MA MA - Joan Risch, 30, Lincoln, 24 Oct 1961

[DD Byrd]

Based on the information from the book...this sounds like a familial or familial-organized altercation in the house. Perhaps Joan injured a hand fending off, or even attacking herself, an unwelcome but known visitor. Maybe she was offered an apologetic ride to treatment that wasn't so apologetic. That could explain her hustling around holding something red, i.e. a bloody towel, etc., but not screaming as if forced to a car. Of course, a gun in the ribs could also prevent screaming.

My only pause is a lack of prints on that bloodied kitchen floor. Someone was careful, but why? If Joan was bleeding, but not in immediate danger, an "allowed" check up to her son's room would make sense. "He's sleeping and fine, I can leave for a minute." More darkly, "I may not be back, I'm going to drip some blood for whoever finds this scene while I'm allowed to say 'goodbye'." Or Joan was already out of the house, likely dead in the trunk of the mystery car, and the perpetrator tried to leave a convincing "scene" while protecting his/her own shoes.

I'd like to think there was sufficient blood preserved, in anticipation of future advances in science, but 1961 is a reach even if they'd had the wherewithal to tag n bag JIC. The hanger on the trunk is deliberate, and it's rarely-mentioned existence seems deliberate. At the time, the only connotation left for "scene discovery" I can think of is abortion, based on the blood. So if abortion, the "message" was literal, or someone wanted to lead to the assumption it was abortion-related whether or not that was completely irrelevant.

 

[Betty P]

Based on the information from the book...this sounds like a familial or familial-organized altercation in the house. Perhaps Joan injured a hand fending off, or even attacking herself, an unwelcome but known visitor. Maybe she was offered an apologetic ride to treatment that wasn't so apologetic. That could explain her hustling around holding something red, i.e. a bloody towel, etc., but not screaming as if forced to a car. Of course, a gun in the ribs could also prevent screaming.

My only pause is a lack of prints on that bloodied kitchen floor. Someone was careful, but why? If Joan was bleeding, but not in immediate danger, an "allowed" check up to her son's room would make sense. "He's sleeping and fine, I can leave for a minute." More darkly, "I may not be back, I'm going to drip some blood for whoever finds this scene while I'm allowed to say 'goodbye'." Or Joan was already out of the house, likely dead in the trunk of the mystery car, and the perpetrator tried to leave a convincing "scene" while protecting his/her own shoes.

I'd like to think there was sufficient blood preserved, in anticipation of future advances in science, but 1961 is a reach even if they'd had the wherewithal to tag n bag JIC. The hanger on the trunk is deliberate, and it's rarely-mentioned existence seems deliberate. At the time, the only connotation left for "scene discovery" I can think of is abortion, based on the blood. So if abortion, the "message" was literal, or someone wanted to lead to the assumption it was abortion-related whether or not that was completely irrelevant.

JMO, the hanger on the car outside is an unintended "red herring". The local dry cleaning company had visited the house earlier that day to drop off an order and pick up another. Its most likely the deliveryman accidentally dropped a hanger and didnt notice or forgot to pick it up before he left.

I've always doubted Joan left her home willingly. Her young son was asleep upstairs in his crib. Seems unlikely any young mom would voluntarily leave an infant alone in the house while she left to run an errand, etc.

 

[DD Byrd]

We'd need to know why the hanger was placed, just so, ON the car. You don't accidentally drop something upwards. Unless it was dropped on the ground and then placed on the car, anti evidence collection 101, even in '61. But I'd think that would have been investigated through neighbors and others in the area. "Did you see/touch a hanger?" would have come out, even with those who may have and said "whoopsies" afterwards. Especially with random blood smears on several areas of the car itself.

Agreed, this was not a willing departure, or at least it was under false pretenses of return. It sounds like she'd done her errands and already removed the errand-clothing she had donned for the day. She was seen doing yardwork and unless she was June Cleaver, would probably not have jumped back into "town attire" for errands again.

 

[Betty P]

We'd need to know why the hanger was placed, just so, ON the car. You don't accidentally drop something upwards. Unless it was dropped on the ground and then placed on the car, anti evidence collection 101, even in '61. But I'd think that would have been investigated through neighbors and others in the area. "Did you see/touch a hanger?" would have come out, even with those who may have and said "whoopsies" afterwards. Especially with random blood smears on several areas of the car itself.

