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

[joellegirl]

Ten year old Beverly Potts vanished 54 years ago walking home from a summer festival that was being held in a park near her home in Cleveland, Ohio.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html

There is also a book out on Beverly's disappearance. It is called

"Twilight of Innocence-The Disappearance of Beverly Potts" by James Badal. It is available on Amazon.com.

Her older sister, I believe the only surviving immediate family member, is still searching for her.

 

[joellegirl]

Sorry the link isn't working. I'll try to find another.

 

[joellegirl]

Try this:

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2665941/detail.html

 

[Jenn]

What a beautiful girl! I am going to search for more info. I had never heard of her before today.

 

[Jenn]

Case File 162DFOH

Potts, circa 1951

Beverly Potts
Missing since August 1951 from Cleveland, Ohio.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• Age at Time of Disappearance: 10 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'11"; 90 lbs.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; blue eyes.
• Clothing: Blue jeans with a side zipper and no label; bright red cotton panties; green socks; a white cotton Honeylane undershirt; a red sport shirt; a navy blue poplin jacket with no label and both pockets torn; size five or five and a half brown Karrybrooke Sportshoes loafers and a yellow gold ring.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Potts disappeared from a neighborhood festival at Halloran Park. There were no witnesses and no trace of what happened to her.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Cleveland Police Department
760-839-4722 Source Information:
Channel 5 News
The Charley Project

 

[KT Can]

What a beautiful girl. I think I have read about her case somewhere else. This is one of the worst things I can imagine, having my child/relative/friend disappear and never finding out what happened to them.

 

[Usher737]

The Charlie Project has a great thread on her complete with a list of suspects. It appears a man abducted, molested, and murdered her. He was going to turn himself in but became ill and probably died because the letters stopped. He should have provided details of the crime and what happened to her body.


http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html

 

[Jenn]

The Charlie Project has a great thread on her complete with a list of suspects. It appears a man abducted, molested, and murdered her. He was going to turn himself in but became ill and probably died because the letters stopped. He should have provided details of the crime and what happened to her body.


http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html

Thanks for the link! Very interesting info.

 

[joellegirl]

I just again wanted to mention the book "Twilight of Innocence-The Disappearance of Beverly Potts". I highly recommend this book to anyone else like me who is haunted by these very old, cold cases. I haven't finished reading it yet but it is very interesting and has several pictures. It was just published this summer and is available on Amazon.com

The book also makes me wish there were books out there on other very cold cases, like Connie Smith (1952), Evelyn Hartley (1953), Janice Pockett (1973), Lyon sisters (1975) etc etc...

 

[joellegirl]

Just bumping this thread as this evening, August 24 it will be 54 years since 10 year old Beverly Potts vanished on her way home from her local park in Cleveland. I pray that someday her family ( only her older sister survives) can someday find out what happened, and Beverly can have a proper burial (assuming she was murdered, which sadly seems most likely in this case).

 

[Marilynilpa]

Well, once again I ran across another cold case while researching another topic on NewspaperArchive.com. I had never heard of Beverly Potts until today. Her story certainly received a lot of press coverage, there are numerous articles about her disappearance.

One article mentioned that two "sexual deviants" were questioned about her disappearance, but were never arrested. The newspaper didn't mention the names of the "deviants", but I would certainly be interested in learning more about these two men.

Was her disappearance ever linked to any other disappearances?

 

[joellegirl]

Nice to see you here too Marilynilpa.

The book-"Twilight of Innocence" by James Badal is a great account of this cold case.

I agree with the author that Beverly was most likely taken by someone on her very own street(or nearby street), and could very well still be there. I hope someday they can search again for her body. She literally vanished into thin air. No evidence of a struggle left behind, no belongings found, nothing. She was last believed to be seen leaving the park, walking in the direction of her home.

While passing thru Cleveland on vacation this past summer, we made a small detour to see the park Beverly vanished from and the home she never made it back to. You have to be there to realize how close it all was. She did not have far to walk, and all the houses are right on top of another. Yet, as in many of these cold cases, no one saw a thing.

I'm not sure about the two sexual deviants but I believe they did look into all known sex offender types but never came up with anything.

Beverly was extrememly shy, especially of men. It was totally unlike her to go up to a car if someone called her over, or to walk off with someone. It is figured she must have known this person, maybe just a little, but enough to trust, and after she crossed that safe threshold one can only imagine what happened.

Link to her case on the Charley Project:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html

 

[Marilynilpa]

Nice to see you here too Marilynilpa.

The book-"Twilight of Innocence" by James Badal is a great account of this cold case.

