Identified! PA - White Haven, 'Beth Doe' & Unborn Baby 169UFPA, 16-22, Dec'76 - #1 - Evelyn Colon

[timetravel]

i agree - i have known some women who don't look preggy until seven or eight months - they carry small; or have a big build that hides it well - or even the style of clothing worn can hide a baby bump....
how has mrs..redmond been ruled out?

 

[lorelei]

I just saw an article online about this victim. Apparently they have just exhumed her body and are doing DNA tests and a new sketch etc.
Here is a link to the article http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Body-Exhumed.html
You have to register to view on NYTimes, so I will post it here too- let me know if that is not allowed.
30 Years Later, Woman's Body Exhumed
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 30, 2007
Filed at 6:01 p.m. ET
WEATHERLY, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities on Tuesday exhumed the body of a pregnant woman whose dismembered remains were stuffed in suitcases and tossed over a bridge more than 30 years ago.
State police hope DNA and forensics work will help them identify the woman they call ''Beth Doe'' and perhaps lead them to her killer. The victim was buried with her full-term fetus in a pauper's field in rural Carbon County.
''We knew this is one of the things we wanted to do, to apply today's technology,'' said Cpl. Thomas McAndrew, a state police detective who took over the case two years ago.
Workers used a backhoe, then dug by hand to make sure they didn't disturb the remains, which had been buried in a simple wooden box.
The woman, who was in her late teens or early 20s, was strangled, shot, dismembered and stuffed into three suitcases that were flung over a bridge along Interstate 80 near White Haven in December 1976.
The killer was probably aiming for the Lehigh River, 300 feet below, but missed. Two of the suitcases broke open on impact.
Though the victim was estimated to have been dead less than 24 hours, police had few solid leads, and the case grew cold.
''The baby was full term, a healthy female. If that would have happened today, we think we would have probably gotten a solid tip,'' said McAndrew. ''But it was just a different era.''
A forensic pathologist, two forensic dentists and a forensic anthropologist will examine the remains. A forensic artist is working on an updated sketch of the victim that police expect to release soon.
The woman's DNA will be run through a missing persons database, although McAndrew acknowledged a match is ''a total, total long shot at this point'' because a maternal relative of the victim would have had to submit a sample to the database.
Police have also re-interviewed Kenneth Jumper, who was a teenager when he found the body along the banks of the Lehigh River. He remembered every detail, ''like he just found her yesterday,'' said Cpl. Shawn Williams, McAndrew's partner.

 

[LisainWV]

I'm so glad to hear they are doing this.

I really think this lady will be id'ed in the near future.

 

[Teresa Larson]

I have my theories as to why she was killed:

1. Beth Doe's baby was most likely out of wedlock and it possibly caused a scandal in her family and they possibly didn't like that and perhaps a family member killed her given that she is estimated to be between 16-22 years old and I think in the 70s- an unwed teenaged mother was still unheard of

I was an unwed mother in 1973 It wasn't that big of a deal then at least not like maybe in the 50's and 60's I am a catholic also. The church wasn't thrilled about it but again it wasn't a huge thing then.

 

[Sharon999]

The Doe Network:
Case File 169UFPA

Unidentified White Female

• Located on December 20, 1976 in White Haven, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.

Vital Statistics

• 
  [*]Estimated age: Her year of birth was estimated between 1954-1960.
  [*]Approximate Height and Weight: 5'4" - 163 cm; 150 lbs - 68 kg.
  [*]Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown eyes; brown hair. She had a small circular mole above her left eye, a mole on her left cheek and a 5.5" scar on her left leg, just above the heel. She had no previous fractures.
  [*]Dentals: Available.
  [*]Medical Information: She was carrying a full-term White female fetus. It is possible that the moles on her face developed at some time during her pregnancy.
  [*]Other: DNA not available

Case History
On December 20, 1976, the dismembered remains of the victim were found in three suitcases along the Lehigh River in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, under a bridge of westbound Interstate Route 80.


She had been strangled, then shot in the neck and then dismembered with a fine, serrated tool. Her killer had removed her nose and ears.


It was determined that she had been dead less than 24 hours from the date she was found.


