citizen_sleuth
Verified family member - Orie Donald Esh thread
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NamUs #UP9209
Demographics
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 50-80
Estimated Year of Death: 1968
Estimated PMI: N/A (News reports say 10 days)
Height: 5'7" (67 inches), Measured
Weight: 116 lbs, Measured (News reports say he weighed around 180-190 lbs)
Cause of Death: Homicide by gunshot to back
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: April 10, 1968
NamUs Case Created: August 30, 2011
ME/C QA Reviewed: August 31, 2011
Location Found: San Francisco, California
County: San Francisco County
Circumstances of Recovery: A black steamer trunk sealed with surgical tape was received at the Railway Express Agency from the Newark Railway Express terminal, Newark, New Jersey. It was sent by a middle-aged white female with greying hair dressed in all black, approximately 5-feet-2-inches tall and 120 pounds, who gave the name "Gerry Fidele."
Railway Express explained that they had picked up the trunk from "Gerry" at the Belmont Hotel in Newark on April 1, but none of the workers at the hotel had heard of "Gerry." The trunk was addressed to "Janet Farise, San Francisco," with a note saying "Will call." Authorities could find no record of a "Janet Farise" in San Francisco and believe it was a fake name.
On April 10, Railway Express workers in San Francisco's Bayview District noticed a very foul odor coming from the trunk. Platform worker Dirk Vandenakker peeled back the surgical tape on the trunk and saw a shoulder poking out from underneath a bedsheet.
The man had been hog-tied with heavy twine, with his knees pulled up to his face. An autopsy revealed the man had been killed by a .32-caliber single gunshot wound to the back, just below the left shoulder. He was wrapped in a bedsheet which bore the name of an undisclosed hotel and surrounded by pillows. Police checked with all hotels of the name on the sheet but it produced no leads.
Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color: Gray or Partially Gray
Head Hair Description: Sparse, receding at the forehead and temples
Eye Color: Brown
Distinctive Physical Features: He had a drainage tube in his skull and may have recently undergone head surgery.
Clothing and Accessories
- Inside the trunk: 4 sheets, 2 pillows; 3 men's shirts; 2 pillow cases; 2 sofa cushions. terry cloth robe; 2 wash clothes; a quilt
- Undershirt size 42; red pajama bottoms (On the Body)
- Socks (On the Body)
News Coverage
"Grisly Find in A Trunk: Body of Man Shipped Here," San Francisco Examiner, 10 April 1968, 3.
The body of a man was found here today in a steamer trunk shipped from Newark, N.J. to the Railway Express Agency facility in the Bayview District.
The body, swathed in what appeared to be a bedsheet and cushioned by gaily colored sofa pillows, had been shipped from Newark by train on April 4. Mothballs had been sprinkled in the bedding.
[...]
The body was discovered by Dirk Vandenakker, 24, a platform worker at the express office at 1815 Egbert St.
Vandenakker told Homicide Inspector Gus Coreris he had noted an offensive odor from the trunk. He said he ripped off the surgical tape sealing the lid, opened the trunk and viewed the bare arm and shoulder of a woman.
"Shipped By 'Little Old Lady': Trunk Murder Mystery," San Francisco Examiner, 11 April 1968, 3.
Detective Dan Scurese of Newark said the woman, described as "tiny, with greying hair," called Railway Express employes' attention to the trunk and paid the freight charge.
"The employes said the trunk was on the loading platform when they first saw it," Scurese continued. "A tiny woman obviously couldn't have got it there without help."
The detective said also that the possibility the victim, who had been shot through the heart, was slain in a "syndicate killing" was under consideration.
The woman, dressed all in black, told the employe who handled the shipment her last name was "Fedele" and that she lived in the Belmont Hotel at Newark. Nobody at the hotel had heard of her.
She paid $57.50 to ship the body and gave the employe a 55-cent tip.
