FL FL - Sumter Co, 'Little Miss Panasoffkee', WhtFem 17-24, 470UFFL, Feb'71

[ntt1]

It wouldn't be totally surprising to me if the supposed Greek connection/lead is a red herring at this point, honestly. It seems like genetic genealogy is likely the only way to get an ID, so hopefully something is in the works (or will be shortly).

 

[Feme98]

It wouldn't be totally surprising to me if the supposed Greek connection/lead is a red herring at this point, honestly. It seems like genetic genealogy is likely the only way to get an ID, so hopefully something is in the works (or will be shortly).

Maybe her case is already being worked through genealogy! Let’s hope so!

 

[Traymar]

A couple of things occurred to me while reading through this thread. First, I'm from the Gulf Coast and I can confirm that we do indeed wear long pants - even year round, but especially in the winter months. But I'm native to the area, and 60 degrees is cold to me! 70 is quite cool, and I would not likely be wearing shorts unless it was 80 degrees or more.

On the other hand, I notice that northern transplants are less likely to be wearing long pants and/or jackets or sweaters - even in winter. I don't know if we established what the temps were that February, but I feel like her clothes were probably in line with what a local would wear on a mild winter day. Not cold (40s or less) - but mild.

Secondly, my dad was in the Air Force, and in the mid 1960s he was stationed in Turkey. He spent a lot of time in Greece, and loved it. It would not be outside the realm of possibility for a serviceman to marry abroad and then bring his young wife home to the US when his orders ended. In such a case, at such a time, it would be easy to disappear someone and to tell the neighbors or school, etc. that your wife left and went back home to family. And depending on the means of the family, they might be easily dodged or ignored if they started asking about their daughter's whereabouts. That's if they even had a good address or phone number to start from.

Oh, and one more thing. Her clothes could have been hand made - or bought from a JC Penney, Sears, or Montgomery Ward, etc. catalog. Just thinking she could have been very young and married to a controlling husband who didn't let her drive or shop, etc.

Anyway, just some thoughts. All MOO.

 

[killarney rose]

As a native Floridian, I completely agree with Traymar about the wearing of winter clothes in central FL.

 

[Friday Fan]

Investigators should be able to check immigration records from Lavrio, Lovrion (Laurium) Greece from around that time. Those records are pretty tight.....

Also I don't understand what the connection to Greece is? Is it isotopes in a tooth? Is it a type of dental work? DNA?

I believe there were US bases in Greece at one time due to NATO...A base at Athens closed in 1991.
Don't know if they had one at the at Lavrio

The information by the University of Florida is worded very vaguely...Did they first establish that she was Greek before obtaining lead levels???
Or did they obtain lead levels and then found it corresponded to a known lead mining area??? (Which really wouldn't prove anything, because they said Lincoln County Jane Doe had Down Syndrome due to the fact there was an institution near where she was found. They later walked back the statement)

Was her dental work unique to Greece?

I don't understand the logic here. It's too vague....

The victim’s teeth were examined by the Geological Sciences Department at the University of Florida. The conclusion of the analysis determined that the victim is possibly of Greek descent and most likely had come to the United States ten to twelve months prior to her death. Further testing determined the victim’s teeth contained a high level of lead that may link the victim to the small town of Lavrion, which is located approximately 60 miles southeast of Athens, Greece. Lavrion is known for its high level of lead contamination associated with mining operations in the region.

University of South Florida | International Consortium for Forensics, Anthropology, and Human Rights

Also Mary Cook's son could submit a DNA test.....The mtDNA should match.

 

[Beekarina]

Probably does not mean much at all, but Los Angeles has so much pollution, and gasoline used to be leaded....I am thinking of Robin Graham again. I wonder if there have ever been studies of Americans in urban areas in that era and lead contamination?

Edited to add: A super quick search turned up this: Lead Found in Children in Communities Near Former Exide Battery Plant in Vernon: USC Study | KTLA

Second edit: Robin grew up in Echo Park, on Lemoyne Street, which is in Cenral LA. Hmm.... (Per Wikipedia) Disappearance of Robin Graham - Wikipedia

 

[Friday Fan]

The paywalled NYT article was also published in a Florida paper:

Decades later, science may tell us who she was

Who knows if that hair/corn diet thing has any validity? And I wonder if hair analysis on a 40 year old body is even valid?
There are people from Mexico in the US who do have plenty of money. She could have been here with a spouse. But I have no idea if that corn diet has any validity. Lots of corn eaten in South Texas..seriously...

