Tuesday, May 31, 2022

MISSING: Francis L. Tuccitto (Macklin)

 


On June 1, 1953, 45-year-old Frances L. Tuccitto was last seen leaving her home on the 10th block of Commerce Drive in Portland, Connecticut. She was never heard from again. She left behind her 5 children. 

She was a white female and 45 years old at the time. She was 5'2" and 100 lbs. She had greying brown hair and blue eyes. She was missing part of one of her fingers due to a factory accident. She may use her Maiden name, Macklin. 

SOURCES:
NamUs
The Charley Project

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Murder of Mrs. Owens

 In 1894 William Owens and his wife Mrs. Owens would fight. William would leave the neighborhood and come back on May 30th. He would then search for his wife and found her around 3p.m. working in a field with around 30 other African Americans in Nobel Lake, Arkansas. 

 William asked his wife to move back in with him again. She would refuse him and this angered him. He would point the gun at her and shot her once in the chest and once in the back. She would fall and he would pick up the hoe she was using and hit her twice in the head before breaking it. She was still alive and in agony and he would pick up a second hoe and would beat her head in with it. He would then escape.

He would then try to kill Grandville Simms, someone he had a grudge against. Grandville would take off his shoes and outrun William. William would then exhausted fall on a log. This allowed him to be caught. 

William would be convicted and found guilty. He would be executed in 1895. He was likely executed on May 30th as an article from May 29th stated his execution the next day.

Note:

I could not find Mrs. Owens' first name none of the articles I could find stated her first name. 

SOURCES:

Death Penalty USA Pine Bluff Daily Graphic May 29, 1894

Pine Bluff Daily Graphic May 31, 1894

The Osceola Times June 4, 1894

The Southern Standard June 8, 1894

Pine Bluff Daily Graphic May 29, 1894

Monday, May 23, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: May 24, 1893 Hampton, Minnesota Unknown Man

 On May 24, 1893, the body of a man was found in Afton Doffings Granary in Hampton, Minnesota. It was believed that he was a tramp who went into the building for shelter but ended up getting sick and dying. He was buried in the Potters Field of Lakeside Cemetary in Hastings, Minnesota. 

SOURCES:

Find A Grave

Friday, May 20, 2022

Murder of Ellen Margaret Mary Whiting

 In October of 1935, George Arthur Bryant and Ellen Whiting would meet. Both were married at the time, George lived with his wife at Folkstone, England and Ellen lived with her husband and three children William jr. (15), Violet Ellen (13), and George (10) in Dover, England. Something would start between the two and Mr. Whiting objected to the relationship. William Whiting would leave his wife after a violent quarrel.

In December of 1935 George, Ellen, and her two youngest took rooms with Mrs. Griggs at 301 London Rd. in Dover. Around this time William confronted George about where Ellen was and George played dumb. He also went on to tell William that he'd only get her over his dead body.

Actually, William was successful in finding the address and sent the family and his wife a Christmas present. In February George stopped living with Ellen, it's not stated how their relationship was after this. After this Ellen and her husband had another violent quarrel, but by May 9th they were on friendly terms and gave his wife £1. They would meet again on May 16th and went shopping at Woolworths. They set to see each other again on May 23rd. 

On May 21st George was seen at 2:10 p.m. at the bar of the Fountain Inn on London Rd. George would drink two pints of beer and bought a bottle that he'd leave with. He seemed to be sober. He would then go to the home where he used to share with Ellen. Mrs. Griggs would see him first and ask him if he was going to be a good boy or a naughty boy (if he was there to fight). He responded and told her "I come to be good. I deserve all you say." before going upstairs to the attic room they occupied.

He would then produce the beer to Ellen and would give George a shilling and told him and Violet to go to the cinema. He explained he wanted to have a quiet talk with Ellen. The children noted that he looked angry when he came in, but was very nice to them. 

At about 3:20 p.m. Mr. Buckwell, an insurance agent, went to the home on business. he would go upstairs to the attic and knock. He would hear Ellen and George talking inside. Ellen would answer the door and they would discuss his business before he left. 

