MI MI - Highland Park, WhtFem 15-25, UP12115, nickname "Bill", may be runaway from Ohio, Mar'76

[carbuff]

snipped by carbuff

Her case always has intrigued me being she was known alive before she died. I wonder what the last people to be with her could say about the time they spent together. Like how did it come about that she attended the party if no one really knew her (being she's still unidentified)?

The description says, "The only information the residents had is that she called herself "Bill" and she was a runaway from a youth home in Ohio and was picked up on 7 Mile in Detroit."

Which sounds to me like she may have been a prostitute they picked up to join them for the evening.

 

[Jake479]

I still believe that this may be Maria Anjiras.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

The description says, "The only information the residents had is that she called herself "Bill" and she was a runaway from a youth home in Ohio and was picked up on 7 Mile in Detroit."

Which sounds to me like she may have been a prostitute they picked up to join them for the evening.

I find it interesting this is all they knew about her. Especially considering she goes by Bill. I could see someone asking about her name. I think it's just me because I'm a talker but I can't imagine hanging out with a group of people without engaging in multiple conversations. They did do drugs together so maybe they didn't conversate as much? I looked up 7 mile and it seems to be a dangerous/rough street in Detroit.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

I still believe that this may be Maria Anjiras.

The sketch does favor her! I just read her case file, chills! I wonder if the Charter Oaks had any connections to Detroit.

OT: but her name "Bill" makes me think of The Return to Oz character Billina, a chicken who thinks she's a rooster that named herself Bill.

 

[carbuff]

As far as I know, the whole Charter Oaks angle in Maria's disappearance has been called into question. I won't quite say ruled out, but the person everybody thought was Maria turns out not to have been her, and was located alive and well in another state. From Namus: "Updated info in 2015 - Investigation into Maria being the young female observed at the Charter Oaks Motorcycle Club in Bethel, CT was found to be a different 17 year old female from Danbury,CT that went on to marry Pepe and live in South Carolina. This female was interviewed and it appears that the Bethel information is not viable." Missing Person Case

 

[Nate_Bro]

I found a possible curious connection in a missing persons case from 1977. The links are below.

Billie Groff was reported missing on July 4, 1977. The curious part is that 1 year earlier on March 25, 1976 an unidentified woman was found deceased 230 miles away, also known as Billie, and possibly from the same state as Billie Groff. Namus only lists 4 woman in total with that name, but these 2 woman also bear a resemblance. Granted there is a height difference of 6-8 inches. I theorize that either there was a transcription error at some point with either of the cases, or there was some type of conspiracy with the missing woman's reported date and details.

The Doe Network: 1195UFMI
Unidentified Person Case
Missing Person Case

 

[madamx]

Bumping

 

[Gardener1850]

Could Bill be short for a name like Wilhelmina, Willow or Wilma?

I found one Wilma who went missing in 1976 and I think she looks like the reconstruction-- but the dates don't quite work:

Wilma Rae Vermaas was last seen in California April 3, 1976-- however IMO that date could be incorrect as her husband didn't admit at first that she was missing. Perhaps April 3 is the date she was actually first reported missing by her family?

Wilma Rae Vermaas – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Some issues are that Wilma had two false front teeth and a large scar on her knee. Also she was shorter than the UID by 3-5 inches and reportedly had brown eyes (but the only photos of her are black and white). I don't think she is likely to be a match due to all the differences but I wanted to post anyway. If anyone sees a strong enough facial similarity for Wilma, please feel free to submit. Thanks.

 

[Gourami Watcher]

NamUs released new images that appear to be based off of her postmortem photos in March.

 

[carbuff]

Wow, she does look like Wilma Vermaas.

 

[Nina Michigan]

I covered "Bill's" case along with the disappearance of Tammy Sue Clements in the most recent episode of Already Gone Podcast

 

[Gardener1850]

I covered "Bill's" case along with the disappearance of Tammy Sue Clements in the most recent episode of Already Gone Podcast

Great podcast @Nina Michigan! Thanks for sharing it with us. There were a few times while listening to you say "Bill" that it sounded to me like "Bell". That reminded me of the pin-pen merger phenomenon: Pin-Pen Merger
I wondered if maybe Bill's name was actually Bell, Belle, or a nickname for Isabelle, Annabelle, etc. Perhaps when she said her name it only sounded like she said "Bill" to the people she was with. It could have been misheard as "Bill" due to her dialect or the listeners' dialect.

