Identified! NYC - Blk Fem 20-35 UP9629 found strangled on street feb 1989 - Viola Butler

[Moonwalker9]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Warning PM

I feel like this pic is very wrong though, it appears to be a man and I saw the same man when I browsed through unidentified males. Couldn't find any other source for this JD but I believe the case holder who put it up mistoke the photos.

TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date FoundFebruary 19, 1989
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 19, 2011
ME/C QA ReviewedDecember 20, 2011
Location Found Map
Street Address157 East 126th StreetNew York, New York
CountyNew York County
GPS Coordinates40.804674, -73.936002
Circumstances of RecoveryUnknown black female found strangled on the street in front of 157 East 126th Street.
Details of Recovery


Inventory of RemainsAll parts recovered
Condition of RemainsRecognizable face
Physical Description
Hair ColorBlack
Head Hair Descriptionblack with red highlights, braided, 12-15"
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBrown
Right Eye ColorBrown
Eye Description--
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Piercing
earlobes pierced


Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Clothing
black panties, pink buttoned shirt, tan sweater, t-shirt with emblem "International Quality First Class Boys and Girls" on front, tan bra
On the Body

Clothing
blue knee length corduroy pants, pink knee length corduroy pants, dark knee length corduroy pants, dark blue socks, blue denim shorts, black and white sweater
Near the Body

 

[dotr]

The UID does appear to be male ( looks like a moustache) but the eyebrows seem to be tweezed/ groomed.
Could this person be a trans male or trans female?

 

[FleurQualia]

I am thinking possibly wrong photo? It doesn't match the description given.

 

[Moonwalker9]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Here the link to the mans file. Nameus got it wrong. How do you contact them?

 

[CCJD]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Here the link to the mans file. Nameus got it wrong. How do you contact them?

I wouldn't say NamUs got it wrong - probably the person at the ME's office that entered the cases.

Click on Contacts on the either the man's or woman's case on NamUs. Contacts are the same for both. To the left of the screen is NamUs Regional Program Specialist (Lori Bruski) with email addy.

 

[Moonwalker9]

Street view, it's in Harlem or more like East Harlem. Doesn't look very nice. Imagine it was even worse back in1989

Edit:

CCJD:
You're correct. I will contact her to see if there is another image of this JD.

 

[Moonwalker9]

Update:

I emailed the case handler, although she never replied. The picture is now changed, and it's clearly a woman now.

 

[YaYa_521]

I did not post the UID's PM photo even though she appears as though she's sleeping with no visible trauma, but please view the pic in order to appreciate the similarities between her and Viola Butler. All of the pertinant profile info is shown below with the UID's listings bolded red.

To sum it up, Viola went missing 2 and a half to 3 hours away from where this Jane Doe was located on the same date (Feb. 19, 1989). Viola was reported missing from Pleasantville, NJ while Jane was found strangled on a street in NY, NY. Viola's hair is listed as brown but maybe she went alone or met with someone who was taking her to NY for a day of shopping (clothing found near the body) and a new hair style (briaded black w/ red highlights)? Perhaps she was wanting a new look for her next shift at work that night, the one she didn't show up for and thereafter was reported as missing?

Jane Doe's profile doesn't list any pants "on the body" while Viola wore black pants that day with a "dark yellow" sweater. Could that sweater also be classified "tan" such as the one the UID was wearing when she was discovered? My interpretation of dark yellow, depending on how the item looks, could be anywhere from a muddy mustard color to a yellowy-tan color. But that's just me. I wish we had photos of their clothing with which to compare. But then we have a "pink ankle length coat" for Viola and a "pink buttoned down shirt" for Jane Doe. I mean no disrespect but I taught for enough years to know that what I and other students/teachers/parents thought was a coat or jacket or shirt could sometimes all have been the same thing. I'd often ask my students "where's your coat?" and their reply would be " this is my coat" while lifting what looked to me like a shirt or at best, a jacket. Interpretation is key I suppose. The extra t-shirt JD was wearing may not have been visible to the person who made the MP report or perhaps she put it on after purchasing the shirt during my theoretical shopping trip that day.

