Identified! MA - Provincetown, Race Point, 'Lady in the Dunes' WhtFem 27-49, UP11840, Jul'74 - Ruth Marie Terry

[Harrietthespy27]

There are only 7 names on the NamUs rule out list but I believe many more women have been looked at. Rory Kesinger used to be on the list. She isn't anymore and that's strange since she was ruled out by DNA.

"As Kesinger resembled what had been left of the victim, a test using the DNA of her mother and the corpse was conducted. No match."
http://legalnews.com/detroit/1454244

https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Rory_Kesinger

So if Rory isn't on the list, how many other women aren't on there? How many may have been ruled out by non-biometric data and, as such, would not be on the publicly viewable list?

NamUs link as source for R/O List
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Can't get the export to work on NamUs. See attached.

I'm wondering the same thing. How accurate are those lists?

 

[Doeologist]

I think it’s helpful to know how things work to try and make more appropriate matches

I agree. It’s more than helpful to know how things work in various parts of the country and the continent.

I live north of the border in an area that seems to work the same way. Genealogical databases don’t seem to be for them. I’m not sure if they’re insecure about using genealogy or too elitist for communal databases, or a combination. A lot of cases go cold that probably shouldn’t.

Our biggest mystery is a missing business man. His partner stole a million and absconded to Montreal at the same time the boss disappeared and this is supposed to be a mystery. Only in S. Ontario, I hope.

They had a recent major success with familial DNA so maybe they’ll get over their qualms about that.

 

[Doeologist]

I think it's more than interesting that LOTD was found with piles of pine needles where her hands should have been...

Maybe it's just something to make her look like she was sunbathing from a distance and wasn't a dead person missing her hands. It's definitely a strange tableau for the staging.

But it's obviously an attempt to make it look like she settled down on the dunes willingly. Which would suggest that she was never there willingly. Not on the dunes and probably not even in the North East.

Brenda Sue Lefler's father-in-law was dead at the time. I was told on the BSL thread that he died in 1970. I only mentioned that I had him working as a coast guard at one point because the LOTD was coincidentally found by a coast guard station. That may not have been relevant but the other stuff which has to do with occupational indicators still does, IMO, even if it's another member of the family.

Both crime scenes appear to have been staged to make it look like the victim(s) went willingly and that everything was consensual, up until or after the attack in the Dunes case.

 

[snowgoose]

Was Patricia Newsom ever ruled out for Lady in the Dunes? The UID's NamUs page was last updated September 22nd, I can't see what changed.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Earlier in this thread there was discussion about how the old-fashioned photo of Patricia did not look a 16-year-old in 1974. That photo has been removed from her NamUs page - there are no images now. I wonder if it was a photo of the wrong person that was provided to LE by mistake.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

There are only 7 names on the NamUs rule out list but I believe many more women have been looked at. Rory Kesinger used to be on the list. She isn't anymore and that's strange since she was ruled out by DNA.

"As Kesinger resembled what had been left of the victim, a test using the DNA of her mother and the corpse was conducted. No match."
http://legalnews.com/detroit/1454244

https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Rory_Kesinger

So if Rory isn't on the list, how many other women aren't on there? How many may have been ruled out by non-biometric data and, as such, would not be on the publicly viewable list?

NamUs link as source for R/O List
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Can't get the export to work on NamUs. See attached.

MP55832
Patricia Wagner
Oct. 20th, 1972
Hudson
NJ

has been added to the NamUs ruleout list.

 

[chaddylex]

Patricia Newsom has been sent in as a possible match to the Lady In the Dunes. Here is a little back story about Patricia and her disappearance.

Missing: Patricia Meleady Newsom who disappeared in/around 1974. Auburn hair.
Patricia's sister Maryann has looked on and off for years and she was nine when Patricia disappeared. No one has heard from Patricia since she went missing.
Because Maryann and her siblings were young some memories of Patricia's disappearance have faded. Anyone who had more information on the disappearance such as Patricia's parents have long since passed away. Following is information Patricia's siblings remember.
Patricia was born in 1957, the family believes she was born in Idaho. Their father was military.
They spent time as children in Philadelphia Pa 19150 as well as Morganville NJ 07751
Patricia wasn't enrolled in school in New Jersey as she was sent to boarding school (possibly in Maine, upstate NY, their brother John believes it could have also been Vermont),
Patricia wore a ring that was from the Ceclian Academy in Philadelphia which was given to her by her Aunt. It would be from about 1952-1957. (We're trying to get more details on the ring.)
There is a Namus file now for Patricia,
Patricia's sister Maryann has submitted her own DNA to Gedmatch.com.
Due to the resemblance to the Lady of the Dunes reconstruction of 2010, which Maryann recently came across, this information has been submitted to the Mass state police. and she is waiting for someone to get back to her about obtaining her DNA. Due to COVID things are backlogged and there has been no progress at this time.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Maryann has created the Facebook page Find Patricia Newsom.


