UNSOLVED AL - Russell Co, (Ghost?) Child, >10, Bones Found in Mobile Home Floor, Oct'04

[pardilia]

I thought the Fox sisters later admitted they created the knocking noises by popping their toes?

One of them did - and the body wasn't found until 1904 - it was in a wall, so most likely they did not know about it. The person who the entity claimed to be was never even proven to have existed.

The 'rappings' also followed the sisters wherever they went, which didn't really help them much either...as far as believability is concerned.

One of the sisters showed how it was done for money (both of them were alcoholics) and later recanted her 'confession' - probably because she needed more money and wouldn't be able to make any as a medium as she had been doing.

I'm really sure this is just the case of an over-active imagination of a lonely child being validated by the coincidence of finding human bones underneath the trailer. I wouldn't be surprised if a large portion of trailers have some sort of bones in their insulation - human or otherwise - due to animals making homes and hiding things in them.

Depending on where it was in Georgia, the bones could be from any time period - even colonial times. The trailer could have been parked in an area that used to be a farm - over unmarked old family graves.

 

[AfterMidnight]

The child talked about a ghostly friend and then bones were found. If nothing else, this has to make you wonder. I've read many stories like this and often the case is solved. There's even a case where the ghost's testimony was allowed in court:

http://website.lineone.net/~oddweb/articles/a_9_ghost_testimony.htm

I don't believe spirits of any sort should be taken lightly, especially when there is some physical evidence to back it up. There are some mighty strange things in this world that we don't understand and I believe MANY of these missing and UIDs could give testimony to that.

 

[fox1950]

http://website.lineone.net/~oddweb/a..._testimony.htm Yes, this is the ghost of Greenbrier county, WV. She is buried at Lewisburg and even today, as Lewisburg does it's yearly ghost tour for halloween, I have been told the tour ends at her grave. The story spells Greenbrier county wrong, but the story is true. Whether the mother grew suspicious and hit the nail on the head by making up the story or her daughter actually visited her from beyond the grave, is open for opinion-but the daughter did have the injuries that she told her mother she had on her nightly visits.

 

[Donjeta]

The original link is dead so I'm not sure but I think this might be the same story. Found it by googling "man chopped me up and put me in the floor" and trailer.
The Ogden family found bones under the floor of their mobile home Jowers Road, near East Alabama Motor Speedway where they'd lived since 1998. They found a pelvis and a leg belonging to a child at least 10 years old, who's been dead at least 10 years. The mobile home belonged to their relatives John and Marion Stewart. A child said that she was convinced that the bones belonged to a black girl in a white dress who visited her room when she was five years old. The ghost had told her that a man chopped her up and put her in the floor.

http://icaremissingpersonscoldcases.yuku.com/topic/1094

Hopefully this link is allowed.

It's originally from the Ledger-Inquirer but you can't read the archive without a subscription. It's just short clips in the search.

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we...date:D&xcal_useweights=no&s_trackval=GooglePM

I can't find the case in Doe or Namus.

Edit: There's another thread on Websleuths suggesting some possible missing persons
Girl says bones belong to Ghost - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

 

[tut med]

It would be nice to know what month of 98 they moved into the trailer.
This reminds me so much of SHY'KEMMIA SHY'REZZ PATE Age Progression
Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Oct 29, 1989 Sex: Female
Missing Date: Sep 4, 1998 Race: Black
Age Now: 21 Height: 4'4" (132 cm)
Missing City: UNADILLA Weight: 59 lbs (27 kg)
Missing State : GA

 

[Reannan]

Gosh, that is quiet a story!!! Why couldn't they have traced the owner's of that trailer??? A child who is at least 10 years old and dead at least 10 years whose bones are found in the insulation of a trailer sounds like a crime that should be solved! The ghost story aspect is also definitely interesting.... Thanks for sharing that Donjeta!!

 

[Julessleuther]

Wow--what an interesting story. I don't understand why LE can't investigate into who owned the trailer before the grandparents bought it in 1998-surely they must have a bill of sale etc. And even if the trailer was moved, they should be able to investigate the areas where the trailer was at each point in time in the move.

 

[Donjeta]

http://missingme.2007.angelfire.com/russellco_al_2004.html

No Image Available
Vital Statistics:



Date of Discovery: October 2nd, 2004, in Russell County, Alabama.
Estimated Date of Death: At least 10 years
Manner/Cause of Death: Unknown / Suspicious
Estimated Age: 10+ years old
Approximate Height: Unknown
Approximate Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: N/A
Eye Color: N/A
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Not Available
Distinguishing Characteristics: None
Agency Case Number: N/A
NCIC/CPIC Number: Not Entered

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay so this seems pretty bleak in terms of recognition. Unless they have a missing child connected to this trailer, how on earth do you identify a bone for which nothing is available?

