CA CA - San Francisco, Asian Female, 40-60, UP5873, "The Box Lady", 3 October 1981

[homecooked]

Namus - UP5873
Unidentified Female
Location Found: San Francisco (720 Jones St.)
County Found: San Francisco County, CA
ME/C Case: Number 1981-1341
Year of Death: 1981
Estimated PMI: N/A

Race/Ethnicity: Asian
Date Body Found: 3 October 1981
Age: 40-60
Hair: Black, "Of normal female distribution;" long
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 103lbs
Identifying Marks: None
Clothing: "Described only as street clothes."

Circumstances: The subject was a street person known as "The Box Lady." Anthony Farrell has seen her many times on the street but never spoke to her until they met at a fast food restaurant. He invited her to to eat and sleep at his residence, located at 720 Jones St. They went to retrieve her shopping cart full of her possessions, and then walked back to his house. She then decided to leave his premises but Mr. Farrell insisted that she take all of her belongings with her at which point she locked herself in Mr. Farrell's bathroom and remained there throughout the night despite Mr. Farrell's pleads to exit. The next morning she Mr. Farrell found the bathroom unlocked and entered, but the subject was gone. He saw the window was open and assumed she exited that way. Later that day, Mr. Farrell looked out of his kitchen window and saw the subject lying unresponsive in the lightwell. It appeared that the subject had tried to crawl from Mr. Farrell's bathroom window to the neighbors bedroom window and fell.

 

[iamshadow21]

Namus - UP5873
Unidentified Female
Location Found: San Francisco (720 Jones St.)
County Found: San Francisco County, CA
ME/C Case: Number 1981-1341
Year of Death: 1981
Estimated PMI: N/A

Race/Ethnicity: Asian
Date Body Found: 3 October 1981
Age: 40-60
Hair: Black, "Of normal female distribution;" long
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 103lbs
Identifying Marks: None
Clothing: "Described only as street clothes."

Circumstances: The subject was a street person known as "The Box Lady." Anthony Farrell has seen her many times on the street but never spoke to her until they met at a fast food restaurant. He invited her to to eat and sleep at his residence, located at 720 Jones St. They went to retrieve her shopping cart full of her possessions, and then walked back to his house. She then decided to leave his premises but Mr. Farrell insisted that she take all of her belongings with her at which point she locked herself in Mr. Farrell's bathroom and remained there throughout the night despite Mr. Farrell's pleads to exit. The next morning she Mr. Farrell found the bathroom unlocked and entered, but the subject was gone. He saw the window was open and assumed she exited that way. Later that day, Mr. Farrell looked out of his kitchen window and saw the subject lying unresponsive in the lightwell. It appeared that the subject had tried to crawl from Mr. Farrell's bathroom window to the neighbors bedroom window and fell.

Hmmm. Anyone think that the story of events sounds weird? Very much reading between the lines and MOO.

'Of normal female distribution'. I can't tell if that means she had shaved legs and underarms, or if she just didn't have a beard. I've never seen that description before, and 'normal' could be in relation to biology or societal grooming norms for women.

I'm guessing if they had a conversation, she spoke English well enough that they understood each other. That implies that she's either a citizen or long term permanent resident or had a level of education that included conversational English.

Street clothes is very ambiguous. I'm guessing they meant clothing you'd go outside in, ie. not pyjamas, rather than the clothing of a 'street person' ie. multiple layers of clothing for insulation and security. But, given she's described as a 'street person', it could possibly be either.

 

[homecooked]

Hmmm. Anyone think that the story of events sounds weird? Very much reading between the lines and MOO.

'Of normal female distribution'. I can't tell if that means she had shaved legs and underarms, or if she just didn't have a beard. I've never seen that description before, and 'normal' could be in relation to biology or societal grooming norms for women.

I'm guessing if they had a conversation, she spoke English well enough that they understood each other. That implies that she's either a citizen or long term permanent resident or had a level of education that included conversational English.

Street clothes is very ambiguous. I'm guessing they meant clothing you'd go outside in, ie. not pyjamas, rather than the clothing of a 'street person' ie. multiple layers of clothing for insulation and security. But, given she's described as a 'street person', it could possibly be either.

Honestly when reading the whole story I was a bit confused. She unlocked the door then climbed out? Why would she hide herself in the bathroom in the first place? Was she having issues with her mental health or is their something more nefarious on Farrel's part?

I've also never seen "of normal female distribution". Maybe the examiner just...simply didn't care enough to measure the actual length of her hair? Or describe her clothing for that matter.

Judging from the location (720 Jones St.) it's possible that the decent was a transient member of the Tenderloin community or Chinatown. Both are located very close by. Her being from either places may explain the lack of care on the examiners part. The Tenderloin especially was pretty rough in the early 80's.

 

[iamshadow21]

Honestly when reading the whole story I was a bit confused. She unlocked the door then climbed out? Why would she hide herself in the bathroom in the first place? Was she having issues with her mental health or is their something more nefarious on Farrel's part?

I've also never seen "of normal female distribution". Maybe the examiner just...simply didn't care enough to measure the actual length of her hair? Or describe her clothing for that matter.

Judging from the location (720 Jones St.) it's possible that the decent was a transient member of the Tenderloin community or Chinatown. Both are located very close by. Her being from either places may explain the lack of care on the examiners part. The Tenderloin especially was pretty rough in the early 80's.

I have a horrible feeling that she felt she was under threat, and first barricaded herself in, then climbed out to try and reach safety.

Whether she was going through some kind of mental health crisis or delusion is impossible to know.

But leave mental health out, and we have a man, a stranger to her, who invites her into his home, they deliberately bring all her possessions, she decides to leave, doesn't want to take her possessions, so she, rather than leaving... hides in the bathroom? And won't come out? So he just goes to bed?

Why invite her in? He doesn't know her. Why not call the cops when she refuses to leave? Why just go about your morning, assuming she's gone (her possessions, in a shopping cart, still in your home) and then look out the window at just the right time and angle to see her dead.

Yeah, right.

Leaving out mental health, the only way this makes sense is if she was trying to escape.

 

[Goecke]

I took 'normal female distribution' to mean she didn't have male pattern baldness or anything similar. I agree the circumstances are very strange... Seems like either a mental health crisis or she was trying to escape from some kind of danger.