Finally, Viola's profile doesn't specify anything about her having pierced ears but one of her pics clearly shows earrings. Whether those are clip-ons or pierced earrings can't be determined with my old eyes. Maybe yours work a little better. Viola is estimated to be 1" - 2" shorter than the 5' 8" measured height of Jane Doe but she's 30-35 pounds heavier than the measured weight of JD. Viola is also four years older than JD's estimated age of 20-35 years old.

I'll admit this may not be a match but those faces in the pics are quite similar to me. Your feedback is appreciated.

​

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

NamUs #MP34554
VIOLA A BUTLER,
Female, Black / African American
Date of Last Contact February 19, 1989 February 19, 1989
Missing From Pleasantville, New Jersey New York, New York
Missing Age 39 Years 20-35 Years
Height 5' 6" - 5' 7" (66 - 67 Inches) 5'8
Weight 130 - 135 lbs 100lbs measured
Hair - Brown Black w/ red highlights braided, 12-15"
Eyes - Brown Brown

Clothing - Black pants, dark yellow sweater and long pink ankle length coat.
Clothing - (On the body) black panties, pink buttoned shirt, tan sweater, t-shirt with emblem "International Quality First Class Boys and Girls" on front, tan bra
Clothing - (Near the body) blue knee length corduroy pants, pink knee length corduroy pants, dark knee length corduroy pants, dark blue socks, blue denim shorts, black and white sweater
Near the Body

Eyewear - large rimmed glasses
Ears - wearring earrings (could be clip-on) in pic Ears pierced


Viola's Circumstances of Disappearance - Missing Person left residence and failed to show up at appoint time at work.
UID's Circumstances - Unknown black female found strangled on the street in front of 157 East 126th Street.

 

[dotr]

I did not post the UID's PM photo even though she appears as though she's sleeping with no visible trauma, but please view the pic in order to appreciate the similarities between her and Viola Butler. All of the pertinant profile info is shown below with the UID's listings bolded red.

To sum it up, Viola went missing 2 and a half to 3 hours away from where this Jane Doe was located on the same date (Feb. 19, 1989). Viola was reported missing from Pleasantville, NJ while Jane was found strangled on a street in NY, NY. Viola's hair is listed as brown but maybe she went alone or met with someone who was taking her to NY for a day of shopping (clothing found near the body) and a new hair style (briaded black w/ red highlights)? Perhaps she was wanting a new look for her next shift at work that night, the one she didn't show up for and thereafter was reported as missing?

Jane Doe's profile doesn't list any pants "on the body" while Viola wore black pants that day with a "dark yellow" sweater. Could that sweater also be classified "tan" such as the one the UID was wearing when she was discovered? My interpretation of dark yellow, depending on how the item looks, could be anywhere from a muddy mustard color to a yellowy-tan color. But that's just me. I wish we had photos of their clothing with which to compare. But then we have a "pink ankle length coat" for Viola and a "pink buttoned down shirt" for Jane Doe. I mean no disrespect but I taught for enough years to know that what I and other students/teachers/parents thought was a coat or jacket or shirt could sometimes all have been the same thing. I'd often ask my students "where's your coat?" and their reply would be " this is my coat" while lifting what looked to me like a shirt or at best, a jacket. Interpretation is key I suppose. The extra t-shirt JD was wearing may not have been visible to the person who made the MP report or perhaps she put it on after purchasing the shirt during my theoretical shopping trip that day.

Finally, Viola's profile doesn't specify anything about her having pierced ears but one of her pics clearly shows earrings. Whether those are clip-ons or pierced earrings can't be determined with my old eyes. Maybe yours work a little better. Viola is estimated to be 1" - 2" shorter than the 5' 8" measured height of Jane Doe but she's 30-35 pounds heavier than the measured weight of JD. Viola is also four years older than JD's estimated age of 20-35 years old.

