WV WV - Bath, WhtFem 30-35, 512UFWV, hysterectomy, permed red hair, May'50

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Could the scar perhaps have been from a lobotomy? and the scar on the wrist a from a suicide attempt? it is an unorthodox method for the era but seeing as so many magazines published ways to kill yourself its a possibility.

could she have been a former patient at a psychiatric hospital?
 
The hunt for this woman's identity was huge news, their were so many leads and articles I could not keep up with them.

All thou LE was unable to identify her they went to great lengths and investigated every lead possible. Do not believe I have ever come across a Doe case with this much wide spread coverage. As many of yall have stated it would be amazing if DDP picks up her case I believe they will be able to identify her fairly quick.

The YT video from Mysteries WV is very informative!

Berkeley Springs Jane Doe

Date Discovered: Wednesday, May 10th, 1950

Discovery Location: Bath/Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, West Virginia


Physical Description:
Race: Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age: 35–50 Years Old
Height: 5’5” (65”)
Weight: 130 lbs.
Head Hair: Red/Auburn, Curly, close cropped (Recent Perm)
Facial Hair:
Eye Color: Unknown
Clothing: Nude (No Clothing)
Jewelry:
Misc. Items:
Condition of Remain: Recognizable face
Characteristics/Medical/Scars: 3” “Y” shaped scar on the outside of right wrist, “W” shaped scar in center of forehead, 10” hysterectomy scar, 4” appendectomy scar. Freckles on back of hands and lower arms, noted the UID had very small hands, shoe size 4.5 narrow
Transportation:
Postmortem Interval: 48 Hours (2 Days)
Estimated Year of Death: 1950
Cause of Death: Strangulation (Possibly Rope), Neck Broken, Head trauma from a blunt object
Fingerprint Status: Available
Dental Status: Available
DNA Status: Sample submitted – Tests complete


Circumstances:
Body was discovered by a mushroom hunter 42 foot down an embankment near the Hancock bridge on Old US Route 522. Her body was 200 feet from the West Virginia bank of the river on a little used road locally known as Lover’s Lane. The area of discovery is an area where West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania join. The woman had been strangled and the woman had sustained blunt force trauma and her neck was broken. There were no signs the woman had been sexually assaulted.

WVSP held a theory she may have been killed a great distance away and brought to Morgan County. The theory was due in part to the estimated 1000 people from 3 different states that paid their respects at the funeral home, no one recognized the woman.

Several leads were investigated many were “Red Herrings”:
(1) The woman was a former Berkeley Springs waitress whose husband worked in Cumberland, MD. The husband was located and told police his wife had false teeth unlike the UID whom had natural teeth.
(2) A Cumberland man thought it was his missing sister however his sister had dyed red hair with the UID had natural.
(3) A man that attended the funeral thought she looked like a hitchhiker named “Betty Lou” he picked up in Altoona, PA. The woman told him she left her husband and children in Akron, OH after incurring martial issues. She told him that she was going to meet her truck driver boyfriend whom she planned to marry. He dropped her off at the Bedford, PA terminal on the Pennsylvania turnpike
(4) A storekeeper in Sharpsburg, MD found a woman’s dress along the highway close to an abandoned automobile. The 46’ Plymouth had been stolen from Brownsville, PA between May 6-7. A piece of rope, strands of hair, two bobby pins and an old jacket were found inside the car. Items were sent to the FBI to be analyzed. The length of rope was ruled out due to the length in which to be able to strangle a person. The dress fitted the UID perfectly and it was used in her mortuary photo. The hair was confirmed not to be a match to the UID.
(5) A National, WV man was arrested and questioned after he had showed interest in the death of the UID. He was found to be in the possession of a woman’s girdle, scarf, an album containing many women’s photos and some love letters. The man claimed the items found belonged to friends. A long red hair had also been found on his coat it was sent to FBI to determine if it was a match to the UID. The man was subjected to a polygraph test in which showed he had “no connection”.
(6) A man found a package of clothing in Bellefontaine on May 12th it contained red shoes, four pairs of hose, lace panties, green satin dress and an obscene note on a brown paper bag.
(7) A bus driver that viewed the body of the woman several days later identified the woman he dropped off in Hancock @ 12:35 am on May 5th. The woman had ridden the bus from Columbus, OH to Hancock, MD she inquired to him how to get to Needmore PA. He let her out at a highway intersection and told her he would stop at a nearby station and send a taxi to send her to Needmore. The bus driver stopped at the gas station however there were no cabs.

