CANADA Canada - Mabel Crumback, 19, Toronto ON, 28 May 1950

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Mabel Crumback
Missing since May 28, 1950 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: 1931
Age at Time of Disappearance: 19 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'1"
Distinguishing Characteristics: Dark hair and a fair complexion.
Clothing: A red and black plaid shirt, a navy blue pleated skirt, black suede pumps, but no hat or coat.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Crumback was last seen at her home in Toronto on May 28, 1950. The last person to see the girl was Jim Bryan, who told police he left the home at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. When he returned the next day for dinner, she was missing. Her younger brother, Garry said he woke up Sunday morning to find his sister missing. He told his neighbours who told the police. According to Gary, he woke at about 2 a.m. to hear what he thought was the dog barking and the sounds of Mabel's voice mixed in with the voices of men.

There were 2 doors to the house, Willard Avenue and a door facing towards St. John Road. The Willard Avenue door was found unlocked and the St. John Road door was also unlocked but open. Neighbours walking past the Crumback home at about 2 a.m. said they heard some loud noises coming from the residence. The lights in Mabel's room and the kitchen were on and the side door was open.

An investigation would reveal that Mabel's bed had been slept in that night. Crumback's parents had been to Detroit, USA over the weekend.

The girl's father told police the girl didn't have any money or a key to the house. Mabel's purse was found in her room with her money still in it.

Her pyjama bottoms were found neatly folded under her pillow but her pyjama top was never found.

Mabel was employed in the office of the Eastern Steel Co. She was religious and attended the St. John's Baptist Church. At church she sang in the choir and was active in the church's social functions.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Toronto Police Service 416-808-2222

Source:
The Doe Network: Case File 906DFON

Link:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/906dfon.html
 
Sorry, don't know a thing about it, but maybe I'll research it in the newspaper archives one of these days.
This must be the house, on the southeast corner of St. Johns Rd. and Willard Ave.:
Noname-14.jpg
 
Here's an interesting article from The Montreal Gazette June 13, 1950:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19500613&id=xS8rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZZkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7179,6092866

A girl who may be Mabel Crumback, missing Toronto area bookeeper, was seen today in this district..

{snip}

Police in Western Ontario have been watching for Miss Crumback since Friday night, when the wife of a tourist-camp operator reported seeing a girl resembling her at Ancaster, near Hamilton. The woman, Mrs. Wesley Jenne said a girl stopped at her camp for an hour with a man with a harelip. The girl told her the man was holding her prisoner and had forced her to bleach her dark hair blonde.
 
Ottawa Citizen - May 1, 1953 Talking Horse Provides New Hope

Ottawa Citizen - February 14, 1956 Diggers Fail to Find Body

This article from the Toronto Star (Aug 16, 2004) says that there was a note left beside the kitchen sink that read "Jimmy come on in." I don't have access to the full article, but it's talking about a skull that was found that later turned out to be an aboriginal man, not related to Mabel's case.
 
Her pyjama bottoms were found neatly folded under her pillow but her pyjama top was never found.
I find this really odd. I can understand someone taking Mabel and forcing her to undress; but if her pj pants were neatly folded, that would imply she had removed them herself, in a leisurely unthreatened fashion. It would suggest that she was suddenly interrupted perhaps while changing clothes in the morning, but then, the rest of the article suggests that Mabel disappeared somewhere during the night. Hmm.

The girl's father told police the girl didn't have any money or a key to the house. Mabel's purse was found in her room with her money still in it.
This also stood out for me. If Dad said she didn't have any money, why would the next line say she had a purse with money in it? Perhaps he actually meant that Mabel didn't have any significant amount of money, i.e. enough to run away with or that someone would want to steal. But then, the article goes on to state that Mabel was employed. So presumably she was earning a salary which she was able save as needed. Again, hmm.
 
I find this really odd. I can understand someone taking Mabel and forcing her to undress; but if her pj pants were neatly folded, that would imply she had removed them herself, in a leisurely unthreatened fashion. It would suggest that she was suddenly interrupted perhaps while changing clothes in the morning, but then, the rest of the article suggests that Mabel disappeared somewhere during the night. Hmm.


This also stood out for me. If Dad said she didn't have any money, why would the next line say she had a purse with money in it? Perhaps he actually meant that Mabel didn't have any significant amount of money, i.e. enough to run away with or that someone would want to steal. But then, the article goes on to state that Mabel was employed. So presumably she was earning a salary which she was able save as needed. Again, hmm.

I assume he meant a significant amount of money. It sounds very strange to me that a young person who had a job would have no money, at least a few cents. He may have meant money that someone could feasibly use to get away or that another person may be after. There could have been a house rule where she had to hand over her money to her parents or they could know that she had no available money somehow (a passing remark about being broke for that month or not having gone to the bank). The money in her purse could have been just spare change.

I find her lack of a house key more puzzling.

