INFANTICIDE: June 30, London, England Baby Doe

On June 30, 1904, the body of a newborn baby boy was found in London, England. He had died due to suffocation caused by duct tape being wrapped around his neck. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

London Metropolitan Archives City of London Coroners Court Page 110

Unsolved Murders

STRANGE HISTORY: Sylvester the Mummy

 

Sylvester the Mummy is a nickname of a mummy displayed in the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle Washington. He was purchased in 1955 and showed off at the Seattle World Fair in 1962. Before that, though he was used as a traveling sideshow attraction.

Legend has it that two cowboys stumbled across the half-buried mummified body of a man in the Gila Bend Desert in Arizona in 1895. That he had died of a gunshot wound to the chest. That the body belonged to some unknown gunslinger. This, of course, is just a legend.

It was found that the act of Sylvester preservations wasn't done naturally. He was injected with arsenic-based embalming fluid right after death. This allowed the body to dry out and mummify. It's possible it was done so his body would be used as a sideshow attraction.

The gunshot wound that supposedly killed him was at some time actually drilled into him and paint was used as blood. At the same time, the one thing that was kind of true was that he was shot at one point. It wasn't his cause of death and he had been shot way before he had died, but his right cheek, body, lungs, and neck had shotgun pellets. It was indicated his cause of death was tuberculosis.

It's still unknown who Sylvester was and why he was chosen to be part of a traveling attraction.


SOURCES:
Seattle Times
Mummipedia 
Smithsonian Channel
Strange Remains

Murder of Thecla M. Gerken

 

In 1919 23-year-old Thecla Gerken who was a school teacher from Woonsocket, South Dakota, and was staying at the home of Dr. H.H. Hagedorn at 1017 Jones St. She was friends with H.H Hagedorn's wife and was taking her vacation here. On the night of June 27, 1919, Thecla and another girl, Mable Houlihan, who she also knew went on a walk.

The girls would say their goodbyes as they neared 8th st. Mable would walk towards her home on 9th st. and Thecla would cross the intersection of 9th and Jones st. diagonally. Mable was almost to the alley when she heard Thelca scream "Mabel, come back!" which was followed by a gunshot. 

Mable would rush to her friend. She said there were people on the street who pointed towards her friend who was now laying on the ground. She had blood coming from her mouth and had been shot in the chest.

All that was known was that Thecla had been shot by a young man. She was seen talking to the young man and the witness claimed they heard her say "George, why did you do that?" They were too far away to hear anything else of the conversation. He had shot her with a .38 caliber gun and fled down an alleyway. One article stated that someone chased after him, but could not catch up to him and lost him. 

Thecla was new to town and only knew very few people let alone have enemies. The two girls did meet a couple of young men the day before and set a date for that day but did not show up to it. It's unknown if her killer was one of these men. 

It's suspected that the man who Thecla was talking to for a brief moment before her death was a poorly dressed man that she and Mable had passed by earlier. Police believe it could have been possible that it was a woman disguised as a man. The man or woman was never found and Mabel's case will remain unsolved. 

SOURCES:

Iowa Cold Cases

MISSING: Opal Beatrice Fulks

In 1931/1932 22-year-old Opal Fulks was last seen in Monticello, Indiana. She was last documented at her daughter's birth on March 4, 1931. In 1939 according to newspapers, Opal's husband was divorcing her because they separated in 1932 and she abandoned her children. 

Opal is a white female and was 22-years-old at the time. She 5'0" to 5'10" and 100 to 180 lbs. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Missing Person Commentary 

UNIDENTIFIED: 1933, Cheyenne County, Colorado John Doe

 In 1933 an unidentified man was found in Cheyenne County, Colorado. He was buried at the Fairview Cemetary in Cheyenne Wells. There is little information on this case. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

MISSING: Betty McCullough

On June 21, 1941, 10-year-old Betty McCullough was last seen at her family's home in Silver Creek Falls, Oregon. She had woke up early in the morning before her sisters and got dressed. She then took a bucket outside to fetch some water from a nearby pump. She never made it back to the home. 

Police were informed of her disappearance and a search happened. There was an extensive search for the girl in Silver Creek Falls that was led by Forest Servicemen, and State Police helped also. The area where her family picked berries was also searched. there were no traces of the girl and it's believed a passing motorist may have picked her up. 

At the time Betty's family were migrant workers working in berry fields picking the berries. Her case is still unsolved, but it is considered closed due to the amount of time that's passed. 

Betty is a white female and was 10 at the time. Betty was deaf and mute and suffered from bouts of illness. It was estimated that she would not have lived past her teens. She was wearing 

SOURCES:

Charley Project

Doe Network

The Capital-Journal (June 23, 1941)

The Capital-Journal (June 25, 1941)

Albany Democrat-Herald

End of Watch: Murder of Sheriff Thomas Griffin Thornton

 On June 12, 1830, Sheriff Thomas Thornton went to serve a man a writ in Caroline County, Virginia. In the process, he was shot and killed. The man would be arrested and charged. He would be found guilty and executed on November 26, 1830.

I got this information from the Officer Down Memorial Page and they do not disclose the names of others on the memorial pages. So I do not know the name of the man who killed the Sheriff. 

SOURCES:

Officer Down Memorial Page

Unsolved Murder of the Pauls Family

 

47-year-old Helen and 53-year-old David Paul were Russian Emigrants and lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During their 16 years of marriage, they lived in Saskatchewan and Aldergrove, before buying a home in Vancouver in September of 1956. They lived in a home on the 1000-block of E.53rd Avenue with their 11-year-old daughter Dorothy.