Here is a link to her NamUs profile The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[dotr]

Patricia Newsom has been sent in as a possible match to the Lady In the Dunes. Here is a little back story about Patricia and her disappearance.

Missing: Patricia Meleady Newsom who disappeared in/around 1974. Auburn hair.
Patricia's sister Maryann has looked on and off for years and she was nine when Patricia disappeared. No one has heard from Patricia since she went missing.
Because Maryann and her siblings were young some memories of Patricia's disappearance have faded. Anyone who had more information on the disappearance such as Patricia's parents have long since passed away. Following is information Patricia's siblings remember.
Patricia was born in 1957, the family believes she was born in Idaho. Their father was military.
They spent time as children in Philadelphia Pa 19150 as well as Morganville NJ 07751
Patricia wasn't enrolled in school in New Jersey as she was sent to boarding school (possibly in Maine, upstate NY, their brother John believes it could have also been Vermont),
Patricia wore a ring that was from the Ceclian Academy in Philadelphia which was given to her by her Aunt. It would be from about 1952-1957. (We're trying to get more details on the ring.)
There is a Namus file now for Patricia,
Patricia's sister Maryann has submitted her own DNA to Gedmatch.com.
Due to the resemblance to the Lady of the Dunes reconstruction of 2010, which Maryann recently came across, this information has been submitted to the Mass state police. and she is waiting for someone to get back to her about obtaining her DNA. Due to COVID things are backlogged and there has been no progress at this time.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Maryann has created the Facebook page Find Patricia Newsom.


Here is a link to her NamUs profile The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Patricia's thread..
NY - NY - Patricia Newsom, 16, New York County, 1 Jan 1974

 

[madamx]

I don’t know if this has ever been brought up but I came across an article from March 7, 1969. It mentioned 4 girls dismembered and killed found in the dunes.
. 2 girls were identified from Rhode Island but the other 2 were not as far as the article goes. I wonder if there is some connection. I thought I would post it here.
I tried to copy and paste it but could not do it for some reason.

Bodies Dismembered

 

[CCJD]

I don’t know if this has ever been brought up but I came across an article from March 7, 1969. It mentioned 4 girls dismembered and killed found in the dunes.
. 2 girls were identified from Rhode Island but the other 2 were not as far as the article goes. I wonder if there is some connection. I thought I would post it here.
I tried to copy and paste it but could not do it for some reason.

Bodies Dismembered

Antone Charles Costa | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Attached photo from Lowell Sun, 3/6/1969
https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-mar-06-1969-p-2/

 

[CCJD]

Tony Costa's other two Truro victims were Susan E Perry, 18 of Provincetown and Sydney Lee Monzon, 19, of Eastham.

From the Journal Inquirer, 5/11/70
https://newspaperarchive.com/manchester-journal-inquirer-may-11-1970-p-12/

 

[madamx]

Antone Charles Costa | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Attached photo from Lowell Sun, 3/6/1969
https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-mar-06-1969-p-2/

Oh wow.. thanks CCJD… I had NO idea about this guy.. omg he was a nut…

it is interesting that he hung himself in prison just a couple of months before the lady of the dunes was found.
Could the lady of the dunes been a copy cat? Or was there really a friend named Carl

.
I am interested in the Gallant girl he was with here in New York and what year that was.

 

[madamx]

Ok tonight I became obsessed with this Costa guy Omg ha!… thanks CCJD ha!

What struck me is that there are 3 women that have gone missing after being with him but their bodies have never been found. The strange thing is none of these women have any missing profiles. Their names just seem to be kept alive in the articles about this Costa guy.


Bonnie Williams
Bonnie went missing with her friend, Diane Federoff, in June of 1966. Costa was not convicted for this murder.

Diane Federoff
Diane went missing with her friend, Bonnie Williams, in June of 1966. Costa was not found guilty for this murder.

Barbara Spaulding
Barbara went missing sometime in 1968. Her remains were never discovered. Costa was not found guilty for this murder

Victims of Antone Costa – The Serial Killers Podcast

Should these women at least get threads on here? I just think it’s so odd they have no missing profiles anywhere.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Ok tonight I became obsessed with this Costa guy Omg ha!… thanks CCJD ha!

