WI WI - Georgia Weckler, 8, Fort Atkinson, 1 May 1947

I just updated Georgia's profile on the Charley Project. It would be interesting to know whether Buford Sennett was blond like the kidnap suspect was. He was about the right age anyway. What a . I hope he stays in prison until he rots. From the sounds of it, he will.
 
Maybe I misread or misunderstood something- there was a lot to read on that website.

Does anyone know why Georgia was afraid of being kidnapped?


anneinchicago
 
anneinchicago said:
Maybe I misread or misunderstood something- there was a lot to read on that website.

Does anyone know why Georgia was afraid of being kidnapped?


anneinchicago

I think the reason was she had heard about the 1946 kidnapping/murder of 6 year old Suzanne Degnan in Chicago. It was big news at the time. There may be other reasons but that is what I remember reading about.
 
SENNETT BUFORD C.
born 09/14/1925
Is currently in Custody at JACKSON CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
Wisconsin Department of Corrections

The guy was 21 when Georgia went missing. He is now 80. I wonder what he has to say about Georgia's disapearance today?
 
Current website and a secondary website are to current information (http://home.comcast.net/~georgiajean). May 1st will be the 60 year anniverisary of her kidnapping. Recently had a call about Georgia and Edward Gein's involvement. Told him she was just a footnote in his book and ask him to visit the website. So maybe another book is coming and hopefully focusing on Georgia Jean and not Gein.
 
Thanks for the update, John. I was just reading about her again on Charley Project the other day. Did the person you received the call from say he was writing a book about Georgia Jean?

I'm going to read through all the info again on your website soon, it's been a while since I've been there. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family with the 60th anniversary of her disappearance approaching.
 
Just a thought - there is mention that the photo of Georgia Jean Weckler was taken at a "fashion show". This makes me wonder if someone at the show might be responsible for taking her. We know about child predators and how they like to hang out where children are present (school, arcades, parks, etc.)

Does anyone know if that angle was ever investigated?
 
They were doing information searches on Ed Gein and just came across my letter to Wisconsin DOJ about Georgia. Told him to go to my website. Sounds like he was up around that area, maybe Madison??? It's hard to think the way they did back then with all the things we have now to find people. Anyway it's 60 years ago today. jjw
 
I too am keeping the Weckler's in my thoughts and prayers today. I can't imagine the 60 years of agony that they have been through.
 
John, were there any articles in the area newspapers marking the 60th anniversary? I haven't seen anything so far. Have you ever thought of putting all that you have on your website into a book (along with some added text)? There are a few books out on long ago unsolved missing children cases (Beverly Potts and Evelyn Hartley for example) ?The colorized picture of Georgia would look good on the cover. I realize it is easier said than done. Thinking of your family, it must seem like forever since she went missing.
 
Not sure if any mention of her up around there. Information is hard to come by anymore. I gave my book to our local police to show kids today of what can happen. Did a Google search for Georgia Jean Weckler and on the New tabs there are a bunch of articles you can get, but have to subscribe to the service, that shouldn't be, but when there a buck to be made I guess. It would be a good book if it had a good ending, but so would all of the others if they were solved also. These are all special kids too.
 
I read through all of the articles at the website...but could not find the answer to this question...if Georgia Jean was observed getting the mail from the box, what happened to that mail? Was it still in the mailbox, strewn on the driveway or missing along with the girl? I know the answer to that question does not in anyway indicate what happed to the child ...but it's like a hanging thread...and would assist in perhaps a making an accurate time line for the kidnapping. Thanks !
 
As far as the mail goes, it appears that it disappeared with her and she did not make it into the house. In one of the stories, the police were contacting banks and shopkeepers trying to figure out if there had been any checks in the mail to the family and seeing if anyone had tried to cash them if there had been checks.
 