This case really reminds me of the case of Elizabeth Smart. She disappeared from her own home, nothing else was taken, even the door things sounded vaguely similar. What struck a chord was that article about her asking a woman for help and claiming that she was abducted and forced to dye her hair. The article mentions that the woman confirmed it was Mabel after being shown a picture but her mother says that it wasn't like her to be smoking and looking drunk or drugged. However, it sounds plausible to me if her captor intentionally drugged her, in Elizabeth Smart's case her abductor forced her to drink and have her cigarettes.
 
I find this really odd. I can understand someone taking Mabel and forcing her to undress; but if her pj pants were neatly folded, that would imply she had removed them herself, in a leisurely unthreatened fashion. It would suggest that she was suddenly interrupted perhaps while changing clothes in the morning, but then, the rest of the article suggests that Mabel disappeared somewhere during the night. Hmm.

I interpreted this differently......as Mabel being surprised while in the process of putting *on* her pajamas. Perhaps by someone laying in wait for her in a closet? I'd be curious to know if a partial change of clothes was also found in her room?

Though honestly, a partial change of clothes being found in a typical teenage girls room wouldn't be an indication of anything except that a teenage girl lived there. :/
 
I wonder whatever became of her brother Gary? Not that I suspect he's involved, but am curious.....

I found him in what seems to be a Canadian phonebook. At least I think it's him or maybe a younger relative; he's in the same area and is the only person with that name that I can find in Canada. I can PM you the link.

I've been thinking about this case. Does anyone know if the lead about the girl in the tourist camp was ever followed? Because of her mother's dismissal that her daughter wouldn't look drugged, they may have discarded it but it doesn't sound too far off to me. Like I said, it reminds me of the case of Elizabeth Smart -- I don't think they're connected but I'm trying to say is that it would not be impossible for an abductor to drug the person he had kidnapped. :twocents: Also, what is a tourist camp? Is it like a camp site? If so, I wonder if they were staying there and if there was any record of an alias or something.

I have been thinking about the clothes on her bed. I think a possible scenario could be: Mabel is waiting for friends or hear noises, either way, she decides to go talk to the "visitors". She swaps her pyjama bottoms with jeans, but doesn't bother with the pyjama top because of time or because it doesn't look so weird, maybe even throws on a coat on top of it.
 
This also stood out for me. If Dad said she didn't have any money, why would the next line say she had a purse with money in it? Perhaps he actually meant that Mabel didn't have any significant amount of money, i.e. enough to run away with or that someone would want to steal. But then, the article goes on to state that Mabel was employed. So presumably she was earning a salary which she was able save as needed. Again, hmm.



I also found the wording odd, but took it to mean, perhaps, that Mabel didn't have any money BECAUSE she left her purse with her money in it at home.
 
The following is taken from an official Ontario Missing Person website. There is a photo of Mabel included.
------------------------

Name : CRUMBACK, Mabel
Case : ON-MF-1950-05-01093

Date Of Disappearance : 28 May 1950
Location Of Disappearance : Toronto, Ontario
Age At Disappearance : 19 years
Height (estimate) : 155 cm (5'1")
Weight (estimate) : Unknown
Hair Colour : Other
- dark hair
Eye Colour : Unknown
Gender : Female
Race : Caucasian


Dental Information : Unknown

Medical Information : Unknown

Notable Identifiers : Complexion - fair


Clothing/Jewelry : Shirt - red and black plaid shirt
Skirt - navy blue pleated skirt
Shoes - black suede pumps

Other Personal Items : Unknown


Additional Information : The last known sighting of Mabel was at her home at 12:30 a.m. on May 28, 1950. Gary, Mabel's brother, had woken up at about 2:00 a.m. to the sound of his barking dog and the voices of Mabel and some men. When Gary checked for his sister on Sunday morning, he found that she was missing.

During their investigation, police spoke with neighbours who were walking past the Crumback home around 2:00 a.m. These witnesses reported hearing loud noises coming from the house. The lights were on both in Mabel's room and in the kitchen. The side door was open.

According to police, the Crumback home had two entrances - one facing Willard Avenue and the second facing St. John Road. While both doors were unlocked, the door facing St. John Road was left open.

Police discovered Mabel's purse in her room containing money. There was also evidence that Mabel's bed had been slept in. Her pajama bottoms were folded neatly under her pillow. Her pajama top has never been located.

At the time of her disappearance, Mabel was employed by the Eastern Steel Co. She was religious and attended the St. John's Baptist Church. She sang in the church choir and was active in the social functions at the church.


Contact : Toronto Police Service
416-808-2222
OR
Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)


Source Links : Doe Network Case File 906DFON

Source:
Ontario's Missing Adult Registry

LINK:

http://www.missingadults.ca/viewMAc...rldnhvqwgyhwqo&&StartAt=0&EndAt=264&CurCase=1
 

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