The trunk was addressed to "Janet Farise, San Francisco," with the notation "Will call." Homicide Inspectors Gus Coreris and John Fotinos have been unable to locate anyone of that name here and doubt that such a person exists.
The victim, described as "hulking," weighed around 190 pounds, Coroner Henry Turkel said, and was attired in red trousers and a white silk jacket. He had been dead 10 days, Turkel said.
[...]
Officials became suspicious when they smelled an odor and observed that the trunk was sealed with surgical tape.
"Mystery Woman Described In S.F. Trunk Murder Case," Oakland Tribune, 11 April 1968, 1, 2.
[part 1] [part 2]
She signed the receipt "Gerry Fidele" and was described as about 5 feet 2, 120 pounds, greying hair, in her 50's and wearing a black dress, black coat and stylish black hat.
[...]
A single bullet had entered through the back below the left shoulder blade, passed through the heart, nicked a rib and lodged just under the skin on the chest.
Decomposition had wiped out facial features.
The body had been hog tied with heavy twine with the knees drawn up to the face by the cord tied around the man's neck.
He was dressed in red pajamas and an undershirt and wrapped in a bedsheet. Extra space in the 38 by 21 by 23 inch trunk was stuffed with brightly colored sofa pillows. There were mothballs in the bottom.
"Man's Body Found In Trunk in SF," Press Democrat [Santa Rosa, CA], 11 April 1968, 27.
"Trunk Victim Had Recent Surgery," Central New Jersey Home News [New Brunswick, NJ], 14 April 1968, 10.
An autopsy disclosed that the murdered man who was expressed here in a steamer trunk had undergone recent head surgery and still had a drainage tube in his skull, coroner's officers has announced.
"Hope Dental Charts Identify Man in Trunk," News [Paterson, NJ], 3 June 1968, 14.
An autopsy of the badly decomposed body showed he died from a .32-caliber gunshot wound. The sheet wrapped around the victim bore the name of a hotel. Kinney said police checked out all hotels with the name without turning up any clues.
Demographics
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 50-80
Estimated Year of Death: 1968
Estimated PMI: N/A (News reports say 10 days)
Height: 5'7" (67 inches), Measured
Weight: 116 lbs, Measured (News reports say he weighed around 180-190 lbs)
Cause of Death: Homicide by gunshot to back
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: April 10, 1968
NamUs Case Created: August 30, 2011
ME/C QA Reviewed: August 31, 2011
Location Found: San Francisco, California
County: San Francisco County
Circumstances of Recovery: A black steamer trunk sealed with surgical tape was received at the Railway Express Agency from the Newark Railway Express terminal, Newark, New Jersey. It was sent by a middle-aged white female with greying hair dressed in all black, approximately 5-feet-2-inches tall and 120 pounds, who gave the name "Gerry Fidele."
Railway Express explained that they had picked up the trunk from "Gerry" at the Belmont Hotel in Newark on April 1, but none of the workers at the hotel had heard of "Gerry." The trunk was addressed to "Janet Farise, San Francisco," with a note saying "Will call." Authorities could find no record of a "Janet Farise" in San Francisco and believe it was a fake name.
On April 10, Railway Express workers in San Francisco's Bayview District noticed a very foul odor coming from the trunk. Platform worker Dirk Vandenakker peeled back the surgical tape on the trunk and saw a shoulder poking out from underneath a bedsheet.
The man had been hog-tied with heavy twine, with his knees pulled up to his face. An autopsy revealed the man had been killed by a .32-caliber single gunshot wound to the back, just below the left shoulder. He was wrapped in a bedsheet which bore the name of an undisclosed hotel and surrounded by pillows. Police checked with all hotels of the name on the sheet but it produced no leads.
Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color: Gray or Partially Gray
Head Hair Description: Sparse, receding at the forehead and temples
Eye Color: Brown
Distinctive Physical Features: He had a drainage tube in his skull and may have recently undergone head surgery.
