NY NY - Alice Parsons: Heiress, Long Island, 1937

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Wait a minute, no body. They can't test a body damn it. She started getting sick, right? That's when the housekeeper came into the home to help take care of the sick wife. I remember reading something about a case similar. Hold on one second. Too bad we do not have a body to comfirm.

Some nasty side effects from chloroform include nausea, vomiting, liver and kidney damage from metabolism of chloroform to other nasty substances. It can give you terrible headaches, like those of someone who gets migraines, and can make you feel disoriented and dizzy, tired most of the time, and can even make your limbs shake. And if you breathe too much chloroform and not enough oxygen, or if your breathing slows down too much and you don't get rid of enough carbon dioxide or get enough oxygen, then you could very well die from it.
 
If they kept Alice sick in order for the housekeeper to come into the home, and than one day went a little too far...
 
My seemingly never-ending research on Alice Parsons has turned up some info I wanted to post here.

I have long wondered if William Parsons (Alice's husband) had any prior involvement with Anna Kuprianova, the Russian housekeeper. It was difficult to determine how she came to be in the employ of the Parsons - one source said she was referred by the NY YWCA, another says she met the Parsons at a party. After exhaustive research, I have learned that Anna Kuprianova worked for Mary Parsons, William's sister, prior to working for William and Alice. William and his sister were very close, and I find it impossible to believe that he and Anna didn't cross paths a few times before she began working for them. Whether or not they began an affair early on, we'll probably will never know.

Another interesting point - in 1961, a note was received by the Stony Brook police with directions to Alice's burial site, located not far from her home. Although a body was never found, I think the timing of this note is interesting - William Parsons, her husband, died from Parkinsons disease just a few months after that. I wonder if his conscience got the better of him, leading him to write the note.

One final tidbit - I have uncovered a newspaper article stating that the handwriting on the ransom notes was identified, but I can't find a follow up identifying the person. However, a few days later Alice's brothers insisted that Anna Kuprianova leave the Parsons estate for "unspecified reasons." I definitely plan to delve into that further.
 
Marilynilpa said:
My seemingly never-ending research on Alice Parsons has turned up some info I wanted to post here.

I have long wondered if William Parsons (Alice's husband) had any prior involvement with Anna Kuprianova, the Russian housekeeper. It was difficult to determine how she came to be in the employ of the Parsons - one source said she was referred by the NY YWCA, another says she met the Parsons at a party. After exhaustive research, I have learned that Anna Kuprianova worked for Mary Parsons, William's sister, prior to working for William and Alice. William and his sister were very close, and I find it impossible to believe that he and Anna didn't cross paths a few times before she began working for them. Whether or not they began an affair early on, we'll probably will never know.

Another interesting point - in 1961, a note was received by the Stony Brook police with directions to Alice's burial site, located not far from her home. Although a body was never found, I think the timing of this note is interesting - William Parsons, her husband, died from Parkinsons disease just a few months after that. I wonder if his conscience got the better of him, leading him to write the note.

One final tidbit - I have uncovered a newspaper article stating that the handwriting on the ransom notes was identified, but I can't find a follow up identifying the person. However, a few days later Alice's brothers insisted that Anna Kuprianova leave the Parsons estate for "unspecified reasons." I definitely plan to delve into that further.
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Very interesting about the note in 1961. You've done some exhaustive research on this case and have come up with some good tidbits. I hope you still plan to publish a book about the case. Thanks for the update.
 
Very Interesting. Nice Research Marilyn. I have never been very good at researching things so I really admire that ability in other people. Just out of curiousity how were able to find out about the letter and the fact that Anna worked for Williams sister previously.

Do you think it is possible Alice was aware William and Anna were involved and allowed it to happen? Some women will do anything if they think it will make their husbands happy so out of loyalty and fear he would divorce her she let the affair happen and kept quiet....?
It is possible that Anna killed Alice without Williams help and William covered for her.
Without a doubt I am sure one or both of them were involved.