In 2007 the UID was exhumed after (2) families made inquiries into her case. DNA was extracted, and a profile created. However, the UID was not a match to either of the families.


Investigating Agencies:
West Virginia State Police
Troop 2, District 1
1750 Valley Road
Berkeley Springs, WV
Tele: 304.258.0000
Web: https://www.wvsp.gov/pages/coldcasefiles.aspx

West Virginia, Medical Examiner
619 Virginia Street
Charleston, WV
Contact: Matthew Izzo
Tele: 304.558.6920
UID Case # UD1950Morgan
Web: https://dhhr.wv.gov/ocme/about%20us/Pages/Staff-directory.aspx


Information Sources:
NAMUS – Warning Postmortem Photos at NAMUS link
UID Case # UP10026: Unidentified Person Case
ME/C Case # 06-10419
Case Manager: Amy Dobbs
Tele: 865.235.6523
E-Mail: Amy.Dobbs@unthsc.edu

Doe Network Case # 512UFWV: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/512ufwv.html

News/Blogs:
05/11/50 – Courier Post
05/12/50 – Beckley Post Herald
05/12/50 – Oakland Tribune
05/12/50 – The Evening Sun
05/13/50 – The Times Recorder
05/13/50 – The Evening Times
05/14/50 – Cumberland Sunday Times
05/14/15 – News Journal
05/16/50 – The Baltimore Sun
05/16/50 – The News
05/17/50 – Shamokin News Dispatch
05/17/50 – The Morning Herald
05/17/50 – Daily Press
05/18/50 – Cumberland Evening Times
05/19/50 – Beckley Post Herald
05/19/50 – The Daily News
05/23/50 – Beckley Post Herald
08/18/13 – The Journal http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2013/08/63-year-old-case-remains-ice-cold/
05/12/17 – Mysteries WV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lnK2DzI1IM&feature=youtu.be
02/25/18 – Unsolved Appalachia http://www.unsolvedappalachia.org/morgan-county-jane-doe/
 
I still find Marie Bertha Tidd Newella good possibility.
From what I could find on genealogy sites she had family in WV,
She also left her children and husband in Zanesville, Ohio.
although the timing is off I still think it could be her.
 
Last edited:
hanpap said:
I still find Marie Bertha Newell Tidd a good possibility.
From what I could find on genealogy sites she had family in WV,
She also left her children and husband in Zanesville, Ohio.
although the timing is off I still think it could be her.
Click to expand...

I completely agree, she has been my potential for awhile and now with your gene work it reaffirms it. Great work hanpap !!
 
folieadeuxnola said:
The hunt for this woman's identity was huge news, their were so many leads and articles I could not keep up with them.

All thou LE was unable to identify her they went to great lengths and investigated every lead possible. Do not believe I have ever come across a Doe case with this much wide spread coverage. As many of yall have stated it would be amazing if DDP picks up her case I believe they will be able to identify her fairly quick.

The YT video from Mysteries WV is very informative!

