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

[Cincinnati Kid]

It is sadly amazing that after 61 years there are not only no clues to her disappearace, but no body or even clothing has ever been found. The question remains, just how close did Beverly get to her home that night before she was taken?

 

[Redwood146]

I have read the recent links posted and I feel that there is something not right about the train engineers story. How could he tell she was tired looking??? I do believe the answers to her disappearance sit with locals.

 

[amber1]

I have also thought the answers lie within the locals. Someone has kept a very haunting secret. Beverly's story is the type they'd make TV show episodes, like Cold Case, from!

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

There are many cases inwhich it seems the missing person totally vanished. That certainly seems the case in the Beverly Potts disappearance since nothing (body, clothing, belongings, etc.) was ever found. However, in such cases, I think many times the answer actually lies very close.

 

[amber1]

Years later investigator says Beverly is on his mind everyday, and think of her as they look for Amy Mihaljevic's killer.http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/09/investigators_still_chasing_am.html

 

[Ms Suzanne]

That's so sad.I pray they find her soon.

 

[Claudette]

Years later investigator says Beverly is on his mind everyday, and think of her as they look for Amy Mihaljevic's killer.http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/09/investigators_still_chasing_am.html

It's entirely possible the killer is the same for the two girls, despite the years. If Beverly's killer was in his 20s then, he would have been in his 60s when Amy was killed. Many people are still spry and in great shape in their 60s.

 

[amber1]

Thinking of Beverly!
http://thebeezewax.blogspot.com/2009/08/where-is-beverly-potts.html

 

[amber1]

Thinking of Beverly on easter. One of the coldest, oldest haunting cases to me, especially since I read her story in Twilight of Innocence.

 

[joellegirl]

Anyone else have Beverly on their mind while hearing of the three missing women who have been found alive in Cleveland? I know too much time has passed for Beverly to have the same outcome. I just wish she could be found.Another Cleveland mystery many have forgotten except people like us.

 

[amber1]

So many mysteries in Cleveland. I'm disappointed I did not hear much about Beverly, but I think many people have given up because of the amount of time that has passed. I have always believed Beverly never left her neighborhood. Rip apart her neighborhood, they might find her, even though to many it wouldnt be worth it now. I could never forget Beverly or her story.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

The finding of the three Cleveland women found alive did remind me of Beverly and how it having happened in her case would have been wonderful. I do think that some day, her remains may be found. When that happens, it might be learned who may have been involved although it may be too late for justice for them.

 

[amber1]

Maybe some extreme weathering, erosion or cultivation of the ground like construction would bring something up of use.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

You tend to think that with all of the building and construction that has taken place in the over 60 years since Beverly disappeared, something like that would have already taken place. On the other hand, if you consider that probably not much of it has taken place on Linnet Avenue where she lived and spent so much of her time, such a thing could yet happen. There is so much feeling that whatever happened to Beverly may have very well taken place right there.

 

[Boomeroreo]

1500 people watching the Showagon in Halloran Park and not one person saw anything suspicious. How could that be? I have to wonder if Beverly was planning on meeting someone with her insistence on staying to the end of the show when her friend had to be home by dark. Beverly refused to go, even though she knew she was not supposed to be there alone. I, too, hope that someday, this case is solved.

My Mom passed away on December 18, 2011, but before she did, she told me alot about babysitting babies and kids in her neighborhood(West 138th off Purdist, can't spell sorry, but someone on this board will know what it is) and around where my late Grandmother used to live (West 123rd Street off Linnet), she said a few times she babysat Beverly. My Grandmother knew the parents, one day, my mom got a phone call from my Grandmother saying that Beverly is missing and my Grandmother said it was a woman, medium set not heavy woman whom she met at the a butchers shop on Lorain, I don't know if its there today? Talked highly of Beverly and her family. I found this out in July 23, 2011 my mom's birthday. I did a tarot card reading on my mom and she was telling the truth, I don't normally do readings on my family, but I did with my mom for practice, as I was just starting to get into tarot cards. Anyway, exactly 11 years later I was born. And my mom always talked about the little girl who went missing. My mom was just 12 years old and had been babysitting for a while and when my grandmother(dad's side) told my mom that Beverly went missing, she mentioned Halloran and my mom used to ice skate there and also saw the showagon with my late Grandmother 2(passed in June 22, 1998), my Mom's mom, her Dad(I have never seen my Grandpa, he passed in 1955, when my Mom was 16). Mom, both my grandmothers and her dad attended this show when Beverly went missing and has to do with a medium set woman. I do have a hunch that the guy who wrote this book does know where Beverly is or may know who did.

 

[Boomeroreo]

On this date on Friday August 24, today is the 61st anniversary of the disappearance of Beverly Potts.

Last night I finished reading the book Twilight of Innocence by James Jessen Badal. It is a very well written book about the disappearance of Beverly Potts on the evening of August 24, 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio.

From reading this book, what caught my attention was the other incidents that had occurred in the same area prior to Beverly's disappearance.

In May 1951, two little girls were molested in Halloran Park. And weeks before Beverly disappeared; three different women were targets of sex attacks in areas near where the Potts Family lived.

On the evening of Beverly’s disappearance, it was reported that there was a large crowd attending the Showagon event at Halloran Park.

