citizen_sleuth
Verified family member - Orie Donald Esh thread
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NamUs #UP59200
Demographics
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Uncertain
Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 25-50
Estimated Year of Death: 1969
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'0"-5'5" (60-65 inches), Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate
Cause of Death: Undetermined, probable homicide
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: February 26, 1969
NamUs Case Created: August 5, 2019
ME/C QA Reviewed: N/A
Location Found: Monroe County, Florida
County: Miami-Dade County
Circumstances of Recovery: Two Canadian tourists hunting snakes in the Everglades came across charred human remains in a wooden trunk off Loop Road, roughly 50 miles west of Miami. After stumbling upon the body, the two men drove 10 miles northwest to Monroe Station to report the discovery to police.
Authorities stated that the woman's body, bound with metal coat hangers, had likely been burned within the last two or three days, as there was still a potent smell of gasoline lingering at the scene when detectives arrived. It is believed that the killer placed the trunk containing the woman's body behind a large rock on a slight embankment, doused the body in gasoline, and then tossed a match or burning rag into the open trunk. The fire was so intense that trees up to 20 feet away were seared. Police arrived at this theory based on the fact that the woman's right foot was found 20 feet away from the rest of her remains.
Initially it was speculated that the remains could belong to fugitive Ruth Eisemann-Schier, who was wanted for the kidnapping of 20-year-old Emory University student Barbara Mackle, but a dental comparison eliminated her as being the Jane Doe. Eisemann-Schier was later arrested in Oklahoma in March 1969.
Police also received a second lead a few days after the body was discovered from a woman who claimed she saw a trunk bound with coat hangers tied to the back of a truck in West Hollywood, FL. It was later determined that the two incidents were unrelated.
A bloody woman's wool coat was also found approximately one mile south of the Tamiami Trail in Collier County, three miles away from the where the trunk was found, however it is unclear if the coat is related.
Police also revealed that a Schlage series C key inscribed "Room 6" was found at the scene. At the time, officials said they would begin checking motels in Collier, Dade, and Monroe counties to try and identify which room the key but the results of that investigation are unknown.
Inventory of Remains: Torso not recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Charred/burned
Physical Description
Hair Color: Unknown
Body Hair Description: There is black straight hair on the skin of the remains.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Physical Features: She is missing one tooth in her lower jaw.
Clothing and Accessories
- Yellow bra (On the Body)
- Schlage series C hotel key bearing the inscription "Room 6" (Near the Body)
News Coverage
Jim Savage, "Charred Body In Trunk: Is It Ruth?," Miami Herald, 28 February 1969, 1A, 34A.
[part 1] [part 2]
There was a strong odor of burning at the discovery scene, he said, a distinct smell of gasoline, and light ashes would have been blown away had the body been by the Everglades road very long.
After several hours of inconclusive analysis, investigators Thursday returned to the scene where the skeleton was found to search for missing portions of the skeleton and any other possible clues.
[...]
Two Canadian tourists, Terry R. Young, 32, and Bryan W. Birdgeman, 30, discovered the body and drove about 10 miles northwest from the scene to Monroe Station to report their find to Monroe and Collier county sheriff's investigators.
[...]
"The fire was so intense, trees up to 20 feet away were seared," Sanders said. "The body was so badly burned we could not determine the sex of the victim, but it looked like a small person."
Monroe Sheriff's investigator Sgt. Al Vidal said the smell of gasoline fumes still permeated the scorched area around the trunk -- leading him to estimate the fire had occurred within the last two-days.
"Charred Body Eliminated As That of Mackle Suspect," Tampa Tribune, 1 March 1969, 1C.
The body had been bound with metal coat hangers, dumped in a wooden trunk, doused with gasoline and set afire.
[...]
With the autopsy still incomplete, Contostavlos estimated the skeleton was that of a white female, 20 to 45 years of age. It was burned within the last three days.
Wright Langley, "Tip on Trunk Nets Nothing," Miami Herald, 1 March 1969, B1.
Monroe County sheriff's investigators raced off on an unsuccessful chase up to West Hollywood Friday to check out a report that a woman spotted a trunk lashed to the rear of a car with coathangers.
Sheriff Bobby Brown said his men discovered no connection between the charred body found in a trunk Wednesday in the Everglades and the trunk seen in West Hollywood.
"The timing was wrong," the sheriff explained.
"Police Seek Identity Of Charred Skeleton," Miami Herald, 2 March 1969, C1.