Berkeley Springs Jane Doe

Date Discovered: Wednesday, May 10th, 1950

Discovery Location: Bath/Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, West Virginia


Physical Description:
Race: Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age: 35–50 Years Old
Height: 5’5” (65”)
Weight: 130 lbs.
Head Hair: Red/Auburn, Curly, close cropped (Recent Perm)
Facial Hair:
Eye Color: Unknown
Clothing: Nude (No Clothing)
Jewelry:
Misc. Items:
Condition of Remain: Recognizable face
Characteristics/Medical/Scars: 3” “Y” shaped scar on the outside of right wrist, “W” shaped scar in center of forehead, 10” hysterectomy scar, 4” appendectomy scar. Freckles on back of hands and lower arms, noted the UID had very small hands, shoe size 4.5 narrow
Transportation:
Postmortem Interval: 48 Hours (2 Days)
Estimated Year of Death: 1950
Cause of Death: Strangulation (Possibly Rope), Neck Broken, Head trauma from a blunt object
Fingerprint Status: Available
Dental Status: Available
DNA Status: Sample submitted – Tests complete


Circumstances:
Body was discovered by a mushroom hunter 42 foot down an embankment near the Hancock bridge on Old US Route 522. Her body was 200 feet from the West Virginia bank of the river on a little used road locally known as Lover’s Lane. The area of discovery is an area where West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania join. The woman had been strangled and the woman had sustained blunt force trauma and her neck was broken. There were no signs the woman had been sexually assaulted.

WVSP held a theory she may have been killed a great distance away and brought to Morgan County. The theory was due in part to the estimated 1000 people from 3 different states that paid their respects at the funeral home, no one recognized the woman.

Several leads were investigated many were “Red Herrings”:
(1) The woman was a former Berkeley Springs waitress whose husband worked in Cumberland, MD. The husband was located and told police his wife had false teeth unlike the UID whom had natural teeth.
(2) A Cumberland man thought it was his missing sister however his sister had dyed red hair with the UID had natural.
(3) A man that attended the funeral thought she looked like a hitchhiker named “Betty Lou” he picked up in Altoona, PA. The woman told him she left her husband and children in Akron, OH after incurring martial issues. She told him that she was going to meet her truck driver boyfriend whom she planned to marry. He dropped her off at the Bedford, PA terminal on the Pennsylvania turnpike
(4) A storekeeper in Sharpsburg, MD found a woman’s dress along the highway close to an abandoned automobile. The 46’ Plymouth had been stolen from Brownsville, PA between May 6-7. A piece of rope, strands of hair, two bobby pins and an old jacket were found inside the car. Items were sent to the FBI to be analyzed. The length of rope was ruled out due to the length in which to be able to strangle a person. The dress fitted the UID perfectly and it was used in her mortuary photo. The hair was confirmed not to be a match to the UID.
(5) A National, WV man was arrested and questioned after he had showed interest in the death of the UID. He was found to be in the possession of a woman’s girdle, scarf, an album containing many women’s photos and some love letters. The man claimed the items found belonged to friends. A long red hair had also been found on his coat it was sent to FBI to determine if it was a match to the UID. The man was subjected to a polygraph test in which showed he had “no connection”.
(6) A man found a package of clothing in Bellefontaine on May 12th it contained red shoes, four pairs of hose, lace panties, green satin dress and an obscene note on a brown paper bag.
(7) A bus driver that viewed the body of the woman several days later identified the woman he dropped off in Hancock @ 12:35 am on May 5th. The woman had ridden the bus from Columbus, OH to Hancock, MD she inquired to him how to get to Needmore PA. He let her out at a highway intersection and told her he would stop at a nearby station and send a taxi to send her to Needmore. The bus driver stopped at the gas station however there were no cabs.

In 2007 the UID was exhumed after (2) families made inquiries into her case. DNA was extracted, and a profile created. However, the UID was not a match to either of the families.


