Identified! PA - Bensalem, WhtFem 461UFPA, 20-30, pregnant, in pumphouse, Jan'88 - Lisa Todd

[Filly]

Sorry, but I know of a reputable source who's publicly told the story of how she was trafficked as an orphaned kid from the age of 12 to about 18 (when she was finally able to escape her traffickers); this occurred in the '70s and into the '80s in inner-city Philadelphia. The police were well aware of what was going on, and she tried to get help from them to leave the situation, but was just dismissed. In fact, the Philly police were often in cahoots with the traffickers themselves, and would often be "customers." This poor lady, as a sexual trafficking survivor who has now obtained an education and overcome that part of her life, currently does a lot of advocacy work trying to raise awareness of the human trafficking epidemic in the United States. Regarding the police, there were even some lawsuits brought against the Philly police dept. and the City of Philadelphia, alleging long-term corruption, human rights abuses, trumped-up charges, and collusion with criminal entities. Very seedy criminal underbelly to that city that did carry over into law enforcement.

If you are a poor kid in some parts of this country, you are not treated like an equal human being under the law. Especially back then. As a 17 year-old girl from a "bad home," it's likely you'd be written off as merely a runaway or some juvenile delinquent whose disappearance they didn't have to investigate too hard. That's just the sad truth.

Sorry for double post. Did your friend come out of Saint Vincent?

 

[janewall]

My heart breaks for your friend. My dear friend went through this as well. No doubt there was corruption.

I can only speak from what I saw and heard from Detectives back then.

There WERE cops that cared. My dad thankfully didn't want Special Units or homicide. To be frank there were men on the force abused horrifically themselves. They saved kids.

Definitely respect and believe your poor friends accounts. That's not every cop/Detective.

I've been on both sides. I know Frankford. I know K&A. I know Somerset. Just in my experience I've found cops that care.

Again my heart breaks for your friend. I am sorry. Sometimes I look at my dad's commendations that we never knew about till his death. It gives me solace after one day of a child abducted on the way to school my father found her in her own Uncle's basement.

Well stated.

Bless your father and the cops like him who fought the good fight against the bad guys out there, and also against some malign influences in their own force.

I'm from the area - I've spent much of my life in an inner-ring suburb that is quite similar to Bensalem. As longtime residents of the area, we know there were (and are) bad apples in our police departments. Face it, any group of employees as large as a major city police force is going to have some. We know there's political pressure, the thin blue line, and the risk of crossing colleagues (not to mention superiors) who might someday hold the honest cop's life in their hands – and who meanwhile might have a personal interest in the honest cop's dogged investigation going exactly nowhere.

Do some LE go into policing for the wrong reasons, to give themselves authority over the public, especially the vulnerable and voiceless and abused, possibly including Lisa, instead of wanting to serve them? Of course. Bullies gravitate to the rawest expressions of power. But I don't think most cops, in Philly or in most other departments, are bullies at heart – nor were they in the past, not even at the height of Frank Rizzo's power, much less in 1988.

The decent cops' dedication doesn't negate the terrible impact that bad policing had on victims, or on residents in the districts where corrupt cops had more influence than honest ones – victims such as SurrealisticSlumber's contact, or possibly like Lisa. Corrupt colleagues just make decent cops' jobs that much more difficult – more confusing to interpret clues and evidence, but also more stressful, more dangerous, and more psychologically gruelling. It's no wonder to me that some become jaded, apathetic, or emotionally detached from jobs that they once viewed as their mission. It's a matter of self-preservation.

But while I heartily endorse the idea of police reform, of transparency and accountability and uncovering past wrongdoing, and I think there absolutely needs to be regular psychological fitness exams for all police, administered at frequent intervals over the course of a policing career, from the academy on – I don't see any reason to pre-emptively blame the era's Philly PD at large for Lisa's life circumstances (whatever they were) or her ultimate demise and cold-case status. It's possible the precinct she lived in was indifferent to victims in her demographic, or even that an officer or two could have been complicit in the situation she became the victim of. But for now I'll stick to blaming her unknown killer(s) – and urging the current generation of investigators to keep pursuing leads that will bring the murderer(s) to justice. Pointing fingers at a bunch of retired policemen because there were some bad actors in their midst doesn't accomplish that. Now if we can give names to some of the bad actors, and specify the nature of their bad actions and corruption ... that's a different story. I would really like to see that happen, while they're still alive and can face the consequences.

