Monday, February 28, 2022

INFANTICIDE: March 1, 1952 Vernal, Utah Baby John Doe

 On March 1, 1952, the body of a newborn baby boy was found near a gravel pile on the West end of Vernal City Dump in Utah. He was wrapped in layers of heavy brown paper that were partially burned away. The body was also slightly burned on the back and the right leg. No burning had happened in the dump recently though. It could not be determined how long the baby had been dead as he had been frozen solid. It could have been up to several weeks though. 

The baby appeared to have been born alive and normal. He weighed between 7 to 8lbs and was 18-inches long. The baby was white with a dark complexion.

SOURCES:

Utah Department of  Public Safety

Saturday, February 26, 2022

UNIDENTIFED: 1882 Cochise County, Arizona John Doe

 


In 1882  the body of a man was found in the bottom of a sixty ft shaft in the abandoned Minute Mine in Tombstone, Arizona. It's believed he's not someone who died while mining. He was well dressed when he died.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

Tombstone Chamber of Commerce 

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Monsters: The Qallupilluit

 

The Qallupilluit is a Boogeyman figure in Inuit folklore. It's said that they kidnap misbehaving children. If a child is near the edge of ice or water the Qallupilluit will stuff them into its amautik (similar to a parka) and drown them in the water. 

There are conflicting reports as to the appearance and gender of the Qallupilluit. Though it is always in a humanoid form. They are said to have bumpy, or scaly or slimy skin and reek of sulfur. When the creature is feminine it's described as having long flowing hair, long nails, and green slimy skin. It's said that she uses the children to maintain her hair. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Cryptid Wiki


Monday, February 21, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: 1608 Chislet, England John Doe

 In 1608 a traveler whose name was unknown died in the County of Kent, England. He would be buried in the St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Chislet.

He was around 30-years-old

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Sacrifices: The Crystal Maiden

 


The Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre) is a sacred cave located near Sa Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize. This place is known as a Maya archeological site that incases skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. It was a cave used by the Mayans for sacrificial reasons. The most known skeleton in the cave is known as The Crystal Maiden. It's possible that they were a sacrifice victim, and the conditions of the cave allowed the bones to calcify giving the body a sparkling and crystallized appearance. 

The Crystal Maiden was originally believed to be a woman around 18-20, but it's now believed that the body may belong to a teenage boy. It's believed that they died between 700 and 900. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia Wiki

Murder of Doris E. Baker

 


Doris E. Baker was a mother of two and wife of Leo Baker. She owned Floor Covering Store, Inc. with her husband in Barre, Vermont. On Wednesday, February 19, 1958, at 4:40 John A. Corrigan, a customer, came into the Baker's store in order to pick up his linoleum order. He at first saw nobody, but then spotted 45-year-old Doris E. Baker lying sprawled behind the counter. 

She had been beaten with a hammer and then her throat was sliced and other parts of her were also cut. It could have also been a sexual assault. It was believed that it was either done by a sexual deviant and or a robbery gone wrong.

$50 was stolen from the store which would be equal to $425.06 in today's money. But her purse which had $150 in it was left untouched at the scene. Later there was a bloodstained $10 bill found and it could be possible that it was part of the money that was stolen.

There have been many suspects involved in this case. One suspect was Parran Youngblood a deaf/mute man who was seen in Barre that day. He was later shot and killed in Georgia in 1958 for supposedly kidnapping a 7-year-old child. There was no solid evidence that it was him. There were other suspects also, but none were found to be prosecuted with the murder of Mrs. Baker.

As a result of Doris's death, many of the residents in Barre became paranoid and scared. Several stores commented that they had sold out or almost sold out on-chain latch door locks and other kinds of door locks. Many residents even were scared to even let political door-to-door campaign members enter their house thinking that it may be the murderer.


SOURCES:
Bennington Banner April 2, 1958
Bennington Banner August 30, 1958


Thursday, February 17, 2022

MISSING: Charles Hurd

 


On February 18, 1937, 32-year-old Charles Hurd was last seen in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. He went to work as usual and left at closing time. He was working as a manager of a real estate and mortgage department at Dows Estates Inc. at the 10 block of Williams Street. After he left he had dinner at a restaurant and night club on east 54th Street, he cashed and small check and had left.

At 9 p.m. he crashed his Ford Convertible Coupe that had the New Jersey License plate number I-E65231 into the pillar of an elevated railway structure at 3rd Ave. and 37th St. It was believed he only suffered from minor injuries and drove away. He was never seen again after this.

 He may have driven towards where he was staying at the Kenmore Hall Hotel. At the time he was separated from his wife and was staying there. He was a member of a well-known family in New York. 

Charles was a 32-year-old white male at the time. He was 5'10" and 180 lbs. He has brown hair and blue/grey eyes. He was wearing a grey overcoat, tan shoes, and grey fedora. 

