Okay, I've been studying my notes on the case I had made back in the summer of 2010. There are some things I now perceive differently and theoretically since that time.
In my notes after visiting the Seattle Weekly office from doing my research on the October 2 and October 9, 1996 editions, I had thought that the edition Mary Anderson had in her room with the pressed maple leaf resting on top was the October 2, 1996 issue. The reason being is that the October 9th issue was a special "home and garden" edition with a lot of home decor advertisements.
But looking through the copies I made of both editions, I now believe that Mary Anderson probably had the October 9th home and garden edition instead, and because it was the latest issue when she arrived at the hotel on the same date. Why? Because of the article in that issue titled,
"Color My World," that has a colorful photo of a Sugar Maple tree. Perhaps her fondness for maple trees made a connection with that article and her pressed maple leaf (or leaves).
SEATTLE WEEKLY - October 9, 1996
And after looking at my notes, the Seattle Weekly employee who was assisting me that day said the weekly newspaper in 1996 was available far north as Bellingham and far south as Tacoma and some suburban areas on the eastside and westside of Seattle. When I asked if it was possible that she picked up the paper at the Sea-Tac International Airport, he said stated it was not available there at that time. With that, if Mary Anderson had came into downtown Seattle by via Sea-Tac airport, she would have had to have stopped somewhere along her cab ride within the paper's distribution region areas to pick up the paper. If she was in a cab (that dropped her off at the hotel) why would she take the time to stop, especially with a running meter? So it is quite possible that Mary Anderson did not fly into Sea-Tac airport, unless she flew in days earlier and settled into downtown Seattle elsewhere, such as another hotel and then ventured up to Hotel Vintage Park with the reservation for room 214... and picked up the October 9th issue before or along the way.
Or it's quite possible still she had arrived by train or ferry. And if by ferry, it could have been from any of the numerous ferry terminals... INCLUDING the ferries
Victoria Clipper or the
Princess Marguerite III, in which the latter ran until 1999. Both vessels traveled to and from Seattle and Victoria BC, Canada through the beautiful San Juan Islands of Washington State. So if Mary Anderson came from Canada, she would have been able to pick up the October 9th edition at the Seattle pier for these two vessels.
Children: The autopsy of Mary Anderson showed that she never had children physically; biologically. But what if she had been married (hence the Cobalt blue Himalaya Outfitters jacket from Causal Male's Big & Tall brand that may have belonged to a man) and she could have have an adopted child or children? Perhaps stepchildren? And if this husband had passed on, maybe she or the stepchild decided not pursue a relationship and they went their own ways?
I also now have a new theory that whenever and where ever she came from, she may have purposely changed her hair color, style, and makeup scheme while out in public those days leading up to the time of her death. It's possible that she deliberately did this to make herself unrecognizable.
And looking over the facts of this case again, I think our biggest clues are:
- The request and reservation of room 214 (personal & emotional attachment)
- The Men's Cobalt blue Himalaya Outfitters jacket
- The high maintenance of cosmetic application and hair brushing before death. (Why?)
- The statement from the suicide note: "You can use my body as you choose."
Another thing we have not learned is... when she checked into the hotel, did she stay in her hotel room those two days? Or did she venture out downtown sometime before her death?
