UNSOLVED NC - Wilkes Co, Photo of Gagged Woman Tied To Chair, Circa 1970s or Early 80s

[apearn]

I found this 35 millimeter slide...

I haven't shot slide film in a lot of years but I very heavily used it and something isn't looking right to me. What brand of film was it and how did you enlarge it to post?


Anyway.....

:thinking:
Aside from that the gag looks to loose and her top lip looks almost over it. It could be covering something else up though.

The window is above her head so she's on the floor and not on a chair......so what in the world would that thing behind her head be.

 

[CarlK90245]

What brand of film was it and how did you enlarge it to post?

The slide doesn't have any branding on it. I took it to a local photo developer, and had it converted to JPG.

I also brightened the photo, which required me to mask off different portions of the photo to apply different levels of brightness, intensity, and contrast to the window, the curtains, and the woman.

 

[apearn]

The slide doesn't have any branding on it. I took it to a local photo developer, and had it converted to JPG.

I also brightened the photo, which required me to mask off different portions of the photo to apply different levels of brightness, intensity, and contrast to the window, the curtains, and the woman.

Oh ok. That's why it didn't look right for slide film.The bottom of the towel under her mouth had a hot spot that looked digital. It's visible at like 400% and it made me wonder.

 

[CarlK90245]

Oh ok. That's why it didn't look right for slide film.The bottom of the towel under her mouth had a hot spot that looked digital. It's visible at like 400% and it made me wonder.

Here's the unbrightened version of the photo. The little yellow speck on the window is a contamination of the slide.

 

[bflocket]

Interesting - so if she were a smoker would she even put a soft pack in her shirt pocket? Do any smokers do that? Or did he put them in there?

If somebody put them in their pants pocket, I don't see how they'd last until you wanted the second cigarette. But I'm kinda clumsy and shaped funny with a bit of a gut and (I don't know how else to say this) "pudgy-boy *advertiser censored*." That's why I thought the cigs looked too "pristine."

I don't see why a kidnapper/murderer/rapist would have put the cigarettes there. But I've heard of crazier things about people we talk about on WS, so he may very well have.

 

[jccoa1999]

I can see the reflection of what looks like a red light, maybe from a camera, on the white paneling all the way to the right at end of photo!

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[jccoa1999]

To me it looks like these are apartments. The blurry background outside the window looks like there are some doors/awnings like that of an apartment building or motel!

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[jccoa1999]

And whatever it is that she is gagged with it looks like there is a tube coming out of the end of one side (at the back of her neck)! It almost looks like this moist heat heating pad that I use on my neck! Or something that you'd use for circulation for bed bound people to promote circulation! It's not a towel, it's not a chair

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[FlossyMay]

That thing behind her head looks like the end of the towel to me. It's easier to see in the unedited version of the photo.

 

[bflocket]

Here's the unbrightened version of the photo. The little yellow speck on the window is a contamination of the slide.

View attachment 123197

That unaltered pic made me think of a hobby of mine... Collecting older trashy movies.

There are a bunch of movies I used to watch on VHS. The picture quality of those were generally horrendous. We've now moved on to digital (DVD) and HD (blu-ray) picture quality. That difference can change your entire perception of a movie.

One example I can think of is an early-1980's movie called Night of the Zombies (and/or Hell of the Living Dead). There's a scene where a zombie priest attacks a woman. The VHS was such a dark transfer that you couldn't really make out much of what was actually going on, but it would scare me pretty bad. Still does.
In the upgraded versions, the picture quality is good and you can actually see everything including the bloody/gross special effects and stuff. But it doesn't seem as "scary" to me. In fact it seems kind of fun, as in gross-you-out in a silly sort of way rather than actually scaring you.

 

[CoreyRocks]

im glad you made a thread, the photo is disturbing.

im glad you made a thread, the photo is disturbing.

To me the photo seems like the late 70's, early 80's. The drapes seem 70's-ish so they may be older than the photo.

