mark as a missing
person, the police attempted to reassure marks mother, and said the last
kidnapping in Ferndale was at least a decade ago.
His body was found four days later, on the 19th
of at 11:45am. Mark’s body was found behind an office complex at 10 and
Greenfield, someone who was walking their dog found the body of the young boy. Marks
clothes and his body were clean as though they had been washed and placed
before 9:30am.
The autopsy revealed that mark had been smothered and he had rope
burns on his neck, wrists, and ankles which shows that mark put up some sort of
a fight. He had also been sexually assaulted with an unknown object.
Mark wanted to join the army and serve his country when he
left school, this opportunity passed by mark. His brother never forgave himself
for not walking back with him on that afternoon, he eventually turned to drugs
and other bad choices after the death of mark.
At marks funeral there where a handful of unknown people, it
was theorised that the killer or killers may have attended the service.
Jill Robinson, Aged 12.
Jill Robinson was just 12 years old and was the second victim, she
ran away after an argument with her mother on December 21st. Shortly
before midnight, Jill’s mother called the police to report her missing.
The day after she ran away, her bicycle was found On Main
Street in Royal Oak.
Jill was found on December 26th, she had been
shot in her face with a shotgun a close range. Jill was the only victim to be
killed this way, this left people to believe the murder wasn’t connected to the
original. But there were more theories, maybe Jill was suffocated but didn’t
die? So, the killer/killers shot her just to make sure.
Jill was covered in
snow and was located on an Interstate 75 in Troy. A witness came forward to
state that a car (blue Pontiac LeMans) was parked around the body at 4:30am,
this lead was never correctly followed.
It was unknown because of her
injury’s if attempted suffocation occurred, and Jill, no signs of sexual
assault was found. It was believed that whomever Jill was with for the past 5
days fed and washed her clothes, she was carefully placed on the snow facing
up.
Newspaper report talking about the discovery of Jill.
Jill’s body was in view of the police station, the police
believed this was done on purpose to taunt the police officers, the police mishandled
this case at first because they thought it was a case of a runaway child, this
made jills father angry.
The Robinson’s felt abandoned by the police department and
felt as though they had given up attempting to solve their daughter’s murder.
Kristine Mihelich was known as the Oakland county’s killer’s youngest victim, and she was kept for the longest time, 19 days in total.
Kristine Mihelich, Aged 10.
Kristine was last seen in a local store in Barkley 3 blocks
away from her home, she was taken in broad daylight after buying a magazine
from the store. When Kristine failed to return in half an hour, her mum
informed the police, her mother stayed at her home all day every day just in
case she came home.
Kristine’s mum even went on television to beg for her daughter’s return, neighbours raised $17,000 for possible ransom money, this didn’t matter.
On January 21th, 19 days after her disappearance. Kristine
was found on Bruce lane in Franklin village, she was found by a postman who
drove down a dead-end road looking for discarded items.
Kristine’s body was placed carefully in the snow, and again her
clothes and appearance were pristine, it was determined that she had been
smothered like Mark. The autopsy revealed that because Kristine was not frozen
all the way through, she had not been in the snow for long. There were no signs of sexual assault
physically, however, as stated before all Kristine’s clothes where washed.
Kristine’s mother, Deborah, hasn’t talked about her daughter’s murder
much. One of the things she has said is that “Kris was really a joy” “therefore
whoever took her kept her so long” “at least this is what we have told
ourselves”.
Timothy King was the 4th
and supposed final victim of the Oakland child killer, on March 16th
1977 Timothy borrowed some money off his little sister and went out on his skateboard.
Timothy King, Aged 11
Eyewitnesses say they saw Timothy
talking to an unknown man at the back of a drug store, a blue gremlin car was
parked nearby. The man was described as
white, aged 25-30 years old with long shaggy hair and sideburns.
Timothy’s mother went onto a
live news broadcast stating that she wanted her son home safe so that she could
make him his favourite meal, Kentucky fried chicken, this would become an exciting
aspect of the case.
Timothy was reported missed immediately after he left the house, six
days later, Timothy was found. Timothy’s clothes were ironed and washed like
the other victims and like Mark Timothy was sexually assaulted, however, when Timothy
was discovered, he was still warm. People attamed to revive him, it wasn’t
enough, and Timothy was dead on 22nd of March 1977.
The autopsy also reviled that he had eaten a meal shortly
before his death, this meal was Kentucky fried chicken. This became a disconcerting
aspect of the case and was even seen as a taunt to the mother and the police.
The family was told by the police that they didn’t have any
credible leads, and the case was going cold. Timothy’s dad started
investigating his son’s murder to no positive outcome.
What makes these murders connected?
There are lots of
different aspects which makes these murders likely to be connected. Firstly, fragments
of white hair were found on each of the children. Later these were revealed to
be dog hairs all belonging to the same dog.
This may have been
how the individuals engaged in conversation with the children, we now know that
just because someone owns a dog doesn’t make them a nice person however this
might not have been identified in the 1970s.
Secondly, 4 individuals were taken and murdered, 2
individuals were taken on a Wednesday and 2 on a Sunday. Which would be quite a
coincidence if it was a different murderer.
Thirdly, the boys where sexually assaulted and the girls
where not and all the children’s clothes were found to be recently washed and
cleaned all the children apart from Timothy, were placed gently and great care
were taken. This could have been because the killer was worried about being
caught, so he made a quick escape.
Usually, serial killers, more safely child abductors don’t
take two types of genders. There is one leading theory, he may have gained
power from the girls and a form of pleasure from the boys. This theory is
believed because the girls were not sexually assaulted; the boys, however,
where.
Suspects
Christopher Brian Busch was born into a very wealthy family
and was living near maple, roughly 2 miles away from the murders.
1975 blue Chevrolet Vega hatchback.
When Timothy was abducted, Chris was driving a “1975 blue Chevrolet Vega
hatchback” Which is noted as being quite like the gremlin.
In January 1977, he
was arrested for a CSC with a minor. It was unknown to what degree this felony
was, during this time he moved to his parents’ home in Bloomfield.
Both Chris and his friend Gregory where interrogated, Gregory was questioned
because of nearby activity on North fox island. During this interview, Gregory
told the police that Chris had said to him that he murdered Mark Stebbins, the
first victim.
Christopher Brian Busch.