Investigating Agencies:
West Virginia State Police
Troop 2, District 1
1750 Valley Road
Berkeley Springs, WV
Tele: 304.258.0000
Web: https://www.wvsp.gov/pages/coldcasefiles.aspx

West Virginia, Medical Examiner
619 Virginia Street
Charleston, WV
Contact: Matthew Izzo
Tele: 304.558.6920
UID Case # UD1950Morgan
Web: https://dhhr.wv.gov/ocme/about%20us/Pages/Staff-directory.aspx


Information Sources:
NAMUS – Warning Postmortem Photos at NAMUS link
UID Case # UP10026: Unidentified Person Case
ME/C Case # 06-10419
Case Manager: Amy Dobbs
Tele: 865.235.6523
E-Mail: Amy.Dobbs@unthsc.edu

Doe Network Case # 512UFWV: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/512ufwv.html

News/Blogs:
05/11/50 – Courier Post
05/12/50 – Beckley Post Herald
05/12/50 – Oakland Tribune
05/12/50 – The Evening Sun
05/13/50 – The Times Recorder
05/13/50 – The Evening Times
05/14/50 – Cumberland Sunday Times
05/14/15 – News Journal
05/16/50 – The Baltimore Sun
05/16/50 – The News
05/17/50 – Shamokin News Dispatch
05/17/50 – The Morning Herald
05/17/50 – Daily Press
05/18/50 – Cumberland Evening Times
05/19/50 – Beckley Post Herald
05/19/50 – The Daily News
05/23/50 – Beckley Post Herald
08/18/13 – The Journal http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2013/08/63-year-old-case-remains-ice-cold/
05/12/17 – Mysteries WV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lnK2DzI1IM&feature=youtu.be
02/25/18 – Unsolved Appalachia http://www.unsolvedappalachia.org/morgan-county-jane-doe/
Click to expand...

Wow nice detailed and organized long time line love it! Thanks for putting that all together Folie!

I wonder if #1 ever found his wife and #2 ever found his sister?
I wonder whose the red hairs they found belonged to?
I wonder who the random clothing belonged to. And the bag of random women's clothing and obscene note??
I wonder who owned the car?
I wonder if the guy that passed the polygraph was the killer or if he killed and other women?
Ooh so many questions!
 
TY Madamx..... There is more out there on this MP it is overwhelming to read and sort through, more than what I posted. After posting found another article on clothes found in a box in a farmers field. Plan to go back through and do a complete list of all the leads and note which one's were ruled out and closed.

The only one that proved to be a solid lead was the bus driver there were a couple of other passengers on the bus one statement said they had also confirmed it was the same woman.

There was also a small noted mention she may have been traveling with an older elderly woman from OK. Only read this once so it may be another clue or a Red Herring.

The man that took the polygraph, very strange .... IMO he may have not commited this crime but he may have been involved with others.

Missing Pieces (Todd) did a podcast in which is now in transcribed format

Missing Pieces Episode 50 Archive
 
Do we know how common hysterectomy was before 1950, and what health issues led to it?

Fibroids?
Cancer?
Rupture of the uterus during childbirth?

Although around half a million are carried out in the US every year at present, this is still major abdominal surgery requiring 4 to 6 weeks recovery. In the days before laparascopic surgery and modern anaesthetics this would have been a much more serious operation and I think I've read that up to around 1990 in the UK it used to be said you needed 6 months to really get over it.
 
MelmothTheLost said:
Do we know how common hysterectomy was before 1950, and what health issues led to it?

Fibroids?
Cancer?
Rupture of the uterus during childbirth?

Although around half a million are carried out in the US every year at present, this is still major abdominal surgery requiring 4 to 6 weeks recovery. In the days before laparascopic surgery and modern anaesthetics this would have been a much more serious operation and I think I've read that up to around 1990 in the UK it used to be said you needed 6 months to really get over it.
Click to expand...

Even though hysterectomy procedures have changed over the decades to include less invasive options, like laparoscopy and laser assisted, if a woman had a C-Section, there's a good chance she won't qualify for the newfangled procedure. She'll have to have it the old way.
 