There were letters and numbers written on the left hand of the victim in ink (color of ink unknown). While there were different interpretations of what was actually written on the hand, almost definitely was WSR. Next to that was either a 4 or a 5. Below and to the right was either a 4 or 7. Police checked license plates and CB call signs but were unable to determine the significance of the notations. The ink would probably have lasted 8-12 hours.

The three suitcases the remains were found in were all the same size (23" x 14" x 7 1/2"). Two of them were blue in color, one was blue & tan plaid. The handles had been cut off of the suitcases before they were dropped at the site and the zippers had been painted with flat black paint.

Inside the suitcases, the police also found straw, dry packing foam, a cut up chenille bedspread and six sections of the New York Sunday News dated September 26, 1976. The bedspread was most likely originally pink in color, however, the worn and dirty condition made it appear more "rust" or "coral" colored. The bedspread had an embroidered yellow flower design.

Facial features such as the nose and the hair style are an artist's estimation to complete the image.



Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Pennsylvania State Police
570-459-3890

NCMEC #: NCMU400049

I was wondering if anyone knew what caliber bullet she was shot with or what type of gun it was. This is very close to the Berkowitz killings although its not his m.o. He usually just shot people in their cars and walked away. Its in the timeframe and very close to NY. If it was the same caliber weapon... I think he used a 44. Also, Berkowitz killed one person almost every month and there was no one on his list in Dec 1976.
The murderer was also believe by police to have traveled from the east heading west on highway 80, which is straight from New York City.

 

[Sharon999]

One of the comments said this woman may be of Mediterranean descent. I don't see a lot of names of Greek people missing in the PA/NY area. This seems uncommon and a possible lead. Are there communities where Greeks are more prevalent? Could Mediterranean indicate another nationality? How do the forensic scientiest know? What descendant was the baby? Is it possible to test the baby's DNA? Since a child is supposed to get its DNA from the mother and the father, can they deduce the DNA of the father when they have the mother and baby?

 

[CCJD]

I was wondering if anyone knew what caliber bullet she was shot with or what type of gun it was.

The bullet was not recovered and the caliber of the weapon was never determined.

You're correct that this crime doesn't fit David Berkowitz's MO. I'd be very surprised if Beth Doe's killer turned out to be anyone other than the baby's father. (JMO )

Is it possible to test the baby's DNA? Since a child is supposed to get its DNA from the mother and the father, can they deduce the DNA of the father when they have the mother and baby?

Extracting DNA from the baby will be attempted but, even with today's technology, may prove to be impossible due to the extremely delicate conditions of the child's remains.

 

[awagner]

I had my son in Sept 1976 and I was 16 and I live within an hour from there. There were tons of pregnant unwed girls. It was not a big deal in 76.

I have my theories as to why she was killed:

1. Beth Doe's baby was most likely out of wedlock and it possibly caused a scandal in her family and they possibly didn't like that and perhaps a family member killed her given that she is estimated to be between 16-22 years old and I think in the 70s- an unwed teenaged mother was still unheard of

I was an unwed mother in 1973 It wasn't that big of a deal then at least not like maybe in the 50's and 60's I am a catholic also. The church wasn't thrilled about it but again it wasn't a huge thing then.

 

[awagner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfxp4Brt0-A

HEre is the video Theresa did for her.. it made the news during the coverage of the exhumation

 

[LisainWV]

I feel that the "unwed mother" issue was an issue only to Beth's family or the father of her baby's family. As a social issued, it was probably fairly well accepted...

And, i agree, the father of her baby probably killed her - just too much passion in this killing....

Of all the mysteries here that intrigue me, this poor girl is the one who screams for an identity in my psyche. Something about her has just touched my heart. i hope this dna will give some answers....

 

[reb]

When I see cases like this I always think of a prostitute/pimp scenario.
The pimp was angry that one of 'his girls' got pregnant, or the baby was his (and was still angry). This is where some of the 'passion' might come from... ie, it's not just about a relationship... but possibly also money &/or drugs (which could also cause a person to go equally ballistic.. and stab someone 200 times instead of 10...)
I also wonder if she was from overseas, and from a poor background (&/or an orphan) and that's why no one reported her missing. Just judging by her photo (which may or may not be accurate) she looks Greek, Turkish, or Eastern European to me. Maybe she's Italian/Sicilian, and there's a Mafia connection....?? And it seems likely that the killer drove from NYC to dump her body (lots of immigrants in NYC, moreso than most other towns, back then..)