Agreed, this was not a willing departure, or at least it was under false pretenses of return. It sounds like she'd done her errands and already removed the errand-clothing she had donned for the day. She was seen doing yardwork and unless she was June Cleaver, would probably not have jumped back into "town attire" for errands again.

Since the dry cleaning delivery guy is probably no longer living, he probably can't provide those details.

My guess from first time I read this detail is that he was carrying a bundle of dry cleaned clothes on hangers, a loose hanger dropped on the ground, he didn't want his feet to get tangled in it, so he picked it up and set it on the car, which was just in front of his vehicle. He probably thought he would retrieve it on the way out, but forgot. He was probably busy with other deliveries to make and likely had more than a few loose hangers in his van.

All of the evidence from the crime scene was tested. There was no blood, etc. on the hanger, only a pool of blood on the trunk of Mrs. Risch's car, which was parked in front of any car that was parked behind hers.

JMO, I find the persistent rumors about an alleged abortion (simply because a dry cleaning deliveryman probably dropped a stray hanger there) to be hurtful to surviving family members - eg Joan's children and grandchildren. What a nightmare it must be to have lost your mother to a violent kidnapper/killer only to have people speculate horrible stories on the internet, YouTube, podcasts, etc based on false accusations for the next several decades.

 

[DD Byrd]

Yes, obviously. I agree it's a hurtful rumor. But it would have been a very real consideration then, especially with no new discoveries. IMO, it's family-related.

 

[digiskunk]

I recently decided to dive into this case and was surprised by how... absolutely baffled I was. The details surrounding her disappearance—namely the library books checked out and the questionable amount of blood found—seem to correspond with the plot devices laid out in those books. Moreover many of the anecdotal pieces of evidence found at the scene don't seem to add up, such as the bloody fingerprint on the telephone and lack of body—not to mention lack of evidence of a forced disappearance. However, I'm not sold on the idea of her "starting a new life elsewhere"; to me, that is just a desperate attempt at a solution to an otherwise overly-complicated puzzle. However, it is worth noting that I am relatively new to this case and have much more to read.

I just wanted to bump this thread in case anybody wanted to revive a new discussion or share some of their thoughts.

 

[Betty P]

I recently decided to dive into this case and was surprised by how... absolutely baffled I was. The details surrounding her disappearance—namely the library books checked out and the questionable amount of blood found—seem to correspond with the plot devices laid out in those books. Moreover many of the anecdotal pieces of evidence found at the scene don't seem to add up, such as the bloody fingerprint on the telephone and lack of body—not to mention lack of evidence of a forced disappearance. However, I'm not sold on the idea of her "starting a new life elsewhere"; to me, that is just a desperate attempt at a solution to an otherwise overly-complicated puzzle. However, it is worth noting that I am relatively new to this case and have much more to read.

I just wanted to bump this thread in case anybody wanted to revive a new discussion or share some of their thoughts.

Actually, there's quite a bit of evidence of forced disappearance. What is presumably her blood is found in several areas in her home and outside. The phone book open to the page for emergency numbers. Also the evidence of scent dogs tracing her path from her home, across the street to the neighbors, then back to her home, then out to the end of the driveway where the scent disappears - a sign she got into a car and left. With blood in her home, we can assume she was forced or carried into someone's car, who then drove away with her. Don't forget the witnesses who saw a stranger's car parked at the end of her driveway.

Women don't just up and disappear based on what they've read in some books, even in those days. She was very happy with her family and children, its unlikely she abandoned them. She wasn't mentally ill, she was well educated, had good social skills and many friends.

 

[digiskunk]

Actually, there's quite a bit of evidence of forced disappearance. What is presumably her blood is found in several areas in her home and outside. The phone book open to the page for emergency numbers. Also the evidence of scent dogs tracing her path from her home, across the street to the neighbors, then back to her home, then out to the end of the driveway where the scent disappears - a sign she got into a car and left. With blood in her home, we can assume she was forced or carried into someone's car, who then drove away with her. Don't forget the witnesses who saw a stranger's car parked at the end of her driveway.

Women don't just up and disappear based on what they've read in some books, even in those days. She was very happy with her family and children, its unlikely she abandoned them. She wasn't mentally ill, she was well educated, had good social skills and many friends.

Thank you so much, I clearly have much more reading to do!

