OH OH - Beverly Potts, 10, Cleveland, 24 Aug 1951

[MelmothTheLost]

Could a cadaver dog still find something (bones, clothing, etc.) after 64 years?

Yes, very much so. The chemical products of human decomposition linger in the soil for centuries and can be detected from normal burial depth, ie at least 6 feet down. A trained dog would have no problems finding a body in, say, a basement or outside area from only 60 years ago. If it's there, of course.

 

[luxISlight]

Yes, very much so. The chemical products of human decomposition linger in the soil for centuries and can be detected from normal burial depth, ie at least 6 feet down. A trained dog would have no problems finding a body in, say, a basement or outside area from only 60 years ago. If it's there, of course.

Wow, I had no idea! Thank you for educating me.

 

[Claudette]

Wow! I honestly never thought anything more would be done with this case, glad to see there may be some leads.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

For those getting the information about this recent activity, please continue to pass it along here.

 

[chlban]

I apologize if this has been posted before but I have a question about this statement:

http://fox8.com/2015/09/28/investig...eads-in-1951-disappearance-of-cleveland-girl/

Could a cadaver dog still find something (bones, clothing, etc.) after 64 years?

Better question, why wouldn't the "tipster" call back into the hotline? Wish we knew what the tip was although I suspect it had to do with the location of the search. :thinking:

I have always thought the killer was someone that Beverly knew, based on her extreme shyness, and likely someone from the neighborhood. In other words, not a lifelong criminal. Maybe started out as rape, then they panicked. Who knows?
But someone that was a teen in 1951 would certainly be old enough to be contemplating death now, perhaps even diagnosed with some terminal condition. Maybe they want to ensure that whatever might remain of her is found and given a proper burial.

Either that or it could be a relative, possibly child of, the killer and wants to same for Beverly's remains. It would certainly be amazing to resolve this after all these years.

 

[luxISlight]

I can definitely buy into a scenario where she knew her abductor. My theories: a neighbor, older sibling of a friend, parent of a friend.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Yesterday (August 24) marked 65 years ago that she disappeared.

 

[Schipperke]

This could be way off, but I find some interesting similarities of missing child Beverly Rose Potts in age and physical description to adult missing person Annita Price of Moundsville, WVA who disappeared while in custody fight with an unidentified husband. I had previously considered some family ties to NJ and a similarity to the case of actress, Judy Dull years ago in CA (Harvey Glatman executed for that crime) who was also in a custody fight with a husband. Wondering if someone can be made to disappear more than once. . .

 

[paul1980]

I think a woman killed Potts... i just have that feeling...

 

[Schipperke]

I don't discount feelings, but there has to be more to go on than that.

 

[Ozoner]

I think a woman killed Potts... i just have that feeling...

The story about a woman having her hand on Beverly's shoulder during the show is intriguing. That seems like a very controlling action to me.
Still, I can't get past the witness account that Beverly and Pasty were seen exchanging words at the park. If Patsy lied about that, then she may have been covering for a relative, perhaps her brother. I haven't read the book--did any independent witnesses see Patsy leave the show before Beverly like she said she did?

 

[Schipperke]

