CA Stinson Beach, WhtFem 30-40, garter and girdle set, 19 May 1972

[subaw0067]

Date of Discovery: May 19, 1972
Location of Discovery: Marin County, California
Estimated Date of Death: 1 year prior to discovery
State of Remains: Partial remains with soft tissues
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 30-40 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Three maxillary teeth had gold caps on them.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available. Three maxillary teeth had gold caps on them.
Fingerprints: Unavailable
DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Garter and girdle set were the only items found with the body. They were the brand "Hollywood Vassarette".
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery​

Partial remains with soft tissues of a female decedent found on the shore of Stinson Beach. She is estimated to have been deceased approximately one year.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Marin County Sheriff's Office - Coroner Division
Agency Contact Person: Alexandra Torres
Agency Phone Number: 415-473-6043
Agency E-Mail: atorres@marinsheriff.org
Agency Case Number: 72-193

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 17773

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I wish there was more information on this woman.

Ingrid Angela Anderson – The Charley Project

Ingrid went missing almost exactly a year before.

Beatrice Susan Calderon – The Charley Project

I do have to wonder if a surgical scar that notable would still be visible after that long in the water.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Stinson Beach had a lot of well known Bay Area musicians living and/or recording there around that time.

Stinson Beach Music Scene Time Line: 1960s to the Present | Stinson Beach Historical Society

stinsonbeachhistoricalsociety.org

Notably, Janis Joplin was "discovered" playing a club there by Clive Davis. Her ashes were scattered there in 1970. Jerry Garcia moved there in 1971. Not suggesting any musicians had anything to do with this, but maybe the UID was drawn there by the Stinson Beach music and bar scene.

 

[DS2021]

No ruleouts in NamUs.

I know she is also listed on the GG bridge suicide thread, but would she really have gotten dressed up to jump off a bridge? Or would this have been considered a casual outfit back then?
I wish we knew how some of her limbs were removed from her body. Were the wounds clean cut or did it appear to that they were caused by ocean life?

 

[branmuffin]

In 1972 most American women of a certain age, maybe late teens to late 20s had experienced the trend toward feminism that entailed things like going braless, engaging in protests, trying to live a natural life without bowing to the expectations of a man's ideal woman. So for me, based on what she is wearing, I think this woman is probably on the upper edge of the age limit.

Older women still wore girdles and garter belts. Vassarette, according to American Brands was considered the Victoria's Secret of intimate apparel back in the 60s and 70s but its brand was declining due to the change in social mores. It seems strange to me to wear both a girdle and a garter belt since girdles were manufactured with the clips to hold up hosiery. Especially since pantyhose were very popular due to the short skirts of the 60s.

I wonder if it's possible she was wearing other clothing that disintegrated while in the water, especially if the body was rolling in surf and being battered by rocks. Google images show Stinson Beach is absolutely beautiful with miles of sand but just south of where she was found is very rocky with steep cliffs. A natural fibre like cotton will decompose within five months in salt water, linen in about 2 weeks. Polyesters and nylon can take a century or more to decompose.

How long will this fabric take to decompose?

Organic cotton, linen, hemp, polyester? How long will these fabrics sit in a landfill before decomposing? Make better choices for your clothes and your family by thinking about how long it takes for fabrics to break down.

hellojackalo.com

I wonder if the missing limbs are related to being tumbled by the surf and rocks for several months and sea life activity rather than dismemberment. I'd like to know where the gold caps were on her teeth. From a purely cosmetic point of view I'd think back then the gold caps would be further back on the molars rather than front teeth. Was the rest of the skeleton intact to ascertain whether she had given birth or been pregnant at any time during her lifetime?

Almost every UID that I've followed and who have ultimately been identified, none of them were ever reported missing. At least a lot of the older cases. Whether that was because of family dynamics, lack of family or reluctance of LE to report someone as missing, assuming the person had left of their own volition. Sometimes I wonder whether for every person on Namus and/or the DoeNetwork there are ten more never reported missing.

 

[branmuffin]

Based on the remnants of clothing on the body, I'm going with the deceased is an older woman probably in her 40s to 50s. It's possible someone in their 30s might be wearing a girdle. Here are a few possibilities of missing women in CA.

3003DFCA - Shirley Elizabeth Frew

Shirley Frew was 48 years old when she went missing. She had an car accident involving a train when younger resulting in injuries to her legs. I think her granddaughter was on another WS UID thread a few years ago. I can't remember which one, but she did say her grandmother wore dentures which doesn't jibe with this UID.

3084DFCA - Verna Smith

Verna Smith was 49 years old when she went missing in 1968. She had auburn hair.

2920DFCA - Mary Corrine Amos

Mary Corrine Amos was 36 years old when she went missing in 1968. She had auburn hair and an upper dental plate.