Identified! DE - Bear, WhtFem 16-25, UP7097, pregnant, in laundry bag, Mar'67 - NamUs removed

CarlK90245

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I was talking with Hal Brown (State of Delaware Medical Examiner) on a separate matter, but the subject came around to this 1967 case just recently entered in NamUs.

Hal said that a few weeks ago, he was digging through old files, and came across this unsolved case about which he was previously unaware.

WARNING POSTMORTEM PHOTOS AT LINK
https://identifyus.org/cases/7097

Here is a reconstruction of the woman's postmortem photo.

8fc66752-a9ac-4b26-94d7-9ccf3f40e43c.jpg


Apparently, this woman had undergone what was then described as a "criminal abortion", and died as a result. The person who performed the procedure stuffed her body in a laundry bag, and dumped her on the side of the road.

Hal told me that LE did an enormous amount of work trying to figure out who she was, but were never able to identify her or the perp. They looked at over 50 missing persons and couldn't find a match. Eventually, the case-file was filed away and forgotten.

He also indicated that he was able to find a sample of her heart tissue embedded in parafin wax still in storage. From that, they will be able to extract a DNA sample and put her profile in CODIS.

Circumstances
Location Found: CR 400, Porter Road, .3 miles east of Rte 896
City Bear
State Delaware
County New Castle
Circumstances of death Young woman's body discovered in a laundry bag on Saturday March 18, 1967 near Bear/Glasgow, Delaware. Clad in blue bikini style panties, manufacturers label removed.

Vital Stats:
Approx Age: 20 to 25 years
Race: White
Sex: Female
Weight: 115 lbs.
Height: 5'5"

I went through the MP sites and couldn't find a match, although I did find a 1965 case of a woman who is still missing, apparently after seeking an illegal abortion. This is clearly not the same woman though.

Judith Himes
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/himes_judith.html
 
How sad. Her NamUs report refers to an "attempted abortion" -- she died before it could be completed? If so, it sounds like it was a very sudden occurrence; could she have had a preexisting condition that contributed to her death? I wonder why her underpants were put back on.

Did Hal Brown say whether he felt this was an abortion done by someone who was actually a doctor (as many pre-Roe V. Wade abortions were), by someone with medical training or by an amateur? The laundry bag makes me think it was done at a hospital or practice that had a laundry service. Was it determined exactly how she died?

According to this site, pre-RvW abortions were performed most often by actual doctors, followed by those with some medical training. Amateur-performed and self-induced abortions were thought to be less common. (A word of caution; the link below is to a strongly pro-life site and I chose the link only for its informational content. I think we can try to solve this crime without getting political. Regardless of anyone's views on abortion, the site does contain a large listing of pre-and-post-RvW abortion deaths and who knows, perhaps this Jane Doe was not the only one to die at the hands of a doctor or amateur. The "practitioner" may have eventually been convicted of murder or manslaughter if he/she let other patients die after similar mistakes.)

http://realchoice.0catch.com/library/weekly/aa012103a.htm
 
The incomplete death certificate is available on NamUs. It indicates COD as follows:

Immediate Cause (a): "Fat Embolism"
Due to (b): "Introduction of foreign material in uterine cavity"
Due to (c): "Criminal attempt of abortion"

In layman's terms "Fat Embolism" is when pieces of fat enter the bloodstream and obstruct the flow of blood.
 
Tater, I was wondering the same thing, why the underwear back on? And also, I don't believe you don't have to be fully undressed for an abortion. She was found with only panties on? "Attempted abortion?, so there was still a fetus?"
 
Gosh, I just have to comment these two women even look alike. How bizarre.
 
Tater, I was wondering the same thing, why the underwear back on? And also, I don't believe you don't have to be fully undressed for an abortion. She was found with only panties on? "Attempted abortion?, so there was still a fetus?"

I should imagine they put panties back on the offchance that the investigators would be thrown off the trail and not realise it was a failed abortion. They didn't bother to put any other clothing back on her because it was a hassle and might lead to her being recognised.

Or maybe the abortionist had finished whatever he or she usually did, and the Doe fell over and died while getting dressed afterwards. Though you'd expect some sort of sanitary napkin then, wouldn't you?
 
Wow, for a minute I thought I'd already found her. 1967, but October. This isn't the same girl, but the similar story is heartbreaking, bled to death in a botched abortion performed by her mother.

http://doenetwork.org/cases/553dfon.html
Murder, Rape (12 incidents) and Forced Abortion

