FL FL - Sumter Co, 'Little Miss Panasoffkee', WhtFem 17-24, 470UFFL, Feb'71

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Some artist reconstructions of what Little Miss Panasofke may have looked like.
She was found in February 1971 and has remained unidentified for the past 53 years.

LINK:
 
Hi all! So, I am perhaps working in a potentially opposite way here (i.e. finding the identity of the killer before the identity of the victim), but I was wondering if perhaps serial killer Gerald Stano might have been LMP’s murderer. Here are my basic assessments regarding Stano and possible relevant points to LMP…

Location: Northern Florida and Mid-Florida, regardless of East or West Coast, were Stano’s main areas of activity.
  • Lake Panasoffkee is within this area of activity.

Time: While Stano’s first recorded and substantiated murder is in Gainesville, FL in 1973, according to Stano’s own admission, he began killing as early as 1969 when he was about 18. He was not caught until 1980.
  • LMP’s murder was in 1971, a potentially prime year for Stano’s time range.

Victims: Stano’s targets were all female hitchhikers, runaways, and/or sex workers between the ages of 12-35.
  • Many sources suspect LMP was in her late teens to early-mid 20s, and may have been a hitchhiker and/or runaway, which would have made her a prime target for Stano.

Method: Stano was an opportunist, committing murder with whatever method(s) he saw fit and at his disposal at the time - strangulation, beating, shooting, stabbing, drowning, or a combination of the aforementioned methods.
  • The strangulation of LMP would fit into one of Stano’s known killing methods. Also, Stano was about 5’9” tall and 180 lbs. Thus, his waist would have been roughly 36” in size, matching the size of belt used in the strangulation of LMP.

Deposition: Stano did not seem to have one single method of disposing of victims. In the majority of his murders, Stano’s victims were found fully dressed, with no signs of sexual assault, and were not buried.
  • LMP was fully dressed, unassaulted, and unburied. Additionally, 3 of Stano’s known victims (Branch, Bickrest, Goodson) were found floating in a body of water, like LMP.

Motive: Stano’s motives never appeared to be robbery or sexual assault, just simply murder.
  • LMP was found to have jewellery on and to not have been sexually assaulted.

A lot of things with Stano’s style and methods add together for LMP to have been one of his victims.

The only thing I can’t seem to find a solid answer for is: Was Stano in Florida in late 1970/early 1971?

No source I’ve read gives me a definitive timeframe of exactly when Stano was in Florida, aside from the murders he was known to have committed in Florida starting in 1973. The information has been frustratingly vague about when he may or may not have been in Florida prior to 1973.

The general information is that Stano’s family moved to Florida in the early 70s, what year, I don’t know. But, I think it is reasonable to presume the family also visited Florida before relocating there, as their primary reason for moving was because to be close to and care for his grandparents who lived there.

Yet, the info itself remains vague when it states that Stano himself began living in Florida near the start of his adulthood. So when is that, 18? 20? At the time of LMP’s murder, Stano would have been 19, which would coincide with the vague “start of adulthood” period that sources mention.

Anyway, I just wanted to run some thoughts by here and keep this case in the forefront. LMP’s case has intrigued me for years and it’s downheartening that she has yet to be identified or her killer to be found. If this type of post is not the kind that is meant for this thread or forum, let me know, it is my first post so I don’t want to step out of line.
 
Rhysiare said:
Hi all! So, I am perhaps working in a potentially opposite way here (i.e. finding the identity of the killer before the identity of the victim), but I was wondering if perhaps serial killer Gerald Stano might have been LMP’s murderer. Here are my basic assessments regarding Stano and possible relevant points to LMP…

Location: Northern Florida and Mid-Florida, regardless of East or West Coast, were Stano’s main areas of activity.
  • Lake Panasoffkee is within this area of activity.

Time: While Stano’s first recorded and substantiated murder is in Gainesville, FL in 1973, according to Stano’s own admission, he began killing as early as 1969 when he was about 18. He was not caught until 1980.
  • LMP’s murder was in 1971, a potentially prime year for Stano’s time range.