The thing on the windowsill could also have a candle in the top of it. Popular back then.

I believe she is not smiling. The gag, imho, is not just to keep her quiet, but to immobilize her head. A smaller gag would allow her to still move her head. Not so with this wrap. She may appear to be smiling as the fabric appears under her upper lip, maybe allowing her some breath not through her nose. But she looks scared to me.

She could be on a stool or chair. Her arms appear restrained/tied behind her back based on her shoulders. It could be an upstairs bedroom/room or room over a garage. I don't think the drapes would be open otherwise. Seems like foliage/tops of trees out window.

The speaker appears to be on a table or board maybe propped up on something i.e. bricks used to be used. Maybe those are magazines stacked up to the left of the speaker.

Maybe a room where the boys would hang out (like above a garage as mentioned above) ...privacy, magazines, music, candles .... just some ideas. Moo.

 

[bflocket]

Aside from that the gag looks to loose and her top lip looks almost over it. It could be covering something else up though.

I think that it kind of looks like she's nibbling on it. But I really can't see any "fear in her eyes" or whatever. But I don't know what it's like to be kidnapped or assaulted like that. There's plenty of situations where we think we know how we'd act, but that may not be how we act if it actually happens. A friend took me to the nearest town to get Chinese food the other day and we got pulled over on the way back (busted headlight). I would have thought that I'd look scared or mad or "let's look like everything is OK so we can get out of here." I think I basically looked numb/dumb.

 

[jon70]

I lightened this one

 

[jon70]

thing in window

 

[jon70]

 

[DeDee]

Interesting - so if she were a smoker would she even put a soft pack in her shirt pocket? Do any smokers do that? Or did he put them in there?

The cigarettes are a clue. Maybe an important clue. We need to know the brand. It looks like a gold pack. Yes?

We need an image expert to highlight and focus on the package of cigarettes.

Status Missing
Name
Patricia Jane Seelbaugh

NCMEC number
1149545

Date last seen
October 26, 1973 14:31

Date entered
05/04/2010

Age last seen
17 to 17 years old
Age now
61 years old

Race
White

Sex
Female

Height (inches)
60.0 or 5'

Weight (pounds)
98.0

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/7040/25/

 

[Bird of Paradise]

The cigarettes are a clue. Maybe an important clue. We need to know the brand. It looks like a gold pack. Yes?

We need an image expert to highlight and focus on the package of cigarettes.

Snipped for space
DeDee, the brand has been identified earlier in the thread. Benson & Hedges.

 

[Bird of Paradise]

Close up of what is behind her. Focused in and changed color. Anyone else see what appears to be a lever handle?

 

[CountEveryMoment]

I would say that she's not smiling in the picture. I don't think that she's smiling because in order for her upper mouth to be above the thick towel, part of the towel would have to be in her mouth. Meaning that the towel was probably stuffed in the mouth and then tied. It would be uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean it's not a gag photo. I would think that if it was a gag photo why not just cover the whole mouth.

About her not seeming disheveled, if she's truley in distress it could be she went along with him. She may had felt uncomfortable with him asking what he was asking, but believed no harm would happen. She may had been familiar with him like a friend or neighbor.

 

[madamx]

ok first off I had this same exact haircut and its my exact same color too in 1983!..and by 1986 I was smoking B&H menthol which I was turned on to by my friend who used to steal them from her mom.

I saw this girl and reminded me of the towel girl..
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/427dftx.html

Teresa Marie Byers
Missing since November 1, 1979 from Kilgore, Gregg County, Texas.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: May 28, 1961
Age at Time of Disappearance: 19 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 100 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown eyes; brown hair.
Marks, Scars: She has a cross-like scar on her left hand.
Dentals: Not available.
DNA: Available in CODIS.


Circumstances of Disappearance
Byers was last seen in Kilgore, Texas in November 1979.
Circumstances of this case as well as life style and lack of family contact indicate possible foul play.