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

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I found these missing girls in the Florida sheriffs star magazine back issues. I don’t know if these girls were ever found but I thought I would post since they were from Florida . This was from the June 1969 issue.

MISSING
PERSONS
JOANNE MIGLINO
MARY LOUISE BARTER
GIRLS MISSING
SINCE MARCH 15
ST. PETERSBURG - Authorities here are asking for the help of anyone who might have seen these girls.

Jo Anne Miglino, 17,
and Mary Louise Barter, 17, were last seen together in Miss Barter's car which was found three days later near the bus station.

Miss Miglino is 5 feet, 2 inches tall, weighs 120 pounds, has brown hair and eyes.

Miss Barter is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 135 pounds and has brown hair.

Both girls are students at Notre Dame Academy for Girls. A $100 Reward is being offered for information leading to the location of the girls. If you have information about the girls please call collect, Constable Richard Price, day or night, at 343-1916 or 345-2805, Area Code 813,

The Florida Sheriffs Association
 

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This lady I found also in the Florida sheriffs star magazine.
Missing since Jan 8 1968 again I don’t know if she was found but I thought what the heck let me post.

The Florida Sheriffs Association
 

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Also, high pb levels were found anywhere in the proximity of big airports, ports and places with a lot of car traffic, as back then fuel was enriched with lead. The fuel residue goes into food and local water supplies.

Also, old houses had lead plumbing, contaminating the water and raising the blood lead levels. And mining areas also commonly are full with lead.

It would depend on which type of lead isotope they checked (there are a few).

onceuponadecember said:
View attachment 291787
I'm no isotope expert, but this map of Pb levels in the US shows high levels in South Florida (where she was found). Maybe she was from the area and that would explain the high Pb level?
Click to expand...
 
This person should be considered as a possible suspect in the murder of "Little Miss Panasoffkee:


Paul John Knowles (1946-1974) often traveled Highway 75 from Florida to Georgia. In 1965, he kidnapped a police officer and got 5 years. By 1967, he was paroled and soon back in prison the same year. In 1970, he was again out on parole, and was loose until 1972 when he was again sentenced to prison...

LINK:

FL - Paul John Knowles, active 1965 - 1974, Florida and Georgia
 
onceuponadecember said:
I talked to Det. Warren recently. They’ve tried getting her extracted somewhere (I know where, but I’m going to keep it private for now) but she had insufficient/degraded DNA. I’m keeping my hopes up, though!
Click to expand...

The Sumter County Does had a failed extraction when the process began, upon a further extraction, it turned out as successful.

Maybe LMPS can follow a similar path!
 

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lisaNYC said:
It says in this article that she was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Wildwood
Click to expand...
I'm sure we know that, but I think they might've had her "secretly" exhumed again. The Detective said they tried getting an extraction done at a DNA lab (it says where in the email, but I won't list it for integral sake) but they've had no luck so far, unfortunately.
 
Now, this is just a wild theory, but lets suppose Panasoffkee was from South Florida for a second. Some questions and facts combined give me a possible picture of her life:
  1. Probably middle to upper class based on greater presence of processed foods in isotopic form
  2. The style of clothing Panasoffkee was wearing (for me, personally) seems very middle to upper middle class - it wouldn't be cheap but it wouldn't be expensive too (think Old Navy maybe)
  3. She might've grown up in an area with high lead Pb or a home with lead paint
  4. Possibly was a teen mom, if she had kids at all, likely between 1959 and 1971
  5. At one point had ankle reconstruction surgery between 1967-1970
 
onceuponadecember said:
Now, this is just a wild theory, but lets suppose Panasoffkee was from South Florida for a second. Some questions and facts combined give me a possible picture of her life:
  1. Probably middle to upper class based on greater presence of processed foods in isotopic form
  2. The style of clothing Panasoffkee was wearing (for me, personally) seems very middle to upper middle class - it wouldn't be cheap but it wouldn't be expensive too (think Old Navy maybe)
  3. She might've grown up in an area with high lead Pb or a home with lead paint
  4. Possibly was a teen mom, if she had kids at all, likely between 1959 and 1971
  5. At one point had ankle reconstruction surgery between 1967-1970
Click to expand...

I wonder if the killer dressed her all in green to be disguised in the pond.
 
The "facts" in this case have changed somewhat over time. Initial reports stated that no clothing was found with the body, except a man's 36 inch bolt which was wrapped around her neck. More recent summaries describe her as completely clothed in a matching green ensemble, along with jewelry.

I wonder, in light of some of these changing details, if other descriptions might also have changed slightly or been inaccurately estimated or stated.

Allowing for some slight differences, here is a missing person from that time frame and state who might be considered as a potential match. Consider that the identifying information was probably initially provided by her husband.
----------------------------------------------

Mary Margaret Cook
mary_margaret_cook_1.jpg
mary_margaret_cook_2.jpg

Mary, circa 1970
  • Missing Since 11/14/1970
  • Missing From Highland City, Florida
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Biracial, Native American, White
  • Date of Birth 04/26/1945 (75)
  • Age 25 years old
  • Height and Weight 4'11, 145 - 150 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a green dress.
  • Medical Conditions Mary may have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (Caucasian/Native American) female. Brown hair, blue/hazel eyes. Mary wears cats-eye eyeglasses and cannot see without them. She had excellent teeth in 1970 and had never needed dental care. She has a birthmark on the outside of her right leg, above her ankle.
Details of Disappearance

Mary was last seen on November 14, 1970. Her husband says she left her home in Highland City, Florida to go on a shopping trip at the J. M. Fields store in Lakeland, Florida and buy Christmas presents for her two sons, then aged five and three. She never returned.