Clothing and Accessories
- Inside the trunk: 4 sheets, 2 pillows; 3 men's shirts; 2 pillow cases; 2 sofa cushions. terry cloth robe; 2 wash clothes; a quilt
- Undershirt size 42; red pajama bottoms (On the Body)
- Socks (On the Body)
News Coverage
"Grisly Find in A Trunk: Body of Man Shipped Here," San Francisco Examiner, 10 April 1968, 3.
The body of a man was found here today in a steamer trunk shipped from Newark, N.J. to the Railway Express Agency facility in the Bayview District.
The body, swathed in what appeared to be a bedsheet and cushioned by gaily colored sofa pillows, had been shipped from Newark by train on April 4. Mothballs had been sprinkled in the bedding.
[...]
The body was discovered by Dirk Vandenakker, 24, a platform worker at the express office at 1815 Egbert St.
Vandenakker told Homicide Inspector Gus Coreris he had noted an offensive odor from the trunk. He said he ripped off the surgical tape sealing the lid, opened the trunk and viewed the bare arm and shoulder of a woman.
"Shipped By 'Little Old Lady': Trunk Murder Mystery," San Francisco Examiner, 11 April 1968, 3.
Detective Dan Scurese of Newark said the woman, described as "tiny, with greying hair," called Railway Express employes' attention to the trunk and paid the freight charge.
"The employes said the trunk was on the loading platform when they first saw it," Scurese continued. "A tiny woman obviously couldn't have got it there without help."
The detective said also that the possibility the victim, who had been shot through the heart, was slain in a "syndicate killing" was under consideration.
The woman, dressed all in black, told the employe who handled the shipment her last name was "Fedele" and that she lived in the Belmont Hotel at Newark. Nobody at the hotel had heard of her.
She paid $57.50 to ship the body and gave the employe a 55-cent tip.
The trunk was addressed to "Janet Farise, San Francisco," with the notation "Will call." Homicide Inspectors Gus Coreris and John Fotinos have been unable to locate anyone of that name here and doubt that such a person exists.
The victim, described as "hulking," weighed around 190 pounds, Coroner Henry Turkel said, and was attired in red trousers and a white silk jacket. He had been dead 10 days, Turkel said.
[...]
Officials became suspicious when they smelled an odor and observed that the trunk was sealed with surgical tape.
"Mystery Woman Described In S.F. Trunk Murder Case," Oakland Tribune, 11 April 1968, 1, 2.
[part 1] [part 2]
She signed the receipt "Gerry Fidele" and was described as about 5 feet 2, 120 pounds, greying hair, in her 50's and wearing a black dress, black coat and stylish black hat.
[...]
A single bullet had entered through the back below the left shoulder blade, passed through the heart, nicked a rib and lodged just under the skin on the chest.
Decomposition had wiped out facial features.
The body had been hog tied with heavy twine with the knees drawn up to the face by the cord tied around the man's neck.
He was dressed in red pajamas and an undershirt and wrapped in a bedsheet. Extra space in the 38 by 21 by 23 inch trunk was stuffed with brightly colored sofa pillows. There were mothballs in the bottom.
"Man's Body Found In Trunk in SF," Press Democrat [Santa Rosa, CA], 11 April 1968, 27.
"Trunk Victim Had Recent Surgery," Central New Jersey Home News [New Brunswick, NJ], 14 April 1968, 10.
An autopsy disclosed that the murdered man who was expressed here in a steamer trunk had undergone recent head surgery and still had a drainage tube in his skull, coroner's officers has announced.
"Hope Dental Charts Identify Man in Trunk," News [Paterson, NJ], 3 June 1968, 14.
An autopsy of the badly decomposed body showed he died from a .32-caliber gunshot wound. The sheet wrapped around the victim bore the name of a hotel. Kinney said police checked out all hotels with the name without turning up any clues.
at this line in the Oakland Tribune item: "[The worker/s] noticed a slight odor initially but paid no attention because biological specimens are sometimes shipped in that manner."
