SOLVED MA - Jane Britton, 22, Harvard student, Cambridge, 7 Jan 1969

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I've found another article:

"Police sought a missing archeological stone Thursday with hopes that it will lead to the killer of Jane Britton...Officers narrowed the hunt to the academic community near Harvard Square...Meanwhile the police were checking into the possibiltiy that Miss Britton's body had been the object of an ancient burial rite.

...anthropologists had advised that markings on the victim's face had the appearance of those used in primitive burial ritesA"

This article also mentions that the police are looking for a murder weapon that may be an archeological stone (measuring 6" long and 4" wide), that the stone had been a gift from the neighbors (The Mitchells) and that it was missing from Jane's apartment. The article also states the Mitchell's had taken lie detector tests but that J Humphries had not shown up for a scheduled test.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...murdered+|+murder+|+killed+jane-britton&hl=en
 
This article states that Jane had been attacked once prior to her being killed. It states:

"...detectives learned that Miss Britton had told friends of being attacked on Cambridge Common while she was an undergrad at Radcliffe. It was learned that she had fought off her attacker and slashed his clothes with a pen knife. The incident had not been officially reported to police."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...06,1074979&dq=jane+britton+jane-britton&hl=en

Also, they seem to have found some fingerprints:

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/...ry+Fingerprints+at+Slaying+Scene&pqatl=google

The police filmed "all" during her burial service:

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/...ried--Police+Film+All+at+Service&pqatl=google

And also this:

"A damaged end table found in a trash pile yesterday gave Cambridge police a possible key to a major break in the Jane Britton murder case."

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/...=Is+Table+Key+To+Britton+Murder?&pqatl=google
 
macoldcase - Have you tried to find out who the investigator is in charge of Jane's case? Even if it's a cold case, someone has to be assigned to it? Perhaps you could try to talk to them? The "blackout" imposed by Reagan was never lifted but if one searches and searches, there seems to have been several leads and lots more information than was shared openly with the media. This is now a VERY COLD case and one would think that the department in charge of it might be willing to share a little more by now given that they have not been able to come to anything of substance over the decades?
 
For over four decades...NO INOFORMATION has been released about this crime. More than 40 years! No one can access any information as to what happened to Jane because it's still an open case? For shame! Shame on the original investigations and shame on the laws that allow this misjustice to go forward! For over 40 years these files have been "closed" while NOTHING has gone on?

A beautiful, smart, woman with all of her life ahead of her was brutally murdered and the police (over 40 years later) will not release information to try to solve her case?

ehem.
 
No, I wasn't able to find out who (if anyone) was currently assigned to her case, or to cold cases in general. I think it's definitely worth another try, though! Thanks for continuing to find so much information - the fingerprints and end table are very interesting; too bad the Boston Globe archives require a subscription. I wonder if the Grand Jury records are accessible - I noticed that in one of the writeups about Ada Bean's murder, they mentioned that a large number of Jane's classmates were interviewed en masse because they were all leaving the country for archaeological fieldwork - seems like kind of a rush job; I wouldn't be surprised if the investigators weren't able to get the in-depth details that they were looking for.
 
Pink Panther said:
I have no reason to think so, but I've never understood the police's connection between Jane B and Ada B's murders apart from location/vicinity. Then again, there is virtually NO information released on either cases which both seemingly remain unsolved. Ada was Ada Caroline Bradbury. She was born and died in Cambridge. She had been a secretary/research secretary at Harvard. Here is her brother's obituary:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fi...old-milton-bradbury&pid=130105317#fbLoggedOut
Click to expand...

Just a thought, could Ms. Britten have known Ada from school as she was a research secretary? Could that be part of the reason the police say the cases may have been related, along with the circumstances of both murders? Could Ada been involved in the archeological discovery (the missing stone) through her secretarial duties. Ada could have been known to Ms. Britton and the other graduate students and professors due to her work. I don't know exactly what a research secretary does. I wonder what department she worked for. Could it have been archaeology? Just a thought.
 
I think there might be a connection between Ada and Jane, one news article (pay per view) started to say Ada's death may have been to mis lead the investigation from Janes.

C.C. Lamberg Karlovsky - This guy has one impressive CV
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~anthro/karlovsky/docs/cv.pdf
It mentions work with James Humpries.

Still searching for more info.

Edited to add, the CV mentions ''Further notes on the Khurab Axe-Pick. Iran, Vol. VII, pp. 163-70''

Axe jumped out off the page for me.
 
In looking for connections between Ada Bean and Jane Britton, I found Ada's sister's obituary. Ada's family history is interesting to say the least! I'm surprised not to have found a obituary for Ada yet???

