OH OH - "The Red Shoe Mystery" - Lola Celli, 24, Grandview Heights, Feb 1946

[Odyssey]

For some reason I visualized the sighting of the argument differently than many others have. When I read about that sighting, I did not picture the woman inside the car, but rather outside of the car arguing through the window when the driver threw a red shoe out the window.

I guess the only way that would make sense though, is if she had already gone shopping and bought another pair of shoes, then accepted a ride home with someone, only to decide to get out for some reason, causing the driver to get angry and throw the shoe out - which she would have likely picked up.

Do we know if the witness observed her INSIDE the car?

 

[Marilynilpa]

For some reason I visualized the sighting of the argument differently than many others have. When I read about that sighting, I did not picture the woman inside the car, but rather outside of the car arguing through the window when the driver threw a red shoe out the window.

I guess the only way that would make sense though, is if she had already gone shopping and bought another pair of shoes, then accepted a ride home with someone, only to decide to get out for some reason, causing the driver to get angry and throw the shoe out - which she would have likely picked up.

Do we know if the witness observed her INSIDE the car?

The witness, who was on a motorcycle behind the car, and saw a man and woman fighting inside the car.

 

[Odyssey]

Assuming this was Lola, and we can assume she was inside the car, I wonder how far a car could have gone on a tank of gas back then. It's unlikely that he would have stopped for gas with her in the car, so that would give us a radius of where she could be.

Also, I'm not sure if there were gas stations along that highway at the time, so we may also need to allow enough gas for him to get home after he took her wherever he took her.

If that was her, I'm guessing she is fairly close to where she went missing from.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Assuming this was Lola, and we can assume she was inside the car, I wonder how far a car could have gone on a tank of gas back then. It's unlikely that he would have stopped for gas with her in the car, so that would give us a radius of where she could be.

Also, I'm not sure if there were gas stations along that highway at the time, so we may also need to allow enough gas for him to get home after he took her wherever he took her.

If that was her, I'm guessing she is fairly close to where she went missing from.

It was my impression that LE did not think it was Lola in the car. No one else reported seeing the vehicle, and the red shoe was never found. I don't think the witness was lying, I just think he misinterpreted what he saw.

But IF there was such a car and Lola was in it, you've raised some interesting points.

 

[Veidt]

Odyssey, it is my understanding that as others have said nobody saw Lola inside they car, they saw a woman and a man fighting inside a car and a red shoe being thrown out of the window. She was wearing red shoes that day so the connection to Lola was initially made. No shoes were ever found at that location but it is possible that someone (whether connected to the case or a random passerby) later picked it up and moved it or that the location was slightly off.

From what I have understood also it seems that she never reached her bus stop and did not reach the shops she had in mind. However that is an interesting scenario, perhaps she got in the car with someone she knew, went shopping, bought some shoes in addition to what she was going to buy (fabrics, if memory serves) and after the fight in the car she got out and left. Then on the way home she met with foul play. I wonder what the location where the car was seen was. :waitasec:

That is a good point about the distance a car could have travelled back then without stopping. I do think that if she was taken she was probably far enough that the searched never found her. I believe that back then it was not uncommon for people to refill the tank themselves by having containers at hand but I might be wrong. Perhaps if they stopped at a deserted location and did that they would not have needed to stop at a station and be seen by anyone. I wonder if there were many secluded areas within driving distance or if she would have been taken to someone's house. Somehow I think that if she was taken to a house in a neighbourhood or something she would have tried to escape while being moved from the car to the house, but this is just my opinion and I could be wrong of course.

EDIT: I was just looking at the entry for Grandview Heights on Wikipedia. It was close to downtown Columbus. I wonder if maybe the person who took her, took her into Columbus but not downtown.

 

[Veidt]

I went through the packet about the school. There wasn't much that was directly relevant to the case. The file seems to mention remarkable events for 1937 and the next year 1947. So all in all, very little about the time period where Lola was there but 1947 is close enough that we can get a picture of what the school was like.

As we had gathered the school building changed a lot and often. Its last building, from what I understood, was built in 1930. The lady who e-mailed me had mentioned that the last building was demolished in 1995. The last class to have graduated from the school was 1962, then the school joined with Rushsylvania School to become a district, Buckeye Local. Then (according to the e-mail) in 1969 the school became a part of the Benjamin Logan district. This is important because it's been one of the major obstacles when trying to find old yearbooks.

