Identified! CT - East Haven, Frontage Rd behind former Bradlees store, WhtFem 18-28, UP10796, Wrapped in Paint-Spotted Tarp, Aug'75 - Patricia Meleady Newsome

[Curious_in_NC]

I also noticed this case. The UID was skeletal and unrecognizable, so I'm not sure how representative this sketch is. I wanted to share the link as the general age range matches, and she also had dark auburn hair. She was also wearing a distinctive ring. (Not the ring Patricia was mentioned as wearing, but also the type of jewelry people would likely remember.)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

How would they determine she was right handed? By the location of the jewelry?

You're quite right that it's a distinctive ring. The St. Gaudens coin was a $20 double eagle gold coin. It would be worth quite a lot, just based on gold prices, although modifying it for a ring would certainly detract from its further value as a rare coin. Even 40 years ago it would have been worth quite a lot more than $20. I think that would rule out robbery as a motive.

Saint Gaudens Gold Coins | US St. Gaudens | St. Gaudens Coin | U.S. Rare Coins | Buy Rare Coins | Sell Rare Coins

 

[Warwick1991]

How would they determine she was right handed? By the location of the jewelry?

You're quite right that it's a distinctive ring. The St. Gaudens coin was a $20 double eagle gold coin. It would be worth quite a lot, just based on gold prices, although modifying it for a ring would certainly detract from its further value as a rare coin. Even 40 years ago it would have been worth quite a lot more than $20. I think that would rule out robbery as a motive.

Saint Gaudens Gold Coins | US St. Gaudens | St. Gaudens Coin | U.S. Rare Coins | Buy Rare Coins | Sell Rare Coins

The ring might have been made in the 1930s, and be a keepsake from a relative. After a law was passed in 1933 in the US limiting private ownership of gold coins, many people made their gold coins into jewelry to prevent seizure.

 

[theshadow45]

Not much to go on, but possibly CASE NUMBER - 1068UFNY? This Jane Doe was found in 1978 and is believed to have died around 3 years prior to her discovery. She is described as being approximately 18-22, had long, light brown hair, was about 5’3” tall, had previously broken her collarbone, and had 10 amalgam fillings in her teeth. A gold ring engraved with “D.E.C.” was found nearby. Both her dentals and DNA are available. Thread: NY - NY - East Islip, WhtFem 15-23, UP11774, in shallow grave, ring w/ D.E.C, clog shoe, belt, Apr'78.

 

[Beekarina]

Not much to go on, but possibly CASE NUMBER - 1068UFNY? This Jane Doe was found in 1978 and is believed to have died around 3 years prior to her discovery. She is described as being approximately 18-22, had long, light brown hair, was about 5’3” tall, had previously broken her collarbone, and had 10 amalgam fillings in her teeth. A gold ring engraved with “D.E.C.” was found nearby. Both her dentals and DNA are available. Thread: NY - NY - East Islip, WhtFem 15-23, UP11774, in shallow grave, ring w/ D.E.C, clog shoe, belt, Apr'78.

I've looked at this unidentified for other cases, and only just now thought to really wonder about the notation in the case "the metopic suture is patent". i.e. it is "open". I learned for most people, it closes in the first year or two of life, and then say 1-8 years.

If I have understood correctly, one that persists to adulthood can be attributed to heredity/ethnicity. So, *if* this Jane Doe was Patricia, any family members who have had MRIs of the brain might show similar cranial structure?

This is only one link I stumbled on. A Persistent Metopic Suture: A Case Report

 

[theshadow45]

Patricia has been missing for about 48 years now.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

In this 2022 it will be 47 years since the discovery of this Jane Doe, I have been following this case for a while and I would really be very happy if @othram would get involved to solve this mystery and that the New Haven County Jane Doe has her identity again.

 

[carbuff]

Rule outs listed on Namus:

MP3259 Sheryl Tillinghast 09/24/1973 Dutchess NY

MP26809 Rory Kesinger 05/27/1973 Plymouth MA

MP14223 Teresa Davis 11/01/1973 Pierce WA

MP5533 Denise Sheehy 07/07/1970 Queens NY

MP5426 Deborah Spickler 07/24/1968 Tolland CT

No new exclusions The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Beekarina]

Curious if there have been any updates?

ETA: found the Facebook page. Gedmatch is a very cool site. On the rare chance Patricia went missing voluntarily, it is always possible a surprise DNA match could appear. I hope her sister knows how to check her new matches on the site. It can be a little confusing, and not as "user friendly" initially.