Sadly, there was not enough marrow in the bones to obtain a DNA sample, and since no skull was found, there are no dental records. The mobile home had been moved several times by various owners, between the states of Georgia and Alabama. However, since it appears that the child was buried outside for a time, it is possible her skull may someday be located and lead to her identification.

I'm wondering how they would connect these bones to any other bones found elsewhere with no DNA. How do they know the skull hasn't already been found?

Taylor said gnaw marks on the bones may indicate a rodent placed them inside the insulation. Dirt and plant material on the bones indicate they were outside at one time, Taylor said.

http://icaremissingpersonscoldcases.yuku.com/topic/1094

Wonder if there is any chance of identifying the soil and vegetation samples. They would already have it down to an inch on CSI but how is it in real life?

 

[CN2Souls]

:waitasec:

Is it Georgia or Alabama??

Or Because the Trailer was moved either one?

 

[CN2Souls]

It would be nice to know what month of 98 they moved into the trailer.

This reminds me so much of SHY'KEMMIA SHY'REZZ PATE Age Progression
Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Oct 29, 1989 Sex: Female
Missing Date: Sep 4, 1998 Race: Black
Age Now: 21 Height: 4'4" (132 cm)
Missing City: UNADILLA Weight: 59 lbs (27 kg)
Missing State : GA

Guess What?


SHY'KEMMIA SHY'REZZ PATE lived in a Mobile Home Park,



Also notice, she is wearing a white Gown for Graduation in one of the pictures on the missing poster.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/pate_shykemmia.html

 

[tut med]

I had no idea SHY'KEMMIA SHY'REZZ PATE lived in a mobile home park. That is chilling-she looked so pretty in that white graduation gown.

 

[Christi]

Were these bones ever identified?

 

[Ambercat]

I looked through both the Doe Network and NamUs and didn't find this little girl.

 

[Cappuccino]

There's no evidence that it was a girl. (Sorry, but I don't believe in ghost stories). I think we should be looking for boys that could be this child too.

 

[Donjeta]

According to this site it was a female but I don't know how reliable their information is http://missingme.2007.angelfire.com/russellco_al_2004.html

 

[Cappuccino]

I'm afraid I doubt their info, because there was no DNA, no skull, no dentals. How can they tell if some bones belonging to a pre-pubescent child are male or female?

 

[shadowangel]

The intial article states the bones are pelvic and leg. If enough of the pelvic bone is present, gender can be determined due to the differences in structure, width, etc between male and female.

 

[Ambercat]

There's no evidence that it was a girl. (Sorry, but I don't believe in ghost stories). I think we should be looking for boys that could be this child too.

I'll rephrase -- I looked through both NamUs and Doe Network and did not find any entries remotely close to this case (either female or male). Ghost stories or not, its my understanding that there was still part of an unidentified child under the house? Shouldn't they be trying to identify this person and find out why they ended up where they did?

 

[KarlK]

Rodents might have chewed on them, but I doubt that they could carry the bones unless it was a cat sized rat maybe.

A even larger rodent that would fit the bill is a beaver-size marmot, some may know this animal as a "whistler". They often dwell underneath buildings and are quite fond of insulation materials. Marmots are not flesh eaters but they are known to carry bones to their dens and gnaw on them to prevent their teeth from growing too long during hibernation. But even though LE used the term "rodent" they probably meant to include small carnivores as well, such as weasels and racoons.

The fact that the insulation was taped over doesn't necessarily mean this was done to hide the bones, more likely it was used to fix damage done by whatever animal had hauled the bones there.

 

[Ausgirl]

There's believers, and there's doubters. And then there's folks who to talk to the dead.

I was one of those kids who saw other people's dead pets and relatives wandering about, both awake and in dreams. I have encountered enough solid proof that spirits go on and sometimes stay to see justice done or look over their loved ones a while, and I don't care to debate about it. But by way of saying, I know it's at the least possible that the living girl is right.

In my experience, spirits don't always give concise information. I don't know why. They'll give absolute specifics on some things, while remaining silent on other stuff that's really important. It's just how it is, is my conclusion.

That said, and ghost aside, this case does sound a little bit strange.

As for bone ID - one case I worked on had an ID of a 12 year girl from the shape of her bones and teeth. Though they first thought it was a boy. Pelvic shape is the key to it, and maybe ribs too, so it's not impossible to tell from bones alone as far as I know.

I'd say consulting a zoologist might be helpful in solidly identifying what kind of animal would drag large bones into its den. I'm sure some University professor somewhere wouldn't mind sparing the time for a phone call.

Also, if animals are responsible, the bones could've come from an old grave, so searching solved crimes might help, too.

I read where they can tell where people have lived just by analysing the mineral content in their hair these days, so maybe re-testing the bones would be a good idea.

Anyone live close to this place, that they could call the Sheriff and see what progress if any has been made?