This brought another interview with Chris in which no
confession was provided, however, his fascination with young boys was shown
throughout the interview and admitted being a paedophile.
He was charged sometime in 1978, a 75-thousand-dollar bail
was placed. However, this bail turned out to only be 1 thousand dollars. Chris
was found dead on 22/ 11/78 in his parents’ home, it was alleged to be a
suicide.
However, this was later changed to be a suspected murder or
other involvement. This is because of
the way in which Chris was shot (between the eyes) this would be
difficult. Also, no gun residue was left
on his hands making it very unlikely he pulled the trigger.
Blood stained Ropes and a hand drawing of a child was found
at the crime scene, however where lost so they were not tested for DNA or other
evidence.
Theodore Lamborghini.
Archibald Edward Sloan was a convicted paedophile, he was convicted
for gross indecency with young males and served jail time, however he was
released in 1963 meaning he was out of jail when the murders started.
the hair samples
where matched to Archibald’s car. However, despite this, police could not tie
Sloan to the other murders, and they ultimately released the suspect was noted
to have lent his car to other individuals. Which created a strong alibi for
Archibald and he was never questioned about the murders since.
Theodore Lamborghini.
Theodore Lamborghini was believed to be highly involved in a child
molestation ring in the 1970’s and was arrested on 15 counts of sexual accounts
involving young boys.
He was offered a plea Bargen, all he had to do was complete
a polygraph test on the Oakland murders. Theodore refused this offer twice.
As we know now polygraph tests are not as accurate as they
were said to be, however they where an important aspect in the 1970’s as they
where relatively new and respected.
A letter was sent to Bruce Danto, who worked very slowly on this case. The individual who sent this letter was called “Allen” and claimed that his roommate named Frank was the killer. Frank allegedly drove a gremlin but disposed of the car after the killings, Frank reportedly committed the crimes because he was suffering from a type of PTSD. Bruce Danto allegedly attempted to meet with the writer of the letter, but he never showed.
In Michigan, police were investigating the possibility that serial killer John Wayne Gacy could have been the Oakland County Child Killer.
This was because a witness in the 1977 abduction of Timothy King, remembered seeing two men with King. The first suspect was described as a young man in his late 20s, the second suspect had a strong resemblance to Gacy.
however according to DNA tests conducted in 2013, Gacy was not involved in the Oakland County killings.
North fox island
North fox island was occurring at the same time the murders
were happening, on this island, sexual assaults were happening of boys of the
same age of Timothy and mark. A camp was
opened for troubled boys; however, this was a sex trafficking ring for young
boys. These boys where brought to the island for what they believed to be fun
and games and arranged activates, this was not the case.
Boys would be forced to pose for pictures and even be sexually
assaulted on film. Men from all over would flock to the island to take part in
this sick “camp for troubled boys” these men ranged from business men to
politicians. Little effort was made to
track down then men when the information became common knowledge and most of
the men involved haven’t been caught.
North fox island
This ring has been tied to the Oakland county child killer
for years, was someone involved in both the murders and more sexual assaults?
Other murders and cases
People believe that at least double the number of children
could have been connected in some way, to the Oakland children killer. If these
children aren’t connected I still believe that they should also have their
story told as well.
Cynthia Cadieux, Aged 16.
Cynthia Cadieux was 16, she was abducted and bludgeoned to
death on the evening of the 15th of January. She was discovered in
Bloomfield township, she had been raped.
A confession was given by a group of boys however as individuals
retracted confessions and one individual died there wasn’t enough evidence.
On May 4th bobby lee
England was convicted of the rape and murder of Cynthia Cadieux, but did they
get the right person?
Jane Allan was only 14, She was murdered by carbon monoxide
poisoning after picking up a lift of a stranger in august 1976, She was found
floating in a river in Miamisburg, Ohio, on August 11th.
Sheila Srock was also 14 when she was raped and shot dead,
she was babysitting in a home on Villa Street in Birmingham.
As for the suspects “Allen” was most probably just a local
hoax or trick played by local individuals. Was Christopher Brian Busch murdered
or did he in fact commit suicide? Was he the Oakland child killer or was he
framed to look like he was?
It could have been Archibald Edward Sloan, due to the
matching fragments in his car, or was it a “friend” he lent the car too.
Or was it apart of a bigger string of crimes and assaults? That
ruined the lives of countless children and there family’s.
Regardless of who or whom committed these crimes, these
children went through unspeakable things. These children’s family should gain
closure and as we approach the 50th anniversary, in 8 years’ time
hopefully more evidence and better science may help answered the unanswered.
On the morning of December 26th, 1996, JonBenet Ramsey’s
body was found in the basement of the Ramsey residence by her own father, In
bolder CO.
The day prior was Christmas day, an exciting day for any
child. JonBenet had been gifted a bike for Christmas, and that Christmas
morning she rode the bike for the first and last time. Later, in the day, the Ramsey
family went to a friend’s house for dinner, when they returned patsy put JonBenet
to bed and that was the last time she was seen alive.
On Boxing day morning, 5:00am a 3-page ransom note was found, the
note looked rushed and messy. The note
was informing the Ramsey family that their daughter had been kidnapped and if $118,000
were given she would be returned safely. The note also stated that a phone call
would occur with further instructions, this phone call never happened. At 5:52,
the police were rung, two minutes later, at 5:54, patsy rings friends and
family.
The phone call to the police was carried out by Patsy
Ramsey, On the phone call, patsy sounds very distraught and confused. She attempted
to hang up the phone after about a minute on the phone, which was strange to
investigators because you call 911 for help and most kidnapping phone calls
last until help arrives. At the end of
the phone call, inaudible noises are heard, enhancements have occurred on this
phone call to little avail. Investigators believe they heard Burke, John and
pasty, what was said has always been under speculation.
Kim Archuletta was the 911 operator who answered the call
that day, since that day no one asked for her opinion. A documentary from global asked her opinion
on the inaudible aspects of the phone call, Kim stated she felt it was
rehearsed and heard more than one voice. A gag order was placed on Kim, and she
was not allowed to discuss it.