Victims: Stano’s targets were all female hitchhikers, runaways, and/or sex workers between the ages of 12-35.
  • Many sources suspect LMP was in her late teens to early-mid 20s, and may have been a hitchhiker and/or runaway, which would have made her a prime target for Stano.

Method: Stano was an opportunist, committing murder with whatever method(s) he saw fit and at his disposal at the time - strangulation, beating, shooting, stabbing, drowning, or a combination of the aforementioned methods.
  • The strangulation of LMP would fit into one of Stano’s known killing methods. Also, Stano was about 5’9” tall and 180 lbs. Thus, his waist would have been roughly 36” in size, matching the size of belt used in the strangulation of LMP.

Deposition: Stano did not seem to have one single method of disposing of victims. In the majority of his murders, Stano’s victims were found fully dressed, with no signs of sexual assault, and were not buried.
  • LMP was fully dressed, unassaulted, and unburied. Additionally, 3 of Stano’s known victims (Branch, Bickrest, Goodson) were found floating in a body of water, like LMP.

Motive: Stano’s motives never appeared to be robbery or sexual assault, just simply murder.
  • LMP was found to have jewellery on and to not have been sexually assaulted.

A lot of things with Stano’s style and methods add together for LMP to have been one of his victims.

The only thing I can’t seem to find a solid answer for is: Was Stano in Florida in late 1970/early 1971?

No source I’ve read gives me a definitive timeframe of exactly when Stano was in Florida, aside from the murders he was known to have committed in Florida starting in 1973. The information has been frustratingly vague about when he may or may not have been in Florida prior to 1973.

The general information is that Stano’s family moved to Florida in the early 70s, what year, I don’t know. But, I think it is reasonable to presume the family also visited Florida before relocating there, as their primary reason for moving was because to be close to and care for his grandparents who lived there.

Yet, the info itself remains vague when it states that Stano himself began living in Florida near the start of his adulthood. So when is that, 18? 20? At the time of LMP’s murder, Stano would have been 19, which would coincide with the vague “start of adulthood” period that sources mention.

Anyway, I just wanted to run some thoughts by here and keep this case in the forefront. LMP’s case has intrigued me for years and it’s downheartening that she has yet to be identified or her killer to be found. If this type of post is not the kind that is meant for this thread or forum, let me know, it is my first post so I don’t want to step out of line.
Click to expand...
Great theory!
Welcome to Websleuths!
 
There seems to be a wide difference in reports regarding clothing and jewelry found on or around Little Miss Panasofke.

Initial reports and press releases stated that she was found wearing only her under clothes and that no other clothing was found. No mention was made about any jewelry.

More recent information describes in detail a green outfit being found on or near her body and that a lot of jewelry was also found.

There also seems to be a wide variation in the various artist conceptions as to what she looked like.

The case is now 53 years old, and she remains unidentified, and her murder unsolved.

Hopefully new insights will move the case forward toward some resolutions.
 
Rhysiare said:
Hi all! So, I am perhaps working in a potentially opposite way here (i.e. finding the identity of the killer before the identity of the victim), but I was wondering if perhaps serial killer Gerald Stano might have been LMP’s murderer. Here are my basic assessments regarding Stano and possible relevant points to LMP…

Location: Northern Florida and Mid-Florida, regardless of East or West Coast, were Stano’s main areas of activity.
  • Lake Panasoffkee is within this area of activity.

Time: While Stano’s first recorded and substantiated murder is in Gainesville, FL in 1973, according to Stano’s own admission, he began killing as early as 1969 when he was about 18. He was not caught until 1980.
  • LMP’s murder was in 1971, a potentially prime year for Stano’s time range.

Victims: Stano’s targets were all female hitchhikers, runaways, and/or sex workers between the ages of 12-35.
  • Many sources suspect LMP was in her late teens to early-mid 20s, and may have been a hitchhiker and/or runaway, which would have made her a prime target for Stano.

Method: Stano was an opportunist, committing murder with whatever method(s) he saw fit and at his disposal at the time - strangulation, beating, shooting, stabbing, drowning, or a combination of the aforementioned methods.
  • The strangulation of LMP would fit into one of Stano’s known killing methods. Also, Stano was about 5’9” tall and 180 lbs. Thus, his waist would have been roughly 36” in size, matching the size of belt used in the strangulation of LMP.