In Greece, corn would have been an "acquired taste"..I really don't remember my grandmother ever eating it...She was Armenian...

Also found this from the guy who did the isotope analysis:


Lead in teeth can tell a body's tale, UF study finds

But modern American teeth are like no others in the world, according to the study. Whereas available data for areas such as South America overlap with Europe, American teeth can be identified anywhere due to usage of ores with distinct isotope signals in the United States.

I also don't understand the "recent" connection to Lavrio with regards to teeth because I assume the teeth isotopes were during the formative years and not several months prior..

 

[carbuff]

The hair isotopes are both very accurate and never accurate.

The chemicals are there and can be measured. But what it means depends entirely on how good the expert is at reading the combinations and how good the research is documenting the isotopes in a particular environment.

 

[Friday Fan]

This entry from Wikipedia says isotopes in teeth don't change after formation

Teeth are not subject to continual remodelling and so their isotopic oxygen ratios remain constant from the time of formation. The isotopic oxygen ratios, then, of teeth represent the ratios of the region in which the individual was born and raised. Where deciduous teeth are present, it is also possible to determine the age at which a child was weaned. Breast milk production draws upon the body water of the mother, which has higher levels of 18O due to the preferential loss of 16O through sweat, urine, and expired water vapour.

Isotope analysis - Wikipedia
Bone takes 10 years to turn over...so it too would not change in 3 months.....


So are they thinking she came from Greece to the US in recent months because of hair analysis which shows that she consumed a diet high in corn in Greece, a country that doesn't consume corn? So confusing....

I found out they thought Lincoln County Jane Doe had possible Down Syndrome due to being found near an institution where many residents have Down Syndrome. They theorized she escaped...so the theory was wrong, but not corrected in subsequent press releases..

 

[snowgoose]

For anyone who wants to know more about how isotope testing works, the Bear Brook podcast had a great explanation in episode 3 (though the entire podcast is worth listening to). A Smaller Haystack — Bear Brook

The New York Times article has more info about the isotope testing in this specific case. A Jane Doe Gets a Back Story (Published 2012)

<snipped>
So are they thinking she came from Greece to the US in recent months because of hair analysis which shows that she consumed a diet high in corn in Greece, a country that doesn't consume corn? So confusing....

You have this part backwards - hair carbon analysis showed she had mostly eaten a wheat-based diet until the last few months before her death when she started eating more corn. They believe this suggests a move from Europe to the US.

That said, we all know isotope testing has been wrong before, and it seems more research needs to be done so they can improve the accuracy of these estimates. I'd love to know what went wrong for Evelyn Colon to be determined as Eastern European and whether other people from that time and place would show the same isotopic signature.

 

[onceuponadecember]

I think there could be another way of working the isotopes into her life (if they are accurate) is immigration. Certainly LMLP could've come to the US from a place like Greece, perhaps her and her husband were moving to South Florida to join family who had already immigrated there - as in the late 60s/early 70s Greece was going through the Greek junta (a revolution).

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

I was fortunate to have visited Greece twice. I found the cuisine to be primarily a seafood and protein-based one, with lamb (gyro) and fish/kalamari to be regional staples. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, but minimal carbs, except phyllo dough being used in many dishes and of course pita bread. I believe that's their traditional diet. It's a very healthy diet, rich in non-refined whole foods. So, you wouldn't expect to see a huge amount either corn or grains in someone who's from that area. I guess the corn that's intended/cultivated for human consumption (there are many varieties of corn) is commonly associated with the U.S. diet because it's indigenous to the Americas. Whether it's really all that significant, hard to say.

I'm in the U.S., born and raised, and I didn't eat that much corn growing up (though could've been snuck in as an additive in certain foods) and I was mostly raised a vegetarian and didn't eat lots of "processed" / ready-to-eat meals as a kid. Curious as to what my isotopes would reveal... maybe I'd be confused for someone born outside the U.S. too? Wouldn't want to just assume this young woman was from Greece or any other place when it's a decades-old investigation with scanty research.

 

[onceuponadecember]

Bumping for Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee.

 

[onceuponadecember]

I know Det. Warren stated that they have been getting her extracted a few months back, hopefully they’re making progress. <3

 

[Triss]

Bumping for Jane Doe

 

[oviedo]

MAR 1, 2021
Search for Little Miss Panasoffkee’s real name and killer continues, even after 50 years - Central Florida News - 90.7 WMFE
[...]