Both the investigators and Kim heard different things at the end of the phone call, but all agreed there was more than one voice. (link to a 911 call) + (Enhancement of call)
When police arrived the ransom note was analysed, this note
was very long and has 300 or more words in it. The note had some interesting
elements too it firstly, the amount of money that was asked for was very close
to that of the bonus received by John that year. The wording of the letter was fascinating
because there seemed to be borrowed lines from a movie, dirty harry. In this movie the line “if you talk to
anyone, even if it’s a Pekingese on a lamp post…. The girl dies” in the ransom note
it says “if we catch you talking to a stay dog she dies”. Also, the repetition
of the sentence “she dies” is Also seen in this movie, and police are noted as
saying in the house there were lots of movie-related objects.
The Two and a half page ransom note.
Investigators have said that over half of the letter is repeated or
unnecessary, the message could have been completed in as little as four lines
and as a result, leaves a clue behind and takes about 20 minutes to write. The
paper for the note was from the house, and so was the pen, investigators also
found practice notes that were left behind.
The first police officer arrives at 5:59am and shortly after
the friends and family of the Ramsey’s arrived, because of this they did not
seal off the area and did not conduct a complete investigation.
Ron Walker, Ron gathered equipment and discussed evidence with the
police department, this was when Ron looked at the note. He addressed the
length of the note and said that the note seems to contradict its self and even
noted that it seemed staged.
It was noticed that all windows were open, and doors were
unlocked, the police that arrived, it was said this was because they believed
it was a kidnapping and there was no need to section off any room apart from
JonBenet’s bedroom.
At roughly between 10:30am and 12:00pm John Ramsey was not
seen. When John reappears, he seems agitated, and out of sorts, he was told that
the house would be searching from top to bottom. This is when John goes
straight to the basement and finds the body of his 6-year-old daughter dead.
This is when John moves the body from the basement to the
living room. This is around the time when Ron arrives at the scene and asks,
“why was the body moved?” this question has never been asked because the
Ramsey’s where never interviewed by the police.
Judith Phillips former friend of the ramsey’s.
Judith Phillips was another friend of the Ramsey’s and her
daughter played with JonBenet, and JonBenet had allegedly referred to her
pageant trophies as her mother’s trophies Giving us the impression that
JonBenet didn’t really like the pageant lifestyle. Judith talked to the police
and reporters after the death of JonBenet, and she was cut off from the family
very quickly.
Fleet and Priscilla white.
Fleet and Pricilla where
friends of the Ramsey’s at the time and where at the house at the time of the
discovery, Fleet was invited by patsy on the morning of the disappearance two
minutes after she called the police. Fleet and Pricilla attended the “boulder
city council meeting” in 2014 and discussed the implements of the case on their
life’s.
All Ramsey’s friends and family members were told not to
talk to the police or reporter, and this got passed down from friends to
friends.
second floor plan of the Ramsey’s house
The autopsy occurred in December of 1996, and the cause of
death was ruled as asphyxia by strangulation. Dr Werner Spitz was involved in the initial
investigation and was invited to bolder, however, he was no allowed first-hand
information, he believes that the family stopped this from occurring. After the
autopsy became public in December 1997, he reviewed it.
He noticed a blow to the head on the right side and linked
this to a flashlight that was found in the crime scene photographs; he also
found no sign of sexual assault. Dr Werner believes that JonBenet was already
brain dead before the strangulation occurred. Experiments occurred to test this
theory, and all concluded that the flashlight could have, in fact, caused the
injury and may have even left JonBenet brain dead. It was noted that this
wouldn’t have taken too much force to cause damage and injury.
There are two main theories an intruder killed JonBenet or
someone already inside of the house killed JonBenet. Mr and Mrs Ramsey stated
that someone came through a window inside of the basement. However, an intact spiderweb
and leaves and twigs were found near this window.
JonBenet’s underwear and pyjamas had DNA on them this DNA is
still unidentified and in 2004 was entered through a database to no avail. Rope
and footprints were found at the scene no belonging to anyone.
Who are the suspects?
The suspects for the JonBenet case included the Ramsey’s, Gary Olivia, john mark Karr, Bill McReynolds, Michael Helgoth, Linda Hoffman-Pugh.
The Ramsey’s where under scrutiny from when the case began
and even now. One theory was that Patsy or Burke killed JonBenet by accident,
handwriting experts ruled out John Ramsey, and Patsy’s handwriting came out as
inconclusive. The word inconclusive
means that there is not a straight yes or no answer and it may or may not be
patsy’s, but her handwriting was never ruled out.
John and patsy ramsey. in an informal interview for the local news.
John Ramsey ruined aspects of the scene by moving the body around the house and removing critical elements from his daughters’ body, like duct tape. The DNA from JonBenet’s clothes ruled out each member of the family when testing was being conducted. John and patsy Ramsey denied having a formal interview with the police, however not long after denying an interview they had an interview on a local news program. Word choices in this interview were very strange and John and patsy seem to contradict each other and bypass specific questions. (link to interview with local news)
Burke Ramsey in 2016 with DR Phil.
Burke was sheltered for years from his mother and father, in 2016 Burke had a bizarre interview with DR Phil 20 years after the crime. It has been speculated that Burke suffers from some sort of behaviour issues whether this is true or not is another thing, Burke was dismissed as a suspect at the same time as his parents. However, this interview made individuals question whether it was actually him, individuals started to voice their opinions, and lawsuits from Burke began to appear. (link to interview with DR Phil)
Michael Helgoth.
Michael Helgoth worked nearby and known as a local hellraiser,
connected to domestic disputes especially to the Ramsey’s. This was enough of a
motive to consider him a suspect for some people; however, he committed suicide
before he could even be questioned this occurred two months after the death of JonBenet.
Michael was entirely
cleared by DNA after his death.
Bill McReynolds
Bill McReynolds was the local Santa, he was said to have
paid a little bit too much attention to JonBenet. Bill also was said to have
arranged a special visit for JonBenet, and allegedly said “her murder was
harder on me than my operation. She made a profound change in me”. Bill also
made a strange request, that a vile of glitter that JonBenet gifted to him be
mixed with his ashes when he dies.
Although Bill is now deceased, and he was cleared as a
suspect, and it was said it would have been implausible he had anything to do
with the murder.
John Mark Karr on trial.
John Mark Karr was a former
school teacher who confessed entirely out of the blue in 2006. He could recount
the strangulation of JonBenet in graphic detail. Johns DNA didn’t match the one found at the
scene and was let go, a police investigation found that he wasn’t in Boulder at
the time and he was acutely in Georgia.