The way the story is worded, it is difficult to segment out the sequence and be totally sure it is accurate. I have no direct knowledge of either case. Certainly Beverly's companion was at home before Beverly's family began looking for her and called her friend's home. There also appears to be some controversy of the exact sequence and details of the actions of Beverly's father and sister. The story paints a picture of an advanced physical maturity for a 10-year old, and that sometimes leads to younger children believing they are more emotionally mature than they really are. IMO, it would not be totally unrealistic, but not a fact to believe that Beverly may have acted more like a 13 year old rebel and willingly left with someone----not a fact, just a possibility to be considered. I am also troubled by the described lack of emotion depicted by the family, but that could be my mind's interpretation of what I am reading instead of being an actual fact. With something this old, it is impossible to be sure of anything without scientific evidence. I just find the similarity of Beverly Rose to Annita (spelled like Beverly's sister's name) Price who went missing years later from Moundsville, WVA, following a custody dispute involving family-members in NJ. I had read somewhere--TOTALLY UNVERIFIED--that the sister had settled in NJ after her parents passed. Nowhere is the name of Annita Price's husband with whom she was involved in a custody fight identified. A 10-year old involved in a case like Beverly Rose's could feel she had leverage to use in something like a custody case years later. AGAIN, THIS IS A POSSIBILITY FOR CONSIDERATION, NOT A FACT. I have no idea if LE has any way to compare DNA from Annita's children to Beverly Rose, but such a comparison could be used to rule some things in or out, if it is possible. At the very least, I hope Cleveland Ohio and Moundsville, WVA Cold Case Units will touch base on this possibility for consideration. In the book, Twilight of Innocence, I believe the author was able to contact Beverly's sister and may know where to locate her and whether or not she does(did) have ties to NJ. Too many of these cases have remained unsolved for too many years IMO.

 

[scriptgirl]

whatever happened tp Patsy?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I am still curious about Beverly's fear of men. I'm no psychologist, but friend is and she says this behavior is very typical in girls who are sexually abused. However it could also just be that Beverly was just a shy girl.

Yes. In re-reading this thread that factor leapt out at me as well. These days it would certainly set off alarm bells but probably wouldn't have crossed anybody's mind 65 years ago.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

If this had happened now, the nearby residents would have been looked into closely (sex offenders would be top of the list).

I believe the 1950 census is due to be released in 2022. While that's still some years away, if the case has not been solved in the interim it will allow us to look closely at the neighbours and see if any had any relevant history or future in similar cases, even if they had moved out of the area.

Who knows? Someone who didn't attract attention in 1951 may now leap out as an obvious suspect to us due to his previous or subsequent offending history.

 

[Schipperke]

Finding Patsy and updating an interview might not be a bad idea. It is amazing what aging does to long term memory when it begins to affect short term memory. I find that I might not be able to remember what I had to lunch yesterday, but many childhood things are coming into focus regularly.

 

[scriptgirl]

Is PAtsy even alive and how do we know Beverly was afraid of men?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Is PAtsy even alive and how do we know Beverly was afraid of men?

It is mentioned by several posters in connection with the book about the case, Twilight of Innocence.

No idea if Patsy is alive. She'd probably be in her mid 70s now if she is.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Her parents had a show business background and understood her love of that type thing.

Has anyone commented on this before?

IME, people who are artists or musicians tend to have a lot of friends with the same interests or background. I wonder if Beverly's parents still had show business connections in 1951 even if they weren't still involved themselves (where they?). If so, could she met a friend of her parents in the park, or could such a person have been involved with the show? Could she have known that person enough to trust them just that little bit too much?

Is there really any evidence that she ever left the park?

Scenario: Beverly sees a friend of her parents working on the show. He says if she stays until everything has been put away and he will walk her home. By the time the show is ended and all of the equipment put away there might have been virtually nobody else left in the park.

I know that doesn't address the question of the woman reportedly seen with her hand on Beverly's shoulder, but she could have been someone else involved with the show if indeed she existed. But if there was such a woman why did she not come forward afterwards?

 

[Schipperke]

I think there is a lack of a lot of evidence. There is no evidence that she is dead. There is no evidence that the statements given by the sister and father are truthful. There is no evidence that the family pursued any serious LE investigations. There are questions surrounding the background of the Potts and fairly how they appeared in the midst of Bavarian immigrants. Then there is the interesting description of Annita Price from Moundville, WVA, and another unique description of El Dorado Jane Doe and some of the possible leads posted in those cases. They women of exceptional height, just like the child Beverly Potts, and given to participation in the entertainment industry. Is it stretching a link too far? With time, also passes a lot of opportunity to get answers.