I'll admit this may not be a match but those faces in the pics are quite similar to me. Your feedback is appreciated.

​

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

NamUs #MP34554
VIOLA A BUTLER,
Female, Black / African American
Date of Last Contact February 19, 1989 February 19, 1989
Missing From Pleasantville, New Jersey New York, New York
Missing Age 39 Years 20-35 Years
Height 5' 6" - 5' 7" (66 - 67 Inches) 5'8
Weight 130 - 135 lbs 100lbs measured
Hair - Brown Black w/ red highlights braided, 12-15"
Eyes - Brown Brown

Clothing - Black pants, dark yellow sweater and long pink ankle length coat.
Clothing - (On the body) black panties, pink buttoned shirt, tan sweater, t-shirt with emblem "International Quality First Class Boys and Girls" on front, tan bra
Clothing - (Near the body) blue knee length corduroy pants, pink knee length corduroy pants, dark knee length corduroy pants, dark blue socks, blue denim shorts, black and white sweater
Near the Body

Eyewear - large rimmed glasses
Ears - wearring earrings (could be clip-on) in pic Ears pierced


Viola's Circumstances of Disappearance - Missing Person left residence and failed to show up at appoint time at work.
UID's Circumstances - Unknown black female found strangled on the street in front of 157 East 126th Street.

They look very similar to me, nice find imo.

 

[YaYa_521]

Ty, dotr.

 

[Moonwalker9]

I think its actually a match. Good detective work yaya 521! There are too many similarities to make it a co-incidence. What a big difference a photo makes. Wow.

 

[YaYa_521]

Thanks, Moon! I think it's a match too but I didn't want to sound "big-headed". I was going to wait before submitting but I'll send that email right away. I'm pretty convinced, even moreso now with the input of some awesome sleuthers. Thanks for the encouragement. Let's give it a go.

 

[YaYa_521]

Update:

I emailed the case handler, although she never replied. The picture is now changed, and it's clearly a woman now.

But wait, Moon. You've already been in contact with the case rep. Feel free to reach out to her with this potential match. The case may get moved on a little quicker since you've already made contact. Let me know, pls.

 

[Moonwalker9]

I have sent Lori a new email with the update. Hopefully the JD will be Identified as Viola Butler.

 

[RememberingRyan]

Lips are a spot-on match, too. Great find!

 

[RememberingRyan]

Also, I saw that Viola's daughter commented in her WS thread... It might be worth reaching out to her, as well. Her comment was so heartbroken.

NJ - Viola Butler 38 missing from Pleasantville, New Jersey 1987 or 1989

 

[Moonwalker9]

I replied so hopefully she will read it.

 

[RememberingRyan]

Bally's casino sign from the 1980s - I'd say that if their uniform sweaters were color-matched to their logo at the time, it would be reasonable for a person to confuse the yellow with "tan" (editing to add that the thread for Viola indicates that the sweater was part of her uniform for her job at Bally's casino).

 

[YaYa_521]

I have sent Lori a new email with the update. Hopefully the JD will be Identified as Viola Butler.

TYVM! And WOW...I just was on Viola's WS thread. Imagine my shock when I saw that her daughter posted there just recently. Geez my heart is beating faster than ever in anticipation of an answer. What are the odds of all these things lining up so quickly?

• You posted Viola's thread in Jan. 2019.
• Viola's daughter posted in April 2019.
• You posted this UID's thread in June 2019.
• Dotr, Fleur, and you then realized errors in pics, moved to have it straightened out, etc.
• Now, we make and you submit a very likely potential match.
• Next? Only time will tell.

Goodness gracious.

 

[YaYa_521]

Bally's casino sign from the 1980s - I'd say that if their uniform sweaters were color-matched to their logo at the time, it would be reasonable for a person to confuse the yellow with "tan" (editing to add that the thread for Viola indicates that the sweater was part of her uniform for her job at Bally's casino).

Ty for this. I hadn't seen that info in her thread. I'll go check it out for other info I might have missed.