It is definitely not a good sign that they married so soon after Alice's disappearence but it does happen. My ex-boyfriend's best friend committed suicide at the age of 20 in the house he shared with his girlfrined. Two yrs later my ex-bf and the 'widow' were married with a baby on the way.....

Back o/t - Marilyn do you happen to have any pictures of Alice, Anna and/or Willam? Is Roy still alive today?
 
My first thought was that the housekeeper acted alone, but of course could be wrong! It seems that if the husband was involved then they both could have been witnesses to seeing her go off somewhere and also if he wanted her dead, it would be much easier to arrange some kind of accident, then no waiting to have her declared dead etc. A missing person just drags things on for so long.
Imo the housekeeper was totally fixated on becoming a member of the family and by this time she may well have been sleeping with the husband, how many business partners/housekeepers change their last name to match?
Housekeeper already knew how her employer wanted to adopt her child so she knew she had a foot in the door, now if only she could get rid of the wife! Also, very odd how she received the letters later and not the husband.
Divorces back then were not common but not sure if that would be a reason for murder, he came from money, would his family turn their back on him if he was to divorce? He later married a woman who had been married and divorced several times so I'm thinking that wasn't a problem.
The bottle of chloraphorm is puzzling, could the housekeeper have asked him to get it and he did not realizing what it was intended for? Had there ever been other bottles bought or was this a 1 time thing? In the recording the police had where she told him she'd gotten rid of it, he may have been questioning it himself, also if it had been used to get rid of her, why in the world would a person then leave it sitting out?

Also, the trip the husband went on, if it's true the housekeeper set this up, then more reason to suspect the housekeeper and think the husband was some schmuck who was being totally manipulated. It's hard to understand what kind of man this was, was he easily led around?
If I was a evildoer housekeeper who lusted after the husband, wouldn't there have been easier ways to get rid of the wife? A simple push down the basement stairs so her neck could be broken, then say she tripped should seem to do it, why fabricate a whole kidnapping story?


The son could have a wealth of information, little children see and hear so much!! It would be interesting how well he got along with his mother in later years. If he's no longer living, perhaps he had children/wife who could give some information.

VB
 
gaia227 said:
Back o/t - Marilyn do you happen to have any pictures of Alice, Anna and/or Willam? Is Roy still alive today?
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I have some newspaper photos of Alice, Anna, William and Roy, but the quality is very poor. I also have a copy of Alice's passport photo taken in 1921, but it's dark and hard to make out her features. I have seen her referred to as being "remarkably" similar to Mrs. Charles Lindburgh, if that is any help.

Regarding Roy, I have not had any luck tracking him down. I don't know if he kept the name Parsons as he got older, or if he's going by Kuprianova, or Cooper (another name Anna used).

Regarding how I found out about Anna working for Mary Parsons, and the letter, it was in an article I located on Newspaperachives (thanks, Cambria:wave:). In fact, researching through old papers and searching Ancestry.com is how I get at least 90% of my info.

As to your other questions, I tend to believe Anna killed Alice while he was away, and he later covered up for her. How much later, though, I don't know. He truly appeared to be worried about Alice's safety when she first vanished, and photos of him show him looking pretty haggard. But who knows, it might have all been an act.

I have wondered if Alice knew that Anna and William were having an affair. She was a quiet person, married at age 25 to a man 10 years her senior, with no mother and a father she seldom saw. She may very well have wanted to please William and just looked the other way.
 
See...this is why I could never by an investigator. I didn't even finish reading the story and already said that "He and She did it". Case closed.

That's why it's best I make my living painting.

Oh, and I bet that kid has stories to tell.
 
Marilynilpa said:
Regarding Roy, I have not had any luck tracking him down. I don't know if he kept the name Parsons as he got older, or if he's going by Kuprianova, or Cooper (another name Anna used).

A 1944 article in the San Antonio Light states that Roy, then 19, had been drafted into the Navy. A search of WW2 or veterans' records might help you locate further info on him.

