FL FL - Female, 18-25, Deformed Neck Vertebrae, UP57496, Cuban Bra, Miami, 19 Apr 1971

[Gardener1850]

NamUs #UP57496

Sex: Female
Race / Ethnicity: Uncertain
Height 5' 4"-5' 8"(64-68 inches) , Estimated
Weight Cannot Estimate

Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Unknown or Missing

Deformity
There is a possibility that the decedent may have been stooped over, had a stiff neck, or had difficulty bending her head due to a congenital deformity of the neck vertebrae.

Clothing
White, front buttoning, shift dress covered with pink, yellow, and green flowers.
Heavy knit cardigan sweater
Bra- size unknown- Cuban made Belinda brand

Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Found: April 19, 1971
NamUs Case Created: May 21, 2019

Location Found Map
General Location SW 195 Avenue and Old Cutler Road Miami, Florida 33157
County: Miami-Dade County

Circumstances of Recovery
On April 19, 1971, remains were found by mosquito controllers in a shallow grave.

Details of Recovery

Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Blueberry2720]

Any guesstimate of age range for deceased? If wearing a bra, clearly at or past puberty.

 

[Gardener1850]

Any guesstimate of age range for deceased? If wearing a bra, clearly at or past puberty.

Age range is 18-25.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
No known neck issues but other stats much up

 

[Moonwalker9]

Now on doenetwork with reconstruction.

1528UFFL

 

[madamx]

1528UFFL - Unidentified Female

Artists renderings by Samantha Steinberg.

Date of Discovery: April 19, 1971
Location of Discovery: Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Estimated Date of Death: Unknown


State of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 18-25
Race: Hispanic
Sex: Female
Height: 5'4"-5'8"
Weight: Unknown - described as heavyset or large build


Hair: Brown
Eye Color: Unknown


Distinguishing Marks/Features: There is a possibility that the decedent may have been stooped over, had a stiff neck, or had difficulty bending her head due to a congenital deformity of the neck vertebrae.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing:

Belinda brand bra made in Cuba.

Dress - multicolored floral pattern design on a white background.

The shift dress had buttons down the front. Police tracked the dress in 1971 and determined that it may have been given to a woman possibly named "Donna."

A multicolored heavy knit cardigan was also found with the deceased's remains.


Jewelry: NA
Additional Personal Items: NA

Circumstances of Discovery
The deceased was discovered at SW 195th Avenue and Old Cutler Roadby by mosquito control workers at approximately 9:00AM on 04/19/1971.

 

[madamx]

Says police tracked the dress and found that in 1971 it May have been given to a woman named Donna.. .. that is weird. So who gave this dress to this Donna person and did Donna resemble the Unidentified woman they found??
I guess her clothing were not in that bad of shape that they were able to find that out.
Now the Cuban Bra thing is weird too. Cuba was not exporting Bra’s in the 1970s and people were not traveling to Cuba either. People were Fleeing Cuba.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Says police tracked the dress and found that in 1971 it May have been given to a woman named Donna.. .. that is weird. So who gave this dress to this Donna person and did Donna resemble the Unidentified woman they found??
I guess her clothing were not in that bad of shape that they were able to find that out.
Now the Cuban Bra thing is weird too. Cuba was not exporting Bra’s in the 1970s and people were not traveling to Cuba either. People were Fleeing Cuba.

If she were still in a state of putrification - decomp in Miami, in April, while it could have been faster than average because of warm days, the nights can still be cool, especially with an ocean breeze. That would explain why the clothing had not deteriorated much. Perhaps she was in a shelter for abused women and they gave her the dress.

She almost appears to have a Cuban based ethnic origin but I could be wrong. That could explain the Cuban brand bra.

 

[madamx]

I wonder if this girl was one of the Pedro Pan kids from Cuba who ended up in the foster system but whose parents never showed up. Below is a snip from the article explaining it a bit. I also added some photos I found online of some of the Pedro Pan girls.

“Spotlight on Cuba” – Operation Peter Pan: The Real-life Exodus of 14,000 Cuban Children to Miami, Florida


Pedro Pan: A Children’s Exodus from Cuba


Most families were reunited after the Freedom Flights began on December 1, 1965. These flights were agreed upon by both the Cuban and the United States governments primarily to reunify parents and their children. Approximately 90% of children from Operation Peter Pan were reunited with their parents by June 1966. There were several children, however, that never saw their parents again. Their parents may have died or stayed behind to care for an elderly relative. While most children lived with their foster families temporarily, these children remained in the foster care system until they reached adulthood.

 

[HopeRains]

The Miami Herald 22 Apr 1971, pg 20 (newspapers.com)

 

[madamx]

The Miami Herald 22 Apr 1971, pg 20 (newspapers.com)
View attachment 335532

Sadly the more I think about it. This woman was Cuban. She prob left all her family behind in Cuba, which is why she had no one looking for her here.

 

[madamx]

The Miami Herald 22 Apr 1971, pg 20 (newspapers.com)
View attachment 335532

.

Great find thank you.

 

[madamx]

I just have so many questions about that statement below!

The shift dress had buttons down the front. Police tracked the dress in 1971 and determined that it may have been given to a woman possibly named "Donna."

 

[madamx]

Bumping

 

[Hochman]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Larger versions of renderings

 

[BrownBear]

1 Exclusion

MP12536 Verna Smith 02/01/1968 Monterey CA

 

[DS2021]

1 Exclusion
View attachment 427284
MP12536 Verna Smith 02/01/1968 Monterey CA

No new rule outs

 

[aurycore]

I've been to florida twice, especially in the summer, and oh boy the heat is no joke. its very easy to get sunburnt and you'd have to wear alot of sun screen. since this was in spring, i'd assume it would be hotter and it sped up the decomposition process.
I feel like the UID could've been a citizen of cuba? if the bra itself is a cuban brand, its possible she could've left cuba for florida considering their distance oceanwise.

If she were still in a state of putrification - decomp in Miami, in April, while it could have been faster than average because of warm days, the nights can still be cool, especially with an ocean breeze. That would explain why the clothing had not deteriorated much. Perhaps she was in a shelter for abused women and they gave her the dress.

She almost appears to have a Cuban based ethnic origin but I could be wrong. That could explain the Cuban brand bra.

 

[Susikatze]

Her recon appears very distinctively Cuban, mixed race. But it may just be the recon

jmoo

 

[aurycore]

Her recon appears very distinctively Cuban, mixed race. But it may just be the recon

jmoo

she definitely looks cuban imo.
i think for her neck, she likely had klippel-feil syndrome. the recons definitely show that since her neck looks deformed and very stout. or it could be degenerative disc disease?
i tried looking up possible causes for her neck deformities. i think she had the first condition mentioned where the neck isnt fully developed/has an abnormal fusion, hence its why her neck is, again, a little shorter. it can undoubtably cause a stiff neck and some troubles with resucitation, along with many other issues.