WA WA - Seattle, WhtFem 30-50, 159UFWA, alias 'Mary Anderson', copper IUD, breast surgery scars, Oct'96

[Kodiak]

The Vintage Park Hotel is just a hop, skip, and jump away from the downtown Seattle Nordstroms... just a few minutes walk. I know back in the mid 90's they were temporarily in the shopping mall in Westlake Park which is across the street from where they are now in their grand store on 5th Avenue. They were there for a short time while waiting for the new store to be built. Mary Anderson could have been in the area prior to the Vintage Park, and could have possibly bought the gloves there. I wonder if LE took her sketch to Nordstroms and asked any employees if they recognized her?

I will be meeting a friend on Saturday 08/28 for lunch and a photo shoot in downtown Seattle. I'll take some photos of the Vintage Park Hotel, and the corner street, where it is presumed the cab dropped her off. A good excuse to use my new Leica camera.

 

[Kodiak]

I've been doing some more research on this case. I also read the 25 page pdf article about this case that was provided by BillyLee. I find it interesting the former ME in the article said that he wished that, he (and the Seattle PD) had paid more attention to the maple leaves that were resting on an open spread of either "The Seattle Weeky " or "The Stranger." Both are local, weekly newspapers with the The Stranger appealing to a younger 16-30's hip, music crowd. The ME now thinks the leaves were placed on the spread that could have provided a vital clue. He said that they did not pay much attention to it. Couldn't they have gone back to acquire both issues for that week's editions???

I'm sorry to say this, but I'm starting to feel that this wasn't a very thorough investigation... Mary Anderson's NYC address; the cab ride and her whereabouts before she arrived at the Vintage Park, and now the newspaper with the maple leaves. You think they would have taken photographs of everything in the room, and not just her.

So based on the ME's statement, I went to The Seattle Weekly and The Stranger websites, and looked for the back issues of both papers for the week Mary Anderson died. The Seattle Weekly only goes back to March 1997 online, and The Stranger only goes back to 1999. If anyone has not looked into this, I could contact both papers and find out how to acquire that week's October 1996 issues, or find out which library has them archived. My best bet, if they are archived, they would be across the street from the Vintage Park at the Seattle Public Library on 5th Avenue.

The maples leaves placed on the open page spread must provide a vital clue, maybe not to her identity, but a possible reason why she took her life.

 

[Kodiak]

I took some photos of Hotel Vintage Park. A friend of mine flew into town and we got together for breakfast in downtown Seattle. To kill time, I walked up 5th Avenue and got some pictures. I made a diagram in the first photo explaining Mary Anderson's arrival. It makes sense... the main door is on the south end of the block at 5th & Spring St. The mid part of the block is the hotel's parking garage. The very north corner of the block at 5th & Seneca is a YWCA building, so the staff could not have seen her get out on that side of the block. The cab could have dropped her off in front of the hotel's parking garage where the valet attendant could have seen her, but I think her drop point on the corner of 5th & Spring makes much more sense from what news articles stated about Mary's arrival.

 

[layla03]

I live in Maple Valley, Wa, not too far from Seattle. When I worked for a newspaper company, they gave a copy of every issue to the library (to archive, I think). Maybe the King County Library System might have done something like that with the paper she had?

 

[RubyRed]

October 6, 2005
An artist's sketch of the woman on the front page of the P-I in 1997.

In some unknown sequence at the Hotel Vintage Park, Mary Anderson put out the "Do Not Disturb" sign, applied pink Estee Lauder lipstick and combed her short auburn hair. She wrote a note on hotel stationery, opened her Bible to the 23rd Psalm and mixed some cyanide into a glass of Metamucil. Then she drank it

Tucked into a modest residential area on the edge of Ballard is the Crown Hill Cemetery, one of the few remaining family-owned cemeteries in Seattle. A maple leaf rests on the headstone of a man buried in the same grave as Mary Anderson -- she does not have her own marker.



http://www.seattlepi.com/local/243480_maryanderson06.html

 

[RubyRed]

This site talks of the label being peeled off of a prescription bottle and her partial plate being discarded to avoid her identity being known.

http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/index.php?showtopic=6533

 

[Kodiak]

I've got some good news for everyone...

