MD MD - Baltimore, Inner Harbor, BlkFem 40-49, UP2332, liver disease, engraved wedding band, Apr'77

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

Unidentified Black Female
228UFMD

Date of Discovery: April 15, 1977
Location of Discovery: Baltimore, Maryland
Estimated Date of Death: 1 day prior
State of Remains: Unrecognizable
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 40-49 years old
Race: African-American
Gender: Female
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 129 lbs.
Hair Color: Partially gray
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Possible alcohol dependence or abuse; severe liver disease and mild heart disease.

Identifiers
Dentals: N/A
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: N/A

Clothing & Personal Items
Subject wore an orange and brown turtleneck sweater, white pants, brown pantyhose, a yellow bra, and underpants that had a green, yellow and red flower design in zebra-style shape. Wedding band found on her left ring finger - on the inside of the band is engraved "10K GF" as well as a "W" with an "S" inside it.

Pictures of wedding band.

Circumstances of Discovery
Subject was found in the Baltimore Inner Harbor near the Sun Oil Company Pier.

Investigating Agency(s)
Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Phone: 410-333-3225

Case # 93181
NamUs Case # UP2332

Source(s)
Doe Network
NamUs

 

[MadMcGoo]

Anyone have thoughts on the markings inside the ring? Initials? Manufacturer?

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Anyone have thoughts on the markings inside the ring? Initials? Manufacturer?

10k GF means "gold filled"
VIA: Is My Jewelry Real or Fake? - Cascade Refining

 

[Melt71]

10k GF means "gold filled"
VIA: Is My Jewelry Real or Fake? - Cascade Refining

That leaves a W and an S inside the ring. Ideas? I looked at 1977 cases in DoeNetwork and couldn't see a woman fitting the bill with either of these initials on her first name.

Namus was updated in mid-2022 but there are no ruleouts listed in public view.

 

[sorcoy14]

I wonder if the W and S could be the first initials of her and a spouse.
I also think that she could have possibly never have been reported missing or her family struggled to have police take her case seriously because she is a POC.

 

[Susikatze]

WS are probably thw jewellers mark. The name of the spouse is usually engraved with the wedding date.

 

[ohemgee.kay925]

I'm not sure if I am allowed to post the link... however I found what appears to be a match (or something really, *really* similar) to the WS mark. It may be the jeweler's mark for a company called Schlang Co., J.D. (Klein, Schlang :& Co., Inc.) c. 1943 and 1950.

Source: Antique Jewelry University

Edited to add link. Please advise/remove if not allowed.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

I'm not sure if I am allowed to post the link... however I found what appears to be a match (or something really, *really* similar) to the WS mark. It may be the jeweler's mark for a company called Schlang Co., J.D. (Klein, Schlang :& Co., Inc.) c. 1943 and 1950.

Source: Antique Jewelry University

Edited to add link. Please advise/remove if not allowed.

Thank you - I looked up that manufacturer and am seeing that jeweler's mark on a lot of vintage rings for sale on sites like eBay; seems like the company is now defunct. But if the woman was indeed in her forties she could have gotten married sometime in the 1950s when the company was still in business and the ring was purchased then.

 

[branmuffin]

Thank you - I looked up that manufacturer and am seeing that jeweler's mark on a lot of vintage rings for sale on sites like eBay; seems like the company is now defunct. But if the woman was indeed in her forties she could have gotten married sometime in the 1950s when the company was still in business and the ring was purchased then.

If you keep scrolling down you see variations of the mark including a company called Wolk Jewelry. They were an American company out of Providence, Rhode Island. The era was around 1922. This is not an expensive ring. It is gold filled meaning a thin layer of gold is bonded to a base metal like brass. If it reacts to a magnet then the base metal is either iron, steel or nickel. Because of the age of the ring I'd say it's brass.

I doubt the initials represent a married couple. This seems like a ring you'd get in store that sells a range of costume jewelry and lower priced articles.

It could also be of an age when a lot of metals were used for the war effort. I know people who married during WW2 had rings that had very little value because all metals were required for ship building, airplane manufacturing and weapons.