AL AL - Titus, Fem Skeletal 663UFAL, 30-40, shallow grave, bound in green tarp, Jul'07

I hadn't seen the pentagram mentioned before, so figured was newly added since the last time this thread was active...It HAS to mean something, right? Personalizes it? I just wonder if anyone recognizes it...is it Native American? Witch-related? Just a trinket?

Respectfully snipped by me.

The upright pentagram/pentacle is a Wiccan symbol, and the little sun, moon and stars around the border of the medallion seem to reinforce that this is a Wiccan charm. Many Wiccans wear an upright pentagram/pentacle as a symbol of their faith, as many Christians wear a cross.

However, when inverted (turned upside down) the pentagram can be a sign of Satanism or dark magic. Which is why I'd really like to know how the symbol was oriented on the skull, because it makes a difference!

ETA: I don't think it's just a trinket. I think it either points to (a) the victim's faith, (b) the perp's faith, OR, perhaps it was (c) placed there to throw investigators off track - to send them down the "devil worship" road and keep them from looking at the deceased's close associates should her identity be discovered.
 
Does anyone know if this Doe has been checked against Tara Grinstead? They look similar and the distance from Ocilla to Titus, AL is not that far. The time and height and everything matches up. Could anyone find this out? I don't know how.

Thanks!:seeya:

PS - Mayqueen please post the name of rule outs when you find out. I would be interested to see if Tara is on there. Thank you!!
 
I agree this should be sent in. Did anyone submit?

Dentals are available on both so it should be an easy rule out if it is.
 
Another unidentified body was found about 30 miles away also in 2007 with a medallion affixed to the skull. This can't just be a coincidence.

http://doenetwork.org/cases/1712umal.html

I wonder if someone screwed up when entering into Namus. I can't find any reference to the medallion except in the photo in the female UID's case file, and the male UID's case file refers to the medallion and says "see photo" but there is no photo.

Both bodies were found in 2007. Also, the female's Doe profile lists a DoD of 2002-2007 but Namus lists 1950-2007, which is what they also list for the male. So curious!
 
Thank you FiveFelines. When I fist read the UID woman's profile, I wrote to some owners of shops that sold pentagram jewelry. I got this helpful info. from a woman in Florida: "That is most definitely a pentagram of Pagan and/or Wiccan origin. The custom is called "Charon's obol" associated with the ancient Greeks and Romans. This is a custom (the term coined by archaeologists) to refer to a religious rite that serves as a symbol to help the deceased's passage into the afterlife. A "sustenance for the journey" if you will. It also helps protect the deceased's Soul. Most times a coin is used and placed over the deceased's eyes or in the mouth. But many burials have been discovered with the objects placed on other areas of the head most often the forehead. I hope this helps you some :) and just let me know if you need any more information or have any other questions and I will help you all I can.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me!!!
Many blessings!
Kathy

I forwarded this to the case manager listed in Namus, Scott Belton, and received a thank you reply. I then came across the Doe Network case of the UID male and sent him that info. Hopefully, if there is a screw-up, he will take notice. And if it isn't, hopefully some kind of connection can be made.
 
Current Rule Out list:

Chin Suk Beshears 1957 Alabama
Shannon Ellis 1977 Alabama
Traci Kegley 1968 Alabama
Melinda McGhee 1971 Alabama
Sherry Milton 1979 Alabma
Judie Wilding 1944 Alabama

https://www.identifyus.org/en/cases/5011

Pic of the charm:
653UFAL2.jpg

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/653ufal.html
 
The lime put on the body shows that whoever did this really didn't want any evidence to be forthcoming.

It also tells us whoever did this did not know his forensic science.

Lime does destroy a body but does so very slowly unless you use a very large quantity of it. Sprinkling a few handfuls on the body won't get you very far, and in certain circumstances it helps to preserve the body.

Adding water to the lime creates slaked lime which is much more destructive, but it also generates heat which kills off all the bacteria which would normally consume the soft tissues so it tends to be self-defeating.
 
The upright pentagram/pentacle is a Wiccan symbol, and the little sun, moon and stars around the border of the medallion seem to reinforce that this is a Wiccan charm.

Agreed. It looks to me to be the sort of popular wiccan silver jewellery that almost all wiccans routinely wear.

Many Wiccans wear an upright pentagram/pentacle as a symbol of their faith, as many Christians wear a cross. However, when inverted (turned upside down) the pentagram can be a sign of Satanism or dark magic. Which is why I'd really like to know how the symbol was oriented on the skull, because it makes a difference!

Agreed with caveats. Wiccans who belong to one of the initiatory traditions which originated in the UK, ie the Gardnerians and Alexandrians, use the orientation of the pentagram to denote 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree initiation. The 2nd degree uses an inverted pentagram. However it is obvious which way up an initiatory pentagram should go due to the fittings on the piece.

It interests me that it was stuck onto the skull and I agree it would be good to know exactly where. I'm guessing it was laid on the forehead and was stuck to the bone by decomposition fluids. This makes me think of the circlets which high priests and priestesses tend to wear round their heads with a symbol on the forehead. At the top end these circlets can be of silver, cheaper ones can be woven from wire, or even a piece of velvet like a choker.