In 2006 he broke the headlines when he was known as a
“paedophile who was after fame and notoriety”. He knows to live with a new
identity in the pacific northwest.
Linda Hoffman-Pugh
Linda Hoffman-Pugh was the housekeeper and had a spare key to the
home, she knew to think that patsy had killed JonBenet. She was known to be
struggling for money; this claim made the police come to her house to write
down words and numbers to check her handwriting and take her fingerprints.
Linda has never been formally accused of the murder, and the evidence is
circumstantial.
Gary Olivia
Gary Olivia was a 32-year-old male who was a known sex offender, he
lived in Boulder at the time of the murder. When the police thought there may
have been sexual assault involved, they kept a close eye on Gary, this is when
he was found to be carrying a picture of little JonBenet. After no evidence that he committed the
crime, he was released in 2000. He was cleared by DNA for the murder of
JonBenet. However, he was charged with two counts of sexual exploitation in
2016.
In 2019 Gary indirectly confessed to killing JonBenet, in a
letter he wrote “I never loved anyone like I did JonBenét and yet I let her
slip and her head bashed in half, and I watched her die. It was an accident.” He
is currently due for parole in October 2020.
Note made by Gary confessing to killing Jonbenet.
Although his DNA was not found at the house and his
handwriting didn’t match the ransom note. An individual, called Michael Vail
got a phone call of Gary on the night of the crime. On that night Gary
allegedly said, ‘I hurt a little girl.’ And he claimed this was in the state of
bolder, the only girl hurt in that area on that night was JonBenet.
However, his DNA didn’t match the DNA found at the scene
either which cleared him as well. Gary might have been another paedophile
wanting his 5 seconds of fame, or he might have had something to do with the
murder.
Although a new documentary, by CBS, showed some further
testing and evidence, DR henry lee, who is a DNA expert, explained that DNA can
transfer before the clothing was even used. He tried and tested this theory
making it accurate. Intern this theory reopened everyone from the case as being
a suspect in the murder, including the Ramsey’s. Dr Henry Lee was in the
newspaper on the 25/06/2019 for “being accused of botching evidence in multiple
murder cases.” Which may set the evidence back to the out rule the original
suspects.
We may not know who killed JonBenet, whether it is the
family or the convicted paedophile Gary Olivia. There doesn’t seem to be enough
evidence to convict any suspect, the only piece of evidence they keep using is
the DNA.
Would we be able to pinpoint the murderer if the house was
on lockdown and a correct investigation was made?
We may never know, but with the recent advances, we might be
able to find the murderer before the 30th anniversary in 2026. In
2026 JonBenet would have been turning 30 years old.
March 31st, 1922, six people were murdered in southern Germany. This murder quickly became one of the most puzzling murders in German history, 6 people were murdered the perpetrator is still unknown. The target was the Gruber family, which consisted of Andreas Gruber, Cäzilia Gruber, Viktoria Gabriel, Cäzilia, Josef and the maid. Apparently, the family was not well liked due to abusive tendencies displayed by Andreas.
Andreas Gruber, Cäzilia Gruber, Viktoria Gabriel, Josef and the maid.
This murder was not highly documented, and some speculation
has been included in all accounts. On March 31st, a new main started;
this was her first day at the Gruber household. The old maid quit due to
superspecies beliefs of ghosts haunting the residence.
The Gruber family dismissed the previous maid; however,
allegedly the family started to hear voices and footsteps. This resulted in speculation that whoever had
killed the family was living in the attic.
On April 4th, a week after the murders, the
bodies where discovered. Locals were becoming worried after young cazilia has
not been at school and mail was piling up. The maid, Maria, was murdered in her
bedroom and Josef Victoria’s son of 2 years old was killed in his crib.
Everyone else, however, was killed in the barn, all bodies inside of the barn were
on top of each other and covered with hay.
It was concluded that the murder weapon was a Mattock which was very
similar to a pickaxe this weapon was not at the scene, and not found until the
farm was torn down. All individuals on
the farm have seemed to have suffered severe blows to the head. However,
Viktoria seemed to have taken the most damage. All except young Casilla where
dead quickly, Casilla died a few hours later. Apart from the maid and Josef all individuals
were lured down to the barn, it is still unsure how or why this happened.
The autopsies were conducted by Dr John Baptist aumullen, he concluded that Viktoria skull had been smashed and strangulation had occurred. The older Casilla had signs of strangulation and endured 7 blows to the head. Andreues face had been severely beaten with the mattock to the point his cheekbones were visible.
Young Cazila jaw had been shattered and had large gaping wounds on her face, despite this, she was alive hours after the attack occurred. She was found with bold patches in her hair after being ripped out in tufts. Both the maid and Josef died with a swift blow to their heads.
The Gruber family were buried in cemetery waidhofen, and a
memorial stone was made and placed near the grave. The family where buried
headless due to the loss of there heads during the time of the autopsy, the Heads
were last seen in a justice building in Augsburg.
The primary motives where robbery; however, it was discovered that
the individual had been living in the house for a period after the murders. Also,
all their belongings were still intact, and money was not taken.
The Police had many suspects, although never found the
person responsible. The many suspects included Karl Gabriel, Lorenz
Schlittenbauer, Adolf Gump, Anton Gump, Peter Weber, George Sigel, Anton
Bichler, Karl Bichler and Josef Thaler.
Karl G was the former husband of Viktoria and reportedly died in 1914
during the first world war, accusations against Karl came from the speculation
of whether Karl was dead. Rumours about
the father of Josef had been floating around as Karl was away when Josef could
have been conceived, and the motive was revenge. Years after the deaths, people
reportedly talked to Karl, which makes this theory more likely.
Karl Gabriel (unknown death date)
Lorenz Schlittenbauer had a relationship with Victoria in
1918, his initials appeared on Josephs birth certificate. Lorenz found the bodies of the grubers, and
it was noted that he already had a key to the front door, this key had
allegedly gone missing days before the murder. During Lorenz’s investigation of
the bodies he disturbed them in some way, Lorenz said he did this because he
was looking for his son.
Lorenz was under more suspicion years later due to strange comments
he made that only the murderer would know, however, these were put down to
educated guesses. Later on, he won several civil claims against individuals who
named him the “murderer of Hinterkaifeck” just before his death in
1941. (1874-1941)
Lorenz Schlittenbauer ” 1874-1941″
An inspector called “General George Reingruber” wanted to
question Adolf Gump because he was rumoured to have a relationship with
Viktoria, but no evidence was found to prove this claim. His sister on her deathbed
claimed that Adolf and her other brother committed the murder, after the claim
Anton went into custody however Adolf was already dead. In 1954 Anton was dismissed and couldn’t be
proved to have taken part.
