I am seeking more information about a case affiliated with a family friend I was just made aware of. My grandmother's housekeeper, Vater (pronounced "Vay-da") Mae Thomas Wheeler was born in 1940 and died in 2009. Her mother allegedly disappeared from Washington DC along with another woman/friend when Vater was very little, maybe 3 or 4.
A family member or possibly a neighbor checking on Vater and her little brother found the young boy frozen to death, and Vater close to death herself. The heat had been shut off and the mother had been missing for awhile. Vater remembered being picked up by her grandfather and the feel of his warm coat that he gave her to stop her from freezing.
When Vater cleaned my grandmother's house, she found my mother's old book that was a collection of true crime cases, and asked to borrow it because it contained information about a case where two DC women who had disappeared had been murdered. The name of one of the women was Vater's mother's name, which she recognized immediately. Vater had never known what happened to her mother, but thought that this nonfiction book might have contained the real story about her. My grandmother was not sure, but she thought the deceased mother's name was Mary Stackhouse.
Because the death of this little boy and near-death of Vater happened in the mid 1940s, there is no information that I can find. The only information on Mary Stackhouse that I can find involves a Texas murder case. My mother does not remember anything about this book, or the story of Vater's mother and brother. Since Vater passed away and her husband retired after having taken over for Vater, we no longer have any contact with the family.
I hope someone might have heard something about this case, whether it be Vater's deceased brother, or the mother/two women who went missing from DC. Potential other locations could be Maryland, especially Clinton, MD or Prince George's County. Other family members are from or have now moved to North Carolina and South Carolina. TIA for any help or details!
A family member or possibly a neighbor checking on Vater and her little brother found the young boy frozen to death, and Vater close to death herself. The heat had been shut off and the mother had been missing for awhile. Vater remembered being picked up by her grandfather and the feel of his warm coat that he gave her to stop her from freezing.
When Vater cleaned my grandmother's house, she found my mother's old book that was a collection of true crime cases, and asked to borrow it because it contained information about a case where two DC women who had disappeared had been murdered. The name of one of the women was Vater's mother's name, which she recognized immediately. Vater had never known what happened to her mother, but thought that this nonfiction book might have contained the real story about her. My grandmother was not sure, but she thought the deceased mother's name was Mary Stackhouse.
Because the death of this little boy and near-death of Vater happened in the mid 1940s, there is no information that I can find. The only information on Mary Stackhouse that I can find involves a Texas murder case. My mother does not remember anything about this book, or the story of Vater's mother and brother. Since Vater passed away and her husband retired after having taken over for Vater, we no longer have any contact with the family.
I hope someone might have heard something about this case, whether it be Vater's deceased brother, or the mother/two women who went missing from DC. Potential other locations could be Maryland, especially Clinton, MD or Prince George's County. Other family members are from or have now moved to North Carolina and South Carolina. TIA for any help or details!