In 1967, Edward Gratton, 34, raped 16-year old Glenda Tedball repeatedly over a period of time, and she became pregnant. When her pregnancy became known, Gratton grabbed Glenda and held her down while her own mother, Norma Poore, aborted her with a coat hanger. Glenda died soon after.
This horrible incident was covered up and only revealed when Poore confessed to the crime just before she died in 1999. Gratton, now 67, was arrested for his part in the crime, and he pled guilty to procuring an abortion after the Crown agreed to withdraw a charge of culpable homicide. For the abortion, while it was illegal, and for concealing the murder for all these years, Justice Bruce Thomas gave Gratton a conditional sentence of two years less a day to be served in the community, followed by probation. Gratton is said to have had limited mental capacity, but the November 2000 sentence did not suggest a stay at one of Canada's institutes for the criminally insane.
Justice Bruce Thomas said that "Glenda Tedball didn't have the benefit of living beyond her 16th year. .. The fact that Mr. Gratton continues to have nightmares is of little concern to me."
While Gratton's conduct was criminal, Thomas said, he was following the lead of a woman who escaped justice altogether — Tedball's mother, Norma Poole. "It's clear to me that Norma was the directing mind," Thomas said.
Poore persuaded Gratton, who had limited mental capacity, to help with an abortion he likely didn't realize could result in death, the judge said.
Gratton tied down the girl's wrists and ankles while Poore used a clothes hanger.
When Tedball screamed, Gratton stuffed a towel in her mouth. "[Norma Poore] carried on despite the protests of her daughter until she was covered in blood and Glenda was dead," Thomas said.
Poore, who for years led a public campaign to find her "missing" daughter, died July 11, 1999, taking her secret to the grave.
After Poore's death, Glenda's father, Glen Tedball, who had been living elsewhere when she disappeared from her farm in the Thedford, Ontario area, encouraged the provincial police to re-open the case.
Glen Tedball's tip led police to Gratton, who confessed to his role.

References: "No Jail in Canada for Rape, Abortion and Murder." LifeSite Daily News at http://www.lifesite.net, November 28, 2000; "Man Whose Girlfriend Died in 1967 Home Abortion Gets Conditional Sentence." National Post [canada.com], November 29, 2000.


Is it possible this is her after all and the reported missing date was wrong. This is a bizarre story and Tedball's body was never found. I doubt that her mother reported her missing right after she botched the abortion. According to this story, it sounds like her father reported her missing (?) The age is off, but the other features look right to me. The drive from Thedford to Bear, DE is around 10 hours. Did Poore and Gratton drive to the States and dump her body after the botched abortion and then she wasn't reported missing until October. Do you guys think this is a possibility?

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=&q=t...g4S0Cg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CA8Q_AU
 
This probably is an instance where I would not rely on the accuracy of the Date of Last Contact (DLC). I can come up with a few instances where the DLC was actually the date that the MP report was filed.

I kinda doubt that it is her, but it is close enough that perhaps you should call it it in (or send an e-mail) to Hal Brown.

He is a very personable guy, and I am sure that he would be willing to look at it.
 
This probably is an instance where I would not rely on the accuracy of the Date of Last Contact (DLC). I can come up with a few instances where the DLC was actually the date that the MP report was filed.

I kinda doubt that it is her, but it is close enough that perhaps you should call it it in (or send an e-mail) to Hal Brown.

He is a very personable guy, and I am sure that he would be willing to look at it.

Carl, is there a way for you to blow up Glenda's teeth in her doe pic?
 
It would explain the laundry bag, as I'm guessing their basement probably was where the laundry was. It also could explain the panties back on, as the mother probably put them on thinking she'd recover and then bled to death. It says that Glenda had a "thigh" vaccination. Aren't the US usually done in the arm? Anyone know about Canada's?
 
It looks like Canadians small pox vac's from the 50's/60's would have been done in the thigh, (the one's that leave the scar) ours were usually done in the arm.

I'm having a difficult time trying to pinpoint where these JD was found. I can't come up with the same coordinates listed above, anyone else?
 
The cause of death in this case makes me think it was an amateur abortion; probably in the style at least of the coat hanger stereotype. Doctors who performed illegal abortions usually did a scraping or a d/c under sterile conditions: they were expensive but usually safe.
 
It would explain the laundry bag, as I'm guessing their basement probably was where the laundry was. It also could explain the panties back on, as the mother probably put them on thinking she'd recover and then bled to death. It says that Glenda had a "thigh" vaccination. Aren't the US usually done in the arm? Anyone know about Canada's?

In case anyone has missed it, the Doe also had a vaccination scar on the thigh. Height is within an inch and the build of the two seems similar but the weight is apparently 20 lbs off (not sure how reliable that would be). If the date of last contact is actually the date she was reported missing by a non-custodial parent, this looks quite strong.

Normally I would be very sceptical about the idea that anyone would transport a person that kind of distance, and across a national border at that, but that vaccination scar on the thigh is about as strong and indication of Canadian origin as you can get, short of a maple leaf tattoo.
 
For what it's worth, I guess I'll submit this match to the Namus contact, Hal Brown. It is a bizarre place for the disposal of the body, but there are many other things that match here, so what the heck. Will let everyone know what/if I hear back.
 
Okay, I sent the email with the links and info to Mr. Brown, asking him if thought it was worth looking into.

Cymro, it does say that Gratton (if he's the one who disposed of the body), has "limited mental capacity", (I'd have to say Glenda's mother most likely did too!!), maybe they WERE on the way to dumping her into the Atlantic and got lost? (Shades of Dumb and Dumber!) Bizarre scenario, but who knows? Anyway, can someone mark this as submitted? Are we supposed to PM the mods to do this?
 
Looking through this thread, I'm sorry, but I'm confused. Exactly who was submitted as a possible match for this UID?

Thanks,

Salem
 

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