In 1947 the senior class took a trip to Columbus. I think that confirms that it would have been within driving distance, I don't know about having to stop along the way though.

The 1948-49 curriculum indicated that Home Economics was available for grades 9th-12th but not 10th. Just a neat fact.

If anyone is still willing to go to local libraries and try to find more information about Lola's stay at the school let me know.

I'm sorry to be posting so soon, it was just for the sake of keeping things neat. I still wonder if perhaps someone from the school could have been around that day and offered to take her to the shops. It seems like people were betting heavily on strangers and locals, but if there was a car or house involved, as we have said here Lola would not have gone with them. Unless she thought it was an emergency and someone needed help, perhaps. Locals seem possible -- I think that in general this was someone who knew her but never raised any suspicions, probably someone who was respectable and even seemingly on good terms with her.

 

[AnaTeresa]

In 1947 the senior class took a trip to Columbus. I think that confirms that it would have been within driving distance, I don't know about having to stop along the way though.

Yes, definitely within driving distance. They might have perhaps stopped on the way, but I doubt it. It's probably an hour by car now, so accounting for slower speeds, I can't imagine the trip being more than two, so not likely for a stop.

 

[nerosleuth]

On Saturday February 23, 1946, sixty seven years ago today, twenty four year old Lola Celli left her parents home to go shopping. She was never seen or heard from again.

Thinking about Lola today and wondering what happened to her sixty seven years ago.

 

[nerosleuth]

The Columbus news media was totally different in 1946 than what it is today. Back in 1946, Columbus had three major daily newspapers, Columbus Citizen, Ohio State Journal, and the Columbus Dispatch. The Columbus Citizen and the Ohio State Journal were morning newspaper and the Columbus Dispatch was an evening newspaper.

All three Columbus newspapers published Monday thru Saturday. Only the Columbus Citizen and the Columbus Dispatch were published on Sunday.

There was also a weekly tabloid newspaper, the Columbus Sunday Star, which published only on Sundays.

Columbus had four AM radio stations and one FM radio station that were on the air in 1946. It wasn’t until April 1949 that the first television station went on the air and by October 1949, Columbus had three television stations on the air.

Recently, I have been looking at newspaper articles on microfilm of Columbus newspapers from 1946 of the Lola Celli disappearance at the public library.

On the day that Lola Celli disappeared, there was a front page headline in the Columbus Dispatch that caught my attention.

Columbus Dispatch Saturday February 23, 1946

USO Center To Close Doors; End Service To Fighting Men

• The USO service center was in Downtown Columbus at 12 South Third Street.

• The USO service center will close its doors Monday evening on February 25.

• USO was United Service Organizations.

• The USO Center gave training for 2200 girls between the ages of 18 to 30 for service as dancing partners for USO Dances and other events.

• Two or Three Dances were held each week at the center and during the summer months a weekly dance was held outdoors on South Lazelle Street between Broad and Capital Streets.

I have to wonder if Lola was ever involved with the USO Center in Columbus during the war.

A thought here is that since Lola was a member of the Girl Reserves when she was in high school, perhaps this was a student group that organized social activities during the school year, such as school dances.

The weather in Columbus on the day Lola disappeared on February 23, 1946

Weather Forecast Columbus Dispatch Saturday February 23, 1946

Cloudy with moderate temperature. Temperature was expected to be 36 degrees Fahrenheit when Lola left home. Sunrise 7:15 a.m. Sunset 6:17 p.m.


Columbus Dispatch Sunday February 24, 1946

Weather Temperature On February 23, High temperature 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Low temperature 34 degrees Fahrenheit. No precipitation on February 23.

The first newspaper article in the Columbus newspapers about the disappearance of Lola Celli was a small news article in the Columbus Dispatch on Monday February 25, 1946.

Columbus Dispatch Monday February 25, 1946

Columbus Woman, 24, Is Reported Missing

• News article reported that Lola Celli was missing from her home. Lola lived on West Third Avenue in Grandview Heights.

• Describes as 5 feet 4 inches tall, 115 pounds, dark hair, gray eyes, wearing dark blue dress, brown shoes, gray hat, and fur coat.

• Police checked bus & rail stations but didn’t turn up any clues to her disappearance.


A news article about Lola's friend from college, Dr. Anthony J. Melfi, also appeared in the Columbus Dispatch on that day.