Deposition: Stano did not seem to have one single method of disposing of victims. In the majority of his murders, Stano’s victims were found fully dressed, with no signs of sexual assault, and were not buried.
  • LMP was fully dressed, unassaulted, and unburied. Additionally, 3 of Stano’s known victims (Branch, Bickrest, Goodson) were found floating in a body of water, like LMP.

Motive: Stano’s motives never appeared to be robbery or sexual assault, just simply murder.
  • LMP was found to have jewellery on and to not have been sexually assaulted.

A lot of things with Stano’s style and methods add together for LMP to have been one of his victims.

The only thing I can’t seem to find a solid answer for is: Was Stano in Florida in late 1970/early 1971?

No source I’ve read gives me a definitive timeframe of exactly when Stano was in Florida, aside from the murders he was known to have committed in Florida starting in 1973. The information has been frustratingly vague about when he may or may not have been in Florida prior to 1973.

The general information is that Stano’s family moved to Florida in the early 70s, what year, I don’t know. But, I think it is reasonable to presume the family also visited Florida before relocating there, as their primary reason for moving was because to be close to and care for his grandparents who lived there.

Yet, the info itself remains vague when it states that Stano himself began living in Florida near the start of his adulthood. So when is that, 18? 20? At the time of LMP’s murder, Stano would have been 19, which would coincide with the vague “start of adulthood” period that sources mention.

Anyway, I just wanted to run some thoughts by here and keep this case in the forefront. LMP’s case has intrigued me for years and it’s downheartening that she has yet to be identified or her killer to be found. If this type of post is not the kind that is meant for this thread or forum, let me know, it is my first post so I don’t want to step out of line.
Click to expand...
Interesting theory for sure! My gut feeling has always been that she was a victim of domestic violence but it's honestly just that...a gut feeling. Statistics would also support a domestic situation over a serial killer, however, it is certainly possible.
You mentioned the belt in your post. This is something that had always bothered me: putting myself in the killer's mindset I cannot understand why he would have left the belt around her neck. He took the time to transport her to the lake and dispose of her...why not take the murder weapon with you and dispose of it separately? It just seems like an odd detail to overlook. If it was left there on purpose...kind of like a look what I did thing then I have to admit that seems more like something a serial killer would do.
 
I was so confident after that possible lead that this woman was already identified. I pray this leads to her identity soon. Has anyone been able to find her family in Greece? The family of the possible lead I mean. I’m guessing not? I’m going through old threads but did they publicize this case in Greece? Or am I remembering incorrectly?
 
Aurora90 said:
I was so confident after that possible lead that this woman was already identified. I pray this leads to her identity soon. Has anyone been able to find her family in Greece? The family of the possible lead I mean. I’m guessing not? I’m going through old threads but did they publicize this case in Greece? Or am I remembering incorrectly?
Click to expand...
I actually think she is from America and that the Greece lead is a red herring. We’ve seen many cases where a doe who was thought to be foreign to the U.S actually be from America. I think the isotope analysis that points to her being from Greece could very easily be wrong as it has been wrong before in other cases.
 
Richard said:
The "facts" in this case have changed somewhat over time. Initial reports stated that no clothing was found with the body, except a man's 36 inch bolt which was wrapped around her neck. More recent summaries describe her as completely clothed in a matching green ensemble, along with jewelry.

I wonder, in light of some of these changing details, if other descriptions might also have changed slightly or been inaccurately estimated or stated.

Allowing for some slight differences, here is a missing person from that time frame and state who might be considered as a potential match. Consider that the identifying information was probably initially provided by her husband.
----------------------------------------------

Mary Margaret Cook
mary_margaret_cook_1.jpg
mary_margaret_cook_2.jpg

Mary, circa 1970
  • Missing Since 11/14/1970
  • Missing From Highland City, Florida
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Biracial, Native American, White
  • Date of Birth 04/26/1945 (75)
  • Age 25 years old
  • Height and Weight 4'11, 145 - 150 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a green dress.
  • Medical Conditions Mary may have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (Caucasian/Native American) female. Brown hair, blue/hazel eyes. Mary wears cats-eye eyeglasses and cannot see without them. She had excellent teeth in 1970 and had never needed dental care. She has a birthmark on the outside of her right leg, above her ankle.
Details of Disappearance

Mary was last seen on November 14, 1970. Her husband says she left her home in Highland City, Florida to go on a shopping trip at the J. M. Fields store in Lakeland, Florida and buy Christmas presents for her two sons, then aged five and three. She never returned.

