MISSING: Harvey "Gene" Eugene Whitacrel.

In 1947 20-year-old Harvey Eugene Whitacre also known as Gene was a Corporal in the U.S. Army stationed at Sandia Base. He was also treasurer of his bowling league and was considered an above-average bowler.  

On the night of June 30, 1947, he was last seen leaving the bowling alley in, Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was carrying around $400 for his bowling league. He did not show up for roll call at the base the next day. It caused people to worry about him. 

In a side street near the bowling alley, there was a sign of an attack, but some believe it was staged. At the scene were his broken glasses, necktie, army cap, and a bloodstained shirt with slashes in the back, as if someone had been stabbed. 

The FBI and the Defense Department looked into the case s if Gene was AWOL. They spent a lot of time asking friends and family about Gene's whereabouts. They had even wiretapped phones and intercepted mail to try to find Gene. They claimed that his work wasn't National Security, but they were trying really hard to find him for someone who wasn't.

Gene was a white male who was described as a kind of Asian looking in some reports. He was 5'9 and around 145 lbs. He had brown hair cut in a military-style and brown eyes. He also has bad eyesight and wears very strong subscription glasses.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Doe Network

Missing Veterans

Murder of Julia Carter

Robert and Julia Carter were both African Americans and married. Julia was Robert's third wife and in 1891 she filed for divorce much like his past two wives. The divorce was approved, but the two still lived together.  On the day of June 22, 1891, Julia and Robert were working on their farm on Robert Meyer's Plantation near Tilden, Alabama.

Around 10 a.m. Julia stopped work and stated that she was going to a funeral. Shortly after she left Robert also left. Robert came back two hours later. He then returned to his home after this. Julia's body was discovered and she was shot in the head.

Robert went to trial in November and was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was to hang on Jan. 22 1892 exactly 6 months after he killed Julia. On the morning of Jan. 22 he confessed his guilt and that he was ready to die. He thanked the police officers for their kindness and when he stopped speaking the crowd there sang a song for him. His neck was automatically broken and he hung for 30 minutes before they cut him down.

SOURCES:
Piedmont Inquirer December 19, 1891
Cleburn New Era December 17, 1891
The Times and News January 28, 1892

Murder of Ada Clark

26-year-old Nicholas Foley was in love with Effie Riggs, the sister of Ada Clark. One day Effie had quarreled and rejected Nick and he was not happy about it. He had been living at the Clarks home in Elgin, Nebraska on and off for the last two years. Mr. Clark had to kick him off the property and told him to never return. Before leaving Nicholas stated he was going to kill Henry Riggs (Effie and Ada's father) before the week was through. He had for the last He borrowed a revolver intending to kill himself with it. Instead, he realized that it would not bother Effie and her family.

Around 11 p.m. on June 19, 1889, Mr. Clark gave one of his children some medicine and went back to bed. Around midnight He woke up with a sharp pain in his side. He had been shot. He woke up asking, "Who is striking me?" Ada exclaimed with "Someone shot you!"

Mr. Clark then rose out of his bed and heard someone downstairs. He then put his bed against the door to prevent the shooter from getting inside. Ada heard someone climbing up to the window. She moved the curtain to look out and met eye to eye with a pistol held by Nicholas. He shot her in the face and killed her. He then tried to shoot Effie. He shot 4 times and missed every shot. He then left on one of the horses on the property.

It wasn't until the next morning when the family got help. Neighbors had heard screaming at the time of the murder, but didn't come. It wasn't until Henry Duvall heard the cries and found them.  A search for him ensued.  On June 22,  after Ada's funeral organized themselves and dispersed to look for him. He was arrested in Petersburg by Sherrif Beckwith.

When they were four miles east of Elgin they stayed with A.H. Palmer who was friends with Sherrif Beckwith. A lynch mob surrounded the home and took Nicholas. They refused to let Sherrif Beckwith leave and stop the lynching.

Nicholas knew that he would be killed, but when it came closer to the end he began to breakdown. The mob brought him to a bridge 300 yards away. He was then hung from the bridge and his neck was broken and it killed him. He was left hanging there till 5 when the corner came.

SOURCES:
Fremont Tribune- June 20, 1889
Omaha Daily Bee- June 23, 1889
The Herndon Courant- June 28, 1889
Democratic Advocate - June 29, 1889
The Semi-Weekly New Era- June 29, 1889
Nebraska State Journal- Feb 11, 1891

Murder of Martha Halliday

 The owner Rev. Samuel Benard Taylor and family went to stay with his father-in-law. 55-year-old Martha Halliday looked after the rectory in Kingsworth, England while they were gone. On the night of June 10, 1861, Martha slept alone at the Rectory. Her husband had left the place around 6 p.m.to go home as she slept there. She wasn't afraid to sleep alone there as she had done it before.

The next morning he went to go get her so she could do some household chores at their home. He was alarmed to see the shutters were not opened yet and the back door was still locked. This was not usual. He then rushed to the front of the home. He found the door was ajar.

He was worried about his wife. The first thing he did was rush to the kitchen but found nothing unusual there. He then rushed upstairs and went to the room he thought she was going to sleep in. This was when he found his poor wife.

Martha was found bound on the floor in her nightdress. Her dress seemed to have been lifted over her head as if from being dragged out of bed.  Her hands and legs were bound in a cord. A colored silk handkerchief was found around her mouth and tied to the top of her head. She was dead. She had suffocated from the gag.

It's believed that the murderers first tried to enter the house through the kitchen windows, but because the shutters were secured there was no way in through there. They then climbed on the small roof that was in front of Martha's window. They broke the window and climbed in. The murderer must have cut themselves doing this as blood was found at the scene.