Columbus Dispatch Monday February 25, 1946

Dr. Anthony J. Melfi Dies After Three-Month Illness

The news article noted that Dr. Anthony J. Melfi died on Sunday February 24. Dr. Melfi was 23 years old and the youngest graduate of 1945 College of Dentistry Class at Ohio State University. He was survived by his parents, one brother and two sisters, and a grandmother who lived in Celle Sanvito Foggia, Italy.

 

[nerosleuth]

The next day, the disappearance of Lola Celli made front page headlines of all three major daily newspapers in Columbus.


Columbus Citizen Tuesday February 26, 1946

Police Comb Midwest For School Teacher
Missing Since She Left Home To Go Shopping

• Police explored river banks, gravel pits, quarries, old buildings, and ravines.

• A neighbor who lived across the street is believed to be the last person to see Lola. He saw Lola walking by his house to catch the bus.

• The neighbor told news reporters that Lola going towards Cambridge Blvd. to catch the bus was unusual as folks living in that neighborhood usually walk south to First Avenue to catch the bus going downtown.

• The neighbor said he walked south to First Avenue to catch the bus after seeing Lola. He said that when he boarded the bus on First Avenue, he was surprised not to find Lola on the bus.

• Lola’s relatives speculated that she might have accepted a ride from someone but this was contrary to her habits.

• The news article reported that Lola planned to board the Arlington bus at Cambridge Blvd.

• Lola did not board the bus after she left home.

• Police inspected the area at the bus stop on West Third Avenue & Cambridge Blvd. and didn’t find any signs of struggle.



Ohio State Journal Tuesday February 26, 1946

Teacher Hunted In 8 States
Third Ave. Girl Is Missing
Vanishes Near Grandview Home On Shopping Trip

• Article reported that Lola Celli left her home at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday February 23 to go to a store in Downtown Columbus to place an order for nylon stockings.

• Grandview Heights Police Chief Robert Livingston said an extensive search for Lola was conducted and is convinced that Lola disappeared on West Third Avenue between her home and the bus stop on Cambridge Blvd.

• Lola never reached the store nor did she board the bus she was supposed to have taken.

• Lola did not return to West Mansfield.

• Lola carried sixty dollars when she left home.

• Lola lived with an elementary school teacher and her mother in West Mansfield. The elementary school teacher was Lola's close friend.

• Lola seldom ever went out at night and didn't have any male friends. She only went out at night with her close friend that she lived with in West Mansfield.

• Lola’s description in the Ohio State Journal news article was dark hair, 115 pounds, 5 feet 4 ½ inches tall, wearing aqua colored dress with faint red stripe, red shoes, grey fur coat and hat.

• Lola arrived home in Columbus on Thursday February 21 for the Washington Birthday Holiday.

• Family said in news article that they contacted all of Lola’s friends and none had seen her.



Columbus Dispatch Tuesday February 26, 1946

Mystery Deepens; No Trace Found Of Teacher
Relatives Of Missing Grandview Heights Woman Fear Four Play
Police Authorities Of Eight States Are Alerted In Hunt For Twenty-Four-Tear-Old Lola Celli.

• Family believed she met with violence after her disappearance.

• Lola was going to open a charge account and order nylons at the Roberts Store at East Gay Street & North High Street in Downtown Columbus. Lola also was going to a jewelry store.

• Lola did not get on the bus. Lola did not go to the Roberts Store nor was a charge account or sales made in her name on that day.

• The neighbor, who was the last person to see Lola, was a veteran of overseas service and a student at Franklin University. He lived across the street from where Lola Celli lived at her parent’s house in Columbus.

• The neighbor told reporters he saw Lola walk past his house. He was putting his coat on and was intending to take the bus downtown. He left his house a few minutes later, took a shortcut by taking Westwood Avenue to First Avenue to catch the Arlington bus going to Downtown Columbus that Lola would have been on.

• Lola had plenty of time to catch the Arlington bus at West Third Avenue & Cambridge Blvd., but wasn’t on the Arlington bus going downtown.

• Lola was expected to be back at her parent’s home by 2:30 p.m. that afternoon.

• At 7:00 p.m., Lola’s brother Felice Celli went to the bus stop to see if Lola arrived from the buses. Lola’s family started calling friends and neighbors.

• Lola’s family said that Lola was one of those girls who believes it is wrong for a young woman to accept a ride. Claims she couldn’t be induced to voluntarily get into a car. Her family felt that if Lola got into a car, it was under threat.

