OH OH - Beverly Potts, 10, Cleveland, 24 Aug 1951

[TheArtfulDetective]

Has anyone commented on this before?

IME, people who are artists or musicians tend to have a lot of friends with the same interests or background. I wonder if Beverly's parents still had show business connections in 1951 even if they weren't still involved themselves (where they?). If so, could she met a friend of her parents in the park, or could such a person have been involved with the show? Could she have known that person enough to trust them just that little bit too much?

Is there really any evidence that she ever left the park?

Scenario: Beverly sees a friend of her parents working on the show. He says if she stays until everything has been put away and he will walk her home. By the time the show is ended and all of the equipment put away there might have been virtually nobody else left in the park.

I know that doesn't address the question of the woman reportedly seen with her hand on Beverly's shoulder, but she could have been someone else involved with the show if indeed she existed. But if there was such a woman why did she not come forward afterwards?

TheArtfulDetective

Registered User

Join DateOct 2015Posts4​

In the aforementioned "Twilight of Innocence" book, Robert Wolf, the modern day cold case detective who worked on the case breaks down all the possible scenarios- one of which was exactly what you and a few others mentioned- that maybe she went along willingly with someone she knew and trusted like a fireman, policeman, or clergyman for example. The book answered a lot of questions for me with it's abundance of information, some of which I had never come across in previous research. Definitely worth the read and a high recommend for anyone with an avid interest in this case. For example I didn't realize one of the last photos of her was taken 5 days before she went missing.​

 

[Kristin83]

I remember reading somewhere (Charley Project maybe?) that Beverly was seen at the park with a plump woman who had her hand on Beverly's shoulder. Was this woman ever identified?

 

[scriptgirl]

Not as far as I know and there are some who think the woman took Beverly.

 

[Kristin83]

I know this may sound silly but her being taken by a woman gives me a small amount of comfort. When I hear of a woman abductor, I think of a mentally off woman who wanted a child, or a woman selling her into an adoption ring for a family that wanted a child. At least this would mean Beverly had a somewhat decent life after being taken.

It's wishful thinking, I know. It's just the alternative is so awful to think about.

 

[paul1980]

thinking strange women won't harm children... telling our children to reflexively trust strange women... is both stupid and dangerous.

 

[Vivette]

You do not steal a 10 year old for adoption purposes, though.

 

[paul1980]

Again, why do we very dangerously stupidly tell our children that strange women won't hurt them?

 

[Vivette]

Err, do we? I haven't heard of that.

 

[Faithandhope]

woah! haven't checked this thread in a while... okay guys. I have a less tin foil scenario here...

She disappeared at a community event. Assuming all reported facts are truth, I have to assume that someone (probably male) abducted her from the event and lived in less than a 20 mile radius from there. More than likely it was less than a 2 mile radius. And also more than likely, she died that night and was buried/disposed of within an hour's drive, but more likely less than a half hour's drive.

I'm not saying any of that is fact, but it just seems like the most likely scenario. I'm rusty on this case. Do we know of known sex offenders in the neighborhood?

 

[Boomeroreo]

I am a little over half way through the book about Beverly and I must say, I am disappointed how sloppy the investigation seemed. It seems like their was way too much outside interference, especially with all those news reporters.
With all the people at the show, I am sure someone did see something and was afraid to come forward and get tangled up in the case.
Lastly, I am baffled at how much evidence was found, than lost before it was even tested or turned in! (Like the pink cloth from Lake Erie-similar to what Beverly was last seen in-and the strands of blond hair, I believe it was found in a car). Some of that though, I should add, was not the investigators fault. It just seems like there was a lot of potential evidence that slipped through the cracks.

Sounds like foul play with the evidence.

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[Boomeroreo]

Patsy Swing said that she last saw Beverly in the crowd still watching the performances on stage. What some students of this case have found more than a little unsettling and peculiar is that the strange woman next to Beverly had her hand resting on Beverly's shoulder​.

I have a question Is patsy swing alive today? Has anybody try to contact her from here?

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[dogperson]

The woman may have been luring her to a car, maybe for her husband/boyfriend etc for sexual purposes. It wouldn't be the first time a couple worked together to abduct a female.

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

I remember reading somewhere (Charley Project maybe?) that Beverly was seen at the park with a plump woman who had her hand on Beverly's shoulder. Was this woman ever identified?

You are correct, I believe this was also mentioned in the "Twilight of Innocence" book that someone did allegedly witness this and no the woman was never identified unfortunately. I say "allegedly" -witnesses are obviously key in solving crimes but we also know how many more are (frustratingly) mistaken. So in this case it was really never established if this actually happened.

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

The woman may have been luring her to a car, maybe for her husband/boyfriend etc for sexual purposes. It wouldn't be the first time a couple worked together to abduct a female.

This theory would be the most valid for me to support if a woman really was involved. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I have a question Is patsy swing alive today? Has anybody try to contact her from here?

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Patsy Swing was still living at last report, but no longer in the Cleveland area. She was contacted by the author of the book Twilight of Innocence and what she said is related in that book.

 

[paul1980]

Apart from sexism, is there a reason to not think a woman could have been involved?

Even today society seems reluctant to warn children against strange women.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Apart from sexism, is there a reason to not think a woman could have been involved?

It is quite possible a woman could have been involved.

 

[paul1980]

there is a clear natural bias we have of seeing women as less threatening than men, just think of how Karla Homolka or Rosemary West had the effect of lowering the guard on potential victims because most people won’t think a woman will attack them.

 

[Faithandhope]

Apart from sexism, is there a reason to not think a woman could have been involved?

Even today society seems reluctant to warn children against strange women.

I definitely think a woman could be involved... I was just implying above that it would be much less likely for a woman to have committed the crime. Not impossible, just less likely. Women very much lower suspicions in children it seems (either from seeming maternal to not having been warned of strange women as much). However, since it was a community event, and during the 1950s, I would bet that her guard was lowered a bit already. Nowadays we think every person unknown to us is a danger to our children (and frankly/unfortunately, with good cause), but less the case in 1951.

 

[paul1980]

in 1951 you couldn't show on tv or film a police officer or a member of the clergy harming children. Nowadays we know that members of both groups can kidnap, molest and.or kill children.