I agree with the author that Beverly was most likely taken by someone on her very own street(or nearby street), and could very well still be there. I hope someday they can search again for her body. She literally vanished into thin air. No evidence of a struggle left behind, no belongings found, nothing. She was last believed to be seen leaving the park, walking in the direction of her home.

While passing thru Cleveland on vacation this past summer, we made a small detour to see the park Beverly vanished from and the home she never made it back to. You have to be there to realize how close it all was. She did not have far to walk, and all the houses are right on top of another. Yet, as in many of these cold cases, no one saw a thing.

I'm not sure about the two sexual deviants but I believe they did look into all known sex offender types but never came up with anything.

Beverly was extrememly shy, especially of men. It was totally unlike her to go up to a car if someone called her over, or to walk off with someone. It is figured she must have known this person, maybe just a little, but enough to trust, and after she crossed that safe threshold one can only imagine what happened.

Link to her case on the Charley Project:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html

I read that a friend of hers saw her walking in the direction of her house, he even tooted his bicycle horn at her. Apparently she had a very distinctive walk, which is how he recognized her.

Her friend Patty returned home about 9 p.m., and told her mother that Beverly had decided to stay a while longer in the park. I think she must have run into someone she thought she could trust.

 

[joellegirl]

The 55th anniversary of Beverly Potts disappearance was on Aug 24. I was just looking at the Cleveland Plain Dealer online version to see if there were any articles. Sure enough, there was, with the news that Anita, Beverly's older sister had passed away from cancer on Aug 2. She had never stop searching for her little sister.

Not sure if this link will work but I'll try:

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1156408895264730.xml?oclar&coll=2

 

[Richard]

The 55th anniversary of Beverly Potts disappearance was on Aug 24. I was just looking at the Cleveland Plain Dealer online version to see if there were any articles. Sure enough, there was, with the news that Anita, Beverly's older sister had passed away from cancer on Aug 2. She had never stop searching for her little sister....

A fascinating article, but one which only brings to mind more questions. The writer received a series of four letters from someone beginning in 2000 stating that he had abducted Beverly.

Of course police would never say, but one wonders if there were any fingerprints or DNA on those letters, and if any kind of analysis had been done on handwriting or grammar in the letters.

Also, did he reveal anything which police had, but which was not released to the press and public? The story of the rare coin is probably an attempt to cover that base. But is it just a story, or a real bit of information?

What exactly was the nature of the show that Beverly and her friend went to see? Was it something which would have drawn people from other parts of town or from out-of-town? What was her friend's statement on the whole case? When did they separate?

 

[joellegirl]

Bumping for Beverly. She disappeared 56 years ago this evening in Cleveland. Ohio. August 24 was a Friday in 1951, just as it is this year. Hard to believe she would be 66 years old now. She is forever 10 years old just about to enter 5th grade.

If interested in this case, the book "Twilight of Innocence the Disappearance of Beverly Potts" by James Jessen Badal is very interesting.

Hoping she will be found someday.

Link: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html

 

[Taximom]

I had no idea an anniversary was coming up when yesterday I drove by this park. I got goosebumps thinking about her. I've driven through there many times, but this was the first time I got goosebumps.

I wonder who the creep was that sent our local paper letters saying he did it and was dying so he wanted to confess. I think they figured out it was just a cruel joke, but I'm not sure.

RIP, Beverly.

 

[joellegirl]

I know what you mean about goosebumps. Twice I've visited the park and saw the house she lived in(from the outside). Made the detour to see it while on our way east on a trip.

She had such a short walk to get home....

I still believe the theory (mentioned in the book) that she was most likely abducted by some one she knew and trusted just enough to cross that line of safety. And whoever did it most likely lived on her street or nearby streets.

Hoping Beverly will be found soon so she can have a proper burial under the stone her sister had made for her (near their parent's graves). I highly doubt she is a 66 year old lady walking around with amnesia, though it would be nice to find her alive, it doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[Taximom]

I know what you mean about goosebumps. Twice I've visited the park and saw the house she lived in(from the outside). Made the detour to see it while on our way east on a trip.

She had such a short walk to get home....

I still believe the theory (mentioned in the book) that she was most likely abducted by some one she knew and trusted just enough to cross that line of safety. And whoever did it most likely lived on her street or nearby streets.

Hoping Beverly will be found soon so she can have a proper burial under the stone her sister had made for her (near their parent's graves). I highly doubt she is a 66 year old lady walking around with amnesia, though it would be nice to find her alive, it doesn't seem to be the case.

Would you mind pm-ing me the address? Thanks!

 

[Gina_M]

Bumping for Beverly...this week was the 57th anniversary of her disappearance.