Here’s what we know so far. Little Miss Panasoffkee was a 17- to 24-year-old white woman with dark hair and brown eyes. She was maybe 5-foot-5 and weighed about 110 pounds.

She was probably from southeastern Europe, possibly Greece, and came to the U.S. in the previous year.

She had had surgery to stabilize her right ankle and lots of dental work.

When she died, Little Miss Panasoffkee was wearing plaid green pants, a green shirt and a green-and-yellow shawl. She was still wearing jewelry, too, a gold ring with a clear stone on her ring finger, a Baylor watch and a thin gold chain.

She had been strangled and was found with a man’s belt, size 36, around her neck.

[...]

“She was wrapped in a blanket, like a house rug, and dropped over the Panasoffkee bridge,” Farmer says. “And the reason these guys saw her, she had one hand that was draped over a root coming out of the water.”

[...]

In 1992, the case appeared on “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack.

A full-length composite drawing of Little Miss Panasoffkee showing the clothing she was wearing. Credit: USF

Twenty years later, Farmer, who was now sheriff, brought in forensic anthropologists with the University of South Florida. They exhumed the remains and made new sketches.

[...]

The evidence pointed to southeastern Europe.

And the shifting carbon isotopes in her hair showed a grain-based European diet at the tips and a corn-based American diet near the roots. So she had probably moved here in the previous 10 months.

[...]

NamUs UP # 6040 surprised there are no rule outs listed.



Can't believe this has stalled for so long

:bump: for new reconstruction

Her clothing is quite stylish IMO - with the recent news of WCJD being identified - I’m hopeful this young woman will also get her name back
JMO

 

[theshadow45]

Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee has been unidentified for 51 years today.

 

[Richard]

[URL='http://r.search.aol.com/_ylt=AwrEzNRSYW5gvYUAxc1jCWVH;_ylu=c2VjA3NyBHNsawNpbWcEb2lkA2U1MjY4MTg1MzIwNGNiMDJhN2I3YmVmMDQ1NzUyYTRlBGdwb3MDOQRpdANiaW5n/RV=2/RE=1617875411/RO=11/RU=https%3a%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fcommons%2f5%2f5d%2fLittle_Miss_Lake_Panasoffkee_facial_reconstruction.jpg/RK=0/RS=WEmccYJt4y9hxOm9vDDFk2MJ2qM-'][/URL]
Past sketches of Little Miss Panasoffkee. Murdered in February 1971. Who was she?

 

[Victoria Chambers]

Has Mary Margaret Cook ever been considered? Missing from Highland City Florida since November 1970. She is listed racially as being of bi-racial, native and white. The mother of 2 small boys. She was 25yrs of age and when last her Mother spoke to her, Mary was making a new green dress?! Also listed as having a birthmark on her ankle.. could be a scar?

 

[lonewanderer]

Has Mary Margaret Cook ever been considered? Missing from Highland City Florida since November 1970. She is listed racially as being of bi-racial, native and white. The mother of 2 small boys. She was 25yrs of age and when last her Mother spoke to her, Mary was making a new green dress?! Also listed as having a birthmark on her ankle.. could be a scar?

Hey!

This is my super strongest candidate!

I haven't seen the bi-racial angle about her, do you have a reference for that? (I see it now on Charleyproject, this is getting more and more interesting to me!)

I have posted about her multiple times, and in addition to your post, I have also mentioned before how the UID was found in a blanket/carpet and that is what one of her sons recalls seeing his father rolled up and put into the car.

Charleyproject:

"Mary's oldest son stated he saw his parents arguing on the day of his mother's disappearance and that Earl told him not to look outside. He believes Mary's body was concealed in a red blanket from the house and was buried within some hours' distance of Highland City.

Mary's mother took care of her sons for some time after her disappearance, but when she found out the police suspected Earl was involved, she confronted him and directly asked if he'd killed Mary. He never answered; instead, he simply took the boys and left."

Mary Margaret Cook – The Charley Project

Namus:

"The weekend of her disappearance she had backed out of a camping trip with her parents and siblings saying that her husband, "Earl" had called to say he was coming home. Her husband returned, their oldest son recalls arguing and his father's stern orders "not to look outside." The son believes that Margaret's body may have been wrapped in a red blanket which Earl retrieved from the house. Earl reported Margaret missing during the wee hours of the next morning."

Missing Person Case (namus.gov)