Alleykins said:
Even though hysterectomy procedures have changed over the decades to include less invasive options, like laparoscopy and laser assisted, if a woman had a C-Section, there's a good chance she won't qualify for the newfangled procedure. She'll have to have it the old way.
Click to expand...

Well yes. If she's being cut open anyway for the CS there's not much point doing a simultaneous hysterectomy laparoscopically.
 
MelmothTheLost said:
Well yes. If she's being cut open anyway for the CS there's not much point doing a simultaneous hysterectomy laparoscopically.
Click to expand...

LOL, I'm not talking about doing them at the same time :)

What I'm saying is women who have C-sections during their childbearing years are usually ineligible to have a hysterectomy using the new techniques later in life.
 
Alleykins said:
LOL, I'm not talking about doing them at the same time :)

What I'm saying is women who have C-sections during their childbearing years are usually ineligible to have a hysterectomy using the new techniques later in life.
Click to expand...

So I gather, though it's not universally the case. Something to do with additional risk arising from scar tissue.
 
According to my mother, who was having children (me) in the 1950's, a hysterectomy was major surgery, but generally relatively safe. You'd have a long recovery but you probably weren't going to die from it. They could do a tubal ligation right after delivery (she had one after my brother was born).

Sometimes for an emergency c-section they would have to do a complete c-section. They'd just pull everything out all at once and then get the baby out of the womb. She says that happened to her friend who had placenta previa. Baby and mother were fine but it took a while.
 
folieadeuxnola said:
The hunt for this woman's identity was huge news, their were so many leads and articles I could not keep up with them.

All thou LE was unable to identify her they went to great lengths and investigated every lead possible. Do not believe I have ever come across a Doe case with this much wide spread coverage. As many of yall have stated it would be amazing if DDP picks up her case I believe they will be able to identify her fairly quick.

The YT video from Mysteries WV is very informative!

Berkeley Springs Jane Doe

Date Discovered: Wednesday, May 10th, 1950

Discovery Location: Bath/Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, West Virginia


Physical Description:
Race: Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age: 35–50 Years Old
Height: 5’5” (65”)
Weight: 130 lbs.
Head Hair: Red/Auburn, Curly, close cropped (Recent Perm)
Facial Hair:
Eye Color: Unknown
Clothing: Nude (No Clothing)
Jewelry:
Misc. Items:
Condition of Remain: Recognizable face
Characteristics/Medical/Scars: 3” “Y” shaped scar on the outside of right wrist, “W” shaped scar in center of forehead, 10” hysterectomy scar, 4” appendectomy scar. Freckles on back of hands and lower arms, noted the UID had very small hands, shoe size 4.5 narrow
Transportation:
Postmortem Interval: 48 Hours (2 Days)
Estimated Year of Death: 1950
Cause of Death: Strangulation (Possibly Rope), Neck Broken, Head trauma from a blunt object
Fingerprint Status: Available
Dental Status: Available
DNA Status: Sample submitted – Tests complete


Circumstances:
Body was discovered by a mushroom hunter 42 foot down an embankment near the Hancock bridge on Old US Route 522. Her body was 200 feet from the West Virginia bank of the river on a little used road locally known as Lover’s Lane. The area of discovery is an area where West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania join. The woman had been strangled and the woman had sustained blunt force trauma and her neck was broken. There were no signs the woman had been sexually assaulted.

WVSP held a theory she may have been killed a great distance away and brought to Morgan County. The theory was due in part to the estimated 1000 people from 3 different states that paid their respects at the funeral home, no one recognized the woman.