• The Dispatch article on that day reported the description of Lola Celli. Dark hair, 115 pounds, 5 feet 4 ½ inches tall, wearing aqua colored dress with faint red stripe, red shoes, and gray fur coat and hat.

 

[Robin Hood]

There was a skeleton discovered in western Ohio in 1978- It just says in a rural area, no exact location. it was delt with in Cleveland. It might be worth seeing if it was ever discovered who it was.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAIBAJ&pg=7067,1468138&dq=skeleton+ohio&hl=en

 

[nerosleuth]

Ohio State Journal Wednesday February 27, 1946

Baffled Police Visit Quarries In Search For Missing Teacher
Police Lack Clues In Hunt For Teacher
Search Quarries In Effort To Find Missing Teacher

• Police had no clues about Lola’s disappearance after searching quarries and fields near Grandview Heights.

• Lola was expected to be back at her teaching job on Monday February 25, 1946.

• Lola’s close friend and fellow teacher mentioned that Lola hadn’t dated any man since she came to West Mansfield. The only man Lola ever mentioned to her was Dr. Melfi in Columbus and said that they were just friends.

• Dr. Melfi died Sunday night after a three month illness.

• Before Lola’s disappearance, a member of Lola’s family called by phone to tell Lola about Dr. Melfi being in serious condition in the hospital and asked if Lola could come to Columbus to see him.

• The neighbor who lived on West Third Avenue, told police he saw Lola walking past his house going toward the bus stop at West Third Avenue & Cambridge Blvd.

• The neighbor also said he left home a few minutes later and boarded the bus at Westwood Avenue & First Avenue, but Lola wasn’t on the bus.

• Celli Family came to America in 1931 and lived at West Third Avenue since 1934. Lola and her brother were born in Italy but her younger sister was born in United States.

• Grandview Heights P.D. was investigating a report that a Sharon Township Constable had seen a woman with Lola’s description at 4:00 a.m. at North High Street & Blenheim Road on Tuesday February 26, 1946.

• The constable reported that he had seen a woman standing in a shelter for streetcar passengers at the intersection. He took the woman in his car and drove her to Oakland Park Avenue & North High Street where the woman boarded a southbound owl car. The constable said the lady acted strange.


Columbus Dispatch Wednesday February 27, 1946

West Mansfield Associates Say Missing Teacher May Have Had Nervous Breakdown
Amnesia Caused By Worry Over School Problems Cited By Police As Possible Cause of Disappearance; Relatives Disagree.
West Mansfield Friends Say Girl May Have Had Breakdown

• Article had photo of Lola’s closet in her room at the home where Lola lived in West Mansfield. The closet was full of clothes, clean & neat.

• Article also had picture of Lola's fellow school teacher and her mother, and the home where Lola stayed in West Mansfield.

• West Mansfield associates say Lola may have had nervous breakdown and amnesia caused by worry over school problems and her teaching progress.

• Lola’s relatives disagreed with what folks in West Mansfield said about Lola’s condition.

• Lola didn't like riding the Fifth Avenue bus line as an alternative to taking the Arlington bus line going downtown.

• Lola’s friend and fellow school teacher was convinced that Lola would have not disappeared voluntarily and that if Lola had gone on her own free will, it was because of her nervousness and worry over her teaching work. Lola’s friend also said that Lola had aspirations to find employment with the Pan American Airlines so she could be an interpreter.

• The West Mansfield School Superintendent told reporters that Lola’s nervousness was typical of beginner teachers. Others thought Lola was progressing satisfactorily. The superintendent also said that Lola was a brilliant girl and was well liked in the community.

• Lola taught home economics and also taught biology.

• Lola spoke five languages fluently: Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and English.

• Lola attended after school functions such as PTA meetings and basketball games.

•Lola took the train when she went home to Columbus on the weekends.

• Police had reports that persons resembling Lola had been seen in and around the Columbus area.

• Article had a map of the homes of Lola Celli and her neighbor.

• The neighbor’s home was across the street from the home of Lola Celli.

• Map showed that Lola Celli went west on West Third Avenue to catch the Arlington bus going south on Cambridge. The bus went south on Cambridge Blvd. then it would have turned left to go east on West First Avenue before it reached the bus stop at West First Avenue & Westwood Avenue where Lola’s neighbor boarded the bus.

• Lola lived on West Third Avenue between Westwood Avenue & Glenn Avenue.