See here for examples: https://www.eartisans.net/collections/handmade-circlets

From the available details it sounds as though there was no circlet since even fabric probably wouldn't have rotted down completely. I'd suggest the pentagram was simply placed on her forehead and maybe it was luck that it wasn't dislodged.

I'd also point out that there is an old tradition of the pentagram used as a symbol in Christianity - in the medieval period it symbolised the 5 wounds of Christ (I'm not sure if the side wound was ignored or whether the two wounds in the feet were counted as one since a single nail was supposed to have caused both) and was the device on the shield of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

I don't think it's just a trinket. I think it either points to (a) the victim's faith, (b) the perp's faith, OR, perhaps it was (c) placed there to throw investigators off track - to send them down the "devil worship" road and keep them from looking at the deceased's close associates should her identity be discovered.

Agreed, it should be looked into.

ETA that it might be worth circulating the reconstruction and details on pagan/wiccan forums in the SE. If she was part of the community someone would remember her.
 
Agreed. It looks to me to be the sort of popular wiccan silver jewellery that almost all wiccans routinely wear.



Agreed with caveats. Wiccans who belong to one of the initiatory traditions which originated in the UK, ie the Gardnerians and Alexandrians, use the orientation of the pentagram to denote 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree initiation. The 2nd degree uses an inverted pentagram. However it is obvious which way up an initiatory pentagram should go due to the fittings on the piece.

It interests me that it was stuck onto the skull and I agree it would be good to know exactly where. I'm guessing it was laid on the forehead and was stuck to the bone by decomposition fluids. This makes me think of the circlets which high priests and priestesses tend to wear round their heads with a symbol on the forehead. At the top end these circlets can be of silver, cheaper ones can be woven from wire, or even a piece of velvet like a choker.

See here for examples: https://www.eartisans.net/collections/handmade-circlets

From the available details it sounds as though there was no circlet since even fabric probably wouldn't have rotted down completely. I'd suggest the pentagram was simply placed on her forehead and maybe it was luck that it wasn't dislodged.

I'd also point out that there is an old tradition of the pentagram used as a symbol in Christianity - in the medieval period it symbolised the 5 wounds of Christ (I'm not sure if the side wound was ignored or whether the two wounds in the feet were counted as one since a single nail was supposed to have caused both) and was the device on the shield of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.



Agreed, it should be looked into.

ETA that it might be worth circulating the reconstruction and details on pagan/wiccan forums in the SE. If she was part of the community someone would remember her.

I've been circulating this and a few other cases that might be related to the Pagan/Wiccan community around for a while. I have a very large network within the community. If anyone knows anything within the community, we'll hear about it. Wiccans love to gossip. 😝
 
Still UID. The photo of charm/pendant referred to in posts above has been removed from DoeNetwork - as someone pointed out above, it may have been wrongly posted to this case record, as it already exists in another UID case record from the same area.
CASE NUMBER - 653UFAL
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Is there a public ruleout list someone with Namus acct could post? Lots of suggestions above, would be good to know if any were excluded.
 
RULED OUT:
Missing Person / NamUs # MP1321 Judie Wilding, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact April 1, 2000
State AL
County Montgomery
-
Missing Person / NamUs # MP2336 Chin Suk Beshears, Female, Asian
Date of Last Contact December 16, 2001
State AL
County Jefferson
-
Missing Person / NamUs # MP4656 Lori Slesinski, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact June 10, 2006
State AL
County Lee
-
Missing Person / NamUs # MP5022 Melinda McGhee, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact March 24, 2003
State AL
County Escambia
-
Missing Person / NamUs # MP1325 Shannon Ellis, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact September 24, 2008
State AL
County Jefferson
-
Missing Person / NamUs # MP4166 Sherry Milton, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact August 15, 2005
State AL
County Jefferson
-
Missing Person / NamUs # MP2328 Traci Kegley, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact April 26, 1998
State AL
County Elmore
 
The excluded someone whose DLC was a year after this body was found? Way to bump your stats!

Titus, AL is between Montgomery and Birmingham in central AL and not terribly close to state borders in any direction so unlikely to be a cross-border dump.
 
Added ruleouts:

NamUs # MP360 -
Darlene Wallace
Female
White / Caucasian, Hispanic / Latino
DLC: January 17, 2005
Missing Ftom: Colorado Springs, CO
WS: CO - CO - Darlene Ann Wallace, 35, Colorado Springs, 17 Jan 2005 *Endangered*

NamUs #MP3958 -
Kimberly Nicole Arrington
Female
Black / African American
DLC: October 30, 1998
Missing From: Montgomery, Alabama
WS: AL - AL - Kimberly Arrington, 16, Montgomery, 30 Oct 1998

NamUs #MP18125 -
Pamela June Ray
Female
White / Caucasian
DLC: August 12, 1992
Missing From: Panama City, Florida
WS: FL - FL-Pamela June Ray, 36, Panama City, 12 Aug 1992
 

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