Anton Gump ” 1887 – 1960″
Anton Bichler and Charles Bichler were suspected of the
murder after a burglary lead, Anton was known to have had an intimate
relationship with one of the previous maids.
The brothers were arrested in April for the murders but were later
released as both could provide alibis. The brothers had been out of the area,
working in the town of Schrobenhausen.
Josef Bartl had escaped a mental asylum around the time of the murder
and because of this was the first original suspect. However, all searches were
unsuccessful. The mental asylum that Josef escaped from was over 70kms away,
Josef was never found.
Despite repeated arrests, no murderer has ever been found,
and the files were closed in 1955. The last interrogations took place in 1986.
There where endless suspects for the murder, rumours and speculation filled the
small town and because of this it is hard to differ Rumour from fact.
The memorial replacing the farm
As time goes on, it looks like it’s going to be harder and
harder to solve the murder of the grubers. As the blog is being written, it is
3 years away from the 100th anniversary hopefully before this anniversary, we
find some answers.
In 2007, the students of the “Polizeifachhochschule” in
Fürstenfeldbruck examined the case using modern criminal investigation
techniques.
They concluded that it is impossible to definitively solve the crime after so much time had passed. These students also found that in the decades since the murders, evidence has been lost and suspects have since died. The students did establish a prime suspect but did not release a name.
In recent years, many documentary’s, movies and even tv
shows have been made referring to the murders, yet not many people are aware of
what happened on the night of March 31st 1922.
In June 1912, over 100 years ago, 8 deaths occurred in the state of Iowa
USA. The individuals included six children and two adults. All individuals had severe injuries to the
head from the murder weapon (axe) these murders occurred between 9th
and 10th of June.
These killings became known as “the Villisca axe murders”, these killings involved the Moore family. The Moore family included Josiah and Sarah who were married, and there 4 children Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul all children were under the age of 12 at the time. There were also two guests in the house at the time Lena and Ina Stillinger.
This family was very wealthy, which is a motive that the
police thought was the reason for the murder.
On June 9th the Moore children when to the day
service at church there they saw Lena and Ina. The Stillinger sisters asked if
they could spend the night with the Moore children and Mr and Mrs Moore accepted.
The service ended at around 9:30pm, at about this time the children
and the two adults walked back to their home when at home they all proceeded to
get ready for bed, by midnight they were all asleep. This was when the 6
children and 2 adults were murdered by Joe’s own axe.
On 7:30am, a neighbour named Mary Peckham became concerned
and called up Josiah’s brother (Ross). Ross arrived at the house at 8am to have
a look around. This was when Ross discovered two individuals covered with a bed
sheet with bloodstained patches.
After seeing the carnage in the house, he called Joe’s
hardware store and told an employee to fetch marshal Henry. Henry arrived at
8:30am he went through the house to find someone murdered in every bed.
The police determined that Josiah and Sarah were murdered first, the
murderer hit Mrs and Mr Moore at least 30 times, they were unrecognisable as
well as the children. Mr Moore was the only person to be struck with the sharp
end of the axe. The killer had covered the parent’s heads with sheets and the
children’s faces with clothing, he also included all the mirrors and windows
with cloths and towels.
Frank F. Jones 1855-1941
We still do not know the name of the murder or murders, although fingers have been pointed in many different directions. Some of the suspects included Frank F. Jones, William Mansfield , Henry Lee Moore, Andy Sawyer and Reverend George Kelly.
Frank was one of the most surprising names linked to the murders,
this was because he was one of the most respected members of the town. Josiah
and Frank had previously worked together but, frequently argued and departed
after 9 years of working together after this they where rivals and wouldn’t
communicate. Josiah was allegedly having an affair with Franks daughter in law
which would have been very embarrassing at the time. Although Frank was
considered a suspect, he was never brought to trail and died on January 29,
1941, at the age of 85.
William Mansfield “Unknown”
William was a suspected serial killer and allegedly killed his own
wife, child and in-laws with an axe. William is also believed to have been
responsible for another axe related murder that occurred around the same time,
according to some individuals William was hired by Frank to kill the Moore’s. Although
there was an investigation held on William he was released due to a strong
alibi, he actually sued and was awarded $2,225, and in 2019 this amount of
money equates to about $50,000.
Henry Lee Moore “Unknown”
Henry was convicted in 1912 for murdering his mother and grandmother
in Missouri, the murder weapon was an axe. Although he got charged for this
murder in 1912, it has been said that he could have killed up to 26 people in
similar murders including the Villisca axe murders. Henry served 36 years in prison after being
paroled in 1949 he wasn’t convicted of any other crimes, it is widely believed
that he was responsible for the Villisca murders. Henry’s death and burial are
still unknown to this day.
Andy had no real evidence linking him to the murder. However, he was
an unaccounted-for individual, which made him a possible suspect. Andy was
found asking for a job on the morning of the killings covered in mud and was
appeared to be water, later that evening Andy was seen to be reading the
newspaper and appeared to be very interested in the murders. He slept with an
axe and talked about the murders continually fearing that he might be a
suspect. He was detained by a sheriff in 1912 June 18th.
Andy Sawyer “Unknown”
Reverend George Kelly “1887-1959”
George was a travelling preacher, after years of preaching throughout
the Midwest. George and his wife settled in Iowa in 1912, the year when the Villisca
murders occurred. George was a suspect in the killings because he was at the
service the Moore family attended, and George quickly departed from the town
the day after on June 10th. George allegedly made a confession;
however, this was withdrawn before the trial occurred, the jury was split, and
in the second trial he was acquitted, meaning he was able to walk free. George
continued his travels and didn’t settle again his burial/grave is unknown due
to unmarked graves, but it is said he died in 1959 at the age of 71.
Today there are still no concrete answers and no persons convicted of
the murders. The Villisca house still stands Some individuals believe it is
haunted, because of this people flock to visit the house and people even spend
the night. For the daytime tours, it is about $10; however, the overnight tour
is close to $500.