 

[HmmMysterious]

I'm a member of Patricia's FB group "Find Patricia Newsome". Her sister posted yesterday that she spoke with an estranged family member who said that Patricia went to school near Monticello, New York. She became friends with a girl whose family lived in Maine. Patricia then decided to go to Maine to be close to that girl and her family. It's been revealed that Patricia was sent to boarding school because she caused "a great deal of troubles" at home.

There hasn't been any updates regarding the DNA comparison between Patricia and Lady of the Dunes due to backlog.

 

[HmmMysterious]

Patricia's sister made a new post today in the FB group in which she confirms that Patricia had an overbite. Patricia wore braces that were implemented by a dentist in Philadelphia. Patricia went to a "regular boarding school" not something like Elan, although I don't know what Elan is.

 

[Bit of hope]

Possible this UID? Estimated age is off.

CA - CA - Los Angeles Co, WhtFem 20-30, UP4456, drug overdose, maybe name 'Patty', Dec'75

I was thinking of her as well when I got through older missing cases with the name Patricia (for another unidentified woman with possible name Patricia G., found this year) and saw Patricia Newsom added last year. Age would be a bit off, but there is so little info on the Jane Doe found in LA, 1975), it might as well be Patricia N.

 

[Bit of hope]

The Facebook group created for Patricia is interesting, has lot of background information and is well set up. Great job family!
FindPatriciaNewsom | brother, clinton, mother, father, trisha, little, december, patricia, i’m, family, contact, wasn’t, moved, oldest, youngest, allowed, visiting, because, around, questions

Considering the ring with a catholic origin (that probably was her mother's) and the catholic cemetery where Patricia's mother was buried I wondered if @druidsmoon22 your family (still) professed the Catholic faith in those days?

I ask because Patricia could have attended a catholic school near Monticello, NY and/or a boarding school. Just to make the search less broad for starters.

Also I want to add that on Patricia's picture as a young girl she seems to have a small, but noticeable, cleft in the chin, like I see on your mother's picture. It may be of help somehow, f.i. if there is a good recon of a Jane Doe, although I'm not sure this would still be noticeable on a skull, without soft tissue.

 

[Beekarina]

Wow. Her poor sister really has been through so much. I hope somehow Patricia also just "walked away", and perhaps she is out there alive somewhere?

 

[dotr]

Missing Person / NamUs #MP81350 | NamUs (ojp.gov)

''MISSING
Date of Last Contact
January 1, 1974
Missing From
unknown, New York
Missing Age
16 Years
Current Age
64 Years
Missing Age
16 Years
Current Age
64 Years


First Name
Patricia
Middle Name
M.
Last Name
Newsom
Nickname/Alias
--
Sex
Female
Race / Ethnicity
White / Caucasian
Height
5'-5" - 5'-9" (65 - 69 inches)
Weight
130 - 160 lbs
Last Known Location (Map)
Location
unknown, New York
County
Ulster County
Hair Color
Red/Auburn''
Possibly wearing a ring, "Cecilian Academy, 1952" with a blue stone''

 

[Bit of hope]

Is her exact DOB known. As family memory faded a bit...could 16 be an approx date as January 1 is a default date. From Family Search. Her DOB is
20 June 1957 but she might have changed it, along with her name from Newsom to Newsome.

 

[Bit of hope]

Sorry, I'm messing things up....also from Family search. I can't link because I would give away my real name, while I'm logged in.

 

[AW23]

CT police seek to identify 1975 homicide victim. First, they had to find her grave

A woman’s body was found in East Haven nearly 50 years ago. As police prepared for a...

www.nhregister.com

 

[AW23]

It's still amazing how little coverage this case gets. One article in the New Haven Register mentioned they were getting DNA while I think the DOe Network said DNA is available. Here's hoping it will lead to genetic genealogy and ID.

CT police seek to identify 1975 homicide victim. First, they had to find her grave

A woman’s body was found in East Haven nearly 50 years ago. As police prepared for a...

www.nhregister.com

 

[victoriarobinson642]

CT police seek to identify 1975 homicide victim. First, they had to find her grave

A woman’s body was found in East Haven nearly 50 years ago. As police prepared for a...

www.nhregister.com

Jane Doe’s grave was unmarked, and the team searching for her resting place found sparse burial records. Nothing at Town Hall showed the grave’s exact location.

One advance gives investigators hope: DNA technology.

In August 2020, police chose a genealogy company to which to send samples, Murgo said.

But several attempts to obtain a full genetic profile have failed. The department only had the victim’s pubic bone, which is one of the worst for DNA testing, according to police.

“Once we started to really jump into the genealogy side of it … every email we got - we got excited when it came into our inbox,” said Murgo. “We’d be let down every time because it was always bad news.”

 

[AW23]

Picture of East Haven Jane Doe where found on August 16, 1975, from New Haven Register story by Meghan Friedmann