At about 4:30 p.m. George would use the beer bottle to hit Ellen on the back of the head. This would knock her out. He would then strangle her with stocking and place pillows on her head after he'd killed her. He would then try to clean the blood off of his clothes. At 5:40 p.m. George would go to the Folkstone Police Station and tell them of the murder.  He would tell them when handing over his coat "This is the coat I was wearing. I tried to wash the blood off. I was looking for someone else to do in. One of the straightest women in this world and she was married to that bastard vicious Whiting."

At 5:50 police would have to break into the crime scene as the door was locked. They would find Ellen lying on the bed with two pillows on her head. The scene was bloody, there was blood on the bed, on Ellen's clothing, and on the floor beside the bed. It appeared the body had been turned around after the crime. The stocking was tied tightly around her throat with the knot under the left ear. It was on there so tight it had to be cut off. 

George would plead guilty to the murder. He was very accepting of his punishment. On July 14, 1936, George was executed.  

SOURCES:

British Executions

KHS History Forum Boards

The Observer July 5, 1936

The Guardian July 15, 1936


Wednesday, May 18, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: 1877 Kansas City, Kansas John Doe

  A male was found in the Missouri River in or near Kansas City, Kansas in 1877. He would be buried at the Oak Grove Cemetary on May 19, 1877. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Monday, May 16, 2022

Murder of Auli Kyllikki Saari

 


Auli Kyllikki Saari(back right) with her sisters

On May 17, 1953, 17-year-old Auli Kyllikki Saari was cycling to her home in Isojoki, Finland from a prayer meeting in Merikarvia. On this particular day, she stated that she was tired, and others found this unusual. She stated that she was going to attend another prayer meeting at Kortteenkylä village schoolhouse. At 6pm she left on her bike and rode 40 minutes to the prayer meeting.

Maiju, a friend of Kyllikki, also attended this meeting. The two would ride home together at 10 p.m. and at 10:30 the two would separate at an intersection. Maiju noted that her friend seemed apprehensive and depressed. When they had gotten to where they needed to separate she seemed nervous to go on alone stating, "Probably it goes now as it has before. Bye then, Maiju." 

A man named Tie-Jaska saw her a mile further from where she and her friend separated. After this, no one saw Kyllikki alive again. She did not arrive home and her family assumed that she stayed the night with Maiju. When she didn't arrive home two days later they assumed she was staying with someone in Isojoki to be closer to work. They would find out she didn't show up to work and didn't see her. She would be reported missing two days after she disappeared.

In the weeks after her disappearance witnesses stated that there was a suspicious cream-hues car with a bike in a nearby storage compartment. Others state that they have heard cries and sobs for help neat the lake in Karrankaja. No one knew what had happened to Kyllikki until October 11, 1953. Her body would be pulled from a bog. 

The bog was close by to where Kyllikki was last seen and it was obvious she had been killed. She had been pushed down with a pine branch into the bog. She was nude from the waist down and her jacket was wrapped around her head.  She had either been suffocated or died from blunt force trauma to her head. It's unknown if she had been sexually assaulted or not.

The pine branch used to push her and keep her in the bog was freshly cut. It had been sharpened by someone who was left-handed. Her shoe, scarf, and a man's sock were also found there. Items of hers were missing though, her wristwatch, red cloth purse, and hymn book were never found.

Kyllikki wasn't one to go out to dances or entertainments. It's believed that she did not have a boyfriend as she didn't tell anyone about having one. She had told an older female friend she had no interest in men and didn't want to get married.

The person who killed Kyllikki had to of been strong. Alli, her older sister, said that Kyllikki was strong and had good arm strength. Not only that, but the person must have carried the girl a distance to the bog, dig, and then refill the grave. Which would have taken some strength to do.

There were several suspects in the crime, but no ones been convicted in the girls murder.


SOURCES:
Wikipedia

Thursday, May 12, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: May 13, 1937 McNairy County, Tennessee John Doe

 On May 13, 1937, the body of an elderly man around 70 was found on the railroad tracks about 10 miles north of Selmer, Tennessee. His cause of death was unknown.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: May 12, 1915 Colton, California

 On May 12, 1915, a Rancher happened to take a walk off the road 2 miles outside of Colton, California. The rancher saw a man hanging from a willow tree on the banks of the Santa Ana River bottom. It was initially believed to have been a man who disappeared earlier in the month, but it was not. It was obvious that foul play was not involved and the man had committed suicide. He had been dead for weeks.


