Identified! NY - Chester, BlkFem UP9786, 30-40, in woods, mugshot from NYC, Oct'70 - Evelyn Moore

NamUs UP # 9786



ME/C Case Number: FMSP 70-755
Orange County, New York
30 to 40 year old Black/African American Female

Date found October 18, 1970 16:30

Demographics

Estimated age Adult - Pre 40
Minimum age 30 years
Maximum age 40 years
Race Black/African American

Sex Female
Weight (pounds) 105, Estimated
Height (inches) 62, Estimated

Body conditions
Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Probable year of death 1970 to 1970
Estimated postmortem interval 4 Months

Location Found

Address State Route 94
City Chester
State New York
Zip code 10924
County Orange

Circumstances

A decomposed body of B/F found by hunters in a wooded area off of ST-94 in Town of Chester.

Clothing on body Black knee high socks, white sweat shirt.

Dental Status: Dental information / charting is available and entered

<MOD NOTE: Original link broken; edited to include current link and images as of October 9, 2022>

from March 2, 2016

[EXCLUSIVE] NYS police exhume remains; victim may be tied to ‘fake nun’ house

New York State Police from the Criminal Investigation Division and Forensic Identification Unit surrounded a small grave in Orange County
this week, performing a rare exhumation of a female homicide victim from 1970.

(snip)
there could be a connection between this unidentified victim—a black female of about 30--and 20-plus women who went missing from
a house at 222 Brooklyn Avenue in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

They were seduced into the household of a phony bishop, Devernon Legrand, who fathered up to 50 children with them and forced
the women to dress up as fake nuns and beg in the subways and at popular tourist spots.
(snip)

Those that didn’t make at least $100 a day were beaten. When they tried to run away, they were often kidnapped and
brought back. Witnesses said a number of women ended up being stomped to death.

Legrand was raking in $250,000 a year in the mid-70’s, when he was convicted of rape and murder.
(snip)

The victim’s decomposing remains were found in the woods off Route 94 North in Chester, a road that leads into
Sullivan County, New York, where Devernon Legrand owned a farm.

In the 1970’s, witnesses testified a number of female homicide victims were brought to the farm, after they’d been dismembered, and paint thinner
was used to burn the remains in a tub. The bones were then scattered in Lake Briscoe.

The unknown homicide victim died from a gunshot wound
It’s remarkable that police on October 19, 1970, were able to retrieve fingerprints, to begin with. Hunters who were in the woods of Chester found the victim.
“She had actually been laying on her hands,” Investigator Salomon said, “and parts of her hands still had skin left on them.

The prints were put into a state database in 1970, but it wasn’t until a new database was installed decades later that police got a break.

“Christmas Eve 2015, we got a hit. “We found a criminal record, a criminal history in New York City…..and Atlantic City.”
One 1960 arrest in New Jersey was for “contributing to the delinquency of a minor.” There was a 1967 drug arrest in Atlantic City.

“She used many aliases,” Investigator Salomon told us. “She used the name ‘Fanny Hill’…..the last name, Dixon, in one of her cases. A.C. Moore and Evelyn Moore.”

At some point, after DNA is retrieved from the bone fragments of the victim, police may ask now-adult children of women who vanished from 222 Brooklyn Avenue to provide DNA samples.

New York State Police have asked anyone who has information that could help the investigation to contact them at (845) 782-8311.

http://pix11.com/2016/03/02/exclusi...remains-victim-may-be-tied-to-fake-nun-house/

I never saw any rule outs, but I honestly thought that was a male.

I don't want to sound stupid. I may have just skimmed past it. But how do we know this is the lady in the mugshot(s)? Because of the fingerprints???

bflocket said:

I don't want to sound stupid. I may have just skimmed past it. But how do we know this is the lady in the mugshot(s)? Because of the fingerprints???

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That's how I understood it.