SOURCES:

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Murder of John Bare and Ed Long

In February of 1894, there was to be a wedding in Alleghany County, North Carolina. At the end of the ceremony, a Virginian named Daniel Slaughter would talk to an old man. The old man would slap him in good fun and ask Daniel "if he was much a man". This would anger Daniel and he would curse at the old man. 

He would be told to leave and he did, but he returned a few minutes later. His return was not a peaceful welcoming. The old man and several of his friends were angry with Daniel and argued. There was an attempt to calm the crown, but it would not happen.

He would lunge at John Bare stabbing him in the heart killing him. When John initially fell to the ground Daniel went to stab him again, but the bride would prevent him by grabbing his hand. Her arms and hand were cut from the knife. Daniel would flee and Ed Long would try to stop him but would be stabbed also (possibly disemboweled). He would be caught 2 miles away. He claimed that people in the crowd were hitting his face.

He would be sent to a Sparta jail. There were talks of him being lynched. On the night of Feb. 23rd Daniel was taken from the jail and lynched on Laural Branch Spring Rd near Sparta. In the process of the lynch mob taking Daniel from the jail two were shot one of which was Alexander Rose. There were around 20 lynchers 15 of which were from Ashe County.

The day of the murder is unknown many of the articles stated that it was on the 18-20, but the earliest article I found was on the 17th. It's never mentioned whose wedding it was even though the bride was also injured at the wedding. It doesn't state Daniel's or his victim's relations to the wedding. I didn't exactly understand why Daniel got mad or why he was asked: "if he was much a man." It's likely that further information on the crime wasn't done in newspapers was due to Daniel being lynched soon after the murder. 


SOURCES:

Richmond Dispatch Feb 17, 1894

The Spokesman-Review Feb 22, 1894

People's Voice Feb 23 1894

The Staunton Spector Feb 28, 1894

The Union Republic March 1, 1894

The Western Senteniel Marhc 1, 1894


The Yadkin Valley News March 8, 1894

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: Feb. 15, 1957 Watsonville, California

On Feb. 15, 1957, the head of a woman was found in a shallow grave under a railroad trestle in the Pajaro River Levee in Southern Santa Cruz County, California. The head was inside of a grocery bag, but her body was not found. According to one news article another large grocery bag was found in the area that had some red discolorations. Similar discolorations were found on the cheek of the head. It's believed she died in 1956.

Head belonged to an African American woman between the ages of 28 to 52-year-old. She had a gold upper tooth.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki

News-Pilot Feb. 16, 1957

The Fresno Bee Feb 16, 1957

Sunday, February 13, 2022

UNIDENTIFEID: February 14, 1922 Pheonix, Arizona John Doe

 On Feb. 13, 1922, a man was brought to the St. Joseph Hospital in Pheonix, Arizona with pneumonia. He would pass away the next day. There is little information in this case.

He was presumably of East Indian descent and around 40-years-old. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Saturday, February 12, 2022

GHOSTS: The Ship of the Lady Lovibond

Photo by Annie Spratt

 


There is a legend of a ghost ship called The Lady Lovibond. The story goes that the ship was at sea on Feb. 13, 1748, because the Captain, Simon Reed sometimes Simon Peel, had just married and was celebrating with a cruise. It was said the ship was bound for Oporto, Portugal. Despite superstitions of women bringing bad luck on board, he would bring his new wife Annetta with him. 

Below deck Simon and Anneta were celebrating with their guests. A first mate, John Rivers, a rival for Anneta's love was pacing the decks in a jealous rage. John thinking that he'd never get Anneta's love grabbed a heavy, club-like belaying pin from the rail. He would sneak up being the crewmember at the wheel and hit him with one crushing blow. He would take control of the ship and steer the ship into the Goodwin Sands killing everyone.

It is said that the ship was seen again on its 50th anniversary in 1798. It was reported by at least two ships. The ship was seen again in 1848, and again in 1948. It was said that in 1998 there was no reported sighting of the ghost ship, but maybe they were unknowingly seen. In 2048 it will be the next time you'll be able to see the ship. 

In actuality, it's unknown if The Lady Lovibond ever exists. The earliest known mention of the ship was from a 1924 article. It's possible the ghost story was created for Valentine's Day type ghost story. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

History Daily

Astonishing Legends

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Murder of Robert Williams

 In 1675 Robert Driver, and Nicholas Feavour (both around 20) were servants of Robert Williams in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The two did not like their assignments and were described as lazy or sloth-like workers. Their master would reprimand them and neither man liked that and decided to free themselves. 

On February 10, 1675, Mr. Williams was relaxing in the parlor sitting in a chair and smoking a pipe. Robert Driver and Nicholas Feavour would sneak up behind their master with axes. They would then murder him and flee. 

The two would be soon caught after a short manhunt. They would be taken to Boston and tried at a special session of the Court of Assistants. They would be convicted and set for execution for their crime. On March 18, 1675, the two were hanged in Boston.