 

[Amy74]

"Dr. Melfi" was apparently
Anthony J. Melfi,Birth: abt. 1924, Death: 24 Feb 1946 - Columbus, OSU class of 1946

Ohio State Journal Wednesday February 27, 1946

Baffled Police Visit Quarries In Search For Missing Teacher
Police Lack Clues In Hunt For Teacher
Search Quarries In Effort To Find Missing Teacher

...

• Lola’s close friend and fellow teacher mentioned that Lola hadn’t dated any man since she came to West Mansfield. The only man Lola ever mentioned to her was Dr. Melfi in Columbus and said that they were just friends.

• Dr. Melfi died Sunday night after a three month illness.

• Before Lola’s disappearance, a member of Lola’s family called by phone to tell Lola about Dr. Melfi being in serious condition in the hospital and asked if Lola could come to Columbus to see him.

...

 

[nerosleuth]

Columbus Citizen Thursday February 28, 1946

Students Join Police In Search For Girl

• 175 students from Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington High Schools join police search for Lola Celli.

• State Highway Patrol, Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington Police, and Franklin County Sheriff Department were involved in the search.

• Search area that day was to be along the Scioto River, stone quarries, and fields between the river and Grandview Heights.


Ohio State Journal Thursday February 28, 1946

Students To Hunt Celli Girl
Wide Area Will Be Searched
Grandview And Arlington Boys Called By Police
Students To Aid Celli Search
Senior Boys To Join Hunt West Of City

• High School Seniors from Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington were to join police in the search for Lola Celli on the afternoon of February 28.

• Grandview Heights Police Chief Robert Livingston and a Columbus Police Sergeant went to West Mansfield where they talked to numerous persons, including pupils about Lola.

• Felice Celli, Lola’s brother, believed that Lola was abducted and said that Lola was in perfect health when she left home.


Columbus Dispatch Thursday February 28, 1946

Motorist Sought In Celli Mystery;
Student Posse Searches For Clues
Police Given Report Auto Picked Up Girl

• Police were investigating a report that Lola Celli entered an automobile after she left home.

•A motorist from Columbus told police about the red shoe. He noticed it on Olentangy River Road, north of West North Broadway at Thomas Lane on Saturday February 23, 1946.

Note: This is where Riverside Methodist Hospital is located at today.


• The motorist said his attention was attracted by a red Dodge coupe he passed when he heard what appeared to be an argument between the man and woman occupants of the vehicle. He saw the woman kick her foot into the air and noticed the right door window was broken out of the car.

• The motorist turned his auto around and started to follow the coupe that was going at a slow speed north on Olentangy River Road. The coupe pulled away when the motorist started to follow it. The shoe fell from the car as he started to follow it.

Note: Columbus newspaper articles never said what time the motorist saw the auto at Olentangy River Road on February 23.


•Police were also investigating that the same auto drove to a filling station near Stop 18 on North High Street on Saturday February 23.

Notes: The filling station was the Chaseland Garage & Service Station which was located in Sharon Township at North High Street & Chase Road in 1946. This was the nearest filing station to Stop 18 back then.

Stop 18 was a stop of the former Columbus-Delaware-Marion Interurban Line.

Stop 18 was located at North High Street & Charleston Avenue.

In 1946, there was a tavern called Stop 18 Inn at North High Street and West Lincoln Avenue that existed until the late 1960’s.

•The attendant told police a man and a woman was in the car and the man told the woman to ‘keep quiet’.

•The attendant also said the car was a model 1937 or later and that the right window of the car was broken. The man got two dollars worth of gas, gave the attendant five dollars and drove away without waiting for his change.

Note: Columbus newspaper articles never said at what time the auto was at the filling station on that day.


• State Bureau of Motor Vehicles were checking its files for a license beginning with “E” and four numerals issued to a Dodge coupe. The bureau reported that 250 such licenses had been issued to such cars.

• Posse of high school seniors had searched the Scioto River, numerous quarries, and farm lands in the area northwest of Columbus on Thursday afternoon.

•The family believed that Lola Celli was abducted.

•Police were running down all sorts of rumors and tips.

•Hospital officials expressed opinion that Miss Celli did not visit Dr. Melfi, who was a patient and died at Grant Hospital in Downtown Columbus.


I found a picture from 1939 that gives an idea of what the intersection of Olentangy River Road and West North Broadway probably looked like in 1946. This is the area where the Red Shoes were seen in the Lola Celli case.