I contacted the Seattle Weekly Newspaper, and was told by the Circulation Manger that for an old issue, they would have the only copy... AND... he told me they do have a hard copy edition that Mary Anderson had in her room the week of October 9, 1996 in their permanently bound archived volumes.

He wanted to know if there was a particular article in that edition that I wanted, and that he would make a copy for me... or, I could make an appointment to take a look at it in person at their Seattle office. I told him the circumstances regarding the issue, and that I, myself, did not know yet as to what I might be looking for.

I will be going in next Tuesday morning, 8/24 to meet with him, and to look at this edition in full detail. With my research background, I will be combing through this edition with a fine-tooth comb, from front to back, and taking notes.

 

[websurfer]

I've got some good news for everyone...

I contacted the Seattle Weekly Newspaper, and was told by the Circulation Manger that for an old issue, they would have the only copy... AND... he told me they do have a hard copy edition that Mary Anderson had in her room the week of October 9, 1996 in their permanently bound archived volumes.

He wanted to know if there was a particular article in that edition that I wanted, and that he would make a copy for me... or, I could make an appointment to take a look at it in person at their Seattle office. I told him the circumstances regarding the issue, and that I, myself, did not know yet as to what I might be looking for.

I will be going in next Tuesday morning, 8/24 to meet with him, and to look at this edition in full detail. With my research background, I will be combing through this edition with a fine-tooth comb, from front to back, and taking notes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If they [ LE] has her fingerprints why don't they just put them through
a database of some kind?
Genetic clues could come no matter what MASS base they are put into.
Do they have the pictures of her [ AUTOPSY? ]
it is better to look at the actual person rather than a drawing.
Granted;
drawings and other types of reproductions help a lot but the autopsy is the real person's face.
Since she committed suicide she would be very near her normal look
except to seem asleep right?
Also I read someplace they had run her fingerprints and found nothing.
So?
Like everyone here I have looked all over the web for anyone similar to her.
Maybe her family have not put her up on any profile yet?
The Doe Network has updates pretty often.
Also:
The Charley Project has some updates also from time to time.
After checking both to compare this lady with, only a few stand out.
Some much heavier but in the same age range.
Some in the same age range but hair is not dark or red.
Well!
I am wishing you lots of luck in your search for new info.
Does LE have the actual newspaper she had in her room?
Her prints would be on it as well as perhaps she circled something in it?
The newspaper has to have something that interested her.
Something she had with her definately would have her prints and
all the garbage she threw away too.
Her hair has been tested for clues I hope.
Good luck!:dance:

 

[Kodiak]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If they [ LE] has her fingerprints why don't they just put them through
a database of some kind?
Genetic clues could come no matter what MASS base they are put into.
Do they have the pictures of her [ AUTOPSY? ]
it is better to look at the actual person rather than a drawing.
Granted;
drawings and other types of reproductions help a lot but the autopsy is the real person's face.
Since she committed suicide she would be very near her normal look
except to seem asleep right?
Also I read someplace they had run her fingerprints and found nothing.
So?
Like everyone here I have looked all over the web for anyone similar to her.
Maybe her family have not put her up on any profile yet?
The Doe Network has updates pretty often.
Also:
The Charley Project has some updates also from time to time.
After checking both to compare this lady with, only a few stand out.
Some much heavier but in the same age range.
Some in the same age range but hair is not dark or red.
Well!
I am wishing you lots of luck in your search for new info.
Does LE have the actual newspaper she had in her room?
Her prints would be on it as well as perhaps she circled something in it?
The newspaper has to have something that interested her.
Something she had with her definately would have her prints and
all the garbage she threw away too.
Her hair has been tested for clues I hope.
Good luck!:dance:

Hi Websurfer,

Yes, from my research, they say they took her prints and entered them into a system (I think FBI, if I recall) and found no match. I hope to God that they kept those prints to have on hand for genetic matching, but I fear they probably have not. With no disrespect to the SPD and the King County ME, I'm starting feel some lazy work was done. I get the impression that they just saw it as a typical suicide -- no I.D., no biggie, let's clean the hotel room of her body and things, and be on our way.

