UK UK - West Midlands, Female 316UFUK, 17-21, unusual skull, likely from 1950s, May'06

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases-uk/316ufuk.html


Unidentified Female

• The victim was discovered in May 2006 in West Midlands, United Kingdom
• Estimated Date of Death: Many years ago, possibly during the 1950s
• Skull only

Vital Statistics

• Estimated age: 17-21 years old
• Distinguishing Characteristics: The skull indicates that this person's face shape may have been slightly unusual, with her most prominent feature being protruding teeth.

Case History
The victim was located in West Midlands, UK in May 2006.

I wondering is this Jane Doe had Down's syndrome? What do others think?

This missing person was from the same area, I think, however I am not savvy on the nomenclature of towns, counties, etc. in the UK. she went missing in 1968.


Maria Bernadette Aldridge
Missing since February 29, 1968 from Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
Classification: Endangered Runaway

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: October 2, 1950
Age at Time of Disappearance: 17 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5" (165 cm)
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Light brown short wavy hair; brown eyes. Medium build. She wore glasses.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Maria, who was a student nurse at Dudley Road Hospital in Birmingham, went missing in 1968.

She was last seen sometime between February and June 1968. It was assumed at the time she had just run away from the Old Hulme nurses training centre which is where she lived whilst working at the hospital, which is now known as City Hospital.

Maria lived in Kidderminster with her family before she moved to Birmingham to work. No trace of her has previously been found. But the case was reopened in 2009 when a letter from Maria to her mother was discovered, which was dated 28 February 1968. The letter discussed her life in Birmingham and mentioned several friends including “Sue” and “Evelyn”, who police believe may also have been cadet nurses.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

West Midlands Police
0845-113 5000


http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1352dfuk.html

I found a news article on this and as of November 2010, they still had no leads:

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/...e-skull-find-remains-a-riddle-97319-27634685/

From the Archives: Macabre skull find remains a riddle

THE grisly discovery of a skull in a Birmingham skip four-and-a-half years ago prompted West Midlands Police to bring in experts from all over the country.

But after intensive forensic investigations, an artist’s impression and a trawl through the National Missing Persons Bureau, the identity of the skull remained a mystery.

Discovered on Oxford Road, Acocks Green, on May 25 2006 by a man clearing rubble from the garden of his home, the skull was thought to belong to a teenage girl.

Dry and clean when found, police believed the skull had not been buried and could have been originally found and dumped by somebody in a panic.

In a bid to solve the macabre mystery, a DNA sample was obtained and carbon dating by experts at Oxford University was carried out.However the tests only led to more questions.

The genetic ‘fingerprint’ taken drew a blank with the missing persons database and it was revealed whoever the skull belonged to had been alive during the 1950s. Detectives attempting to solve the riddle at the time also said there were no trauma marks on the skull indicating a murder.

And they also ruled out connections to high-profile missing persons cases from the time, including that of Nicola Payne, the teenager who went missing in Coventry in December 1991.

Leading the investigation four years ago, Det Chief Insp Sally Holmes attempted to discover the identity of the skull for months.

At the time she said: “There is no evidence this is a murder enquiry. The skull has been thoroughly examined and there is nothing to suggest any trauma.

“The university said that whoever the skull belonged to would have been alive in the 1950s, which obviously makes it more imperative that someone comes forward and assists in the investigation.

“It is not impossible that somebody who was alive in the 1950s may remember them.” After months of investigations the skull was submitted to Dr Caroline Wilkinson, of the University of Dundee, a specialist in forensic anthropology, to create an image of how the woman would have looked.

Although unable to determine hair or eye colour the teeth were said to be “goofy”

But despite the DNA profile, reconstruction and several appeals to the public nobody ever came forward to name the owner of the skull. Her identity remains a mystery to this day.

Here's the facial reconstruction in case the news article disappears into the memory hole.

I wonder if they have checked in with Norfolk police to see if there is a connection with this case from 1974? The age estimates are not far off and if she was indeed in her twenties would have been alive in the 1950's.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/crimewatch/appeals/2008/09/norfolk_headless_body.shtml

The police involved seem to think they may be some connection to Scotland and if so anyone travelling from Norfolk to Scotland would go through the Midlands to get there. I'm local to where the unidenfied lady was found and have always hoped that she would one day be given her name back.

Anybody think it's worth a call to check they have tried a match or would it be automatically checked in the system?

Wouldn't hurt to give them a call YooKay

I've sent an email to the the Norfolk Cold Case team and will post again with any reply I receive.

Not sure if the unidentified lady found in Cockley Cley, Norfolk has a thread of her own, will go and have a search.

was the lead for maria aldridge submitted ? she looks alot like the reconstruction age fits , circumstances fit

http://www.missingpeople.org.uk/maryflanagan



Age at disappearance: 16
Missing Since: 31-Dec-1959
Missing from: Newham
Mary disappeared on New Year s Eve, 1959 when she was sixteen years old. Although her family has continued relentlessly to search for Mary over the years, her whereabouts remain a complete mystery. In 1959 Mary was living in Newham, East London with her family. She was working as an assistant for a local firm. On the day she disappeared, Mary over slept but said she would go to work that afternoon. She left home at lunchtime. This was the last time she was seen. When Mary s family contacted her employer, they found out she had not been to work for two weeks, despite leaving the house each morning as normal. Mary's family, especially her younger sister Brenda, think of her all the time and would dearly love to hear from her. The eldest of four children, in 1959 Mary had brown wavy hair, hazel eyes and an olive complexion.

This is mary flanagans photo

Bumping

I could no longer see this case in DoeNetwork, but nor could I find it in their resolved list (or maybe my search abilities aren't very good!) Maybe identified?

iamshadow21 said:

The Doe Network: 316UFUK

Click to expand...

That seemed to be the archived case link. When I did a search on the current site for UIDs in the UK this one did not appear. Anyway, glad someone other than me is awake at this time and casting another set of eyes over the record

Melt71 said:

That seemed to be the archived case link. When I did a search on the current site for UIDs in the UK this one did not appear. Anyway, glad someone other than me is awake at this time and casting another set of eyes over the record

Click to expand...

Okay, cool. I didn't know if the old link was just broken, I know that happens sometimes when sites update.

I'm awake because I'm Australian, and it's only two pm right now. But that's not to say I'm NOT up at three am on the regular.

iamshadow21 said:

I'm awake because I'm Australian,....

Click to expand...

Me too