The house had been restored in 1994, it is now on the national
register of historic places and is open for tours and overnight paranormal
investigations.
there is a virtual tour of thehouse, this is good if you can’t visit the house because you live too far away.
The murder in Villisca may always be a mystery, it has been
over than 100 years since the killings, and no answers have arisen yet.
The Beaumont children consisted of Jane Nartare Beaumont
aged 9, Arnna Kathleen Beaumont aged 7 and Grant Ellis Beaumont aged 4. The
children went missing from Glenelg beach in Australia, this occurred on January
26th, 1966 and was a suspected abduction and murder.
The children lived with their parents at their home (109
Harding Street) Jim and Nancy, they had been married in 1955. On the day of the
disappearance, their father had two choices, one was to take his children to
the beach. The other was to go to work. Jim chose to go to work.
At around 10:00am the children left there home to catch the local bus
to Glenelg, the distance was very short; however, that day was very hot (104°F
or 40°C). Money was provided by Nancy, 8 shillings to be exact. After the
children departed for the beach, Nancy visited a friend. At the time letting your kids go to the beach
on there own was not shamed upon and was actually quite reasonable.
However, when she returned at noon the children were not on
the bus, At 2 o’clock the children were still not home.
At 3 o’clock Jim returned home early, when notified that his
children were still not home, he went in search of them. At around 3:30, he came back to pick up his
wife so that they could search together.
7:30 pm rolled around, Jim and Nancy then report the
children missing. At this point, Jim resumed the search for his children,
whereas Nancy stayed at home just in case they returned.
Individuals from the beach are said to have seen the children on the
morning of the 26th, these individuals had claimed that the children
were playing in the shallow part of the sea.
At 11am, the children were seen playing near a water sprinkler, however,
apparently, they weren’t alone.
A blonde man who wore a blue swimsuit was with the children
or at least watching them. At 11:45am
they have purchased items from a cake shop with more money then they were sent
out with, which makes it highly possible that someone else paid for them.
At mid-day, the children were seen outside the male changing
rooms appearing to be waiting for someone.
There where accounts of this man watching the children
earlier that day on the beach, one of these eye witness accounts come from an
older woman and others in the area. The following morning of January 27th,
the children were officially declared missing, children don’t typically go
missing in groups; however, these children where nowhere to be seen. No towels
or any other belongings were located at the beach or anywhere else it was as
though the children disappeared into thin air, the police said the children had
at least 17 belongings in total with them that day.
There are different hypotheses for this case 1 the children
drowned at Glenelg beach or 2 they were kidnapped or abducted.
However, drowning was ruled out because of the amounts of
eye-witness testimonies claiming to see the children away from the water at
certain times, if drowning did occur there would have been a lot of witnesses
as this was a hectic day for the beach.
On the 29th of January, the Sunday mail newspaper
releases a paper with the title “sex crime now feared” the article explains
that the police fear the children have been murder and buried.
Six months later, a woman claiming to have seen children
that matched the descriptions of the Beaumont children and a tall blonde male.
However, due to the long period, it was tough to determine if this was the
case, no evidence was ever found in the house. At this point, the police were
starting to get desperate, and as a result brought in a psychic named Geared Croiset,
however, this proved to be unsuccessful.
Fast-forward to two years down the line letters were received by Jim
and Nancy allegedly from their eldest daughter. However, this turned out to be
a hoax after handwriting experts where involved. The person who was 15 at the time wrote the
letters as a joke; however, due to his age at the time, he was never charged.
Allegedly Jane was suspected of having a boyfriend at the
beach; however, Nancy discarded this as children have friends and playmates of
all kinds. However, this was brought up again after the disappearance. One of
the theories is that Jane went to go and meet this person, this could be the
man seen by individuals.
Who are the suspects?
Bevan Spenser von Einem was involved in murders and is in prison for 24
years for the murder of Richard Kelvin, he was aged 21 at the time of the children’s
disappearance and has allegedly bragged about taking the children and
conducting surgery and experiments on them. However, he would have been too
young at the time according to the eyewitness testimonies.
Arthur Stanley Brown was a suspected suspect in 1998 because
his face was very similar to the sketch. However, he would have been 50 at the
time which doesn’t match with the description. Arthur was charged for rape in
1998; however, he became senile and would not be tried again. He died in 2002.
Anthony Munro was a bar owner and a convicted paedophile, he
had pleaded guilty to child sex offences in South Australia four years before
the children disappeared. Police believe Munro was in Adelaide around the time
when the Beaumont children. Anthony also matches the description of the man at
the time of the children’s disappearance.
Derrick Percy is one of Australia’s most famous criminals
and was linked to the deaths of up to nine children. Derrick was arrested in 1969 for the murder of
a 12-year-old boy. At the time of the Beaumont case, Derrick would have been 17
years old, and he admitted to being at the beach but denied involvement. He dead
in 2013 from lung cancer aged 64.
Shortly before died police searched his possessions and found plans
to abduct and murder more children. Police wanted his DNA to compare to other crimes,
but this didn’t occur. His mother, Mrs Percy allegedly told her she “got
rid of things” relating to her son.
Harry Phipps was said to look very similar to the sketch of
the man seen with the children on that day, he also lived very close to Glenelg
beach. He was known to have been violent and has been accused of sexually
abusing his son and raping another young girl. He owned a factory at the time
of the disappearance, and two young boys were asked to dig a large hole in that
area. He died in in 2004, his son believed that he had a part to play in this
case.
So, what has occurred recently? In 2013 police announce that previous
allegations against Harry Phipps have been discounted and as a result, he is no
longer a suspect in the disappearance.
However, in 2013 a small area around a former factory was excavated in
the same area the boys claim they dug a large hole.
Nothing was found at this time, in 2017 it was found out
that they were digging in the wrong area. So very recently in 2018 individuals
stated they would be excavating this site.
As of now, you can find a press conference of this information on
YouTube.
On the early morning of December 1st, 1948 an
unknown man was found dead on Somerton Beach in Australia. A young man discovered
the body of the man while riding his horse at 6:30 in the morning. The man was found wearing a brown suit, and he
was clean-shaven, he was found with his back up against a wall with his head
pointing up to the sky with his mouth and eyes closed.
Allegedly other people saw the man but presumed he was
sleeping or drunk, so he was not approached until the young man found him the
next morning.