All JMO!

 

[Filly]

Well stated.

Bless your father and the cops like him who fought the good fight against the bad guys out there, and also against some malign influences in their own force.

I'm from the area - I've spent much of my life in an inner-ring suburb that is quite similar to Bensalem. As longtime residents of the area, we know there were (and are) bad apples in our police departments. Face it, any group of employees as large as a major city police force is going to have some. We know there's political pressure, the thin blue line, and the risk of crossing colleagues (not to mention superiors) who might someday hold the honest cop's life in their hands – and who meanwhile might have a personal interest in the honest cop's dogged investigation going exactly nowhere.

Do some LE go into policing for the wrong reasons, to give themselves authority over the public, especially the vulnerable and voiceless and abused, possibly including Lisa, instead of wanting to serve them? Of course. Bullies gravitate to the rawest expressions of power. But I don't think most cops, in Philly or in most other departments, are bullies at heart – nor were they in the past, not even at the height of Frank Rizzo's power, much less in 1988.

The decent cops' dedication doesn't negate the terrible impact that bad policing had on victims, or on residents in the districts where corrupt cops had more influence than honest ones – victims such as SurrealisticSlumber's contact, or possibly like Lisa. Corrupt colleagues just make decent cops' jobs that much more difficult – more confusing to interpret clues and evidence, but also more stressful, more dangerous, and more psychologically gruelling. It's no wonder to me that some become jaded, apathetic, or emotionally detached from jobs that they once viewed as their mission. It's a matter of self-preservation.

But while I heartily endorse the idea of police reform, of transparency and accountability and uncovering past wrongdoing, and I think there absolutely needs to be regular psychological fitness exams for all police, administered at frequent intervals over the course of a policing career, from the academy on – I don't see any reason to pre-emptively blame the era's Philly PD at large for Lisa's life circumstances (whatever they were) or her ultimate demise and cold-case status. It's possible the precinct she lived in was indifferent to victims in her demographic, or even that an officer or two could have been complicit in the situation she became the victim of. But for now I'll stick to blaming her unknown killer(s) – and urging the current generation of investigators to keep pursuing leads that will bring the murderer(s) to justice. Pointing fingers at a bunch of retired policemen because there were some bad actors in their midst doesn't accomplish that. Now if we can give names to some of the bad actors, and specify the nature of their bad actions and corruption ... that's a different story. I would really like to see that happen, while they're still alive and can face the consequences.

All JMO!

Excellent post janewall.

Detective Bomberski never gave up trying to find the monster who murdered 5 year old Iriana DeJesus. Tracked him to Nevada I believe on bad checks. Too bad they deported him. Probably back here.

Mr. Chitwood. He found Holly Maddox. Do we think he got sleep while Ira Einhorn partied in Paris?

Sam Weinstein the first Officer on the scene of "The Boy In The Box". That man after decades on the force never let that go.

All the Detectives that for years tried their best to find every bit and piece of Dolores Della Penna's body suffered. Most died and still her head is missing.

Lisa Todd would have been the 15th district. Unless she was over by Juniata side. Either way she was a kid. A young kid and yes cops care.

Personal note. When my dad got the gold badge he knew he couldn't hack homicide. My mom would tease and say it'd be more overtime.

I know kids were forgotten. Trafficked. We had a creepy cop around when we were kids. My own friend orphaned had it real bad. It just was she didn't find the right help.

Lisa no doubt was cared about. As you said the blame is on her murderer.

Sorry for rant. Your post inspired me.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

Sorry for rant.