Around 11:30 p.m. on June 10, 1958, David was leaving the home to go pick up Helen from the bus stop after she finished work. He was surprised by an attacker right outside the rear basement door. He was shot in the head and was seriously injured, but did not die. 

The murderer went upstairs to where Dorothy was sleeping in her bed. They entered her bedroom and bludgeoned her to death. She was still in her bed when she was found. Her P.J. bottoms were found laying on the floor next to the bed. There was no sign of sexual assault on the body. Sexual motivation hadn't been rejected though. 

They had gone back downstairs and possibly found the Paul was still alive so they dragged him to the basement.  They proceeded to beat him and then shot him twice in the head killing him. Then they patiently waited for Helen to arrive home. 

Helen was attacked in the front hallway. She was beaten and shot to death. 

On June 11 when David and Helen didn't show up to work officers arrived at the house. Seemingly from the outside, it seemed normal, but when they entered the house they knew something terrible had happened when they found Helen's body. 

The murder weapons were not recovered or identified. The object used to beat them was described as heavy. The bullets from the 22. caliber revolver more than likely a Rohn Rg-10, colt-style, six-shot. 

A heavy instrument of some kind was used to beat the victims. The bullets recovered from the bodies were sent to more than one lab, which concluded they came from a .22 caliber revolver – likely a Rohm RG-10, colt-style, six-shot.

Robbery may have been a motive as David's wallet, house key, and the vehicle was missing and Helen's purse was open. 

SOURCES:

VP Cold Cases 

City News 1130

Vancouver Sun

Evelazarus

Murder of Mathilda Russo

On June 4, 1921 7-year-old Mathilda Russo was outside of her Moorestown, New Jersey home around 7 and 8 that night. Her mother heard a scream but ignored it thinking she was just playing. It wasn't until later that night they found out that their daughter was missing. It wasn't until June 11th they knew what had happened to their daughter. Her mother didn't report the scream when they contacted the police.

A neighbor of the Russo's was that of a black family. The police did not initially suspect Louis Lively and interviewed him. He stated he had he and his wife and 5-year-old son had visited a south New Jersey town called Swanton. The family had previously lived there before they moved to their current home three months before. Police found that Louis's story was falling apart. He had a bad reputation in Swainton and had been in jail several times and he wasn't in Swainton.

This led police to search the home's cellar. She was found buried 3 feet under the dirt floor of the family's home. She was nude, had a bruised head, and her stomach and throat had been slashed. It was also found that the girl was sexually assaulted.

It turns out the Louis Lively somehow convinced the girl into his home. At the time his wife and son were out of the home. He then attacked and killed the young girl and likely died the night she disappeared. It was initially believed that his wife didn't know he killed the girl. They kept her in jail anyway.

Many of the black community in Moorestown were outraged about this crime. They had even asked if it was allowed to lynch Louis Lively. The black community wanted to do it themselves "as race itself is opposed to men like Lively".

Louis was found on October 19, 1921 and arrested in Vineyard, New Jersey. While being arrested he shot one of the police officers three times. After a long sleep in jail, Louis admitted that he did tell his wife that he murdered the girl before the body was found.

Louis went to trial and was charged with the Death Penalty. He was then executed on Jan. 17, 1922 by Electric Chair.

SOURCES:
Find A Grave
The Pioneer
The Morning Post
The Evening Times 
Daily News
The Standard Union
Ironwood Daily Globe
The Cincinnati Enquirer 

Murder of Milly Ludwick (Campbell)

 On June 4, 1867, in Rowan County, North Carolina 21-year-old Rufus F. Ludwick (Ludwig) killed his bride of 11 days 19-year-old Milly (Campbell). He had shot her through the head, slit her throat, and weighed her body down in a creek.

On June 27, 1868, Rufus would hang in Salisbury. 

 I could only find two sources on this murder, the other one was behind a paywall, and could not read the article.

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in North Carolina and South Carolina Page 15

MISSING: Conradina Olson

 

Carl and Conradina Olson

In 1910 38-year-old Conradina Olson left Brookfield, Wisconsin to go to a doctor's appointment. She said goodbye to her husband and four children at the train station before she left.

She may have run away from her husband. It was said he was verbally abusive and at this time she couldn't divorce him. A psychic contacted a family member telling them that Conradina was killed near the train station or tracks. They believe that Carl had something to do with her disappearance as he was also gone for a period of time around the time she disappeared.

For a period of time it was thought possible the Jane Doe found in Ellis, Missouri could have been her through later investigation and the same psychic saying Ellis had something to do with it. The woman found in Ellis though was found in 1877 and couldn't have been Conradina.

Ultimately her fate is unknown and her case may never be solved.

SOURCES:
Unidentified Wiki
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki

Murder of Duncan

 

In the 1980s a body of a man was found during building work at the Lanes Shopping Center in Carlisle, England. It appeared that he had been murdered as his head showed evidence of damage by a weapon that caused a small entry wound and large exit, and he had several facial injuries. It's impossible to know who had killed and dumped this man in a well as it had happened 1,700 years before in the 3rd Century A.D. 

The man was called Duncan by excavators. It's believed that this was an unlawful killing and hiding of the body.  At the time of his death, it was against the law for anybody to buried inside city limits. The dead had to buried outside of the city and if caught the family of the deceased would be paying a heft fine. 

It's unknown now if this man's murder had been known or solved. This case will always remain a mystery

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders

BBC News 24 January 2004

BBC News 26 May 2004

Free Republic 26 May 2004

Unsolved Murder of Alford Norris

On June 1, 1954 someone beat elderly couple 81-year-old Alford and Charolette Norris inside of their home on South Corona St. in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They would be transported to Penrose Hospital. Charolette survived, but unfortunately, Alford would die the next day.

SOURCES:
Colorado Bureau of Investigation