The man did not have any form of identification on him no ID
or wallet or names on any of his clothes. The man’s teeth did not match any of
that on record this is the same for his fingerprints.
The cause of the
death for the man was noted as unknown, at approximately 2am. Although the
events leading to heart failure are still unknown, there was no trace of
violence or poisoning. It was determined that the man was in his 40’s and
physically fit; he also had the appearance of a European individual.
On December 10th
an embalmment took place on the man, and this was the first time that something
like this has occurred. The body was preserved by pumping formaldehyde into it.
This case retrieved a lot of media coverage, due to this, a
lot of individuals came to attempt to identify the body to no avail.
On 14th of
January 1949, a brown suitcase was discovered at Adelaide railway station with
any labels, forms of contact or ownership removed.
The context of the suitcase
consisted of slippers, dressing gown, pyjamas, shaving equipment, and certain
clothing items. The suitcase also had items that were connected to a typical
businessman like a screwdriver, scissors and a table knife.
There was some thread found
in the suitcase from a brand that was not available in Australia at the time of
the man’s discovery and was instead from the United Kingdom.
The bag had been checked into the station
cloakroom after 11:00 a.m. on 30 November 1948 the night before the man
was found dead.
In June, a scrap of paper was found by sir
john Cleland reading “TAMAM SHUD” this was found in a sewn pocket of the man’s
trousers. Individuals working on this
case at the time think this saying is from a book called the Rubaiyat and when
translated it is “It is ended”. After
this discovering in June, the man was buried
An inquest (This is to attempt to discover the cause of
death) reoccurred on June 17th, 1949 the original occurred a few
days after the death but was adjourned. The re-opened inquest failed to bring much
new evidence and ultimately came back with the same conclusion.
After the inquest occurred a businessman hand in a copy
of the Rubaiyat (the book that the paper is allegedly from) This book contained
a secret code and a phone number. The code was sent to Melbourne to the army
headquarters for an attempt of decryption.
The scrap of paper
containing the saying “Tamam Shud” was tested against the book and it was
concluded that it was a match.
The phone number was traced to Jestyn, and the police go
to her and show her the cast of the man.
The code;
WRGOABABD
MLIAOI – crossed
out
WTBIMPANETP
MLIABOAIAQC
ITTMTSAMSTCAB
Over the years numerous methods have been used to attempt
to crack it, it has been said the book is needed to break it. Although the original
book has been lost or misplaced and it has been unable to be found.
There have been a few hypotheses about the code over the
years one is that the code is gibberish and the letters don’t actually amount
to anything however this seems like an easy answer to have if the man indeed wrote
this in a book there must be a reason for it
Another explanation Is that individual letters have been substituted
and changed around, making it almost impossible to crack.
So, who was the Summerton man and was he killed or was it
in fact suicide. We know the man had features including;
He was 5’11
Grey eyes
Ginger hair
40-50 years old
Uncircumcised
165-175 pound
Missing teeth
Individuals thought that the man was many individuals,
including Robert Walsh and Tommy Reade; however, these were discounted due to
the occupation of these to men and relatives and friends discounting this identification.
The most recent link to the case has been a baby that
died in 2009, this baby was 1 year old at the Somerton man’s death. The boy, Robin, shared specific attributes as the Somerton
man such as missing his incisor teeth and the same larger hollow of the ear. At the time of the investigation, the father
of Robin was unknown, and robins’ mother had claimed to know the Summerton man
but did not identify the man, any secrets she did know died with her in 2007.
However, there’s still hope for the discovery of the Somerton
man due to the hair still in the plaster cast. Three strands were taken from
the cast and working in conjunction with the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA.
Professor Abbott has extracted a mitochondrial genome. He
had hoped that by doing so, he would be able to prove that Robin is the son of
Somerton Man. Meaning we could be closer to closing this case, then one might
think.
Between 1888 and 1892 murders were committed in London at
the Whitechapel district. The Whitechapel district was an area which was known
for its poverty, violence and crime.
“The canonical five” is known as the murders committed by
Jack the Ripper. However, others believe he claimed the lives of up to 11
women.
The woman in the
canonical five where all prostates and included Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman,
Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. All murders were
covered in the local newspapers due to the improvement of literacy, however, apparently,
the public became increasingly upset with the failed attempts to identify the
killer.
Mary Ann Nichols was about 5’2 in height with a dark
complexion and brown hair, Mary was an alleged alcoholic.
On August 31st, 1888, Mary’s body was found in
bucks’ row, Mary was discovered by a man, this man was Charles cross. Charles
cross-claims he was just walking along bucks’ row on the way to work where he
saw another man Robert Paul.
Both men approached the woman, Robert believed the woman
was dead; however, the light was feeble in buck’s row.
Mary was found on her back with her throat slashed, and
she was disembowelled, Mary had allegedly only been dead for about 30mins.
Annie chapmen were
47 years old and described as short and plump. Annie had two regular clients
“harry” and “the pensioner”.
On September 8th, 1888, Annie was found on Hanbury
street by a man called John Davis. Annie’s throat was cut, and her womb was
removed. The removal of her womb made individual propose the idea that the
murderer may have had medical knowledge.
On September 27th a letter was received from
the alleged killer and signed it “jack the ripper”. This letter was released to the public on
October 1st. However, many believed this letter was not real and
instead made by a journalist. Despite
this from that date, the murderer was known as Jack, the Ripper.
Elizabeth Stride was 45 years old with a pale complexion,
and dark hair Stride spent the last afternoon of her life cleaning rooms in the
lodging house.
On September 30th Elizabeth’s body was found
on burner street by a man called Louis diemschutz, only her throat was cut.
This gave the impression the murder was interrupted.
45 minutes later another body was discovered, this was Catherine
eddowes in mitre square this was known as the “double event”. Catherine eddowes
was 5’0 ft and auburn hair she was also known to have different identifying
names.
Dr George William Sequeira had been called to the crime
scene. He deduced that death had taken
place only ten minutes beforehand. Catherine was found face down and severely
mutilated her kidney was removed and her left kidney.
The ripper then apparently moved in the direction of the
first murder of that night, this is known because a clue was left behind.
Catherine eddowes apron was found by an individual called
Alfred long. Alfred long found this near Goulston street. Near this apron, a message is written in
chalk then read “The juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing”.
Another postcard/letter was received signed jack the
ripper implying that a double murder would occur. This letter was received
before the killings.
