UNIDENTIFIED: June 1, 1924 Bronx, New York John Doe

 On June 1, 1924, a deckhand fell overboard a boat and drowned in or near Bronx, New York. The location is unknown or unstated. He is buried at Hart Island in the Bronx, New York.

John Doe is a man around 32-years-old.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

UNIDENTIFIED: May 31, 1994 Baldy Mesa, California John Doe

 On May 31, 1994, a skull (no mandible) was found by investigators during a drug search in Baldy Mesa, California. The skull was found in a cardboard box beneath a bed. It's suspected that the skull is a souvenir skull or possibly a museum or teaching specimen. There seemed to be a bullet hole on the right posterior parietal with a possible exit through the left orbit. Meaning it's possible that they are a murder victim, suicide victim, or casualty of war. Victim could have been dead for up to a 100 years. 

John Doe is a man of possible mixed race (not specified) and was between 19 to 70 years old. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki

The Bernuthsfeld Man

 

On May 24, 1907 peat cutters would discover human remains in the Hogehahn bog in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was found that the body belonged to a man who lived and died between A.D 660 and 870. He was a medium-sized man between 30 and 60-year-old.At one point he experienced some health or nutritional crises during growth. It was evident in Harris lines on the long bones. He had suffered from osteoarthritis in his joints, had a well-healed fracture, his spine had a fused vertebra caused by inflammatory disease, suffered from sinus infections, and scans showed he had cancer.   It's unstated or unknown how the man died, but it's not believed to have been unnatural. He had no signs of violence and believed his cancer may have been what killed him.

The body was wrapped in several garments. One garment was a tunic with sleeves made from 43 pieces of textile and two long-leg wrappings. The tunic was made with 20 different fabrics with 9 different weaving patterns. A sheath and a 6-inch knife were also found with the body. It's suspected that the sheath may have held the knife. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Archeology Magazine

Modern Middle Ages

Mummipedia Wiki

UNIDENTIFIED: May 1864 Vigo County, Indiana Stranger

 In May 1864 a person would drown in Vigo County, Indiana. On May 21st they would be buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Terre Haute

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

INFANTICIDE: May 19, 1924 Barnby Dun, England Baby Boy Doe

On May 19, 1924, The body of a newborn baby boy was found in a pond at Park Hill Hall in Barnby Dun, England. He had been murdered as a strip of linen was found tightly tied around his neck. It was so tight it cut into his flesh. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

UNIDENTIFIED: May 18, 1995 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jane Doe

 

On May 18, 1995, the remains of a woman were found under a cement floor at the former site of Robertson Motors on 1515 Danforth Ave. in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The floor had been poured in 1949 meaning she likely died in 1949.

Jane Doe was a white female between 19 to 40-years-old. She was 165cm to 170 cm (5'5" to 5'7"). She had brown/red hair. 

SOURCES:

Canda's Missing

Doe Network

Bunsoh Man

 

On May 17, 1890, a mummified body was found in a peat bog in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The body now known as Bunsoh Man was discovered by peat workers. He was found around 100 cm below the surface with woolen textile and birch branches on top of the body. It is believed he had died and lived between 560 to 620 CE. It's unknown how he died, but it is thought by some he may have strangled with a type of textile garrote. 

After his body was placed in storage it decomposed greatly. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

URBAN LEGEND: Romãozinho

 

Image created in Bing Creator

In Boa Sorte district, Pedro Afonso, Goiás, Brazil Romãozinho was born to a farmer and his wife. As the boy grew up he was said to be disobedient, cruel, and evil. He was known to get great pleasure from treating animals cruelly and killing plants.

Sometimes Romãozinho's mother would tell the boy to bring his father lunch. His father worked in a garden. One day even though Romãozinho did not want to bring the food to his father he did. On the way, he would eat the chicken and place it back into the lunch box. 

He would hand the lunchbox to Father as he was supposed to. His father was confused when he opened the box and his food was eaten. The father asked the boy what the bones meant. In response Romãozinho did not take responsibility instead he told him that his mother sent it to him that way on purpose. That the bones were the leftovers from his mother and the man who came over when his father wasn't home.  

This enraged his father and caused him to go back home immediately. Romãozinho would follow along knowing that his mother was going to be on the other end of his father's wrath. When they arrived home his father would pull out a dagger and began stabbing his wife. All while this was happening Romãozinho laughed enjoying his mother's "punishment". 

Knowing her son was the reason for all this and his pure joy from her death she would curse him with her dying breath. "You will never die! You won't know heaven or hell, or even rest until there's just one person left living on Earth!"

Romãozinho would continue to laugh especially after she died. This came true as he never grew up. It's said that he can be seen wandering the street causing mayhem. This however doesn't always mean he was entirely bad. In one story Romãozinho assists a woman in labor by scaring a local midwife chicken. This would help the midwife find the lone woman and help her give birth. 