What struck me is that there are 3 women that have gone missing after being with him but their bodies have never been found. The strange thing is none of these women have any missing profiles. Their names just seem to be kept alive in the articles about this Costa guy.


Bonnie Williams
Bonnie went missing with her friend, Diane Federoff, in June of 1966. Costa was not convicted for this murder.

Diane Federoff
Diane went missing with her friend, Bonnie Williams, in June of 1966. Costa was not found guilty for this murder.

Barbara Spaulding
Barbara went missing sometime in 1968. Her remains were never discovered. Costa was not found guilty for this murder

Victims of Antone Costa – The Serial Killers Podcast

Should these women at least get threads on here? I just think it’s so odd they have no missing profiles anywhere.

Interesting. Thanks. I noticed there was a recent book by Liza Rodman, The Babysitter, written about Costa. One of the reviews specifically mentioned these three women: " In writing the book, she and cowriter Jennifer Jordan’s investigative journalism found that three women to be known as victims of Tony Costa—Barbara Spaulding, Diane Federoff and Bonnie Williams—actually were not."
Get the Funk Out!: THE BABYSITTER - MY SUMMERS WITH A SERIAL KILLER By Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan

I don't want to reveal the spoiler, if there is one, but can someone say what this meant? Were they not actually murdered or missing, or was someone other than Costa implicated?

More reviews here:
The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman

 

[madamx]

Interesting. Thanks. I noticed there was a recent book by Liza Rodman, The Babysitter, written about Costa. One of the reviews specifically mentioned these three women: " In writing the book, she and cowriter Jennifer Jordan’s investigative journalism found that three women to be known as victims of Tony Costa—Barbara Spaulding, Diane Federoff and Bonnie Williams—actually were not."
Get the Funk Out!: THE BABYSITTER - MY SUMMERS WITH A SERIAL KILLER By Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan

I don't want to reveal the spoiler, if there is one, but can someone say what this meant? Were they not actually murdered or missing, or was someone other than Costa implicated?

More reviews here:
The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman

Oh good find Curious!!!… I could find nothing!!!
if anyone read the book.. o would love to know.. what’s the deal with these women and did the exist. We don’t even know what they look like.?

 

[CCJD]

Ok tonight I became obsessed with this Costa guy Omg ha!… thanks CCJD ha!

What struck me is that there are 3 women that have gone missing after being with him but their bodies have never been found. The strange thing is none of these women have any missing profiles. Their names just seem to be kept alive in the articles about this Costa guy.


Bonnie Williams
Bonnie went missing with her friend, Diane Federoff, in June of 1966. Costa was not convicted for this murder.

Diane Federoff
Diane went missing with her friend, Bonnie Williams, in June of 1966. Costa was not found guilty for this murder.

Barbara Spaulding
Barbara went missing sometime in 1968. Her remains were never discovered. Costa was not found guilty for this murder

Victims of Antone Costa – The Serial Killers Podcast

Should these women at least get threads on here? I just think it’s so odd they have no missing profiles anywhere.

Maybe start a thread on Antone "Tony" Costa in the serial killers forum.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Oh good find Curious!!!… I could find nothing!!!
if anyone read the book.. o would love to know.. what’s the deal with these women and did the exist. We don’t even know what they look like.?

It turns out all three were found to be alive. Tony Costa - Wikipedia
I realize we have veered a bit off topic here, but as @madamx suggests, involvement of a copycat killer seems plausible given the similar location and circumstances.

 

[Carovb5]

What do you guys think about her?

Stephanie Pelfrey - missing since january 10 1974 in Chillicothe, Ohio

There isn’t much to go on, but height & hair color seem to match…

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Not a lot of info on her, but I wonder if Stephanie could be a match to LITD. I see some facial resemblance.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

Some more info on Stephanie Pelfrey:
Clipping from Chillicothe Gazette - Newspapers.com
Clipping from Chillicothe Gazette - Newspapers.com

Her husband divorced her in 1975 for willful absence. The above article says September 1975 but he filed in June 1975 per Chillicothe Gazette notices. I'm not sure if they were able to locate dental records for her -- it's possible she didn't have any, which would rule her out as this Doe.

 

[HmmMysterious]

Patricia Newsome's sister said on the Facebook page "Find Patricia Newsome" that she hasn't received any word on the DNA comparison between Patricia and LOTD due to backlog.