In regards to the forced disappearance, I agree, that sounds like the most likely scenario considering she seemed content (if not happy) with her family life. Of course, I don't know her personally, so we'll never know what was truly going through her mind; with that said, I feel that a forced disappearance seems more likely than a voluntary one.

Thank you again for your quick, informative reply!

 

[Betty P]

Thank you so much, I clearly have much more reading to do!

In regards to the forced disappearance, I agree, that sounds like the most likely scenario considering she seemed content (if not happy) with her family life. Of course, I don't know her personally, so we'll never know what was truly going through her mind; with that said, I feel that a forced disappearance seems more likely than a voluntary one.

Thank you again for your quick, informative reply!

I'd suggest reading a book mentioned a few pages back. It's called (IIRC) "A Kitchen Painted in Blood" or something similar. In spite of its grisly title, it's actually a well researched book.

JMO, Joan was being stalked or watched by someone she knew or was acquainted with who came to her home. Since there wasn't anything missing from her home, they must have brought a weapon with them. Perhaps they called her first, explaining why she took her daughter and the other child to the neighbor's house. They may have seemed normal at first, but turned violent.

 

[Ciriii57]

State Detective Lieutenant George Harnois, who led the Risch investigation in 1961, was quoted in a (@) December 10, 1961 Boston Globe article saying that the police had found the car that had been at the end of Joan's driveway on October 24th. Unfortunately, they didn't find any worthwhile forensic evidence from the car.

Interestingly, the car had been stolen from a Medford MA man, although the date of the theft was not provided. Five witnesses had previously told police that they had seen the car in the Risch driveway on October 24th. The Risch's regular milkman (1 of the 5) said that he had seen the same car in the Risch driveway on October 19, 1961, but that none of the Risch cars were in the driveway at the time (garage?).

Another witness actually gave the police a partial license plate for the mystery car. They used it to eventually find the car after weeks of searching. I think it's interesting that the witness who provided the partial number, gave it to a Boston Record American reporter, who, in turn, gave it to the police. As far as I can tell, the identity of that particular eyewitness never surfaced in the investigation (although I'd need to doublecheck that).

So this means one of three things:
1) Joan had been interacting with someone who was in possession of a stolen car over the past few weeks.
2)Joan had been interacting with the owner of the stolen car, the Medford man, and the car was reported stolen after the event.
3) Joan stole the car herself

It seems important to find out who the Medford man was and when the car was stolen, I wish we could!

 

[Betty P]

So this means one of three things:
1) Joan had been interacting with someone who was in possession of a stolen car over the past few weeks.
2)Joan had been interacting with the owner of the stolen car, the Medford man, and the car was reported stolen after the event.
3) Joan stole the car herself

It seems important to find out who the Medford man was and when the car was stolen, I wish we could!

The trail really went cold on that evidence. There seem to be no further reports from LE.

Maybe, if it contained evidence, it was destroyed, given away, etc. It would be an easy excuse when police come knocking at the owner's door.

 

[Ciriii57]

The trail really went cold on that evidence. There seem to be no further reports from LE.

Maybe, if it contained evidence, it was destroyed, given away, etc. It would be an easy excuse when police come knocking at the owner's door.

I can only assume that LE ruled it out for a reason, one that maybe was never made public. But I find it interesting that in the second police bulletin that was issued (MSBI bull.2-62 (I don't how these things are numbered, but I am assuming that it relates to February 1962??) they still stated that she may be travelling in a blue/grey Oldsmobile sedan...is that the car that had been seen on the drive? Was this after they had actually found the car? :

It doesn't sound like they thought it was an undercover LE car at this point, I wonder what made them change their minds and thus discount several witness sightings?

I know I have arrived late at the table on this one, but I have read all of your excellent comments, the whole thread, and this case has me hooked! I still believe it can be solved...there is just so much evidence. I am sitting here at work with all of the papers and I intend to sift through everything

Incidentally, since I could never view the PDF that was mentioned so often in the earlier pages (decades ago!!) as the link was dead, I have found it available here for download if anyone new wishes to have a look in future:

joan risch.pdf

It is very interesting, but certainly not worth $90,000!

Also...Could someone please explain to me what a "Breezeway" is? I have never come accross this term before and I know there was some discussion about it earlier that I couldn't quite follow about whether the garage had a door directly to the house and since Segeant McHugh states he entered that way I thought it might be important?