I wouldn't call that a rant. You made some great points about those other cases, and acknowledging the hard work (and emotional labor) those officers put in. We (ahem, I) can occasionally forget that there are indeed men in blue like your father, men (and women) of integrity who uphold the law and work tirelessly every day for their communities. Law enforcement is definitely a thankless, extremely exhausting line of work... it's hard to "get it right" all of the time. A few bad apples and media hype don't help. I do believe we need more robust police training, and criminal justice reform in general, but people like you are needed to remind us all from time to time just what some of these officers have done to track down the bad guys and get justice for these kids.

 

[Diavola]

Someone on Unidentified Wiki put an enhanced version of Lisa's picture. Since the original is so blurry I don't know how accurate it is, but here it is anyway.

 

[Filly]

Someone on Unidentified Wiki put an enhanced version of Lisa's picture. Since the original is so blurry I don't know how accurate it is, but here it is anyway.

Wow. Just astounding. That's a huge difference.

What a gorgeous girl from Frankford.

Thank you @Diavola . Now I'm welling up

 

[Vidocq Admirer]

This is my first post here. Forgive me as I ramble.

I'm a Philadelphian, but only by default. I moved here about 15 years ago. I love my adopted city, though sometimes it will break your heart. Last March this case was all over the local news. I read a lot of true crime, but somehow it had completely eluded my attention. Since then it's stayed with me.

Today I was struck by the impulse and so I did a deep dive, which is how I discovered this thread. It's heartening to see how many people, going back to 2010, were interested in following what the world would eventually know to be the murder of Lisa Todd (literally "the world", this case got press even in the UK.) It's important to discuss and remember.

I find it unsettling to consider how that kid spent a little over 2 years laying on her back across some pipes, underground in an abandoned distillery; her, and the kid she was carrying. I've been wondering, anytime over the past 15 years, have I unknowingly interacted with the individual who did this to her? Could he have sat next to me on the bus? Could he have been driving it? Have I passed him on the street downtown? How many times? It bothers me how this individual is almost certainly...still out here. With the rest of us. I'm not scared of him, I just despise him.

I watched an interview with Lisa's sister, Linda, this afternoon, from last March, where she says she feels she knows who likely did it. She's remarkably merciful, seemingly not interested in pursuing him (surely the cops bear alternative sentiments...) Though she did, at the end, state her belief that he'll undoubtedly go to hell. It's my opinion that she might be right.

For a while I lived in Fishtown, a neighborhood in northeast Philly, not too far south from Frankford, where Lisa lived. I liked it there, but it was impossible not to notice it was a community that didn't seem to always "value" its...young women. I lived there 9 years, and I saw more than one young girl, middle school age, who eventually started showing a baby bump, sooner than later. Obviously I never knew Lisa (I was in 2nd grade when she disappeared, on far away Cape Cod where I grew up), but I feel like I almost kind of do. Or at least I know of her. That said, I can't imagine the loneliness of being 14 and pregnant in Frankford.

The one photograph we have of her kind of haunts me. There is an entire world of personality and character in that face. Arms crossed. Head subtly cocked to one side. Ever so slight grin, telegraphing to the world how she was already over it before the photographer even made it go "click". There's a toughness in her, and a defiance. And an intellect. A soul, basically. And it's...all gone now. Some monstrous individual snuffed it out some cold October day for God knows what ridiculous, absurd reason.

I will continue to follow this case enthusiastically. I have to believe that the investigators behind the scenes, to quote Christopher Walken in "True Romance", are in a "vendetta kind of mood". Whoever did this needs to be held accountable. The idea that they may be sharing a trolley ride with me tomorrow is indeed unacceptable.

Thanks for letting a guy vent. And thanks for keeping this in the public eye.

 

[Vidocq Admirer]

Wow. Just astounding. That's a huge difference.

What a gorgeous girl from Frankford.

Thank you @Diavola . Now I'm welling up

Yeah, I saw that on the unidentified wiki myself about a week ago. They've been doing that with many of the photos there. I think it's a good idea.

I watched a short video today online with the detective on her case, and he seems to imply that is literally the only image we have of her. I don't want to judge this family, God knows they've been through enough, but if it's true that there are no other photographs of her, it could be a window into how difficult the Todd household might have been to grow up in.