Her white 1959 Cadillac coupe was found abandoned in the store's parking lot the following day. Mary's wallet and purse were inside the car, but $200 which her husband supposedly gave her for the presents was missing. She left behind her wedding rings, which she normally wore all the time. No one saw her or her car at the store that day.

Investigators view Mary's husband, Leathern "Earl" Cook, as the prime suspect in her disappearance. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. They had been married for eight years at the time of Mary's disappearance in 1970.

Earl was interviewed extensively and in 2003, the police dug up the garage floor of the house they lived in in 1970, suspecting Mary's body might be buried there. Earl also provided them with a blood sample. They found no evidence and Earl was never charged.

mary_margaret_cook_5.jpg

Leathern "Earl" Cook in the 1970s

He always maintained his innocence in her case and told their children that Mary left of her own accord. Earl remarried two years after Mary's disappearance, got divorced in 2000, married a third time and died in Greenacres, Florida in 2007, at the age of 66.

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.

Some have suggested that Mary's disappearance is related to the disappearance of Peggy Byars-Baisden, who vanished from Highland City in April 1965. Both Mary and Byars-Baisden are the mothers of two children each, both were in their twenties, and they resided on the same street. However, investigators do not think the two women knew each other and have not been able to link their disappearances.

Mary was a stay-at-home mother at the time of her disappearance. Earl often went to West Palm Beach, Florida, hours away from Highland City, for painting jobs during the week and returned to Highland City to spend weekends at home. Foul play is suspected in Mary's case, but little evidence is available in her disappearance.

Investigating Agency
  • Polk County Sheriff's Office 863-533-0344
Source Information
 
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Richard said:
The "facts" in this case have changed somewhat over time. Initial reports stated that no clothing was found with the body, except a man's 36 inch bolt which was wrapped around her neck. More recent summaries describe her as completely clothed in a matching green ensemble, along with jewelry.

I wonder, in light of some of these changing details, if other descriptions might also have changed slightly or been inaccurately estimated or stated.

Allowing for some slight differences, here is a missing person from that time frame and state who might be considered as a potential match. Consider that the identifying information was probably initially provided by her husband.
----------------------------------------------

Mary Margaret Cook
mary_margaret_cook_1.jpg
mary_margaret_cook_2.jpg

Mary, circa 1970
  • Missing Since 11/14/1970
  • Missing From Highland City, Florida
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Biracial, Native American, White
  • Date of Birth 04/26/1945 (75)
  • Age 25 years old
  • Height and Weight 4'11, 145 - 150 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a green dress.
  • Medical Conditions Mary may have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (Caucasian/Native American) female. Brown hair, blue/hazel eyes. Mary wears cats-eye eyeglasses and cannot see without them. She had excellent teeth in 1970 and had never needed dental care. She has a birthmark on the outside of her right leg, above her ankle.
Details of Disappearance

Mary was last seen on November 14, 1970. Her husband says she left her home in Highland City, Florida to go on a shopping trip at the J. M. Fields store in Lakeland, Florida and buy Christmas presents for her two sons, then aged five and three. She never returned.

Her white 1959 Cadillac coupe was found abandoned in the store's parking lot the following day. Mary's wallet and purse were inside the car, but $200 which her husband supposedly gave her for the presents was missing. She left behind her wedding rings, which she normally wore all the time. No one saw her or her car at the store that day.

Investigators view Mary's husband, Leathern "Earl" Cook, as the prime suspect in her disappearance. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. They had been married for eight years at the time of Mary's disappearance in 1970.

Earl was interviewed extensively and in 2003, the police dug up the garage floor of the house they lived in in 1970, suspecting Mary's body might be buried there. Earl also provided them with a blood sample. They found no evidence and Earl was never charged.

mary_margaret_cook_5.jpg

Leathern "Earl" Cook in the 1970s

He always maintained his innocence in her case and told their children that Mary left of her own accord. Earl remarried two years after Mary's disappearance, got divorced in 2000, married a third time and died in Greenacres, Florida in 2007, at the age of 66.

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.

Some have suggested that Mary's disappearance is related to the disappearance of Peggy Byars-Baisden, who vanished from Highland City in April 1965. Both Mary and Byars-Baisden are the mothers of two children each, both were in their twenties, and they resided on the same street. However, investigators do not think the two women knew each other and have not been able to link their disappearances.

Mary was a stay-at-home mother at the time of her disappearance. Earl often went to West Palm Beach, Florida, hours away from Highland City, for painting jobs during the week and returned to Highland City to spend weekends at home. Foul play is suspected in Mary's case, but little evidence is available in her disappearance.

Investigating Agency
  • Polk County Sheriff's Office 863-533-0344
Source Information
Click to expand...

the timing would be good on this woman.. hmmm
 
This is a good match, but I feel like the Chicago detail makes me think it’s not her. IMO.
 
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