That is still a question I have. The FBI was not involed with her being missing-kidnapped, but with the mail they should have been. Her Dad, George was like a county treasurer and he got checks for that, also he had just sold some farm animals too, so those checks should have been there. The little girl that was with her when she was dropped off saw her get the mail. In the evidence that was collected from the hideout were some burnt items that were not really tested, makes you wonder? But again this happen in 1947 and didn't have the tools used today. The sad thing is these low lifes still get away with it today with the new tools.
 
Georgia Jean Weckler
Missing since May 1, 1947 from Fort Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: 1939-1940
Age at Time of Disappearance: 8 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'3"; 70 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde shoulder length straight hair; brown eyes.
Clothing: Pink button sweater over a blue T-shirt, blue jeans, blue flowered skirt, rubbers and a brown flowered head scarf.

Circumstances of Disappearance

Weckler was last seen at approximately 3:30 p.m. near her farm home in rural Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin on May 1, 1947. A neighbor gave her a ride part of the way home from school, dropping her off at the entrance to the half-mile-long driveway leading up to her home. Weckler told the neighbor that she would go into the woods and pick some flowers for a May Day basket before going home.

Georgia, a first-year 4­H club member, reportedly "knew" the wood area and the possibility of her getting lost is, believed to be slim.

The neighbor saw Weckler collect some letters from her family's mailbox and start walking up the driveway, but she never arrived at her house. She has never been heard from again and the mail she was carrying at the time of her disappearance has never been found.

Witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored 1936 Ford sedan in the vicinity that afternoon. The car vanished at the same time Weckler did, and tire tracks were found on the road. It was being driven by a blond man, 20 to 25 years old. This man is the prime suspect in Weckler's presumed abduction. He has never been identified, though many individuals were questioned over the years.

At first, investigators believed Weckler had been kidnapped for ransom, as her father was a man of means. Days passed and no ransom demands were made, however. Authorities now believe Weckler was taken by a sexual predator.

Buford Sennett, a convicted murderer who had just started serving a life sentence in prison, confessed to Weckler's murder in the fall of 1947. He claimed that he and a companion he refused to name had kidnapped her for ransom purposes and given her some sleeping pills and she had accidentally overdosed and died. Sennett said he had tossed Weckler's remains into the Blue River near the town of Blue River, Wisconsin. A search of the river turned up no sign of Weckler, however. Sennett was never charged in connection with her case and police are not certain whether he was involved.

Source Information:
The Crime Library
The Charley Project
John Weckler's Website
The Doe Network: Case File 1727DFWI

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1727dfwi.html
 
My aunt is Georgia Jean's cousin. Her father Elmer and Georgia's dad George were brothers. She was 10 years old at the time and can remember it very well. In fact, we just had a lengthy discussion about this Monday night. Apparently, the local LE spent more time focusing on the family members than pursuing the mulitple leads about the 1937 Black Ford.
 
Bumping...Saturday, May 1st will be the 63rd anniversary of Georgia Jean's disappearance.
 
I agree with the family member of Georgia (John) that said Sennett was responsible.

After reading a great many articles that now have been uploaded to view for free. (If you see an article and it says it's a pay per view, there may be a tab under it that says "all related" click on that and make sure there aren't free ones to see as well).

Here is an article that I was able to track from articles that stated the blonde young man in the car to his identity as Stennett.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...pg=1454,5415890&dq=georgia-jean-weckler&hl=en

In the article above Stennett and his accomplice attacked 2 other girls, wounding one very seriously.

In Dec. 1947 Stennet confessed to kidnapping and killing Georgia. (he says she died from an OD of sleeping pills). He had already been convicted at that time (1947) of murdering a U of W co-ed.

1953
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...pg=5474,3975758&dq=georgia-jean-weckler&hl=en

What I find interesting is in the article above LE discounted his confession. However, back during the early days of Georgia being missing---LE searched his Mother and Father's home and it was stated in an article that they had found evidence to take him back in to reinterview him in that home about Georgia.

Here is a link for 64 articles on Georgia.

http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q="Georgia+Jean+Weckler"&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&btnG=Search+Archives

Please use the hint I gave you all above about clicking on related articles and you should be able to find much more if you are interested to read for free.
 

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