 

[deadfoot13]

I can only assume that LE ruled it out for a reason, one that maybe was never made public. But I find it interesting that in the second police bulletin that was issued (MSBI bull.2-62 (I don't how these things are numbered, but I am assuming that it relates to February 1962??) they still stated that she may be travelling in a blue/grey Oldsmobile sedan...is that the car that had been seen on the drive? Was this after they had actually found the car? :

View attachment 409645
It doesn't sound like they thought it was an undercover LE car at this point, I wonder what made them change their minds and thus discount several witness sightings?

I know I have arrived late at the table on this one, but I have read all of your excellent comments, the whole thread, and this case has me hooked! I still believe it can be solved...there is just so much evidence. I am sitting here at work with all of the papers and I intend to sift through everything

Incidentally, since I could never view the PDF that was mentioned so often in the earlier pages (decades ago!!) as the link was dead, I have found it available here for download if anyone new wishes to have a look in future:

joan risch.pdf

It is very interesting, but certainly not worth $90,000!

Also...Could someone please explain to me what a "Breezeway" is? I have never come accross this term before and I know there was some discussion about it earlier that I couldn't quite follow about whether the garage had a door directly to the house and since Segeant McHugh states he entered that way I thought it might be important?
View attachment 409650

Hey, welcome!

A breezeway is like a covered hallway of sorts between the garage and house proper, typically open at either end. So like a covered patio area that joins the two structures. Its purpose is in the name -- it allows a breeze/wind to pass between the structures. It also keeps you out of the weather when going between house and garage and can help with cooling in the summer. My aunt utilized hers as a mudroom, so that's where you left your dirty shoes or toweled down the dog before going into the house, and my grandmother loved to sit in the breezeway and watch storms roll in across the valley.

Edited to include a link that has examples: Three Ways for Breezeways - Fine Homebuilding

 

[Ciriii57]

Hey, welcome!

A breezeway is like a covered hallway of sorts between the garage and house proper, typically open at either end. So like a covered patio area that joins the two structures. Its purpose is in the name -- it allows a breeze/wind to pass between the structures. It also keeps you out of the weather when going between house and garage and can help with cooling in the summer. My aunt utilized hers as a mudroom, so that's where you left your dirty shoes or toweled down the dog before going into the house, and my grandmother loved to sit in the breezeway and watch storms roll in across the valley.

Edited to include a link that has examples: Three Ways for Breezeways - Fine Homebuilding

<modsnip - quoted post contained a copyright violation>
Thank you very much for the info. Now I understand a bit better, I had assumed it was a two-car garage connected to the house by a porch. Just to confirm, was the Risch house unusual in that it seems that the breezeway did not have a door into the garage, or at least one that I can see? Or it just isn't clear on the photos? So for instance, in this case, if a person was in the garage they would or wouldn't be able to access the house directly without going out of the garage? TIA

 

[Ciriii57]

Joan Risch - 2 DIE IN FIRE

Clipping found in Lancaster New Era published in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on 2/23/1939. Joan Risch - 2 DIE IN FIRE

www.newspapers.com

I came across this the other day, the report from the Lancaster New Era about the fire which killed Joan's biological parents. I got an immediate spooky feeling when I read that her father "was found with a telephone in his hand" and it is possible that Joan also died with a telephone in her hand! It might be nothing but I found it a coincidence.

 

[branmuffin]

Thank you very much for the info. Now I understand a bit better, I had assumed it was a two-car garage connected to the house by a porch. Just to confirm, was the Risch house unusual in that it seems that the breezeway did not have a door into the garage, or at least one that I can see? Or it just isn't clear on the photos? So for instance, in this case, if a person was in the garage they would or wouldn't be able to access the house directly without going out of the garage? TIA

I think it just wasn't visible. It would defeat the purpose of having a breezeway connecting a garage to the house if there was no access to get from the garage to the house if you had to go out through the front bay door.

 

[fred&edna]

View attachment 409745

Joan Risch - 2 DIE IN FIRE

Clipping found in Lancaster New Era published in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on 2/23/1939. Joan Risch - 2 DIE IN FIRE

www.newspapers.com

I came across this the other day, the report from the Lancaster New Era about the fire which killed Joan's biological parents. I got an immediate spooky feeling when I read that her father "was found with a telephone in his hand" and it is possible that Joan also died with a telephone in her hand! It might be nothing but I found it a coincidence.