One aspect of this case that left me staring out the window today and pondering was what Lisa's sister says about the last time she saw her alive. Another user here in this thread mentioned it as well:

Apparently Lisa gave her sister (this was Lisa's younger sister by a few years, Linda) her purse, and told her to take it home. This happened in what Linda refers to as "a schoolyard".

I can't figure out what the hell that's all about. Why did Lisa part with her purse? It's so odd...

Linda says she believes she knows who did it, and I believe the cops likely do too. Now it's probably just a matter of...building evidence. If they can. God willing.

 

[Blurgle]

A single house fire could render this the only photo of her in existence.

 

[Diavola]

The photo that we have looks like a class photo, I'm guessing from a yearbook. I'm not from US, so I don't really know much about yearbooks, but don't a lot of them also have individual photos? Do some schools decide to just do whole class photos and nothing else?
I recall Evelyn Colon also has a class photo, but not an individual one. Most other photos of her burnt away in a house fire.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

A great in-depth article about Lisa's case.

"Lisa Todd was a 17-year-old teen mom from Northeast Philadelphia. A stubborn girl with a wild streak. Everyone thought she had run away from home.

Instead, her body was found inside a concrete shaft at an abandoned whiskey distillery in Bensalem, four years after she went missing.

Now that McMullin knows her identity, he wants to solve the last piece of the mystery: How did Lisa Todd die?"

 

[Diavola]

A great in-depth article about Lisa's case.

"Lisa Todd was a 17-year-old teen mom from Northeast Philadelphia. A stubborn girl with a wild streak. Everyone thought she had run away from home.

Instead, her body was found inside a concrete shaft at an abandoned whiskey distillery in Bensalem, four years after she went missing.

Now that McMullin knows her identity, he wants to solve the last piece of the mystery: How did Lisa Todd die?"

"Four framed photos of the teen mother with her infant son shared space on a table with a pile of sympathy cards and four flower arrangements."

Looks like they do have more photos, but chose not to release them.

 

[cvaldez1975]

A great in-depth article about Lisa's case.

"Lisa Todd was a 17-year-old teen mom from Northeast Philadelphia. A stubborn girl with a wild streak. Everyone thought she had run away from home.

Instead, her body was found inside a concrete shaft at an abandoned whiskey distillery in Bensalem, four years after she went missing.

Now that McMullin knows her identity, he wants to solve the last piece of the mystery: How did Lisa Todd die?"

paywall

 

[MrsWatson]

So her infant son was raised by his paternal grandparents and an uncle. Where was his father? Was Lisa still with the father and was her son living with when she disappeared?

 

[Vidocq Admirer]

The photo that we have looks like a class photo, I'm guessing from a yearbook. I'm not from US, so I don't really know much about yearbooks, but don't a lot of them also have individual photos? Do some schools decide to just do whole class photos and nothing else?
I recall Evelyn Colon also has a class photo, but not an individual one. Most other photos of her burnt away in a house fire.

That's tragic about the Colon pictures. If I remember correctly, that's the girl who was dismembered and her remains tossed off a bridge in suitcases? That didn't happen too far from Philadelphia. Another haunting case, however I believe an arrest was made? I'm on my phone and opening up another tab to look it up is...cumbersome. Forgive me.

As far as yearbooks, that is a detail from her class photo at Harding Middle School. And you're correct, ordinarily there would be a class photo, and then another photo for each individual student. I'm not sure why hers would not be used, unless it doesn't exist. My guess is it does not. I remember in grade school our own class pictures were shot on different days than our individual portraits. It's most likely that Lisa simply never got her portrait taken. Probably due to absence.

 

[Vidocq Admirer]

A great in-depth article about Lisa's case.

"Lisa Todd was a 17-year-old teen mom from Northeast Philadelphia. A stubborn girl with a wild streak. Everyone thought she had run away from home.

Instead, her body was found inside a concrete shaft at an abandoned whiskey distillery in Bensalem, four years after she went missing.

Now that McMullin knows her identity, he wants to solve the last piece of the mystery: How did Lisa Todd die?"

Thank you so much for posting this. I appreciate it.