Anna seems to be quite the con woman-- She claimed to be a "countess", and that her husband (Roy's father) was a captain in the Russian military, and a member of the "Czar's court". He met his death in the Russian Revolution. In truth, he worked in a match factory in New York, and was very much alive at the time of Alice's disappearance. He stated he divorced Anna in 1925 (also listed in other articles as 1928) and was not Roy's father. According to the same San Antonio article, Roy's birth name was "Sonirsomi", and the father listed as "Han Roy Sonirsomi" (possibly "Sonirsoml").
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shadowangel said:
Marilynilpa said:
A 1944 article in the San Antonio Light states that Roy, then 19, had been drafted into the Navy. A search of WW2 or veterans' records might help you locate further info on him.

Anna seems to be quite the con woman-- She claimed to be a "countess", and that her husband (Roy's father) was a captain in the Russian military, and a member of the "Czar's court". He met his death in the Russian Revolution. In truth, he worked in a match factory in New York, and was very much alive at the time of Alice's disappearance. He stated he divorced Anna in 1925 (also listed in other articles as 1928) and was not Roy's father. According to the same San Antonio article, Roy's birth name was "Sonirsomi", and the father listed as "Han Roy Sonirsomi" (possibly "Sonirsoml").
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You are right about Anna's husband, who's name was Alex Kuprianov or Kuprianoff. Both she and Alex were questioned about Alice's murder. Alex claimed not to have even know Anna lived in the area when the murder took place.

When Anna first came to the U.S., she and Alex ran a rooming house together (I think it may have been in Cleveland) before she moved to NY.

Roy's father was an Indian student who was supposedly killed in a car crash in England shortly after Roy's birth.

Speaking of Roy, I have unfortunately learned that he passed away in 2007. However, I have spoken to his widow who has agreed to speak to me about what she knows, which appears to be quite a bit. I'll post whatever new info I find.
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Fascinating reading, this.

I do have one question: one post says W. Parsons died in 1969 of Parkinsons, then in another, re: the letter about Alice's body, it says the letter was received in 1961 and Parsons died a few months later? Can you clarify when he died?

My first guess is that Anna and William had an affair and conspired together to get rid of Alice. William might have had some regret afterward, who knows? I am going to guess Anna was the instigator, though. It's possible she came up with a plan to worm her way into William's life when she first met him and before she ever went to work there.
 
I just found this thread. All I can say is WOW! I'm very interested in this especially since it's very close to home (I'm from Long Island). I will definitely be looking out for you book!
 
reportertype said:
Fascinating reading, this.

I do have one question: one post says W. Parsons died in 1969 of Parkinsons, then in another, re: the letter about Alice's body, it says the letter was received in 1961 and Parsons died a few months later? Can you clarify when he died?

My first guess is that Anna and William had an affair and conspired together to get rid of Alice. William might have had some regret afterward, who knows? I am going to guess Anna was the instigator, though. It's possible she came up with a plan to worm her way into William's life when she first met him and before she ever went to work there.
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William died in 1962 in California.

I agree that Anna was the instigator, and I am still uncertain as to when William became involved. I feel like at first he may really have thought Alice was missing, then later learned from Anna what had actually happened.

Now that I know Anna had worked for William's sister, I think Anna had a plan in mind all along to replace Alice in William's life whether he knew it or not!
 
scout35 said:
I just found this thread. All I can say is WOW! I'm very interested in this especially since it's very close to home (I'm from Long Island). I will definitely be looking out for you book!
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I'm glad others are interested in this also. I'm hoping that next week I'll have even more new info to post.
 
Okay, fellow Websleuthers, I can use your help. My research on Alice Parsons' disappearance is drawing to a close, and my book writing has begun. But I still can't make up my mind about Wiliam Parsons, Alice's husband. I feel that at some point, he HAD to know that Anna Kuprianova killed Alice. Did he know it from the beginning, possibly even helped plan it? Or did he find out later, after the police began searching for Alice?