"WAREHAM -- Doris Edith (Bradbury) Washburn, 80, of , died Sunday, May 11, 1997, at Forest View Nursing Home in Wareham. She was the widow of Frank DeWitt Washburn and daughter of the late Janet "Jenny" (Corcoran) Bradbury.
Mrs. Washburn was an 11th-generation descendant of Elder William Brewster of the Mayflower and a member of the Hannah Winthrop Chapter of the D.A.R.
She was born and educated in Cambridge. She was active on the South Shore in business, politics and charitable organizations for many years.
Her father was a member of the Cambridge City Council and the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She was the grandniece of the Cambridge Mayor William Brooks and 20-year School Committee member Jessie Brooks.
Her grandmother Ada Waterman Bradbury was an early environmentalist who played a major role in preserving the Magazine Beach section of the Charles River as park land.
Survivors include a brother, Harold Bradbury of Pepperell; a daughter, Carolyn (Candy) Cardoza of ; a son, Frank Washburn of ; a sister-in-law; a son-in-law; a daughter-in-law; and five grandchildren.
She also was the sister of the late Ada Bean.
A private burial service will be held at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. Arrangements are by Stott, Chapman, Cole & Gleason of Wareham."

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970515/NEWS03/305159927&cid=sitesearch
 
This article here gives a little more information about Ada. At the time she was killed, she was not working at Harvard. She was working at Associated Business Machine Co. The article also mentions that the grand jury hearing that was held for Jane Britton was called for expedience given that many archaeology students were leaving the country:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...HQJIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1f8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=945,4517818
 
Robin Hood said:
If anybody has access to these files there might be more on Jane and other cases.

http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/truecrime/crimephotos.html
Click to expand...

Borowitz was a true crime writer. Kent State published at least two of his books. I believe these boxes (with their related documents including photos) were donated by he and his wife. I've tried to access them electronically but haven't found a way to do so. I think that you have to contact the University for access.

They do have a Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/ksuspecialcollections

If you have a facebook account, you can try asking there.
 
Pink Panther said:
Borowitz was a true crime writer. Kent State published at least two of his books. I believe these boxes (with their related documents including photos) were donated by he and his wife. I've tried to access them electronically but haven't found a way to do so. I think that you have to contact the University for access.

They do have a Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/ksuspecialcollections

If you have a facebook account, you can try asking there.
Click to expand...

Thanks PP, no Facebook here though. A wealth of info for lots of cases ;(
 
http://www.harappa.com/indus2/meadow.html

^ Richard H. Meadow, who accompanied Jane Britton on the dig in Iran. He is credited with discovering an important statue.

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/faculty/faculty_profile.jsp?faculty=207

^ Arthur H. Bankoff, another member of the expedition.

James Humphries, Jane's boyfriend, who discovered her body, is described by C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky (head of the expedition Jane went on) as 'inexplicably' abandoning his work and doctoral dissertation on the Iron Age levels of the dig at Tepe Yahya, five years after its inception.
 
Ausgirl said:
http://www.harappa.com/indus2/meadow.html

^ Richard H. Meadow, who accompanied Jane Britton on the dig in Iran. He is credited with discovering an important statue.

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/faculty/faculty_profile.jsp?faculty=207

^ Arthur H. Bankoff, another member of the expedition.

James Humphries, Jane's boyfriend, who discovered her body, is described by C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky (head of the expedition Jane went on) as 'inexplicably' abandoning his work and doctoral dissertation on the Iron Age levels of the dig at Tepe Yahya, five years after its inception.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ausgirl for joining in! I was feeling quite lonely here. I have posted several links with the names of various people that were on the Iran dig as well as photographs. I have tried to research as many of them as possible and so far, have come up against dead ends as most have continued on with their studies and careers without any other incidents of note. (Meadows and Bankoff both seem to be esteemed in their professions throughout their careers.) I also noted Lamberg-Karlovsky's "inexplicably" quotation and posted it. I don't quite know what to make of it but I've found it difficult to find much information about Humphries. Have you found anything beyond his time at Harvard?
 
There's a marriage cert for a James H Humphries b. '42 or 43 (which matches) in Texas 1993.

Just my own thoughts on the case, nothing concrete -- but it seems to me Jane's killer knew her pretty well. The strange ochre-like dust and markings, etc, plus there was no struggle (was she asleep or sitting on the bed? reports conflict..) say there's a good chance she knew her killer, and they were possibly familiar with archaeology. Covering her face and body suggests remorse, guilt.. someone 'undoing' the horror of what they did. I wonder hw long the killer was in that room with her..

And also what role Jane played in the Iranian digs. In the Potts book, it seems everyone (including the camp cook) gets a kudos mention, but Jane's only mention is being present in one photograph as far as I can see. In the picture, she looks so confident and fun-loving, lying on the ground when everyone else is standing. A very pretty, smart girl.. was somebody jealous of her? They seem to me, from what I read in the Potts book, a pretty tight-knit group, who tended to marry among themselves (several husband-wife pairs).

I read they recovered the stone that was missing, presumed to have been the weapon.. I'd like more info on that. Will be sleuthing more after the Xmas break!
 
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