Her white 1959 Cadillac coupe was found abandoned in the store's parking lot the following day. Mary's wallet and purse were inside the car, but $200 which her husband supposedly gave her for the presents was missing. She left behind her wedding rings, which she normally wore all the time. No one saw her or her car at the store that day.

Investigators view Mary's husband, Leathern "Earl" Cook, as the prime suspect in her disappearance. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. They had been married for eight years at the time of Mary's disappearance in 1970.

Earl was interviewed extensively and in 2003, the police dug up the garage floor of the house they lived in in 1970, suspecting Mary's body might be buried there. Earl also provided them with a blood sample. They found no evidence and Earl was never charged.

mary_margaret_cook_5.jpg

Leathern "Earl" Cook in the 1970s

He always maintained his innocence in her case and told their children that Mary left of her own accord. Earl remarried two years after Mary's disappearance, got divorced in 2000, married a third time and died in Greenacres, Florida in 2007, at the age of 66.

Mary's oldest son stated he saw his parents arguing on the day of his mother's disappearance and that Earl told him not to look outside. He believes Mary's body was concealed in a red blanket from the house and was buried within some hours' distance of Highland City.

Mary's mother took care of her sons for some time after her disappearance, but when she found out the police suspected Earl was involved, she confronted him and directly asked if he'd killed Mary. He never answered; instead, he simply took the boys and left.

Some have suggested that Mary's disappearance is related to the disappearance of Peggy Byars-Baisden, who vanished from Highland City in April 1965. Both Mary and Byars-Baisden are the mothers of two children each, both were in their twenties, and they resided on the same street. However, investigators do not think the two women knew each other and have not been able to link their disappearances.

Mary was a stay-at-home mother at the time of her disappearance. Earl often went to West Palm Beach, Florida, hours away from Highland City, for painting jobs during the week and returned to Highland City to spend weekends at home. Foul play is suspected in Mary's case, but little evidence is available in her disappearance.

Investigating Agency
  • Polk County Sheriff's Office 863-533-0344
Source Information
Click to expand...


  • Three years ago, I suggested (post 316) a possible match between this case and that of Mary Margaret Cook, who went missing on or about 14 November 1970.

    There are quite a few details which seem common to both cases.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I agree she is a very possible match.
Age fits
She had 2 kids
She had a green dress
She was biracial Native, LMLP has shovel shaped teeth that are characteristic for Natives
Appearance is very similar
Distance and timeline fit
LMLP was strangled with a mens belt, likely DV. Mary was suffering DV
 
Do they have DNA? Margaret Cook SCREAMS OUT in this case. She went missing less than a month before the body was found and in Florida. She had told her mother she was finishing a green dress/outfit (which is what the doe was wearing). And Cook had a scar on her right ankle and we know Miss Pannasofke had a surgery on her right ankle using the Watson Jones technique.

Very suspiciously matching up
 
Susikatze said:
I agree she is a very possible match.
Age fits
She had 2 kids
She had a green dress
She was biracial Native, LMLP has shovel shaped teeth that are characteristic for Natives
Appearance is very similar
Distance and timeline fit
LMLP was strangled with a mens belt, likely DV. Mary was suffering DV
Click to expand...
Also right ankle scar. LMLP had a known surgery on right ankle. Went missing shortly before body was found and in the same state. I wonder if DNA has been done.
 
ChatteringBirds said:
I think there must be a reason Mary Margaret has yet to be formally/publicly ruled in or out. Surely she has been submitted to LE numerous times already. But it is frustrating. JMO.
Click to expand...

The whole thing is so frustrating. No information if her case is being worked on aside from the isotope analysis (that i now consider quackery for modern populations and maybe also historic ones). It is more often incorrect than it is correct.
 
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