That intersection was a rural intersection in Clinton Township outside of the Columbus city limits. I believe it was still a rural intersection in 1946.

 

[Robin Hood]

There was a skeleton discovered in western Ohio in 1978- It just says in a rural area, no exact location. it was delt with in Cleveland. It might be worth seeing if it was ever discovered who it was.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAIBAJ&pg=7067,1468138&dq=skeleton+ohio&hl=en

I couldn't find an email address for the ME's office, does somebody want to check if this skeleton was identified ?

http://medicalexaminer.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/Home.aspx

It's only 2 hours from where Lola was last seen to Cleveland where the skeleton was taken. Western Ohio could be Grandview Heights and surrounding area couldn't it ?

 

[carbuff]

There was a skeleton discovered in western Ohio in 1978- It just says in a rural area, no exact location. it was delt with in Cleveland. It might be worth seeing if it was ever discovered who it was.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAIBAJ&pg=7067,1468138&dq=skeleton+ohio&hl=en

I can't find this skeleton listed in Namus.

 

[nerosleuth]

I can't find this skeleton listed in Namus.

I couldn’t find it in Namus or Doe Report either.

Western Ohio could be Grandview Heights and surrounding area couldn't it ?

No, Grandview Heights and Columbus are in Central Ohio.

The body was found in Putnam County, Ohio. Putnam County is in Northwestern Ohio, west of Findlay, Ohio and Interstate 75.

 

[nerosleuth]

Columbus Citizen Friday March 1, 1946

Students Search For Missing Local Teacher
Search Here For Missing Girl Narrows
Police Concentrate On Vacant Homes For Lola Celli

• Search for Lola Celli settled down to the sifting of minor clues.

• One of the clues was a red shoe seen on Olentangy River Road several days ago.

• The red shoes were shoes that Lola wore daily when she was teaching at West Mansfield High School.

• The disappearance of the attractive teacher on the seventh day was baffling as ever.

• Police planned to search any vacant homes and buildings in the Celli neighborhood.

• Police searched the old Urlin Mansion at Urlin Avenue near Goodale Blvd. which had been vacant for many years and no clues were found.

• State Highway Patrol and Grandview Heights Police pushed their search for a red automobile with a broken right window.

• The Grandview Heights Police Chief told reporters he was anxious to find the red shoe that was reportedly seen on Olentangy River Road.

• Lola did not arrive at Roberts in Downtown Columbus where she planned to open a charge account.

• Lola’s neighbor was the only person who saw Lola between the time she left home and the time she disappeared.

• The neighbor lived with his mother and told reporters his mother was in the kitchen and didn’t see Miss Celli.

• Police were unable to locate any persons who may have boarded the bus at West Third Avenue & Cambridge Blvd.

• Lola’s description: 5 feet 4 ½ inches tall, 115 pounds, dark hair, grey fur coat, aqua dress with a thin but prominent red stripe, red shoes, and a grey felt had with three small birds cut from the same material and placed at the back of the hat.

• She was carrying a small black purse which contained between $50.00 and 60.00



Ohio State Journal Friday March 1, 1946

Students’ Search For Celli Girl Fruitless

• Two women’s handkerchiefs found. One found near abandoned Arlington Country Club, the other found near the Scioto River.

• Did a through search of deep gullies and rough terrain on the east bank of the Scioto River. The ground was extremely soggy from recent rains.

• High school boys waded thru ankle deep mud. The thick underbrush along the river bank was thoroughly searched.

• Searchers also waded through water in an abandoned quarry.

• Areas around the old Arlington Country Club House and its grounds were also thoroughly searched.

• Police searching for a red Dodge coupe.

• Several people reported seeing the red shoe on Olentangy River Road.

• The same red dodge coupe was believed to have stopped a short time later at a filling station near Stop 18 on North High Street.

• All searches for Lola had been in the Grandview area.

• Felice Celli believed his sister Lola Celli was abducted.



Columbus Dispatch Friday March 1, 1946

Rewards Offered For Missing Girl
Hunt Uncovers Possible Clues
Family To View Handkerchiefs
Police Concentrate On Auto Tips

• Rewards for information concerning the whereabouts of Lola Celli were announced by two Italian-American organizations.

• Police planned to show handkerchiefs to Lola’s parents to see if it belonged to Lola.

• A guard at Timken Roller Bearing at Cleveland Avenue & East Fifth Avenue reported seeing a red Dodge coupe speeding early Friday morning and furnished police with license tag number starting with E and four numerals.