Now, in the 25 page pdf article provided by BillyLee, the writer of the piece states that the ME showed him actual photos of Mary Anderson lying on the bed. The writer said she just looked as if she was just taking a nap? So why not release the photos? If would really clear up what she looked like from the DoeNetwork photos, that really show two totally different women of the three photos.

Yes, I check with the CharleyProject often as they have faster updates than DN.

And that's another thing, when I go in Tuesday to look at this Seattle Weekly edition, I'm going to ask the Circulation Manager if any LE had come in or requested a copy of this edition. I have a feeling they did not, as what the ME stated in the pdf and Seattle P.I. articles. Unless, they kept Mary's which I highly doubt from the same ME statements:

"I'm convinced she left us clues to who she was, and we missed them," Webster said, leaning back in his closet of an office at his mortuary. A few months into the investigation, Webster remembered that there was a copy of Seattle Weekly on the desk, a pressed maple leaf set on a page.

"The maple leaf might have been a clue," he said. Or perhaps it was pointing to one. Based on the symbolism of the leaf, he and his team redoubled their efforts to search in Canada.


The cipher in room 214: Who was Mary Anderson and why did she die?, CAROL SMITH, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER. Thursday, October 6, 2005

 

[tatertot]

There's a post-mortem of "Mary," along with a few others from Washington, in this Porchlight thread:

**WARNING: POST-MORTEM PHOTO**
http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/index.php?showtopic=2176
**WARNING: POST-MORTEM PHOTO**

 

[Kodiak]

Thank you, tatertot. I'm going try and clean the image up using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and apply color according to her facial descriptions.

 

[Kodiak]

In the actual photo, you can the see the spine and covers of the Bible laying across her chest. I wonder if LE investigated the Bible? The edition? Was it the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, etc.? It could have been a certain edition from a certain year that could have been popular in specific regions across the U.S. and used according to certain denominations. It could have been a catholic, or Greek Bible, etc. It might be able to pinpoint a specific area. I would like to see the Bible to determined through the pages, and from the spine, if she read and used it frequently or not. Hmm.

 

[Kodiak]

Here is a clearer image of Mary Anderson photoshopped with makeup...

 

[tatertot]

Very nice reconstruction, IMHO.

Re: Billylee's post 81. If the Carkeek Park suicide victim was 18 to 26 in 1984 and Mary was 33 to 45 in 1996, she would have been 21 to 33 when he died. If the victims' DNA was compared but did not match, could they have had some other connection if they were not blood relatives? They might have been step-siblings or a couple, but if so, Mary probably wouldn't have let John Doe remain anonymous in a potter's field all those years.

Re: the kitchen bowl found in Mary's room. It may not be that significant, just practical. Some hotels have a kitchen area and offer a free continental breakfast. Maybe Mary "borrowed" a cereal bowl from the kitchen so she could microwave ramen noodles or something similar, either back in her room or in the kitchen if either location had a microwave or at least hot water for making tea.

Re: the Bible. Again, was it definitely her Bible and not the hotel's? Nearly every motel I've stayed in had a Gideons Bible in the nightstand drawer. A friend who is active in Gideons International gave me a Bible in 1993 and wrote the date on the inside cover. The first page reads "Help in Time of Need" and then subcategories like "Peace in Time of Turmoil," "Protection in Time of Danger," etc., each with several suggested readings. Psalm 23 is the first suggested reading for "Comfort in Time of Loneliness."