The Metro Homicide Bureau went to work Saturday in an attempt to identify the almost-cremated remains of a woman's body found in the Everglades.
Two snake hunters discovered a severely charred skeleton Wednesday night off Loop Rd. about 50 miles west of Miami in Monroe County.
Saturday police in Monroe County asked the Dade County police for assistance in the investigation and Metro homicide detectives began a search of files for missing persons.
Dr. Dimitri Constostavious, assistant Dade County medical examiner, said a preliminary autopsy indicated that the remains were that of a white female, 20 to 45 years of age. He said the body was badly decomposed before it was put into some sort of a metal-hinged trunk, trussed with about 20 wire coathangers, covered with a flammable liquid -- probably gasoline -- and set afire.
"Woman's Bloody Coat Found In Everglades," Tampa Tribune, 2 March 1969, 17A.
A blood-stained woman's coat was found yesterday about three miles from where a small woman's body was stuffed in a trunk and burned earlier in the week.
Police said a camper found a white, full-length wool coat about one mile south of the Tamiami Trail in Collier County and that it contained labels which may be helpful in identifying the owner.
Tom Smith, "Search for Slayer Stymied," Miami Herald, 8 March 1969, B1.
They do, however, have reasonable cause to believe the murderer is a sloppy, panicky individual.
Much of the theory has been pieced together in recent days, and has to do with the little-known but grisly fact that the woman's right foot was found 20 feet from the rest of her charred remains.
Initially it was believed that the foot may have been blown off in some sort of explosion when the fuel oil used to set the fire was ignited.
This was discounted, however, when the Dade County medical examiner's report revealed that two small bones holding the foot in its socket had been burned loose.
With this knowledge, Monroe investigators have come up with what they now feel is a "reasonably accurate" scene.
They say the trunk was set in place on a slight incline and behind a large rock. The trunk lid was tipped back against the rock, providing a resting place while fuel oil was poured over the body.
The assailant then apparently stepped back several feet to toss a lighted match or rag into the trunk, but in his haste he forgot to completely enclose the woman's body leaving her right foot dangling over the trunk edge.
[...]
The only "solid" clue investigators have is a hotel key bearing the inscription "room 6." The key is a "Schlage series C" make and detectives are presently checking motels in Monroe, Dade and Collier counties to "find a door to fit this key."
Demographics
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Uncertain
Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 25-50
Estimated Year of Death: 1969
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'0"-5'5" (60-65 inches), Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate
Cause of Death: Undetermined, probable homicide
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: February 26, 1969
NamUs Case Created: August 5, 2019
ME/C QA Reviewed: N/A
Location Found: Monroe County, Florida
County: Miami-Dade County
Circumstances of Recovery: Two Canadian tourists hunting snakes in the Everglades came across charred human remains in a wooden trunk off Loop Road, roughly 50 miles west of Miami. After stumbling upon the body, the two men drove 10 miles northwest to Monroe Station to report the discovery to police.
Authorities stated that the woman's body, bound with metal coat hangers, had likely been burned within the last two or three days, as there was still a potent smell of gasoline lingering at the scene when detectives arrived. It is believed that the killer placed the trunk containing the woman's body behind a large rock on a slight embankment, doused the body in gasoline, and then tossed a match or burning rag into the open trunk. The fire was so intense that trees up to 20 feet away were seared. Police arrived at this theory based on the fact that the woman's right foot was found 20 feet away from the rest of her remains.
Initially it was speculated that the remains could belong to fugitive Ruth Eisemann-Schier, who was wanted for the kidnapping of 20-year-old Emory University student Barbara Mackle, but a dental comparison eliminated her as being the Jane Doe. Eisemann-Schier was later arrested in Oklahoma in March 1969.
Police also received a second lead a few days after the body was discovered from a woman who claimed she saw a trunk bound with coat hangers tied to the back of a truck in West Hollywood, FL. It was later determined that the two incidents were unrelated.
A bloody woman's wool coat was also found approximately one mile south of the Tamiami Trail in Collier County, three miles away from the where the trunk was found, however it is unclear if the coat is related.
Police also revealed that a Schlage series C key inscribed "Room 6" was found at the scene. At the time, officials said they would begin checking motels in Collier, Dade, and Monroe counties to try and identify which room the key but the results of that investigation are unknown.
Inventory of Remains: Torso not recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Charred/burned
Physical Description
Hair Color: Unknown
Body Hair Description: There is black straight hair on the skin of the remains.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Physical Features: She is missing one tooth in her lower jaw.
