UNSOLVED NC - Wilkes Co, Photo of Gagged Woman Tied To Chair, Circa 1970s or Early 80s

[Bird of Paradise]

My theory is that the thing you highlighted in green is some sort of improvised tourniquet to keep the gag tight. If it is simply tied behind her head it could come lose if she struggles. There are bandaging systems used in combat first aide which pull tighter with any movement, and at the same time can be loosened or tightened with a cord/ bar system worked by the medical workers for checking the wound and adding more dressings. Obviously, this is not being used in a medical emergency but perhaps someone had military training which would have taught him how to improvise something like this which would pull tighter if she struggled and could be controled with only one hand? (And sorry, but I feel sick for this woman while thinking about all this and typing it out-- we have to figure out who she is and what happened here )

It does look like the gag fabric at the top of whatever is behind her head, I agree on that point. Fascinating thought about the lever or whatever that is being used to tighten the gag. Sounds plausible.

bsarlo: Agree this may lead to nothing but when it comes to identifying objects in photos, my POV is the more photos one views, the more experience we get at fine tuning our skills.

 

[mrtnira]

Sorry, sometimes these threads really bother me and I want to contribute in any way I can. I just don't have the skills, contacts, resources, or knowledge to meaningfully contribute.

Bsarlo, I feel the same way.

The potential to "solve" this, or many of the threads found on Web Sleuths, through crowd sourcing using publicly available information, is slim to none. However, it is useful for developing a public body of knowledge about events, people, and the unsolved. There is value to this. A retired investigator who becomes captivated to solve this particular question -- who is the bound girl in the chair -- might find exposure to this on Web Sleuths and begin his or her personal quest for resolution. Or a criminal justice instructor may take it as his or her personal pursuit and help develop investigative skills of students who volunteer over the course of their college career.

For something like this particular question -- the bound woman in a chair 30-40 years ago, it would take an investigator developing a list of contacts through interviews, and showing them the picture of the woman. Interviewing people who knew the man at the time, following up with name leads, and asking questions about the woman in the photograph (even if she is unknown) would eventually develop a picture of the man at the time and begin options for further investigation. This takes classic gumshoe detective work, unless someone sees this or hears of it on Web Sleuths by word of mouth and drops in and gives a data dump on this and related activity at the time of the photograph.

 

[bsarlo]

...She sent me the items in the mail, and as I looked through the items I found this 35 millimeter slide ...

Were there only the three hair braids and the slide?

 

[maconrich]

This won't help, but the thin braid reminded me that in the early 80s I used to braid a section of my hair (maybe 2 inches from the front) - hair was down to my waist and very thick. Looked a lot like the thin one in the photo right down to the kind of band used. Had a lot of guys tell me they "wanted" my braid. Never took them seriously esp since always in a crowded place (so no reason to fear them).

 

[CarlK90245]

Were there only the three hair braids and the slide?

Yes, the three locks of hair, the slide, and a few pages of stuff written by her, explaining who he was and his history. She also included a copy of their divorce papers.

 

[Teche]

That triangular item behind her head reminds me of a headrest, the kind attached to car seats. I don't know what a vehicle headrest looked like in that timeframe.

 

[DQN]

If the police had no interest in pursuing this with the husband, there may be a reason. <modsnip> First she said the braids are possibly the girl in the photo or someone else's then she said it may be my husbands. He probably saved it to tell everyone look how long my hair used to be....

The scarf in her mouth is just that, a wool or cotton scarf or the start of a baby blanket. The gray plastic behind her head looks like the weave machine because the scarf is feeding into it and resting on a chair. Now weavers are wooden and metal, that looks like a cheap model or maybe they were made like that in the 70's or 80's. I think the photo was staged as with her latest creation. If someone was actually using it as an actual gag (which I doubt) they would have used a tie instead and/or they would have yanked it out of the weave machine.

 

[Laughing]

DQN, I have a knitting machine purchased in '84 or '85 & have used others, none of them looked like this.

Can you post a picture of the machine you are talking about?

 

[DQN]

DQN, I have a knitting machine purchased in '84 or '85 & have used others, none of them looked like this.

Can you post a picture of the machine you are talking about?

I did not spend anytime looking for it. If you look behind her head it seems as though the scarf is feeding into it or out of it in 3 places, top, middle and lower part it looks like the same consistency of fabric, unless it is other fabric or wool in it. It definitely appears to grey plastic.

 

[BigCityAccountant]

Does anyone see a picture on the wall about 5" below the curtain on the right hand side?

 

[jccoa1999]

Does anyone see a picture on the wall about 5" below the curtain on the right hand side?