The old news articles/reports are so interesting/intriguing. Thank you for including this one.

I've always been suspicious (in general) of the house fire, as well as some of Joan's family members who raised her.

I believe she was physically harmed and forcibly taken from her home (possibly related to family secrets).

jmo

 

[Betty P]

I can only assume that LE ruled it out for a reason, one that maybe was never made public. But I find it interesting that in the second police bulletin that was issued (MSBI bull.2-62 (I don't how these things are numbered, but I am assuming that it relates to February 1962??) they still stated that she may be travelling in a blue/grey Oldsmobile sedan...is that the car that had been seen on the drive? Was this after they had actually found the car? :

View attachment 409645
It doesn't sound like they thought it was an undercover LE car at this point, I wonder what made them change their minds and thus discount several witness sightings?

I know I have arrived late at the table on this one, but I have read all of your excellent comments, the whole thread, and this case has me hooked! I still believe it can be solved...there is just so much evidence. I am sitting here at work with all of the papers and I intend to sift through everything

Incidentally, since I could never view the PDF that was mentioned so often in the earlier pages (decades ago!!) as the link was dead, I have found it available here for download if anyone new wishes to have a look in future:

joan risch.pdf

It is very interesting, but certainly not worth $90,000!

Also...Could someone please explain to me what a "Breezeway" is? I have never come accross this term before and I know there was some discussion about it earlier that I couldn't quite follow about whether the garage had a door directly to the house and since Segeant McHugh states he entered that way I thought it might be important?
View attachment 409650

With reports of Joan being seen elsewhere on the day she disappeared, I still agree with the LE investigation. They used scent dogs a day later, I think. They took them to the locations around the area where people reported seeing someone who looked like Joan. The scent dogs didn't track her scent at any of those places, even though they tracked her at her home and in her yard and driveway.

 

[Ciriii57]

With reports of Joan being seen elsewhere on the day she disappeared, I still agree with the LE investigation. They used scent dogs a day later, I think. They took them to the locations around the area where people reported seeing someone who looked like Joan. The scent dogs didn't track her scent at any of those places, even though they tracked her at her home and in her yard and driveway.

Really, I wasn't aware that the scent hounds had been taken to the locations of the sightings. Do you know where that was mentioned? That puts a different spin on the witness sightings of "Joan" if correct....
But for some reason I just can't dismiss them, it seems such a coincidence that there was another woman in the area in similar clothes and with perhaps bloody that was in distress and yet never came forward or was identified.
I also wonder if said woman had mud on her legs, and not blood, whether that could have masked her scent. I'm certainly no expert but I seem to recall that mud can hide a person's scent? Or have I just made that up?

 

[Betty P]

Really, I wasn't aware that the scent hounds had been taken to the locations of the sightings. Do you know where that was mentioned? That puts a different spin on the witness sightings of "Joan" if correct....
But for some reason I just can't dismiss them, it seems such a coincidence that there was another woman in the area in similar clothes and with perhaps bloody that was in distress and yet never came forward or was identified.
I also wonder if said woman had mud on her legs, and not blood, whether that could have masked her scent. I'm certainly no expert but I seem to recall that mud can hide a person's scent? Or have I just made that up?

Yes, it's in the book "A Kitchen Painted in Blood". The writer is a retired attorney who was 12 and living a couple of towns away when it happened. When he retired, he went to the library and also got copies of the investigation files. There was a little more detailed information about the scent dogs than had been reported in the news media.

A Kitchen Painted in Blood: The Unsolved Disappearance …

On October 24, 1961, Massachusetts wife and mother Joan…

www.goodreads.com

Considering it was 1961, local and state LE did a pretty thorough investigation. They followed up all the tips. If you haven't read this book, give it a try, its very good.

They did take the scent hounds to, IIRC, three different locations where people reported seeing a woman who they thought was Joan. I think they did all of this on the same day, when the scent at her home was fresh. The conclusion seemed to be that she got into a car at her home/driveway and was driven away. She didn't walk down the road, nor did she get out of a car at any of the places where tipsters saw a woman who looked like her.

ETA JMO, eyewitnesses can often get things wrong. It happens. I think it's even more likely when someone sees something as they're passing someone on a roadside or highway. You're just getting a glimpse of something or someone, especially in a rearview mirror. Imaginations work overtime with news of a local woman gone missing from her bloody kitchen. The witnesses probably had good intentions and wanted to help.