MA MA - Elaine Kwiatkowski, 20, Marshfield, 29 May 1976

CarlK90245

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I saw this new no-photo NamUs casefile for a case dating back to 1976 that was added today.

Elaine Kwiatkowski
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/18246/0

Not only was there no photo, but also no information regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.

I did a little research to see if I could find a photo or any info on her. I couldn't find a photo, but I found this newspaper article from the 27-Oct-1976 edition of the Springfield Union (Springfield, MA). It looks like she was lost at sea in a boating accident.

ElaineKwiatkowskiNewsArticle.jpg


The body of her brother Daniel R Kwiatkowski was located.

Also missing are:
Dan Poirer (26) of Worcester MA
Jana Coonan (17) of Clearwater FL

I wonder if the bodies of Poirer or Coonan were ever located.

The article indicates that Elaine is from Leicester MA. But she is not in the 1974 Leicester HS yearbook.
 
Is there any way to find Daniel's obit? It might say were he graduated from, and then we can infer where Elaine graduated from.
 
Thanks, Carl! I noticed Elaine's listing on NamUs recently, but if she was lost at sea, it is not possible for her to be either of the 2 UIDs I thought that she might be, pending a better physical description.
 
You were probably thinking of the same UID's I was thinking of.

I started this thread in case someone spotted her as a possible to Woodlawn Jane Doe.

Here is another Jane Doe who was found the next day after Elaine went missing.

http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1842.html

But (1) I don't think Elaine's body could have drifted from Massachusetts to Virginia Beach in a single day, (2) this Jane Doe is too old, and (3) the fact that the body was "decapitated" is not consistent with Elaine's apparent circumstances of a boating accident.
 
You were probably thinking of the same UID's I was thinking of.

I started this thread in case someone spotted her as a possible to Woodlawn Jane Doe.

Here is another Jane Doe who was found the next day after Elaine went missing.

http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1842.html

But I don't think Elaine's body could have drifted from Massachusetts to Virginia Beach in a single day, and the fact that the body was "decapitated" is not consistent with Elaine's apparent circumstances of a boating accident.

Yes. In fact, it would be pretty difficult for a body to get from Massachusetts to Virginia Beach at all, in any amount of time. The Gulf Stream runs the opposite direction. It would be distantly possible with the right combination of storms, countercurrents, rip tides, etc. but it would take a quite a while.

Most fishing boats have propellers, so it's possible to be decapitated in an accident like that.
 
I was looking for info about Jana Coonan and your link came up. Jana is my husband’s sister. As the article said she and three others were presumed drowned in the accident in 1976. In Oct. of that year Danny Kiwatkowski and a head with one tooth were found. What I know as of June 2013. The head was listed as a Jana Doe and was to be cremated. In Oct of 2012 a head was sent to the Boston Tribune and they contacted the police. They connected the head to the 1976 boating accident and contacted Danny’s family to do a DNA test. They gave the police our info. After the accident Danny’ Mother married my husband’s Father. They did a DNA test from both families. It is Jana Coonan. As I said before her remains were to be cremated. After they signed to do this her remains went missing. The coroner’s office did not know this till they showed up at the Newspaper. We were told the person who signed for the cremation is now dead. They do not know who sent her remains to the newspaper. My husband was 11 when this all happened in 1976 so we would like to get more info. We are looking for any articles about the accident and Jana’s head showing up at the newspaper. We also want to get the official records. If you have any help or ideas about how to do this please let us know. Still have questions. What a strange thing to happen.
 
I was looking for info about Jana Coonan and your link came up. Jana is my husband’s sister. As the article said she and three others were presumed drowned in the accident in 1976. In Oct. of that year Danny Kiwatkowski and a head with one tooth were found. What I know as of June 2013. The head was listed as a Jana Doe and was to be cremated. In Oct of 2012 a head was sent to the Boston Tribune and they contacted the police. They connected the head to the 1976 boating accident and contacted Danny’s family to do a DNA test. They gave the police our info. After the accident Danny’ Mother married my husband’s Father. They did a DNA test from both families. It is Jana Coonan. As I said before her remains were to be cremated. After they signed to do this her remains went missing. The coroner’s office did not know this till they showed up at the Newspaper. We were told the person who signed for the cremation is now dead. They do not know who sent her remains to the newspaper. My husband was 11 when this all happened in 1976 so we would like to get more info. We are looking for any articles about the accident and Jana’s head showing up at the newspaper. We also want to get the official records. If you have any help or ideas about how to do this please let us know. Still have questions. What a strange thing to happen.

Oh, dear-that's terrible! I hope you get the answers that you are looking for.
 
Here are the long-sought photos of Elaine Kwiatkowski, and her BF Daniel Richard Poirier from the story which hmg linked to.

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  • Elaine Kwiatkowski.jpg
    Elaine Kwiatkowski.jpg
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  • Daniel Richard Poirier.jpg
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Something I consider odd is that there is no hair or eye color added into her NamUs page. Did her family not remember? Did whoever put the information into NamUs slip up and didn't notice? Very peculiar, IMHO.
 
Elaine Kwiatkowski UID rule-outs as of 11/17/18 per NamUs.

Listed by NamUs number, Date found, and State.

UP5556, 30 May 1976, Virginia
UP6249, 14 November 1980, Virginia
UP8579, 25 January 1981, Virginia
UP3153,19 April 1981, Illinois
UP6796, 18 November 1985, Virginia
UP6642, 7 August 1986, Virginia
UP6629, 3 February 1991, Virginia
UP8493, 6 December 1993, Virginia
UP8419, 16 January 2001, Virginia
UP12683, 6 June 2014, Virginia
 
I saw this new no-photo NamUs casefile for a case dating back to 1976 that was added today.

Elaine Kwiatkowski
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Not only was there no photo, but also no information regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.

I did a little research to see if I could find a photo or any info on her. I couldn't find a photo, but I found this newspaper article from the 27-Oct-1976 edition of the Springfield Union (Springfield, MA). It looks like she was lost at sea in a boating accident.

ElaineKwiatkowskiNewsArticle.jpg


The body of her brother Daniel R Kwiatkowski was located.

Also missing are:
Dan Poirer (26) of Worcester MA
Jana Coonan (17) of Clearwater FL

I wonder if the bodies of Poirer or Coonan were ever located.

The article indicates that Elaine is from Leicester MA. But she is not in the 1974 Leicester HS yearbook.


Just a thought, if you’ve already looked into this just forget my suggestion. Check the yearbooks for 1973 and for 1975. A lot of times at the end of the year book they show the underclassmen with their names so if she was a junior in 1974 it might shower as an underclassman.
 

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