I saw what I thought to be a knot in the wood paneling! My opinion only

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[jccoa1999]

I saw what I thought to be a knot in the wood paneling! My opinion only

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But now I see what you're seeing as a paper hanging

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[SeesSeas]

Good thoughts about the object behind her head being a weaving loom and that the woven material in her mouth is extended from the loom.

I did a lot of hand craft in the 1960&#8217;s and 70&#8217;s &#8211; weave, knit, crochet, embroidery.

Here is a photo of a small weaving loom, noted as a &#8220;toy 1970-1975&#8221;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-old...70-1975-year/161615277855?hash=item25a1056f1f

If the police had no interest in pursuing this with the husband, there may be a reason. <modsnip> First she said the braids are possibly the girl in the photo or someone else's then she said it may be my husbands. He probably saved it to tell everyone look how long my hair used to be....

The scarf in her mouth is just that, a wool or cotton scarf or the start of a baby blanket. The gray plastic behind her head looks like the weave machine because the scarf is feeding into it and resting on a chair. Now weavers are wooden and metal, that looks like a cheap model or maybe they were made like that in the 70's or 80's. I think the photo was staged as with her latest creation. If someone was actually using it as an actual gag (which I doubt) they would have used a tie instead and/or they would have yanked it out of the weave machine.

 

[mrtnira]

About the appearance of a headrest on the chair, it could be an optical illusion. If something were against the wall behind the chair, taken at the correct angle, the thing behind the chair might appear to be part of the chair. It is a common occurrence in photography, where the background seems to merge with the thing being photographed, and then it looks like there was no separation between the objects.

 

[rosesfromangels]

If the police had no interest in pursuing this with the husband, there may be a reason. <modsnip> First she said the braids are possibly the girl in the photo or someone else's then she said it may be my husbands. He probably saved it to tell everyone look how long my hair used to be....

The scarf in her mouth is just that, a wool or cotton scarf or the start of a baby blanket. The gray plastic behind her head looks like the weave machine because the scarf is feeding into it and resting on a chair. Now weavers are wooden and metal, that looks like a cheap model or maybe they were made like that in the 70's or 80's. I think the photo was staged as with her latest creation. If someone was actually using it as an actual gag (which I doubt) they would have used a tie instead and/or they would have yanked it out of the weave machine.

Why should this be summarily dismissed as fraud without a thorough investigation?
We have an ex who has stepped forward at her own personal risk claiming she believes her ex has harmed young women. She has provided pics of what *appear* to be trophies, and her own claims of abuse. Then there is this picture.

That is enough for me. I want it vigorously investigated beyond personal experiences or opinions. Speaking of which, MOO!

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Yes, the three locks of hair, the slide, and a few pages of stuff written by her, explaining who he was and his history. She also included a copy of their divorce papers.

Gotta ask: Have the police seen the hair braids and/or photo, and/or the notes that were mailed to you?


[emoji202]MOO

 

[rosesfromangels]

Notice the shoulders are up which, to me, indicates the arms are tied behind the back. Try it yourself and watch your shoulders go upward.

 

[DQN]

Why should this be summarily dismissed as fraud without a thorough investigation?
We have an ex who has stepped forward at her own personal risk claiming she believes her ex has harmed young women. She has provided pics of what *appear* to be trophies, and her own claims of abuse. Then there is this picture.

That is enough for me. I want it vigorously investigated beyond personal experiences or opinions. Speaking of which, MOO!

How do you know the police did not investigate this more? and the ex husband told them who she was and where they could reach her. It could have been an ex girlfriend before he married his now ex wife. The wife didn't like the police reaction so she sent the photo to Carl. She also sent braided hair and when Carl called her she said she thinks it was ex husbands hair. Really? She sent Carl hair that she thinks was her ex's..

If need be it's the Police's job to take it further, however for some reason they didn't think they needed to.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

How do you know the police did not investigate this more? and the ex husband told them who she was and where they could reach her. It could have been an ex girlfriend before he married his now ex wife. The wife didn't like the police reaction so she sent the photos to Carl.

If need be it's the Police's job to take it further, however for some reason they didn't think they needed to.

The truth here is that we don't know whether it has been investigated or not — or what information police might or might not actually have.

To clarify, the ex sent more than just a photo to Carl, which is why Carl opened a thread here on WS to discuss them, imo. (Not that I mean to speak for Carl, and I apologize if I'm inadvertently stepping on anyone's toes.)


[emoji202]MOO

 

[noexplanation]

About the appearance of a headrest on the chair, it could be an optical illusion. If something were against the wall behind the chair, taken at the correct angle, the thing behind the chair might appear to be part of the chair. It is a common occurrence in photography, where the background seems to merge with the thing being photographed, and then it looks like there was no separation between the objects.

I feel like the thing behind her head is a headrest from a chair. It's one of those wicker chairs that were so big in the early 80's. JMOO


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