 

[Vidocq Admirer]

"Four framed photos of the teen mother with her infant son shared space on a table with a pile of sympathy cards and four flower arrangements."

Looks like they do have more photos, but chose not to release them.

Indeed. I haven't read this article yet, but I'm very happy to see it seems to go a bit towards humanizing the girl. In all the articles I read Sunday none of them were able to describe who she was as a person.

Kind of heartbreaking to reflect on a series of photos of her with her little boy. But it's also a bit of a relief. Seems she was well remembered after all, and that's good. I'm glad to see that.

 

[Vidocq Admirer]

A great in-depth article about Lisa's case.

"Lisa Todd was a 17-year-old teen mom from Northeast Philadelphia. A stubborn girl with a wild streak. Everyone thought she had run away from home.

Instead, her body was found inside a concrete shaft at an abandoned whiskey distillery in Bensalem, four years after she went missing.

Now that McMullin knows her identity, he wants to solve the last piece of the mystery: How did Lisa Todd die?"

So I read this last night. Thanks again for posting it.

One thing that really struck me was the revelation that she grew up on the corner of Church St. and Frankford Ave, right below the Church Street Station of Philly's elevated subway line (we call it "the el" here in the city.)

When I lived in Fishtown, just south of the neighborhood where Lisa Todd was raised, my apartment was a block away from Frankford Ave, only a handful of stops away on the el . I knew I likely didn't live too far from the Todd household, but I had no idea I had been literally right up the street. I've passed through that Frankford/Church intersection several times.

It's interesting how certain cases really stay with you. I subscribe to many true crime channels on Youtube, and I read about it frequently. I'm familiar with many, frequently brutal, cases. I like to think they all affect me to one degree or another, I never want to become inured to...human suffering. But when it hits close to home like this, it's something else.

If nothing else, I feel it's important to discuss and remember.

I hope we get the *advertiser censored* responsible.

 

[Vidocq Admirer]

So her infant son was raised by his paternal grandparents and an uncle. Where was his father? Was Lisa still with the father and was her son living with when she disappeared?

These are all questions I'd love to know myself. The article I just wrote about in my previous post is definitely the most thorough piece of writing I've come across on this case- but it unfortunately didn't address any of these matters.

I wouldn't even know where or how to begin to speculate.

A wicked part of me wants to head up to Frankford (not far away at all) and start asking certain questions in certain bars. But I'm not interested in getting shot or stabbed.

The article makes it clear that the lead detective on the case knows who the last person who saw Lisa alive was; my gut tells me he knows who likely did it, and it's just a matter of working the case. Last night I found the crime scene photos online. Whoever it was, they left her laying there, draped over rusted pipes, among discarded tires and plywood. After 2 years she was essentially just bones in a pair of jeans. The image wasn't the highest quality, but I'm pretty certain, across her waist area, you can see the tiny skeletal remains of her unborn daughter. These are things that will break your heart.

But I'm guessing they also serve to motivate investigators. I'm choosing to have faith they're on the hunt and it's only a matter of time.

 

[MrsWatson]

These are all questions I'd love to know myself. The article I just wrote about in my previous post is definitely the most thorough piece of writing I've come across on this case- but it unfortunately didn't address any of these matters.

I wouldn't even know where or how to begin to speculate.

A wicked part of me wants to head up to Frankford (not far away at all) and start asking certain questions in certain bars. But I'm not interested in getting shot or stabbed.

The article makes it clear that the lead detective on the case knows who the last person who saw Lisa alive was; my gut tells me he knows who likely did it, and it's just a matter of working the case. Last night I found the crime scene photos online. Whoever it was, they left her laying there, draped over rusted pipes, among discarded tires and plywood. After 2 years she was essentially just bones in a pair of jeans. The image wasn't the highest quality, but I'm pretty certain, across her waist area, you can see the tiny skeletal remains of her unborn daughter. These are things that will break your heart.

But I'm guessing they also serve to motivate investigators. I'm choosing to have faith they're on the hunt and it's only a matter of time.

Her son didn't wish his name to be used in that article,too, which leads me in the same direction as you, I think.