If it was a simple case of a young unwed mother with an angry boyfriend, chances are her family & friends would be looking for her (unless she didn't have any, or for some reason they didn't care,, or they were afraid to speak out for fear of their own lives).

What is so strange though... is how much time and effort the guy took in taking her apart and putting her in the suitcases... but then when he dumped her over the bridge.. he certainly didn't use the same care.. since he missed the water, and did not check to make sure they went in! You would think if he really wanted to make her disappear, he would have gone down and gotten the suitcases and made sure they went into deep water.
THIS makes me think that the person who cut her up and the person who flung her over the bridge.. were NOT the same person. Which makes me think it was a murder for hire. Person #1 took great care in making sure she would never be seen again... and trusted person #2 (the hired guy) to finish the job properly. However, person #2 didn't care that his tracks were not 100% covered and just did it for the money. That's why he was sloppy about it. Person #1 would have made SURE the suitcases went into the water,, after taking all that time to do everything right, up to that point! Because he would have known that after all that work, he might have been caught if someone found the suitcases on dry land.

Of course I could be totally wrong.... chances are it was done in the dark, and so whoever flung them over, was probably also in a hurry, and maybe they really thought the suitcases had gone into the water. Then again... wouldn't you wait to hear the 'splash' to make sure they went in? It's also possible the killer (if he was also the suitcase-flinger).. thought 'dammit.. I heard a thud, they didn't hit the water.. oh well,, if anyone sees me going down to the river, then I'll really be caught. Forget it, I'm outta here'....

I don't know.... but something just doesn't add up!

 

[jodierenee]

bumping*

This woman has remained unidentified for 31 years.

 

[iconoclast]

The reconstruction is so specific, you'd think someone would recognize her. But the sad truth is, there are lots of people on the roads and in the cities, friendless and not cared about by any family they have, who are never reported missing. Perhaps this girl was turned away by her family for being pregnant? It still happened quite a bit back then.

 

[Teresa Larson]

This is a very sad case. It's bad enough she was found dead but she was also pregnant. It's hard to believe that nobody has missed her after all this time. She was a pretty girl. I wonder why somebody would have killed her. Does anybody know what the cause of death was??

 

[CCJD]

This is a very sad case. It's bad enough she was found dead but she was also pregnant. It's hard to believe that nobody has missed her after all this time. She was a pretty girl. I wonder why somebody would have killed her. Does anybody know what the cause of death was??

Here's a link to a previous discussion about "Beth Doe":

http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46279&highlight=carbon

She's on Doe Network as 169ufpa: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/169ufpa.html

And more details can be found at:
http://pennsylvaniamissing.com/carboncountybethdoe.html

 

[Angel4Alpha]

I wonder if these have been checked into?

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1032dfct.html perhaps she ran away to be with a guy and later got pregnant? The NCME pic is larger and the eyebrows match the model

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1186dftx.html has a skin graft scar on her leg and resembles the model

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1298dffl.html strongly resembles model

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1290dfmd.html also has features that resemble model and circumstances are odd

 

[kylie]

Karen Kamsch is most likely at the bottom of the well that was searched for her.

The third link seems to be the best fit and it does strongly resemble the model

 

[kline]

What a horrific end for this poor girl.
And to think whoever was responsible just drove away from it. Horrible.

 

[ohwell1971]

How strange is it that I was just perusing the "does" and picked the "missing Sheryl Tillinghast" as you all did? It's a year later then the last post. Also, knowing that she worked at Wassaic School - I looked at Wassaic & came up with a road Route 44 - any chance that the writing WSR - 44? could be a reference to that road? Such as Wassaic State Route 44?

 

[kandoo76]

Ok I know that this girl went missing in another country but..... She has a mole on the same side of her face as the Jane Doe she has black hair which is a discrepency but she does have brown eyes. Also not sure if I see similarities with pictures or not. Just wanting to know what others are thinking on this. Please reply