A pocketbook not belonging to anyone in the Rectory was found at the scene. It was believed to have fallen out of their coat pocket as they helped with binding Martha. Things in the place were ransacked and stolen.

They then found suspect 25-year-old Johann Carl Franz from Saxony, Germany.  He initially gave his name as August Saltzman, but it was found to be false soon. The pocketbook that was found at the scene was found to be his. He claimed that his personal belongings were stolen at Leeds by a man named Adolphe Khorn another man from Germany. He said tha Krohn and his friend claimed to want to rob a priest.

They found a 25-year-old German suspect by the name of Johann Carl Franz. He initially gave his name as August Saltzman. He lied about his name, but it was found it was false. He then said that a man named Adolphe Khron stole his personal belongings at Leeds and said he was going to rob a priest.

They put Johann Carl Franz on trial. Everything was circumstantial though and the evidence was not strong. The Jurors came back with a not guilty for the crime.


SOURCES:
Unsolved Murders
Lloyds Weekly Newspaper
The Hull Packet East Riding Times
Rivals of The Ripper (Chapter 1)
The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Western Countries and South Wales Advertiser

Crazy Crimes: Whipping Tom

This one isn't a murder, but a strange crime that was happening in London, England in 1681. 

In 1681 lone women were afraid to walk around central London due to a criminal known as Whipping Tom. Whipping Tom was a man who would wait in alleys for a lone woman. When he found a victim he would quickly come up behind her lift up her dress, bend her over his knee, and spank her with a rod or his hand. Sometimes he would even scream "Spanko!" and then run off and disappear quickly. 

He was so quick in disappearing some believed that he may have been supernatural. He was termed Whipping Tom and given a little moniker of "The enemy of milkmaid bums everywhere."  His attacks went no further than a quick spanking. 

Locals began questioning whether or not the policing in the area was doing their job. Women started carrying weapons like pen knives in order to protect themselves. There were many men who became vigilantes and dressed in women's clothing and try to catch him.

There may have been another serial spanker in 1672 as one article mentions that another serial whipster was operating in London. It's unknown if this serial spanker was caught or if they thought it was the same man. In 1712 copycat had operated in the Hackney area. He was caught though and had done it because he was hurt by a woman.


SOURCES:
http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/2017/06/11/whipping-tom/
http://www.bpi1700.org.uk/research/printOfTheMonth/mayjune2009.html
https://funfactz.com/law-and-crime-facts/whipping-tom/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipping_Tom

UNIDENTIFIED: June 5, 1944 Carnival Girl, Liverpool, Ohio

On June 5, 1944, a highschooler found the body of a woman among the weeds along State Street in Liverpool, Ohio around 7 a.m. He was walking and noticed feet peeking out from under blankets and automatically ran and called the police. Under the blankets was a nude young woman with a ripped slip pulled up underneath her arms. She had been strangled to death and was likely died around 5 a.m. The blankets seemed to have some wear and there was a new clothesline with them.

The next day a man was hunting for a canvas to build his children a play tent. He was rummaging through trash at Columbia Park where a carnival played the previous week. He came across a torn dress and another dress and skirt with rips.

A man would later put in a tip that around 4:10 a.m. he was putting his car in the garage when he saw a car. The car did not have its lights on when it went down State Street. The witness remembered that the plates were not that of Ohio.

It was thought that it was possible she was a dancer for the Carnival. She resembled one of the dancers that wasn't in the show in Lima where they went next, but later the carnival stated the girl had been found. By this time though the girl was called "Carnival Girl".

She was a caucasian female between 25 and 30-years-old. She was 5'6" and 125 lbs. She had Chesnut colored hair and brown. Her ears were pierced and she was wearing small hoops.

SOURCES:
Unidentified Wiki
East Liverpool Historical Society
Unsolved Murders & Disappearances in Northwest Ohio chapter 8
Something is Out There 
The Evening Independent  June 6, 1944
The Coshocton Tribune June 9, 1944
News-Journal June 9, 1944

MISSING: Patricia Daphne Brown

At 8:30 a.m. on 4 June 1953, Broun left her home in Mount Lawley suburb of Perth, West Australia, Australia that she shared with her family.  She was heading for work at HC Griffin, ANA House, 22 St. Georges Terrace, Perth. She worked as a shorthand typist there. While at work she got a phone call from an unidentified male around 3 p.m. Towards the end of the call she agreed to meet the man at 6. A coworker overheard her phone call. 

At 4:30 Patricia asked to leave early and it was permitted. She caught a trolley bus to Mount Lawley. At 5 she then was at Simmon's Grocery store at 291 Walcott St. in North Perth and bought a can of Coca Cola. She then left the store and went to Osborne's, a corner store at the intersection of Walcott and Cliveden Streets. She then returned to Simmon's around 5:45 and under her arm, she was carrying a parcel approximately 8"x9"x3" (20cm x 22cm x 8cm) in size. She was last seen around Walcott St. at 6. Possible the man she was supposed to see was in this area. 

A friend stated that Patricia told her she was 2 months pregnant. It's unknown if the man she was talking to on the phone was the baby's father. Her parents weren't aware of this and were quite religious. If she ran away her child would have been born in late 1953 or early 1954.

Patricia is a white female and was 17 at the time. She's 5'5" (165 cm) and has a thin build. She has fair to light brown hair and large blue eyes. She was described as having a fair complexion with a faint chickenpox mark towards the middle of her forehead just above her right eyebrow. She was soft-spoken and inclined to drop the g off the end of relevant words. She may be pregnant.

SOURCES:

West Australia Crime Stoppers

Mirror

Sunday Times