I would love your input as to what you think he knew, and when he knew it.

Thanks!

P.S. The Suffolk County Police believe that Alice's body was burned in the furnace located in the basement of her house. Anna was the only one at home at the time this could have happened, which is why I am positive she was the killer.
 
Marilynilpa said:
Okay, fellow Websleuthers, I can use your help. My research on Alice Parsons' disappearance is drawing to a close, and my book writing has begun. But I still can't make up my mind about Wiliam Parsons, Alice's husband. I feel that at some point, he HAD to know that Anna Kuprianova killed Alice. Did he know it from the beginning, possibly even helped plan it? Or did he find out later, after the police began searching for Alice?

I would love your input as to what you think he knew, and when he knew it.

Thanks!

P.S. The Suffolk County Police believe that Alice's body was burned in the furnace located in the basement of her house. Anna was the only one at home at the time this could have happened, which is why I am positive she was the killer.
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From what I remember reading about this case, I think William had to have been in on it. Even if Anna was alone when they think Alice's body could have been burned in the furnace, I just don't see Anna being totally responsible by herself, especially since she and Wm. were married later. IF Alice Parsons was put in the furnace, he could have made sure he wasn't around at that time to throw suspicion off of him. But I just can't help feel he was involved on some level.
 
Okay I have some ideas on this case.

Here is what I think happened:::

Okay we already know the reason that Anna came into their service in the first place was that Alice was sick. Back than when people got sick it often came back over and over and became an ongoing problem.

So Anna moves in. I think Anna probably knew William before she ever moved in. I think he probably traveled all the time. It didn't seem odd to anyone that Alice would drive William to the train station. If he traveled a lot, he probably met Anna on one of those trips and the two of them had erm "Relations", if you will.

So Anna's son was probably William's son too.

I think maybe there was some sort of threat involved by Anna. Hire me or I will tell your wife and you will be disgraced. Perhaps he told the truth to Alice's sister and begged her to give Anna a good recomendation. Nowaday, that would be unheard of, the sister would tell her sister and the two would get a good lawyer and sue the pants off the man. However, back than it was different. Alice had money, a good name, was an heiress to a sizable fortune. And Alice's sister would want to protect her sister's honor. Therefore she might do it for William if begged to.

If Anna was in love with William, (which clearly she was), she may have asked him to leave his wife, and had he said no, she might have decided to either kill Alice, or have friends kidnap Alice and hold her for ransom. Perhaps the plan was to have her ex husband, (the one who was consider a point of interest), steal Alice and demand money. She would think, once they got the money she and her ex would run away together with the money or perhaps the plan was for the two of them to split the money, and she would run off with her son. The two of them could start over again and have enough to money to start a new life.

Once it backfired and Alice died before they found the note, (remember it took them a while to find that note and had it been found sooner, Alice may have survived long enough to get back home safetly), they couldn't extract money for a dead body. The plan would only have worked had they gotten Alice safetly back home.

That is one theory.

The other is that Anna was told no by William and she lost it and when Alice got back from driving William to the train station, she killed Alice. I think this is likely. It would have been difficult I think for Anna to drag a dead body and bury it by herself, and it takes a VERY smart woman to think about leaving a note for ransom and sending more notes explaining that Alice died of illness, etc. She would have had to have been VERY crafty or had a partner to help. And I think it was more a ransom plot by Anna.

Of course now with Anna out of the way William would have been lonely, etc and than he probably decided to make a family with Anna and his son.

Just some thoughts.
 
Oh my Gosh!!!!!!!! Okay hear me out for a second....

