Found Deceased OH - Linda Pagano, 17, Akron, 1 Sept 1974 *confirmed match in 2018*

[Wiseowl716]

Step father could be responsible ‍

 

[Alleykins]

Step father could be responsible ‍

Welcome aboard!
I think that's the general consensus. For me, it was learning the step father junked Linda's car even though there was still a bank note on it.

 

[Richard]

Linda Marie Pagano
Sex Female
Age 17
Missing from Akron, Ohio
Disappeared September 1974
Discovered February 5, 1975
Location Strongsville, Ohio
Identified July 2018
Span 43 years
Cause of death Gunshot (homicide)

Linda Marie Pagano (April 11, 1957 - 1974) was a teenager found murdered in 1975. She initially disappeared in September 1974.

Her family confirmed the match in July 2018. Until then, she had been unidentified for 43 years.

Case
Pagano had an argument with her stepfather and left home, never to be seen again. Little information is available on her disappearance and the investigation.

On February 5, 1975, her partial skeleton was discovered along a riverbank by children. Her mandible was not recovered and her limbs were missing, presumably due to dismemberment, as her killer had sawed some of her teeth out of the skull. Despite efforts to identify her, there were no leads and the remains were eventually buried.

Identification
In 2015, an amateur genealogy researcher was searching through cemetery records in Cleveland when she discovered a listing for "Unknown white female bones" that had been discovered in 1975 in Strongsville. Intrigued by the case, she started to research the discovery of the remains at her local library and reached out to local law enforcement, including a Cleveland Metroparks ranger, who sent her the case file. After receiving the case file, she posted it to Reddit and it eventually made its way to Websleuths, where it caught the attention of Carl Koppelman, who created a facial reconstruction from the skull. Linda Pagano was eventually listed on NamUS and the similarities were made between the Strongsville Jane Doe and Linda by Carl and law enforcement, which eventually lead to her identification in 2018.

Gallery


LINK:

Linda Pagano

 

[cvaldez1975]

i didnt know she was dismembered.

 

[Alleykins]

I didn't know some of her teeth appeared to have been sawed off. Someone had to have knowledge about forensics if they knew to do that, IMHO.

 

[SimsGuy67]

Found what I believe to be a much higher quality version of this photo:

Not sure if this is a new find or not.

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[evilwise]

Found what I believe to be a much higher quality version of this photo:

View attachment 421224
Not sure if this is a new find or not.

Join Ancestry®

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I believe the photo @Richard posted is a colorized version of that photo. Your post did get me looking at this case again and despite being in my neck of the woods I also somehow was unaware her teeth had been sawed? That's gruesome enough I'd think the perpetrator would have been known as a scary type person. I seem to recall her stepdad was pretty clean while he was alive. Did we ever know who that "boyfriend" even was?

 

[SimsGuy67]

I believe the photo @Richard posted is a colorized version of that photo. Your post did get me looking at this case again and despite being in my neck of the woods I also somehow was unaware her teeth had been sawed? That's gruesome enough I'd think the perpetrator would have been known as a scary type person. I seem to recall her stepdad was pretty clean while he was alive. Did we ever know who that "boyfriend" even was?

If you're talking about post 143 the color photo is definitely not the same photo. Posting what the photo you referenced would be while black and white.

You can see that one side Linda's hair is in a different position (one is in front an the other is in the back), she's wearing different outfits and her facial expression is also different.

I also can't believe how gruesome it was. I can't think of why her teeth would be sawed, other than to hinder identification. This could make sense if her stepfather did it as he was the last person to see her. The only other case I've seen something similar in is Ruth Terry, who had some of her teeth removed to hinder identification. Again, the person of interest in her case is someone she knew, her husband at the time.

 

[bev1228]

If you're talking about post 143 the color photo is definitely not the same photo. Posting what the photo you referenced would be while black and white.

You can see that one side Linda's hair is in a different position (one is in front an the other is in the back), she's wearing different outfits and her facial expression is also different.

I also can't believe how gruesome it was. I can't think of why her teeth would be sawed, other than to hinder identification. This could make sense if her stepfather did it as he was the last person to see her. The only other case I've seen something similar in is Ruth Terry, who had some of her teeth removed to hinder identification. Again, the person of interest in her case is someone she knew, her husband at the time.

If you're talking about post 143 the color photo is definitely not the same photo. Posting what the photo you referenced would be while black and white.

You can see that one side Linda's hair is in a different position (one is in front an the other is in the back), she's wearing different outfits and her facial expression is also different.

I also can't believe how gruesome it was. I can't think of why her teeth would be sawed, other than to hinder identification. This could make sense if her stepfather did it as he was the last person to see her. The only other case I've seen something similar in is Ruth Terry, who had some of her teeth removed to hinder identification. Again, the person of interest in her case is someone she knew, her husband at the time.

Hi, there are not very many articles on Linda Pagano BUT there was never any mention of her teeth being sawed removed nor any dismemberment. When the three boys found her near the Rocky River in Millstream (Strongsville Oh) part of her jaw was missing. Could have been from the gunshot wound or animal removing it.

 

[cvaldez1975]

Hi, there are not very many articles on Linda Pagano BUT there was never any mention of her teeth being sawed removed nor any dismemberment. When the three boys found her near the Rocky River in Millstream (Strongsville Oh) part of her jaw was missing. Could have been from the gunshot wound or animal removing it.

may not have been released to the public.

 

[bev1228]

Is this according to her stepfather? The obvious P.'s O. I. would be the stepfather and the father of her baby. (One hopes those are two different people!)

There is no baby. Linda's best friend a year older, was pregnant at the time of Linda's disappearance. From what I have most recently found, I would not put her step dad on the front burner. Her Mother was involved with a man who was 28 and she was 43 with a criminal record. I have also found people in Linda's family had issues too.

 

[theshadow45]

Linda was found 49 years ago today.

 

[Blurgle]

There is no baby. Linda's best friend a year older, was pregnant at the time of Linda's disappearance. From what I have most recently found, I would not put her step dad on the front burner. Her Mother was involved with a man who was 28 and she was 43 with a criminal record. I have also found people in Linda's family had issues too.

The person you replied to misread another commenter's signature.

 

[theshadow45]

Today is Linda’s birthday.