PA PA - French Creek State Park, Union Twp, BlkFem 21-28, 349UFPA, bag w/ "FA", "O" & "ATER", Jul'88

[Billylee]

Thinking outloud. Back in the 90's I worked for a redistributor of disposable paper and plastics for the hospitality industry. I don't recall grocers being part of our customer base but that doesn't mean some of our distributor customers didn't sell to grocers.

It was a little more costly to imprint a bag the way this one was, with the background print - I forget the exact term for it. There was a lot of competition with this style bag as well, and our midwest market pricing was not as competitive as the east coast market.

We had a sales rep in the western PA market, but unfortunately he died in an automobile accident or I'd track him down.

I remember bagcraft and Duro bag were the MFG's we purchased from, though I can't recall if they mfg both paper and plastic bags.

I think if we can identify which bag mfgs were in the area at the time, perhaps we can find a sales rep who might recognize the bag. Unfortunately the two I knew - one is deceased and the other is retired. ugh!

I'm hoping maybe someone else here at WS has some experience in the industry and might recall someone? I'm going to try digging but it is going to be more like cold calls than warm leads going that angle with the industry due to the time and those people not being around anymore.

Somone suggested the bag was perhaps used over her head to suffocate her. That would have to be a good sized bag wouldn't it? Is there a way to determine the approximate size of the bag?

 

[Beyond Belief]

the indents and creases to the left of the bag give facial impressions but the solid end of the bag would have to be at the top thus the label would be upsidedown.

 

[Billylee]

I think we could place the time on during early summer thru early fall since she is wearing a light jacket. Minimum of two years, so summer of 86 back. Bonjour jeans, I cant remember what years they were popular.

Bonjour commercial 1983
http://www.retrostatic.com/videos/p803_sectionid/6/p803_fileid/648/p803_js_on/1

Not sure what significance this has, but it looks like according to this trademark site that Bon Jour jeans were first sold in 1979 and the logo was cancelled in 1989. So they were around a decade.

http://www.trademarkia.com/bon-jour-action-jeans-

 

[STEADFAST]

the indents and creases to the left of the bag give facial impressions but the solid end of the bag would have to be at the top thus the label would be upsidedown.

I just got a CVS bag and tried to place it around my face in a smothering way that would make the logo right side up the way this one is. I don't think it can be done, unless someone stood behind her and pulled both sides, which seems like a strange method to murder someone.
In my opinion, it must be that the bag was placed over her face after she was dead and before dirt was dumped on top of it, pushing the bag into her face. If her murderer did cover her face, then aren't the chances good that he knew her well?

 

[STEADFAST]

Pictures and links for any very welcome newcomers wandering in, because the thread is so long it's getting hard to find these things.

artist's reconstruction

Unidentified Biracial Female
Found July 15, 1988 in French Creek State Park, Union Twp, Berks County
Estimated Time of Death: At least 2 years prior to discovery

Vital Statistics

Estimated Age: 25-32 yrs old
Estimated Height: 4'10" to 5'3"
Estimated Weight: unable to determine
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: unknown
Race: African-American with Caucasian admixture
DNA: not available
Fingerprints: not available (skeletal remains)
Dentals: not available
Clothing: the clothing was highly deteriorated with only remnants remaining.
Bon Jour jeans, dark color with zipper fly, size unknown.
Light colored, pullover shirt with a picture of Mickey Mouse, tag read "Walt Disney Productions, S 34-36, 100% Cotton".
A blue nylon jacket with gold stripes around the wrists and gold lining, resembling a high school jacket, but with no markings was found outside the grave. Size unknown.

Case Details

On July 15, 1988 the victim's skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave in French Creek State Park, Berks County. A forensic anthropologist found what appeared to be 3 circular hairline fractures in her skull, but cause of death was not determined.