Let's recap this last statement

From what I remember reading about this case, I think William had to have been in on it. Even if Anna was alone when they think Alice's body could have been burned in the furnace, I just don't see Anna being totally responsible by herself, especially since she and Wm. were married later. IF Alice Parsons was put in the furnace, he could have made sure he wasn't around at that time to throw suspicion off of him. But I just can't help feel he was involved on some level.
*******
What if.... Just what if.... What IF Alice Parsons died that day of natural causes? And Anna decided to throw her body in the furnace and try to extract money from William Parsons? What if she thought that William would never marry her even with his wife dead? So instead she figured to use this as an opportunity to make some money? Burn the body in the furnace, make up a story about Alice going with some strange people, and leave a note for ransom in the car?
 
Laura Bean, you made some interesting points. I thought I'd clarify a little.

1. Anna's son Roy was born before she came to the U.S. from Russia, so there's no possibility of him being William's son.

2. William did not travel much. He was "retired", from what I have no idea since he never seemed to hold down much of a job. He inherited family money, so he was pretty much a man of leisure.

The timing of William's visit to NYC is suspicious to me. I see it as a way to provide William with a good alibi. Whether that was done with his knowledge or not, I still cannot decide.

Anna was a very crafty woman. Her daughter-in-law described Anna as "an easy person to dislike." I can imagine Anna planning out Alice's murder, arranging for Bill Parsons to be in NYC that day, coming up with the "mysterious couple in a car" story to explain where Alice went, etc.

From what I can tell about Bill's reactions when Alice was first missing, it seems like he was genuinely concerned, but was it for Alice or for himself and/or Anna? He told the press at one point that he "was in a jam," which is an usual way for a husband to express his concern over his missing wife.

I think Anna killed Alice without William's knowledge, told him about it either when he got home or shortly thereafter, and the rest of the time the two of them worked together regarding the ransom notes, etc. Only Anna and William identified a piece of jewelry included with a ransom note as being Alice's - Alice's family says they'd never seen that piece before.

As for Anna's son, Roy - his widow told me that Roy never liked going down to the basement of Alice's house, but would never say why. I think it may be because he suspected (or may have known) what happened there.

Just some food for thought . . . any comments?
 
Marilynpa: This is a fascinating case and I, too, would love to read your book.

It seems to me that people this wealthy would have at least someone who worked on the estate as a hired hand. I can't imagine William and Alice out feeding, killing and cleaning squab (although they may have, done so.) If someone was working on the estate, I can't imagine they would not notice a car come up. 11 - 22 acres is NOT that big and the arrival of a car would be very noticeable. In this period, the windows on the house would be kept open, particularily in June. Which makes me wonder if William and Anna disposed of Alice sometime during the night and Anna dropped William at the train station unnoticed.

On the other hand...

The years 1929 - 1931 were considered "the lawless years" by the FBI. The Great Depression created an unprecedented number of criminals in America and a crimewave never seen before. American Gangsters knew that to escape detection, all they needed to do was cross over state borders. Women were attracted to these gangsters and many of them found glamour in their lawless ganster boyfriends or husbands and committed crimes alongside them. (Bonnie and Clyde, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and his wife Kathryn and many others.) If Anna's story is true, could this have been a kidnapping gone wrong?

Could the squab paste have been the impetus for murder? That product was a luxury product and this was the Great Depression when most people were barely making ends meet much less buying squab paste. Not many people could afford it. My guess is that it was mainly sold to wealthy people and those who wanted a taste of the goodlife and could afford it through ill gotten gains. Could it be that is what attracted the kidnapper to Alice?

In addition,

I'd like to know how old Anna, Alice and William were.

I would like to know how William Parson's got home from the station on the day of Alices disappearance? Did Anna pick him up? Did he walk or catch a ride with someone else? Is that how he expected to get home or was the situation that he was waiting and waiting for Alice and finally got a ride with someone else?

It would also be interesting to know what the exact contents of the ransom note were and how it was written, such as who it was addressed to, if anyone and if it was handwritten, typed or pieced from newsprint and magazines.

6 months after Alice disappears, William moves to California. Was his move prompted by a need to avoid police investigators or did he have a valid business reason? Is there anything about why he moved?

Does Alice and Williams house still exist? Has anyone examined the basement or done rennovations?
 
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