MOO.

 

[Nina Michigan]

Great podcast @Nina Michigan! Thanks for sharing it with us. There were a few times while listening to you say "Bill" that it sounded to me like "Bell". That reminded me of the pin-pen merger phenomenon: Pin-Pen Merger
I wondered if maybe Bill's name was actually Bell, Belle, or a nickname for Isabelle, Annabelle, etc. Perhaps when she said her name it only sounded like she said "Bill" to the people she was with. It could have been misheard as "Bill" due to her dialect or the listeners' dialect.

MOO.

that's a really interesting consideration!! Especially if she's from select parts of Ohio

 

[Gardener1850]

Well it was an idea anyway. I've searched and the only person missing person I found that might use a nickname "Bell" doesn't look like a match to me. But I'm posting her for consideration in case someone sees something I don't:

Belinda VanLith, 17 years old, missing from Minnesota since June 15, 1974.
She has blue eyes like the UID but her hair was blonde. Hair color is easy to change, however, or subject to interpretation (Some might call dark blonde hair brown). Her height was listed as 5'5" while the UID was 5'8" but it's possible for a 17 year old to have a late growth spurt and grow 3 inches in 2 years (or the missing report could be off on her height). Belinda's weight was listed as 110 and the UID was 150. Also possible for a runaway to gain weight or weight to be misjudged.
However Belinda's case says foul play was suspected which may rule her out completely.

Could she have used the nickname "Bel"? Or maybe she started to say her real name once and stopped herself only saying the "Bel" part of Belinda? Maybe others heard "Bill" and she went with that?

Little Eagle Lake, MN is about 730 miles away from Highland park, MI which seems really far away. But it's still in the "Great Lakes Region" and that distance could easily be covered in 2 years of hitchhiking.

All that said, I'm just not sure if there is a close enough resemblance:

She might have a similar nose but it's hard for me to tell. I'd like to find more photos of Belinda for comparison. I also think the fact that her case says they suspected foul play means Belinda is unlikely to be a run away. If anyone sees her as a good possibility, please submit her. Thanks.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

ETA: Belinda's thread: MN - MN - Belinda VanLith, 17, Little Eagle Lake, 15 June 1974

 

[Gardener1850]

There is discussion on another thread that Bill could be Frankie Mcgraw: MI - MI - Frankie Regina McGraw, 23, Ypsilanti, 28 May 1974

 

[Jake479]

Denise Sheehy has been ruled out. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping up. Is the current full list of Rule-outs short enough/ easy enough to post here?

 

[Tabirey]

Bumping up. Is the current full list of Rule-outs short enough/ easy enough to post here?

Namus only shows 1 public exclusion:

MP5533
Denise
Sheehy
07/07/1970
Queens
NY

 

[Al Ka]

Unidentified: Facial reconstruction image released of young woman found dead 45 years ago

It’s been 45 years since a young woman was found dead in Highland Park, and she has still not been identified.

Police are sharing a facial reconstruction image to try to identify the “Jane Doe” who was found dead at a Highland Park residence on March 25, 1976. It is believed that she was 17-20 years old and could have been a runaway from Ohio, Highland Park Police said in a news release.

Her body was discovered within hours of her death at a residence on Buena Vista Street, police said. She had just met the people she was staying with that evening, and they knew her only as “Bill.”

She had shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. She was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 150 pounds, police said. She didn’t have any dental fillings or cavities in her teeth. Some of her upper front teeth overlapped slightly. She was found wearing size 32 black and white checkered slacks, a size 42 dark colored blouse, a black bra and maroon socks.

Unidentified: Facial reconstruction image released of woman found dead 45 years ago

 

[John/Jane Doe]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Have you seen this child?

1195UFMI