• A check with the license tag the guard provided revealed that the tag belonged to another car make.

• Numerous reports and rumors of Lola were complicating police investigation.

• Police abandoned a previous theory that Lola may be a victim of amnesia. Police reasoned that someone would have seen Lola and reported her whereabouts if she was merely wandering around.

• Police had two theories now. Lola met with foul play or she is not around Columbus.

• Lola’s parents rejected any belief that Lola suffered a temporary mental breakdown.

• The red shoe was reported seen by three different people on Olentangy River Road between West North Broadway and Henderson Road.

Note: Olentangy River Road runs parallel to the Olentangy River

• Fields, underbrush, and an abandoned quarry were thoroughly searched.

 

[Robin Hood]

I couldn’t find it in Namus or Doe Report either.




No, Grandview Heights and Columbus are in Central Ohio.

The body was found in Putnam County, Ohio. Putnam County is in Northwestern Ohio, west of Findlay, Ohio and Interstate 75.

Thanks Nerosleuth, 2 hours from Grandview Heights, still worth checking though.

 

[nerosleuth]

Columbus Citizen Saturday March 2, 1946

Two New Clues Of Missing Girl Are Promising
Denies Local Police Called
Reward Offered In Missing Teacher Case

• Grandview Heights Police were investigating two promising clues but declined to say what the clues were.

• The Grandview Heights Police Chief planned to ask Columbus Police into the case and was counting on continued cooperation with all law enforcement agencies in Franklin County.

• In another major development in the case, the space where Lola Celli disappeared was shortened by one block by a report that Lola was seen at the corner of Wyandotte Road & West Third Avenue.

• Lola’s neighbor revealed that he saw Lola a second time.

• The first time he saw Lola, he was sitting in his living room. He looked out the window, then jumped up and put on his sweater and coat, which took him two minutes.

• When he came from the house and out into the street, Lola was a block away at the corner of Westwood Avenue & West Third Avenue heading towards Cambridge Blvd.

• The bus driver didn’t recall seeing Lola on the bus she was supposed to have boarded on Saturday morning.

• The neighbor’s testimony established the fact that Lola did not board the bus.

• The neighbor said that when he saw Miss Celli was a block away, he hurried down Westwood Avenue, a shortcut to West First Avenue along which the bus passes.

• The neighbor boarded the bus, looked around for Miss Celli, but didn’t see her.

• The neighbor went Downtown on account that he was going to a jewelry store.

• After a week of constant investigation, Chief Livingston said he was convinced that Miss Celli was not in the Grandview neighborhood.

• Numerous buildings were searched.

• A search by high school students found two handkerchiefs and a blue button, but the items found did not belong to Miss Celli.

• The Grandview Heights Police Chief discarded the amnesia theory.

• The Celli Family was still clinging to the theory that Miss Celli had been abducted.

• A family friend of the Celli Family was planning to make a private probe into Lola’s disappearance. The article had a photo of the family friend who appeared to be in his mid 50’s to early 60’s.

• Lola’s description: 115 pounds, 5 feet 4 inches tall, wearing a small felt grey hat and gray fur coat, wearing an aqua dress with a thin but decided red stripe. She carried a small circular black purse containing between $50 and $60.


Columbus Citizen Saturday March 2, 1946

I Just Can’t Imagine What Happened; Friend Says

• A Columbus woman who lived on the west side of Columbus was Lola’s closest girl friend.

• The girl friend talked to Lola on the telephone the day before Lola disappeared. She said Lola sounded like herself and was happy.

• She became friends with Lola when they were employed as inspectors of binocular parts at Ranco Incorporated before Lola took the home economics teaching position at West Mansfield.

• Lola’s friend explained that everyone who knew Miss Celli said that the acquaintance between Miss Celli & Dr. Melfi was a friendship only. Miss Celli & Dr. Melfi only met occasionally at parties and they never dated.

• Dr. Melfi was the second cousin of the Columbus woman who was Lola’s girl friend.

• Lola was a good friend of the Melfi Family and they all liked her.

• Lola told her friend on the phone that she had so many things to do that weekend and wouldn’t be able to see Dr. Melfi but was going to send him a card.

• Lola told her friend that she was getting along fine at school and that her parents were doing fine.

• The husband of Lola’s girl friend spent 33 months in the armed forces and was discharged in October 1945.

