PA PA - Philadelphia, WhtFem 40-60, UP17721, upper denture w/D Spizzirri, frontal lobotomy, May'72

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BrownBear said:
Artist Rendering from FL Institute of Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science at USF
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Larger quality version of recon

UP17721.jpg

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov
 
fred&edna said:
Yep, that's the info I found... and it seems the 15 year old sister went on to marry and have children of her own. Should I even worry about how to prove this might be a match or just submit it and hope LE can follow-up somehow??
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Who are y'all purporting this "S" family to be?
 
Hey all- question/possible progress on this case. I was poking around records before finding this thread and also came to the conclusion Dorothy Spizzirri is the most likely candidate for her identity. I found this (I assume recent) findagrave for Dorothy Spizzirri in Philadelphia, PA- Dorothy Spizzari (1929-1972) - Find a Grave.....


It seems this is a listing that confirms this UID as Dorothy Spizzirri based on
-The date/year of birth is the same as Dorothy Spizzirri from New York, 1929.
-The location, being Philadelphia, obviously is right-on.
-Her age of death is listed as 42/43, right in the age range for the doe.
-And wildest, her death date is listed as May 7th 1972...the exact date this Doe was found dead (and presumed to have died). I'm really unsure as to what this means- is anyone aware of progress in this case? To me this is either (a) a presumptuous internet detective saying this is 100% Dorothy prematurely who told findagrave some false info or (b) shows that someone official has confirmed this doe as Dorothy/Deartha Spizzirri, of NYC. Her listing is still up with no updates on NamUs, if she's been IDed by LE or pathology I want to make sure Namus takes her case down.

Many thanks!
 
katzcradle said:
Hey all- question/possible progress on this case. I was poking around records before finding this thread and also came to the conclusion Dorothy Spizzirri is the most likely candidate for her identity. I found this (I assume recent) findagrave for Dorothy Spizzirri in Philadelphia, PA- Dorothy Spizzari (1929-1972) - Find a Grave.....


It seems this is a listing that confirms this UID as Dorothy Spizzirri based on
-The date/year of birth is the same as Dorothy Spizzirri from New York, 1929.
-The location, being Philadelphia, obviously is right-on.
-Her age of death is listed as 42/43, right in the age range for the doe.
-And wildest, her death date is listed as May 7th 1972...the exact date this Doe was found dead (and presumed to have died). I'm really unsure as to what this means- is anyone aware of progress in this case? To me this is either (a) a presumptuous internet detective saying this is 100% Dorothy prematurely who told findagrave some false info or (b) shows that someone official has confirmed this doe as Dorothy/Deartha Spizzirri, of NYC. Her listing is still up with no updates on NamUs, if she's been IDed by LE or pathology I want to make sure Namus takes her case down.

Many thanks!
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There's no photo of a headstone or other identification marker for Dorothy. Would be good to know if and when the findagrave contributor verified the info. (I have a strong feeling this isn't verified info which doesn't seem good practice, imo). Hmmm... wondering if the Laurel Cemetery would confirm via phone? Heck, do they have a contact number? I might see what I can find tomorrow.
 
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This is the information for Laurel Hill Cemetery according to Find a Grave:
The listing for Dorothy gives her MEMORIAL ID as 243011654. I think that's a Findagrave identifier, not the ID of her location in the cemetery. The entry was created in August 2022.
 
I decided I wouldn't even waste my time calling the cemetery. A quick google search of the findagrave site made me conclude the info contributed isn't always reliable and hasn't been for some time. Again, I think it's a really bad practice for contributors to insert info in that manner. jmo
 
I sent an email to the cemetery but I do think I found the answer anyway. Laurel Hill has a cemetery records search here Cemetery Records - Laurel Hill Cemetery, there are no Dorothy Spizzari/Spizziri buried there at all. I have no idea why or how somebody would contribute that information to the findagrave site- when I hear back from the cemetery, I'll see if them or I can get the listing taken down since it's inaccurate.
 
As far as I know, FindAGrave is a branch of Ancestry and is basically crowdsourced. There's an "edit" option under the "contribute" page, but I think you have to be registered to use it.

I keep thinking it might be a valuable thing to work on...
 
carbuff said:
As far as I know, FindAGrave is a branch of Ancestry and is basically crowdsourced. There's an "edit" option under the "contribute" page, but I think you have to be registered to use it.

I keep thinking it might be a valuable thing to work on...
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Sometimes FindaGrave is incredibly useful -- who is interred nearby, where exactly is the cemetery, funeral home info, etc.

Sometimes, just as you say - crowdsourced. Not always by a Websleuths-level picky crowd, imho.

Certainly glad that FindAGrave is available!
 
Laughing said:
Sometimes FindaGrave is incredibly useful -- who is interred nearby, where exactly is the cemetery, funeral home info, etc.

Sometimes, just as you say - crowdsourced. Not always by a Websleuths-level picky crowd, imho.

Certainly glad that FindAGrave is available!
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Yes! It's an amazing resource.
 
I have contributed to Find a Grave off and on for several years, mostly photography. If you do not manage a specific grave, edits have to be approved by the manager. You can also apply to take control over a grave created by someone else. If the user that created/owns it has long been inactive, I think you have to appeal to the main editors and give a reason why. You have the option of displaying your relation to the deceased (son, niece, close friend, etc.). I manage a handful of graves. It is definitely crowd sourced and I would never guarantee 100% accuracy but I also wouldn't say the unreliability is super high.
 
If there's a monument/headstone photo with the info on findagrave, it may be a bit more reliable. And, I think it's like everything else, we should find at least 2 more supporting sources for the information contributed before we take it as fact. There's info in family trees, etc on Ancestry that aren't reliable... I've learned to try to locate verifiable sources to support - as even the tree's owner can use incorrect sources - or make incorrect assumptions. I'll accept being a bit picky at times ;)
 
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