SOURCES: 

Wikipedia

Myths and Folklore Wiki

UNIDENTIFIED: May 12, 1850, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jane Doe

  On May 12, 1850, a woman died or was found dead in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There is little information in this case. 

Jane Doe is a black male around 80-years-old.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

INFANTICIDE: May 11, 1933 Putnam County, Missouri Baby Jane Doe

 On May 11, 1933, Mr. Davis was walking t near Highway No. 4 five miles from Unionville, Missouri. The ground was wet and didn't want to fight with the muddy roads. He would pass a culvert and notice what he initially thought was a baby doll on the rocks below. He continued on his walk, but the "doll" made him uncomfortable.

When he got to the next house the thought of it not just being a baby doll bothered him. He would go up to tell Mr. Steele of the "doll" and that he was uncertain if it was actually one or an infant. Mr. Davis would continue on to Unionville and Mr. Steele went to check on the doll. It was not a doll, but the body of a newborn baby girl. He would contact another neighbor and then they contacted Sheriff Gibson. The Sheriff and Prosecutor could not show up to the scene, so Dr. Thomas would also show up instead.

The baby had been born and died within the last 24 to 36 hours. The baby was premature and had a string tied around the navel. The string was that of what was used in corsets or girdles. It's likely the baby was placed in some clothing on the west side of the road or in the ditch in a pasture near the old road. The heavy rains would have washed her and the clothes down to where they were found. It is not stated how the baby had died.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave
The Princeton Telegraph May 24, 1933

Suspicious Death of Birdie Hoffman and Murder of Gertrude Botts

At 7 pm on May 3, 1900, 18-year-old Birdie Hoffman and 16-year-old Charles "Otis" Botts went on a buggy ride in Peoria, Illinois. The two had been dating for the last two years and planned to get married. Birdie's parents tried to convince them that they were too young, but the two didn't care they wanted to marry.

On the ride, he would end up either sexually assaulting her or they had sex. Afterwards, this would upset Birdie greatly and he claimed that she was full of remorse over them doing that. He claimed that she refused to go home and they argued until 4 am. During the argument, she would grab his revolver and shoot herself in the head. 

Police however did not believe that she had killed herself. However, he could not be prosecuted for the crime as no evidence contradicted his statement. 

Five years later on January 6, 1905, a few days before his 21st birthday Otis argued with his wife, 19-year-old Gertrude at the border house they were staying at in Peoria. The two had been constantly arguing ever since they got married the year before. During the argument, He would strike her in the face and then begin to strangle her with a slender hair ribbon killing her.

He would leave the home and go to a saloon in Knoxville and Glendale. When he entered he seemed heavily intoxicated already and caused a disturbance. He was quickly kicked out. So he would catch a car on the way to the courthouse where again he made a disturbance. He was kicked out after traveling two blocks. 

He would then make it to Wall's Saloon on Fayette St. He would hang out there until late that evening. Towards the end of the night, he became more sober. He seemed greatly worried and even told the bartender that he wanted to drown himself in the river. 

 He would spend the night with his friend William Trautman on Nebraska Ave. At 10 am Patrolman Brannon and McEnvoy would go to William's to arrest him. He was still asleep when he arrived, and surprised him when they arrested him. It was found that he had a razor under his pillow. It was suspected he was planning on using it on himself. 

 He would then be arrested the next day for the murder. He would seem indifferent to his wife's death. He stated that it was an Eastern traveler named Albert Baer. His wife was infatuated with the man and the two had spent that night together, so he had to of been the one to kill her. Police did not believe him, especially since he was the last one seen in their room. It also didn't help that he was a suspect in the murder of another woman.

There was no solid evidence, but there was circumstantial so he would be brought to trial in just a couple months. At the trial, he would deny that he knew anything about his wife's murder. The jury would find him guilty and set him to be executed. This angered him and he yelled at the jury in the courtroom.


SOURCES:
Legal Executions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri page 20

The Altamont News May 10, 1900

Mount Carmel Register May 10, 1900

Herald and Review January 8, 1905

Herald and Review January 13, 1905

Marshall County Democrat March 30, 1905

Woodford County Journal April 6, 1905

The Meenybradden Woman

 

On May 3, 1978 turf cutters in Meenybradden Bod near Ardara, Ireland would find the body of a woman. It was found that the remains were of historical means. Her body would be kept in Dublin's city morgue and stayed in a freezer where the body was damaged. In July 1985 the body would be shipped to the British Museum and examined further.

It's believed that the woman was around 25 to 30 years old and died 1050-1410 CE. It is unknown how she died, but she didn't die violently. She was buried about a meter deep into the bog. It was strange that she was wrapped in a cloak dated by textile typology to the 16 to 17th centuries. However, the cloak was not carbon-dated and it's possible that it was from around the time she died. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia