I wish she wasn't Little Miss Nobody - she was a Somebody. Someone must have loved her. She is God's Child.
I compiled the info below; hope it helps everyone to see she was very loved by the town.
Congress AZ - Age 6-7, "Little Miss Nobody" July 31, 1960
Body of a female child found in Sand Wash/ Creek Bed on Old Alamo Road, partially buried on July 31, 1960. Pathologist believed she had been deceased 1-2 weeks. She had a "full and perfect set of baby teeth."
A campaign for funds to provide a decent burial was spearheaded by Dave Palladin, an announcer at Prescott radio station KYCA. It is how she had become to be known as "Little Miss Nobody". She was adopted by locals who not only paid for her funeral but were there when she was buried. She was truly a "somebody" that day. A card on her small casket bore this inscription "God's little child, date of birth unknown, date of death unknown".
Dave Palladin, a radio announcer with KYCA "couldn't stand to see the little girl buried in a "Boot Hill" (paupers grave). He spearheaded a campaign to get the funds to provide what turned out to be the finest of Christian burials. Prescott's Florist, cemetery operators and Widmer's Mortuary provided the services and burial on Wednesday August 10, 1960.
In a voice choked with emotion, Dr. Charles Franklin Parker of the Congressional Church conducted the rites; adding "Somewhere, someone is watching to learn what happened to a little girl left on the desert. If there has been a misdeed, probably a disquieted conscience will go on and on."
Her funeral was attended by more then 70 mourners.
Sheriff's officers, Newsmen and others worked very hard to find her identity. It's been reported that she was between the ages of 4 1/2 to 7. Sheriff Cramer and law officers traveled hundreds of miles by air and by land following leads. Suspects in other crimes involving small children were also questioned. Sheriff Cramers office in Prescott received dozens of letters, telephone calls and telegrams asking information on the little girl. On Tuesday August 8, 1961; Sheriff Cramer led a party of Law Enforcement Officers and a camera man to film the actual location where the child was found. Later in the afternoon, the Sheriff with George Ireland who was the County Attorney brought out evidence found including the adult sized rubber flip flops which were cut down to her size. The film was shown on television with the hope that someone recognized what he called "fragmentary mementoes of crime" to provide a final solution to the case. Sheriff Cramer felt "somewhere there is someone who has the answer that we have been looking for; maybe this will be the thing that will bring that person forward.
Link to flip flop article.