On November 9th
the last victim was found, Mary Kelly, she was 25 years old and was described
as having a fair complexion with light hair.
Mary was found at 13 millers court in her bed by her
landlord’s assistant to collect her rent, but after looking through the window,
he contacted the police.
Mary’s body was disembowelled and skinned to a point, and
because of this, it was noted as the most gruesome of the 5 murders. The landlord commented on the state of the
body by saying “the sight that we saw I cannot drive away from my mind, it
looked more like the work of a devil than of a man”.
From eyewitnesses, it is assumed that the ripper was
between 25 and 35 and of average height between 5’5 and 5’7 and of a heavy set,
fair complexion and has a moustache.
There where numbers of suspects for the victims; however,
3 remain under suspicion, these include Aron Kosinski, Montague John Druitt and
Michael Ostrog.
Montague had an interest in surgery and parts of his
family where doctors, Montague was found dead in the river Thames, 4 weeks
after the last murder.
Michael was the second suspect he was a doctor, he didn’t
have a strong ability for his whereabouts when the murders occurred.
Aaron spent some time in an asylum after the last murder
and moved around asylums until his death in 1919. Aaron had known hatred for
woman, more prostitutes.
Jack, the ripper, will
remain a very very important and infuriating case. There are countless amounts
of suspects, including HH holms and “Jill the ripper.” It has been over 100
years since the murders and individuals are coming to conclusions of what
occurred in the streets of Whitechapel in 1888.
The Black Dahlia murder occurred after the second world war,
Elizabeth short was nicknamed “the black dahlia”. There is speculation to why
this nickname was allocated to Elizabeth, newspaper reports say it was
referring to a movie called “the blue dahlia”. Others say it was because of her
clothing choice.
Elizabeth Short was born on the 29th of July 1924
in Massachusetts. She suffered from severe tuberculosis and because of this,
moved in with close family in Florida in the winter months.
She was a flawless pretty girl who always looked much older
than she was. While growing up, Elizabeth loved movies and wanted to become a
movie star like the ones on the television.
Her father had abandoned the family during the great
depression and allegedly faked his own death. Elizabeth found this not to be
the case, and letters were exchanged between them.
Elizabeth was offered a residency in California from her
father, and in 1943 she moved in with her father. However, she would be out of the
house in the same year due to arguments between Elizabeth and her father.
She was sent back to Massachusetts after issues with the law
in a local restaurant where her fingerprints were taken. At this time, she
worked as a waitress and struggled to make much money, she desperately wanted
to move back to California more specifically, Hollywood.
In 1946 she moved back to California and arrived in LA, While
in LA Elizabeth was heartbroken countless times and allegedly felt discouraged
with her career. She met a few men that she wanted to marry; however, they fell
short. First she met an air force pilot. However, he became stationed in
Europe. Then she met major mat Gordon who promised to marry Elizabeth when he
returned. However, he was killed.
A woman called Dorothy French helped Elizabeth out and put a
roof over her head when she was found sleeping in the theatre. This arrangement
lasted months, and she was starting to outstay her welcome, and during this
time, Elizabeth was allegedly seen with many different men.
On January of 1947, Elizabeth was picked up by a man and stayed
in a hotel with the man, this man was Robert Manly. Robert Manly was a salesman
based in Los Angeles; he also had a pregnant wife at home. Robert Manly told
authorities that the next day Elizabeth went to go and meet her sister at Biltmore
hotel in LA and he dropped her off.
Elizabeth Short was found on January 15th, 1947,
by an unnamed woman who was walking along the sidewalk of Norton street with
her young daughter. The woman at first thought it was a mannequin because of
the pale complexion; however, the woman quickly came to the realisation that it
was not a mannequin, but in fact, a woman. Officers Frank Perkins and Will
Fritzgerald responded within minutes after they received a phone call from the
woman.
Elizabeth was found placed suggestively, and her body was
completely drained of blood (hence the pale mannequin appearance). Elizabeth’s body was on her back with her arms
raised up, and her legs apart, there were cuts all over her body, and she had
been separated into two parts.
Her upper torso was
about 10 inches away from her lower torso. Elizabeth short was 22 years old at
the time of her death. Her mouth was cut
open 3 inches on one side, and 2 on the other side Elizabeth’s official cause
of death was “haemorrhage and shock due to concussion to the brain and
lacerations of the face.”
The murder was made top priority due to the fact it was
highly publicised. When detective Sergeant Harry Hansen and Finis Brown arrived,
it was already filled with reporters and members of the public.
There were over 50 individuals that claimed to have murdered
Elizabeth, most of these individuals were labelled as “confessing Sam’s”. Red manly was questioned very intensely. However,
he passed every polygraph test and eventually cleared of all suspicion.
(main current suspects – |Mark Hansen|Doctor George Hodel|Doctor
Patrick S. O’Reilly)
Mark Hansen was a nightclub and theatre owner, he had known
Elizabeth Short while she was in Los Angeles and allowed Elizabeth to stay with
him on a few occasions. Mark
Hansen was one of the last people to speak to Elizabeth Short before her
murder.
Doctor George Hodel was found to say, “Supposin’ I did kill the
Black Dahlia. They couldn’t prove it now. They can’t talk to my secretary
anymore because she’s dead.”
Dr Patrick O’Reilly was a medical doctor who had known Elizabeth
Short through Mark. Patrick would allegedly attend sex parties at Malibu, and
Patrick had been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon for “taking his
secretary to a motel and sadistically beating her almost to death.
My opinion
–
Elizabeth short didn’t come across as though she wanted to
be a movie star, the evidence shows that she wanted to find a husband. She
allegedly was seen to be with many men and talking to attractive men in uniform
making her come across as naive.
Elizabeth was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and at
the time of the murder, there was not enough equipment to solve the murder.
Also, a lot of evidence went missing, and a lot of blame
was put onto doctor George hotel. John
Douglas is noted by saying “today the case would be very solvable”. This makes
me wonder if something was covered up or if they weren’t working as hard as police
said they did, however, as I said before they might not have had enough
equipment.
Considering
all the individual aspects of the murder (go into the further reading linked
below to understand) it seemed very personal, and the individual who murdered Elizabeth
knew her and words were exchanged. Hate or aspects of hate is clearly seen, and
the person took time to murder and make sure Elizabeth was hurt.
Unsolved crimes 