Several leads were investigated many were “Red Herrings”:
(1) The woman was a former Berkeley Springs waitress whose husband worked in Cumberland, MD. The husband was located and told police his wife had false teeth unlike the UID whom had natural teeth.
(2) A Cumberland man thought it was his missing sister however his sister had dyed red hair with the UID had natural.
(3) A man that attended the funeral thought she looked like a hitchhiker named “Betty Lou” he picked up in Altoona, PA. The woman told him she left her husband and children in Akron, OH after incurring martial issues. She told him that she was going to meet her truck driver boyfriend whom she planned to marry. He dropped her off at the Bedford, PA terminal on the Pennsylvania turnpike
(4) A storekeeper in Sharpsburg, MD found a woman’s dress along the highway close to an abandoned automobile. The 46’ Plymouth had been stolen from Brownsville, PA between May 6-7. A piece of rope, strands of hair, two bobby pins and an old jacket were found inside the car. Items were sent to the FBI to be analyzed. The length of rope was ruled out due to the length in which to be able to strangle a person. The dress fitted the UID perfectly and it was used in her mortuary photo. The hair was confirmed not to be a match to the UID.
(5) A National, WV man was arrested and questioned after he had showed interest in the death of the UID. He was found to be in the possession of a woman’s girdle, scarf, an album containing many women’s photos and some love letters. The man claimed the items found belonged to friends. A long red hair had also been found on his coat it was sent to FBI to determine if it was a match to the UID. The man was subjected to a polygraph test in which showed he had “no connection”.
(6) A man found a package of clothing in Bellefontaine on May 12th it contained red shoes, four pairs of hose, lace panties, green satin dress and an obscene note on a brown paper bag.
(7) A bus driver that viewed the body of the woman several days later identified the woman he dropped off in Hancock @ 12:35 am on May 5th. The woman had ridden the bus from Columbus, OH to Hancock, MD she inquired to him how to get to Needmore PA. He let her out at a highway intersection and told her he would stop at a nearby station and send a taxi to send her to Needmore. The bus driver stopped at the gas station however there were no cabs.

In 2007 the UID was exhumed after (2) families made inquiries into her case. DNA was extracted, and a profile created. However, the UID was not a match to either of the families.


Investigating Agencies:
West Virginia State Police
Troop 2, District 1
1750 Valley Road
Berkeley Springs, WV
Tele: 304.258.0000
Web: https://www.wvsp.gov/pages/coldcasefiles.aspx

West Virginia, Medical Examiner
619 Virginia Street
Charleston, WV
Contact: Matthew Izzo
Tele: 304.558.6920
UID Case # UD1950Morgan
Web: https://dhhr.wv.gov/ocme/about%20us/Pages/Staff-directory.aspx


Information Sources:
NAMUS – Warning Postmortem Photos at NAMUS link
UID Case # UP10026: Unidentified Person Case
ME/C Case # 06-10419
Case Manager: Amy Dobbs
Tele: 865.235.6523
E-Mail: Amy.Dobbs@unthsc.edu

Doe Network Case # 512UFWV: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/512ufwv.html

News/Blogs:
05/11/50 – Courier Post
05/12/50 – Beckley Post Herald
05/12/50 – Oakland Tribune
05/12/50 – The Evening Sun
05/13/50 – The Times Recorder
05/13/50 – The Evening Times
05/14/50 – Cumberland Sunday Times
05/14/15 – News Journal
05/16/50 – The Baltimore Sun
05/16/50 – The News
05/17/50 – Shamokin News Dispatch
05/17/50 – The Morning Herald
05/17/50 – Daily Press
05/18/50 – Cumberland Evening Times
05/19/50 – Beckley Post Herald
05/19/50 – The Daily News
05/23/50 – Beckley Post Herald
08/18/13 – The Journal http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2013/08/63-year-old-case-remains-ice-cold/
05/12/17 – Mysteries WV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lnK2DzI1IM&feature=youtu.be
02/25/18 – Unsolved Appalachia http://www.unsolvedappalachia.org/morgan-county-jane-doe/[/QUOTE

There's a lot of information here. The bus driver identified her as the passenger that he dropped of at 12:30 am on May 5th in Hancock and she said that she wanted to go to Needmore, PA. Did an investigator go to Needmore to look for information ? What did he find ? It's such a small place. Why was she going there ?
Click to expand...
 
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