SOURCES: 

Legal Executions in New England Comprehensive Reference Pg 48 

Monday, February 7, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: 1855 Nacogdoches County, Texas The Traveler

 



In about 1855 a Traveler got sick in Nacogdoches County, Texas in what is now Cushing. He would spend the night in the settlement and die. No one knew who he was and he would be buried at the Fuller-Nichols Garden Cemetary. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Murder of Jeanne Van Calck

 



In 1906 9-year-old Jeanne Van Calk was living with her grandparents in Brussels, Belgium. Though she was living with her grandparents she would frequently visit her mother, but would never get to know her father as he had abandoned them.

On Feb. 7, 1906, Jeanne would leave her home to go to her mother's, This was not unusual, but it was the first time she would go alone as her grandfather was working. She would never make it to her mother's home on the corner of Baudouin Boulevard it was supposed to be a short distance.

Around a quarter till midnight that same night a machinist from the Théâtre de l'Alhambra, Joseph Eylenbosch, and his son found a suspicious package outside the door of 22 Rue des Hirondelles in Brussels. They would contact police officers about it. When police arrived they felt inside the package that was thick paper tied with a hemp cord. Inside the package, they could feel hair and skin. They would then bring it to the station before inspecting it. 

Inside they first saw Jeanne's blue peacoat and checkered dress. Inside was Jeanne's body with her legs missing and amputated at the groin. A search was done for the girl's legs. Which wouldn't be found till the 16th by a gardener in the park of the royal Stuyvenbergh farm.

Two men would arrive at the police station and report Jeanne missing. It would be found that Jeanne and her clothes matched the description of the dead girl. Upon hearing about her daughter's death Jeanne's mother fainted. 

Though Jeanne was dismembered her cause of death was still found. She had suffocated to death on her own vomit after consuming a large quantity of alcohol. There were also other signs of violence against the young girl. It was believed that whoever had dismembered Jeanne was familiar with cutting into meat like a butcher, or doctor. It's believed her death happened between 8 to 9 in the evening. The papers used to wrap the girl's body were from the newspaper "Le Soir" from the dates Jan. 12th and 27th 1906. Other papers came from an edition of "Journal De Paris". 

A friend of Jeanne's would later state that around 7 p.m. they saw Jeanne with an unknown man around 7 p.m. near her grandparent's home. They stated that the man and Jeanne were not going towards where her mother lived, but the opposite way. 

There were many suspects in this case. It was found3 years later that the spotting of Jeanne by her friend was not investigated further because she was a child. It was believed that the police had messed up the investigation. 

Émile Rossel, the owner of Le Soir would open a subscription service to help fund a marble monument to pay homage to Jeanne. She would be known as "Little Angel of Rue des Hirondelles". Jeanne would also be seen as a symbol of childhood innocence. 

SOURCES:

UNIDENTIFIED: Feb. 6, 1955 Los Angeles, California John Doe

On February 6, 1955, a man was found floating in MacArthur Park Lake in Los Angles, California. He was dead, and there was no identification found on his body. He was a white male between the ages of 50 to 65 years old. He was 5'7" and 170 lbs. He had grey hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue serge double-breasted suit, and a two-tone blue plaid cotton sport shirt, maroon socks, and brown oxfords.


SOURCES:
NamUs

Thursday, February 3, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: February 1915, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Unknown Girl

 In February 1915 a body (believed to be a teenage girl) was found in the basement of a home on 133 s 14th st, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A plumber was going to lay a sewer in the basement and the skeletal remains were found underneath the stairs from the outside access. The stairs had to be removed in order to get to the body. so the killer would have removed them also. The grave was shallow and was 2 by 3 ft. This would mean the girl was doubled up or her remains dismembered. The skull seemed to have evidence of an injury with a sharp object like a hatchet. Her remains had been burned and quicklime was poured on the body. It's believed she could be dead for around 10 to 15 years. 

Jane Doe was a teenage girl around 16-year-old. She had chestnut brown hair. a piece of cloth was found with the body and it's thought of being similar to the end of an apron string possibly made out of white muslin.  

SOURCES:
Harrisburg Telegraph Feb 13, 1915

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Murder of James Baptiste


On February 2, 1886, James Baptiste and Marie Dujoe were to be wed at the Jamisen Plantation near Thibodeaux, Lousiana. What should have been a joyous occasion became a tragedy. During the wedding, the lights were suddenly extinguished, and the room would go into complete darkness. There were screams in the darkness.

When the lights were relit James was found lying on the ground dying from seven stab wounds. He would die a few minutes later. The murderer was Keziah Collins who was a former mistress of James. She had friends help turn the lights out and she was able to escape onto a steamboat called the Alice LeBlanc.

I couldn't find any articles about if she had been captured and charged for the murder.

SOURCES:

Murder by Gaslight

Clay County Sentinel Feb. 11, 1886

The Pleasanton Herald Feb 12, 1886

The Conservative Feb. 13, 1886