Also found in the grave were pieces of what appeared to be a plastic grocery bag with red lettering (pictured below). The letters still visible on the bag are thought to be "FA", "O" and "ATER". http://www.pennsylvaniamissing.com/349ufpa.html

DoeNetwork page: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/349ufpa.html

 

[mel36]

It appears to me that its a Family Dollar bag as well.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Presently there are 5 Family Dollar Stores in Reading, Pa. Those being closest to the burial site.
I haven't been able to find when they started opening in Pa, most stores had been Va and south.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Aug. 27--Discount chain Family Dollar Stores Inc. opened its first Berks County store Thursday at Reading Station Outlet, Sixth and Spring streets.
The store's offerings include food, clothing, housewares, bedding, cleaning and automotive supplies, and house and beauty items.
Family dollar opens its first store in Berks Co, Pa
Reading Eagle (REading Pa)
August 27, 2004
/article-1G1-121319646/family-dollar-opens-its.html

 

[STEADFAST]

Here's the general location of the park in relation to larger cities in the area.

Here's a map of the park and different routes into and out of it. Maybe someday we'll find out where in the park her body was found.

 

[amandab]

Unless their logos have changed since Doe was located, I don't think this is a Family Dollar bag.

I don't know how to post an image on here, but if someone could, it looks like the midline in the "A" in "Family" goes all the way across - like it cuts off a little on the left side.

I wish I could describe it better, but if someone could post a pic of their logo you'll see what I'm talking about.....

 

[Beyond Belief]

She was found in Union Twp, which is up by Birdsboro.

 

[Billylee]

Another thing that could be on the bottom of the bag is maybe "Family or Employee" Owned and Oper"ated".

 

[Billylee]

Here is a grocery story listed as family owned and operated: Fareway Foods, the color of the logo looks right, though the closest one to PA, that I seem to find is in Moline ILL. They are based out of Iowa. I'm from the west coast, but maybe someone is familiar with that store can look on their bag and see if it says family owned and operated at the bottom. ?

http://www.fareway.com/index.cfm

 

[Beyond Belief]

I just looked at Fareway. long way. Farmer Jack was far away as was Farm Fresh.

I am trying to find other categories rather than food for this bag, like Famous Footwear or something like that.

 

[Beyond Belief]

I was going down the wrong road for Union Twp. Its Chestnut 345 but you have to go east on it. takes u right thru the park outskirts. its thick woods so she must have been found at someplace that has a cut off. by the looks of this I think she was just dumped there. Union is not even a town just an area. I better take a closer look for a bigger town.

She really was found right in the park where the historic sites are. Hopewell Furnace etc. 345 runs right in there, no other exit. Biggest town around is Pottstown. Thats the one I was thinking about for awhile.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Farmers Daughter on Schuylkill Rd in Spring City. Fruit and vegetable place.

Pottstown Farmers’ Market: Ten vendors selling prepared foods, produce and meats at the market, which has been open for more than 100 years.
High St Pottstown, Pa.

 

[tatertot]

I believe this is what you'd call a t-shirt bag, and it would have hung by its handles on a bagging rack at the checkout counter. It appears to be type #2 plastic, not the tougher type #4 stuff.

http://www.associatedbag.com/product.asp?cn=ABC&c1=BGL&p1=BGL_1590&c2=BT24&pid=12-22

I recall that some grocery stores used to give you small plastic bags for your ice cream and other frozen foods and they were decorated with penguins, snowflakes or some other cutesy "frozen" theme. That might account for the "refrigerATED" text on the bottom of the bag but all the bags like this I've seen were small and only able to hold a carton of ice cream, not big like a t-shirt bag.

 

[Beyond Belief]

, the real change in grocery bags did not start until 1982, when the two of America’s largest grocery companies Safeway and Kroger started replacing paper bags with more affordable plastic bags.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_shopping_bag

 

[reasypeasy]

A site where you can generate lists of "words that end in"

-ated
http://www.morewords.com/ends-with/ated/
-ater
http://www.morewords.com/ends-with/ater/

 

[Billylee]

I just looked at Fareway. long way. Farmer Jack was far away as was Farm Fresh.

I am trying to find other categories rather than food for this bag, like Famous Footwear or something like that.

If they were on a camping trip, they certainly could have been from out of the area, and bought their groceries before they left home. (Also, would explain why no one local has been ID'd yet.) Did we determine that there are indeed camping spaces there? Someone asked earlier, but, I didn't see that answer anywhere.

Another kind of bag we didn't consider yet is a dry cleaning bag. Maybe the first word is "fast". Perhaps a family owned and operated dry cleaning business. In viewing the bag's logo, it doesn't look like a clothing store bag to me. Usually clothing store's logo's are more "stylish". JMO