• Lola’s girl friend learned from her husband that Lola had been missing since 10:30 a.m. the day before when her husband called the Celli home on Sunday to relay the sad news of Dr. Melfi passing away.

• Lola’s friend said that she and Lola were often together when her husband was in the Army. She said that every Sunday they would meet at the corner of Broad Street & High Street in Downtown Columbus to go the cinema, and then stop at a restaurant for coffee before going home.

• She said that Lola was a beautiful girl, has everything, fine clothes, beautiful fur coat, and a good job.

• Lola told her girlfriend that if she ever got married, she wanted everything to be nice and right.

• Lola’s friend said that Lola never mentioned having any boy friends. She believed that if Lola had a boyfriend, Lola would have told her so.

• Lola was devoted to her parents. Her parents advised her to try teaching first.

• Lola seemed determined to make the very best of her life. She had ambition and wouldn’t let noting interfere with her plans to better herself.

• Lola made her own clothes. She always dressed carefully.

• Lola’s friend said Lola wore an old dress the day she disappeared. Why Lola would wear that particular dress seemed odd.

• The fact that Lola had $60.00 with her when she disappeared didn’t seem odd.

• Lola’s friend said that Lola was the type of person who wouldn’t get into a car unless she knew the driver well and her friend didn’t know of any men that Lola knew that well.

• Lola's friend told reporters that she called the Grandview Heights Police every day asking if they heard anything about Lola.


Ohio State Journal Saturday March 2, 1946

Columbus To Join Celli Case
City Police To Assist In Search
Reward Increased For Information On Missing Girl

• Grandview Heights Police have been carrying on normal duties in addition to the search for Lola.

• So far every clue and telephone call has resulted in a futile search.

• Columbus Police are expected to be asked officially by Grandview Heights Police to conduct a separate investigation into the disappearance of 24 year old Lola Celli.

• Columbus Police have been asked to be on the lookout for Lola Celli, but they have not been called for the ‘pick and shovel’ work such an investigation requires.

• When Columbus Police starts investigating Lola’s disappearance, they will start from 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning when Lola Celli left her parent’s home.

• Investigation by Grandview Heights Police reveals that Lola never reached the department store nor did she board a bus for Downtown Columbus.

• Police checked Lola’s room in West Mansfield for clues but no clues were found.

• The women’s handkerchiefs found by school students were not Lola’s. Lola’s family never saw those handkerchiefs before and it has no bearing on the case.

• Nearby vacant houses were also searched without result.

• Grandview Heights Police Chief Livingston belief was that Lola may have met with foul play or that she was not around Columbus.

• Grandview Police were hampered by many phone calls seeking information about Lola. Chief Livingston asked the public to make calls that only by those that have information which would aid the case.


Columbus Dispatch Saturday March 2, 1946

Rewards Total $505 – The Dispatch, Franklin County Make Offers;
Search Pressed For Red Coupe
New Rewards Offered For Information In Celli Disappearance
Police Seek Leads In Celli Mystery

• Rewards for information concerning the whereabouts of Lola Celli increased to $505.00

• Grandview Heights Police Chief Robert Livingston said investigation into Lola’s disappearance reached a virtual stonewall.

• All clues of Lola’s disappearance were of minor importance. The lone exception was the red Dodge coupe with a broken side window.

• Lola’s neighbor, who lived on West Third Avenue across the street from Lola Celli, said he was sitting in his living room when he saw Lola Celli walking west on West Third Avenue going towards the bus stop at West Third Avenue & Cambridge Blvd. The neighbor then put on his sweater and coat and went outside to get the same bus Lola Celli was catching.

• Instead of walking to the same bus stop that Lola was going, he made a shortcut to Westwood Avenue and West First Avenue.

• Miss Celli was not on the bus when he got on the bus at West First Avenue & Westwood Avenue.

•The neighbor stated that when he last saw Lola Celli, Lola was at the corner of Wyandotte Avenue & West Third Avenue.

• A personal friend of the Celli Family, told reporters that he planned an investigation of his own into Lola Celli’s disappearance and that he will visit West Mansfield. He also said he was going to ask Chief Livingston to accompany him to West Mansfield.

• The personal friend of the Celli family said that seven businesses had pledged $130.00, and two local Italian-American organizations pledged $75.00. The Columbus Dispatch offered a $200.00 reward and the Franklin County Commissioners offered a $100.00 reward.