It seems she might have sense of humour. Her alias during one of the arrests - Fanny Hill - google came up with novel by 18th century English writer John Cleland - "Fanny Hill, a Memoir of a Woman of Pleasure" - first erotic novel and one of the most prosecuted and banned books in history.

Coincidentally, it was published once again in US in 1963 and of course was immediately banned. Publisher had guts, went to Supreme Court to challenge the ban
and the United States Supreme Court ruled in landmark decision in 1966 Memoirs v. Massachusetts that Fanny Hill did not meet the Roth standard for obscenity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Hill

That had to be huge news and surely widely publicized in newspapers at the time. With Jane Doe being once again arrested in 1967, just a year after Massachusetts Court ruling, it surely was interesting choice of alias.

Did it say what she was arrested for?

JayFletcher6493 said:

Did it say what she was arrested for?

Click to expand...

It mentions a drug arrest and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I'd hazard a guess that the Fanny Hill arrest was for prostitution.

There are only six black females missing before 10/18/70 that are entered in Namus:

http://tinyurl.com/hv3kgqc

There's nothing in Doe Network that makes any sense either.

Fresh in the news - Very interesting article and video. They know already so much about her (nickname A.C) and are getting closer to ID her.

December 6, 2016
New York State Police ask public’s help to ID ‘cross dressing’ woman shot to death in woods

HARLEM -- She was a woman who dressed like a man—with fancy suits, alligator shoes, and beaver hats.

Click to expand...

“She traveled in limousines down to Philadelphia and back with a driver,” Salomon told PIX11. “Our understanding, from a friend of hers, was she was involved in heroin sales.”

Click to expand...

A.C. was last seen being accosted by two, large women in the summer of 1970 in the parking lot of Saint Nicholas Houses.

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A.C. never came back.

Her bullet-riddled body was found in the woods of Chester, New York on Oct. 19, 1970.

Click to expand...

One of the names A.C. used as an alias was Shirlene Dixon—her friend from Saint Nicholas Houses.

A.C. had a crush on Shirlene.

Click to expand...

http://pix11.com/2016/12/06/new-yor...-cross-dressing-woman-shot-to-death-in-woods/

interesting story!

maybe she was from the south and ran away to the city? I imagine her being a "tomboy" but as she grew, she didn't want to "girly up" and was gossiped about in her small southern town and took to the road? being gay or trans was not accepted then

http://www.recordonline.com/news/20...ogy-lead-to-possible-id-of-1970-murder-victim

Some nice updates here, and a possible old census name - Elvin Moore. DNA comparison with her presumed brother to come.

I hope that something can come from this case! :rose::rose:

Fascinating article about this UID.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/06/...times&smtyp=cur&referer=http://m.facebook.com

In short, she has been identified as Evelyn Moore by relatives via her photograph, but DNA results are pending. She was born in South Carolina in the late 30s, and her family moved to Philadelphia later in her life. Evelyn later moved to New York City and ran narcotics. She was openly bisexual and dressed as a man. No one is certain how she came to her demise, but it likely had to do with her criminal proclivities.

Although I don't approve of Evelyn's vocation, I find her life absolutely fascinating. She made it a long way from South Carolina, and lived boldly and authentically as a bisexual woman long before it was accepted by society. I hope that the publicity from this article will bring more details about this unique individual.

So would Evelyn be put in the identifies area of Websleuths???

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we would need DNA results to come back first.

ghostINshell said:

So would Evelyn be put in the identifies area of Websleuths???

Click to expand...

Sent from my SM

cvaldez1975 said:

we would need DNA results to come back first.

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ghostINshell said:

So would Evelyn be put in the identifies area of Websleuths???

Sent from my SM

Click to expand...

Ah ok I'm kind of new to websleuths lols..

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But the family confirmed the picture to be her? We've had Identified! from less...

rats said:

But the family confirmed the picture to be her? We've had Identified! from less...

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It sounds like the authorities are waiting for DNA to make the official identification.

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identified! did more news come out officially?