One possibility that I cannot discount is that Beverly may have left the park by herself at a different entrance to get around the large crowd. Perhaps she left Halloran Park at the West 117th Street entrance instead of the Linnet Avenue entrance.

Here’s what I think happened on the night that Beverly disappeared.

Some time after the Showagon event ended, Beverly had an encounter with someone either in the park or somewhere on her way home. It could have been someone from her neighborhood that she knew and trusted.

Or worse, it could have been a predator that was impersonating an authority figure, such as a police officer or a minister that a child would trust and let their guard down.

I believe that whoever snatched Beverly that night had to be someone that lived within two miles of Halloran Park. And if it was a predator that snatched Beverly, it was most likely that the predator didn't have an arrest record and wasn't on LE's radar at all during the investigation.

The sad part is that Beverly has never been found and her family never knew what happened to her. I will be thinking about Beverly tonight.

Halloran Park is on the opposite side of west 117th street, I know I been there when staying with my grandparents(dad's side). Halloran is on Linnet and when you cross the street on the left side if you were coming from 130th street, but if you were coming from Halloran from the other street it would be on your right but cross the street, the opposite side of Halloran. If I remember correctly, Beverly had to of crossed the street from Linnet to get to West 117th and why go down 117th? she would of half to go past Lorain road and back up 118th on the next street to get back on Linnet. I know that my nieces used to live on 118th, the next street down and a cop lived there all his life, it was his mother's house before that's what my nieces said, my nieces told me that it was a shady cop who lives on 118th, back in 2003, they were told by this guy whom said he doesn't like loud noise, kids and is really mean, my ex sister inlaw moved from the neighbor after this cop had my nieces arrested for stupid crap, she was only 14, her sister was only 11, their brother was only 6. The stupid crap was playing loudly in the yard, listening to a radio playing hip hop music, riding their bikes up and down the street and laughing, NORMAL activity! If Beverly did take the long way home, which I think she may have done exactly that and come up on West 118th to Linnet to where she lived. She would of met someone whom she knew on 118th, or could of met the woman whom my grandmother said was a medium set woman at holloran park, whom I mentioned before that my grandmother said she met a woman at the butchers shop on Lorain who talked highly about Beverly and her family.

 

[Boomeroreo]

There was a ice cream stand and Beverly could of went there on the way home and this ice cream stand is still there. If this boy saw her on 117th, this wouldn't of been possible because she lived by 113th street, if she met with a friend on 117th which again no knows could be possible but again, I doubt that happened, and which is by 1st district fire department and which is by 130th and coorley and there is a bar there called Coorley's bar). Wilbur Wright middle school is on 115th street. And there was 2 elementary schools(Brooklawn and another one I can't think of what it is) on 130th and Lorain that Beverly had to attend, Brooklawn was torn down a couple years ago and the other one is soon to be torn down. And the garages were half dirt. If she did walk up 117th and met a friend then walked down together on Lorain and somehow separated and walked down lorain to her street or didn't

 

[MLO]

What a sad case. All those years and not a trace?

I wonder if the killer did the deed at home and then immediately jumped in the car and took off with Beverly so they were out of the area when the alarm was raised. They could have arrived home while the search was happening giving them an alibi because they were out. Any evidence in the home would be less likely to be found because they probably wouldn't be closely questioned and their home wouldn't be searched anyway since they were "out at the time".

The possibility of a woman killer is intersting. The could be a sexual element, but not necessarily connected with the woman's sexuality.

I've heard a lot of older women who have been abused say thatched weren't believed, or we're even blamed for their abuse. I've heard mothers being jealous and even kicking their own daughters out because of the "attention" they are getting. Even believing the child did the seducing. Now, I'm not at all saying Beverley's family had anything to do with it,I don't believe that at all.

What I do wonder though,is if because of her age, she was starting to attract the attention of someone. Maybe that someone who had someone who was jealous and angry at Beverly, not at their own husband. The point of what I was saying above is that if a mother an blame her own child for being too seductive, it isnt much of a stretch to believe a neighbour could do the same to a 10 year old girl.

 

[AstroKitty]

I'm so invested in this story and am relieved to have found this thread! I looked up her address on google maps but before I zoomed in, I thought to myself "I'm going to see from the park to her house, how she would have walked". I had the eeriest feeling and stopped .. 1 house away. At Patsy's. Where the bushes are. I'm not into believing much on the afterlife subject (or spirits etc to each their own) but man o' man does this nag me. I really feel that she walked past Patsy's house on her way home and someone called her inside quickly .. she thought nothing of it since she near home and it's just Patsy's house. I don't think she ever left that street and I'm really wondering if she's been right there all along.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

My wife and I actually made the walk from Halloran Park to what-had-been the Potts house. It was a little over eight years ago and in daylight. It does give you a funny feeling.

Having read about this case, I, too, have wondered about Patsy Swing's house being a location of interest. It might be noted that both of Patsy's parents are now deceased although she is still living.

Of course, you do wonder how long the bushes have been growing there. In James Badal's book, Twilight of Innocence, it is noted many of the trees that lined Linnet Avenue in 1951 (and blocked light from the streetlights) were blown down in storms in the early 1960's.