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

 

[Kodiak]

Take a close look at the chin, thin upper lip, eyes, and especially the nose, and brow line compared to Mary's... I did a reconstruction of Mary's appearance on the MP's 1982 photo. It looks like a close match. Her height is the same, but the eye color is hazel, not brown, and in my notes, some vitals gave Mary's eyes listed as UNKNOWN. The MP's age in 1996 falls within Mary's age spectrum as well.

Jeannette Drzewiecki

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/drzewiecki_jeannette.html

 

[CarlK90245]

Jeannette would have been 33 years old in Oct 1996. I know that DoeNet sets her age at 33-45, but JMHO - Mary looks a little older than 33. She looks to me to be at least late 40's and probably mid 50's.

I can imagine though, that Jeannette might look like Mary with a couple decades added to her age.

Jeannette's circumstances are a strange fit to Mary's case. I'm not sure what scenario would lead her to abandon her newborn baby in Texas, and then commit suicide in Seattle 14 years later, but I suppose it's not totally implausible.

I suppose that due to postpartem depression, she could have abandoned her family, and after 14 years of wandering, afraid to return to her family because of the guilt from abandoning them, she decides to commit suicide.

Not sure I'm sold on that scenario though. Jeannette looks more to me like a victim of foul play.

 

[Kodiak]

CarlK90245 -- thanks for taking a look. I totally agree with you about Mary's age. When I first saw her sketch, I though she was between 40-60 years old. I even had an older relative study her sketch, and they told me the same thing.

Also, I just received this from my Dateline NBC email subscription. Could this be pure coincidence, or does this sound a lot like Mary's case?

Dateline NBC 8/20:
http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com...ay-august-20-dangerous-connections?email=html

 

[CarlK90245]

Thanks for the link, Kodiak. It's a shame that some people can be so heartless when others are seemingly crying out for help.

That sounds similar to something that happened when I was in my late teens. An acquaintance of mine, Walt was a friend's home with a few people. Walt was telling them that he was depressed, and was considering committing suicide, but wasn't sure about how to do it in the most painless way possible. One of the people there, John, told him that he would gladly tie a noose for Walt, and Walt could go out in the yard and hang himself from a tree.

Walt didn't hang himself from the tree. Instead, he went to a remote area west of the LA Airport, and ran a hose into his car from the tailpipe, and sat inside until he died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

In an unrelated event, John's brother Ron (who was a friend of mine), during an argument with John at a vacation cabin in Big Bear CA, picked up a pistol off of a table and shot himself in front of family and friends. It is not clear whether it was a deliberate suicide, or if he thought the gun was unloaded.

BTW, John is also now also deceased. He died in his mid 30's from a brain aneurism.

 

[Kodiak]

Thanks for the link, Kodiak. It's a shame that some people can be so heartless when others are seemingly crying out for help.

That sounds similar to something that happened when I was in my late teens. An acquaintance of mine, Walt was a friend's home with a few people. Walt was telling them that he was depressed, and was considering committing suicide, but wasn't sure about how to do it in the most painless way possible. One of the people there, John, told him that he would gladly tie a noose for Walt, and Walt could go out in the yard and hang himself from a tree.

Walt didn't hang himself from the tree. Instead, he went to a remote area west of the LA Airport, and ran a hose into his car from the tailpipe, and sat inside until he died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

In an unrelated event, John's brother Ron (who was a friend of mine), during an argument with John at a vacation cabin in Big Bear CA, picked up a pistol off of a table and shot himself in front of family and friends. It is not clear whether it was a deliberate suicide, or if he thought the gun was unloaded.

BTW, John is also now also deceased. He died in his mid 30's from a brain aneurism.

I'm so sorry to hear that. How tragic for everyone involved. It's all very heartbreaking. It's just so unfortunate that when someone says that they are depressed, and considering taking their own life, not many close friends, and family members, take it seriously, even when it sounds like
the depressed are joking, it is ignored.

 

[RubyRed]

Mary could be 45, maybe even 50, but I don't believe she is 60.