He was a white male between 40 and 60 years old. He was around 5'11" and 160 lbs. He had slightly balding chestnut brown hair and a dark sandy mustache. He may have walked with a limp as a heavy hickory walking stick was found with him.

There were no clothes described that he was described as wearing. The ones described were hanging on the tree. Which was a "Ransom & Salsbee" tan raincoat/ overcoat, a "Joske Bros. Co Department Store" and a shirt with a collar and tie. Both the jacket and hat were from San Antonio, Texas.

(The namus page lists him found on May 13, 1915, but a newspaper from May 12 listed the finding of the body happening earlier on the 12th.)

SOURCES:
San Bernadino News May 12, 1915

Monday, May 9, 2022

Murdered Saints: Saint Solange



Solange was born into a poor, but devout family in the town of Villemont, France near Bourges. She was devoted and consecrated her virginity at 7-years-old. Solange was popular and very beautiful some even said her mere presence cured the sick and exorcised devils. She caught the eye of many including the son of the count Poitiers who was highly taken.

In 880 the man would come to Solange as she tended her sheep. He would get rejected by the shepherdess. He did not take the rejection well and planned to take her for himself. One night he would kidnap her by force. She would struggle against him. While they were crossing a stream she struggled greatly and fell from the horse. She would then try to flee him for him to catch up. He would then behead her with his sword. 

Legend states that Solange's severed head invoked three times the Holy Name of Jesus and she was able to pick up her head and walk to the church of Saint-Martin (now Saint-Solange) in the village of Sain-Martin-du-Crot and dropping dead there. 

Immediately there was a cult surrounding her grew. Many miraculous cures were attributed to her intercession. In 1281 an altar was erected in her honor at that church, now known as the church of Saint-Solange. Her head is preserved there as a relic. A nearby field where she prayed is referred as the field of Saint Solange and locals would go there during great times of stress to form a procession through Bourges with the reliquary head to invoke her against drought. 

Her feast day is May 10th. She is the patron saint of Berry, France, Bourges, France, for rain, rape victims, and shepherds.


SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Catholic Online

Catholic Readings

Sunday, May 8, 2022

UNIDENTIFIED: May 1893 Hampton, Minnesota John Doe

 In May of 1893 the body of a man was found in Anton Doffing's granary in Hampton, Minnesota. It's believed that the man was a transient and went into the building for shelter and died from an illness. He was between 50 to 60-years-old.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Saturday, May 7, 2022

GHOSTS: The Midnight Washer Women

 



The Washer Women of the Night are Breton-Celtic ghost women in France that are connected to death. They wash clothes in the banks of rivers around midnight. Typically they will be isolated areas of water. It's believed that they are washing the clothes of those to die soon or their own clothes. Sometimes they are washing the clothes of those they've done wrong.

The Washer Women are typically women who are tall and gaunt, and strong. They most likely died a violent death and or were punished for being greedy and stingy with clothes. In some areas, they are three old women. In Chantepie a stingy woman who buried her husband in a dirty shroud is punished by washing it every night. In Noes Gourdais, near Dinan, the asher women have skulls

The women call out to passers-by in hopes of helping to wring out the laundry. So it's recommended if you hear the sounds of laundry being washed to high-tale it out of there. There are those who accept to help or refuse to.

If you agree to help out of ill will their arms will be broken and those who refuse are drowned. Another way to die from them is to wring the sheet or clothing wrong. In order to survive, you must wring the same way they do, but it will last all night doing so. The Washer Women do not tire easily. One wrong move equals the person being crushed and wrung out as the Washerwomen have great strength.

Another way to get out is to tell them "Diwasket ho poan ha me diwasko ma hini" or in English "Wring out your sins, and I will wring out mine". You will then have to run at top speeds to get away to the nearest recently plowed field as they cannot cross them.

In some legends of the Washer Women, they make you clean your own death clothes before they kill you. Or if you pass all the tests they give you, you will be granted three wishes.

SOURCES:
A Book of Creatures
Michigan Publishing
Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology Pg 150

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

INFANTICIDE: May 4, 1922 Epping Forest, England

On May 4, 1922, a decapitated newborn girl was found in Epping Forest. The baby was decapitated with one cut with a knife. The body was then left in Epping Forest. 

SOURCES: