Identified! MA - Provincetown, Race Point, 'Lady in the Dunes' WhtFem 27-49, UP11840, Jul'74 - Ruth Marie Terry

[Alleykins]

I don't think she was on anyone's radar... She was not in NAMUs, that I could tell. According to Dnasolves, she was a wife and mother. Perhaps this is domestic violence instead of a random killer.

I don't think she was on anyone's radar except her family's, because I think it was the police chief who said during the press conference that a certain family member did search for her early on, years ago, and concluded she was missing. Doesn't sound like it went any further than the conclusion, in that it doesn't sound like they got the authorities involved in her disappearance.
They'd just notified the family hours before the announcement, so they hadn't gathered much information about her life, like if she worked, what she was doing in Mass, etc as of yet.

 

[Alleykins]

Link to press conference replay:

FBI Identifies ‘Lady of the Dunes,' Oldest Mass. Unidentified Murder Victim

Ruth Marie Terry has been identified nearly 50 years after she was found dead on Cape Cod, east of Race Point Ranger Station on July 26, 1974.

www.nbcboston.com

 

[mastiphal25]

SOLVED: Lady of the Dunes is Identified

You guys are unbelievable. This is one of the cases I've been following for years and didn't think would ever be solved

 

[Lore Listener]

Wow! On Halloween, no less. I want to revisit Joe Hill's theory and see if Ruth looks like the Jaws extra now.

Very similar... Jaws photo looks younger than 37, but I know I always look a bit younger in zoom meetings due to the low photo quality that hides those wrinkles and sharp edges that give away a person's age in person or a high res photo. I wish we had a profile view of Ruth!

Jaws photo from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ved-1974-murder/?outputType=amp&noredirect=on

Ruth Marie Terry photos from: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/ruth-marie-terry/@@download.pdf

 

[othram]

You guys are unbelievable. This is one of the cases I've been following for years and didn't think would ever be solved

The skeletal remains were in terrible shape -- unworkable by every other lab that tried.

 

[mastiphal25]

The skeletal remains were in terrible shape -- unworkable by every other lab that tried.

Yeah, that's what just about any article about her said. And that's why I thought it was unsolvable. You're wizards

 

[Molly's Mom]

I would be interested in knowing why the family didn't continue looking. Or why did they not get law enforcement involved. Of course, we know that during the 70s, missing adults were treated differently. It's just so thrilling that Ruth's identity is back! I'm in tears! This case and the Sumter County Does were two I never dreamed would be solved. Now we just need to resolve their homicides - but at the very least, they won't be forgotten!

 

[ohbeeeans]

Any ideas on why the family would stop looking? Not saying there wasn’t a good reason-just curious.

 

[ohbeeeans]

I would be interested in knowing why the family didn't continue looking. Or why did they not get law enforcement involved. Of course, we know that during the 70s, missing adults were treated differently. It's just so thrilling that Ruth's identity is back! I'm in tears! This case and the Sumter County Does were two I never dreamed would be solved. Now we just need to resolve their homicides - but at the very least, they won't be forgotten!

Were missing adults then not taken seriously?

 

[dotr]

 

[Hochman]

Do we know if Ruth was this lady seen in Jaws? Was this lady found alive?

 

[ohbeeeans]

Do we know if Ruth was this lady seen in Jaws? Was this lady found alive?
View attachment 376981

I haven’t heard anything new about this.

 

[Molly's Mom]

Were missing adults then not taken seriously?

No. Neither were missing juveniles. I know that if a juvenile was missing, they were just considered a runaway and not looked for unless parents looked. This was fairly well documented in the Candy Man case in Houston. As for adults, they could just leave of their own free will. That's even the case today. Unless there's a reason to suspect foul play, they won't look for them.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Were missing adults then not taken seriously?

If an adult went missing, and there were no signs of violence, it was assumed they left voluntarily and police rarely would take a missing person report. If a teenager went missing, and there were no signs of violence, it was assumed they had run away and would be back in a few days, and police would rarely take a missing person report. This is why, when some of these old UID cases are solved, it was someone who was never listed as missing.
If a child went missing, you’d more likely get some action.
Mostly they just did not want the aggravation and paperwork.

 

[Molly's Mom]

I haven’t heard anything new about this.

My dad is an artist and primarily works with faces but not facial reconstruction. I had him take a look at the Jaws photo and the older picture of Ruth. He said it's a very close match but he couldn't be sure due to the variation in pose.

 

[HmmMysterious]

My dad is an artist and primarily works with faces but not facial reconstruction. I had him take a look at the Jaws photo and the older picture of Ruth. He said it's a very close match but he couldn't be sure due to the variation in pose.

The Jaws extra looks too young to be Ruth IMO. Who knows, maybe a different extra in the movie is her?

 

[Lore Listener]

My dad is an artist and primarily works with faces but not facial reconstruction. I had him take a look at the Jaws photo and the older picture of Ruth. He said it's a very close match but he couldn't be sure due to the variation in pose.

Wow, thank you. I see a similarity in the chin, full bottom lip, and nose. But between the pose, the Jaws extra squinting, and the photo quality, it's really tough. It's like looking at the Bridge Guy photos! Speaking of which, what a great day for true crime!

 

[ohbeeeans]

No. Neither were missing juveniles. I know that if a juvenile was missing, they were just considered a runaway and not looked for unless parents looked. This was fairly well documented in the Candy Man case in Houston. As for adults, they could just leave of their own free will. That's even the case today. Unless there's a reason to suspect foul play, they won't look for them.

That makes sense, thank you. It’s sad that they weren’t taken seriously. Imagine how quickly people could’ve been recovered!

 

[Skigirl]

I'm so glad she's been identified. There is an incredibly scant amount of information about her on ancestry, in newspapers.com, and everywhere else I've looked. I think I've found some elementary school photos, but I can't be sure. I wish we had confirmation that Ruth Marie Terry is a maiden name.

 

[Molly's Mom]

The Jaws extra looks too young to be Ruth IMO. Who knows, maybe a different extra in the movie is her?

I agree but I don't think we'll ever know, anyway. They didn't keep records of the names of extras.