Clothing and Accessories
- Yellow bra (On the Body)
- Schlage series C hotel key bearing the inscription "Room 6" (Near the Body)
News Coverage
Jim Savage, "Charred Body In Trunk: Is It Ruth?," Miami Herald, 28 February 1969, 1A, 34A.
[part 1] [part 2]
There was a strong odor of burning at the discovery scene, he said, a distinct smell of gasoline, and light ashes would have been blown away had the body been by the Everglades road very long.
After several hours of inconclusive analysis, investigators Thursday returned to the scene where the skeleton was found to search for missing portions of the skeleton and any other possible clues.
[...]
Two Canadian tourists, Terry R. Young, 32, and Bryan W. Birdgeman, 30, discovered the body and drove about 10 miles northwest from the scene to Monroe Station to report their find to Monroe and Collier county sheriff's investigators.
[...]
"The fire was so intense, trees up to 20 feet away were seared," Sanders said. "The body was so badly burned we could not determine the sex of the victim, but it looked like a small person."
Monroe Sheriff's investigator Sgt. Al Vidal said the smell of gasoline fumes still permeated the scorched area around the trunk -- leading him to estimate the fire had occurred within the last two-days.
"Charred Body Eliminated As That of Mackle Suspect," Tampa Tribune, 1 March 1969, 1C.
The body had been bound with metal coat hangers, dumped in a wooden trunk, doused with gasoline and set afire.
[...]
With the autopsy still incomplete, Contostavlos estimated the skeleton was that of a white female, 20 to 45 years of age. It was burned within the last three days.
Wright Langley, "Tip on Trunk Nets Nothing," Miami Herald, 1 March 1969, B1.
Monroe County sheriff's investigators raced off on an unsuccessful chase up to West Hollywood Friday to check out a report that a woman spotted a trunk lashed to the rear of a car with coathangers.
Sheriff Bobby Brown said his men discovered no connection between the charred body found in a trunk Wednesday in the Everglades and the trunk seen in West Hollywood.
"The timing was wrong," the sheriff explained.
"Police Seek Identity Of Charred Skeleton," Miami Herald, 2 March 1969, C1.
The Metro Homicide Bureau went to work Saturday in an attempt to identify the almost-cremated remains of a woman's body found in the Everglades.
Two snake hunters discovered a severely charred skeleton Wednesday night off Loop Rd. about 50 miles west of Miami in Monroe County.
Saturday police in Monroe County asked the Dade County police for assistance in the investigation and Metro homicide detectives began a search of files for missing persons.
Dr. Dimitri Constostavious, assistant Dade County medical examiner, said a preliminary autopsy indicated that the remains were that of a white female, 20 to 45 years of age. He said the body was badly decomposed before it was put into some sort of a metal-hinged trunk, trussed with about 20 wire coathangers, covered with a flammable liquid -- probably gasoline -- and set afire.
"Woman's Bloody Coat Found In Everglades," Tampa Tribune, 2 March 1969, 17A.
A blood-stained woman's coat was found yesterday about three miles from where a small woman's body was stuffed in a trunk and burned earlier in the week.
Police said a camper found a white, full-length wool coat about one mile south of the Tamiami Trail in Collier County and that it contained labels which may be helpful in identifying the owner.
Tom Smith, "Search for Slayer Stymied," Miami Herald, 8 March 1969, B1.
They do, however, have reasonable cause to believe the murderer is a sloppy, panicky individual.
Much of the theory has been pieced together in recent days, and has to do with the little-known but grisly fact that the woman's right foot was found 20 feet from the rest of her charred remains.
Initially it was believed that the foot may have been blown off in some sort of explosion when the fuel oil used to set the fire was ignited.
This was discounted, however, when the Dade County medical examiner's report revealed that two small bones holding the foot in its socket had been burned loose.
With this knowledge, Monroe investigators have come up with what they now feel is a "reasonably accurate" scene.
They say the trunk was set in place on a slight incline and behind a large rock. The trunk lid was tipped back against the rock, providing a resting place while fuel oil was poured over the body.
The assailant then apparently stepped back several feet to toss a lighted match or rag into the trunk, but in his haste he forgot to completely enclose the woman's body leaving her right foot dangling over the trunk edge.
[...]
The only "solid" clue investigators have is a hotel key bearing the inscription "room 6." The key is a "Schlage series C" make and detectives are presently checking motels in Monroe, Dade and Collier counties to "find a door to fit this key."
