WI Ida Lowry. April 23, 1960 unsolved

[Ms. Sleuth]

The Unsolved Murder of the Mysterious Ida Lowry
"It was April 23, 1960, about 12:30 a.m. Edwin Smith was driving home, heading north along North Plankinton Avenue. As he passed the 400 block, between Clybourn and St. Paul avenues, he heard a woman crying out for help. He stopped his car and rushed to a nearby alleyway. There, he found 76-year-old Ida Lowry, badly beaten and covered in blood. He tried to lift the poor woman, but she screamed in agony. He ran off and phoned the police. Just over an hour later, the woman died at a nearby hospital".

"As the years passed, the Lowry case became one of the city’s most notorious unsolved murders. It remains today an open file with the Milwaukee Police Department."

 

[PayrollNerd]

If that evidence from her and the suspects has been preserved well perhaps DNA could be tested.

 

[Ms. Sleuth]

The article did state: "A week after the crime, a 24-year-old man being held on a drunk and disorderly charge admitted to police that he might have committed the crime. He said he was in the area at the time of the murder and was prone to long periods of alcohol-induced amnesia. The year before, he had been convicted of an attempted rape on a woman committed in nearly the same way the Lowry rape was committed. But, once again, analysis of his clothes by the state crime lab eliminated him as a suspect".

After reading the article, it seems they did this testing around 1960 so if they still have the DNA from the mans clothes in a database, they could use geneaology retest the DNA and compare it with DNA in the current databases. I am not sure on how this all works but from what i have read with other cases, I think if they look into the DNA again today, they could come up with some results.

 

[PayrollNerd]

The article did state: "A week after the crime, a 24-year-old man being held on a drunk and disorderly charge admitted to police that he might have committed the crime. He said he was in the area at the time of the murder and was prone to long periods of alcohol-induced amnesia. The year before, he had been convicted of an attempted rape on a woman committed in nearly the same way the Lowry rape was committed. But, once again, analysis of his clothes by the state crime lab eliminated him as a suspect".

After reading the article, it seems they did this testing around 1960 so if they still have the DNA from the mans clothes in a database, they could use geneaology retest the DNA and compare it with DNA in the current databases. I am not sure on how this all works but from what i have read with other cases, I think if they look into the DNA again today, they could come up with some results.

I hope so. Back then evidence testing was in its infancy. CODIS, DNA analysis, even a fresh pair of eyes and reinterviewing people would help.

 

[Ms. Sleuth]

I hope so. Back then evidence testing was in its infancy. CODIS, DNA analysis, even a fresh pair of eyes and reinterviewing people would help.

I am very new to this site, but is this something someone should reach out to someone about and see if they could re-look at the evidence and DNA?

 

[Ms. Sleuth]

I did find where she might be buried
Ida Lowry (1884-1960) buried in Forest Home Cemetery located in Milwaukee, WI | People Legacy

 

[Ms. Sleuth]

What is very interesting about this case is that when looking up her name or anything about her, not much comes up besides the one article that I shared. I am not sure what to look at next with her or what to look into.

 

[PayrollNerd]

What is very interesting about this case is that when looking up her name or anything about her, not much comes up besides the one article that I shared. I am not sure what to look at next with her or what to look into.

After her death there wouldn’t be anything but an obit and a possible article on her case being reopened. If you have an Ancestry account you could look for a family tree. Unless LE specifically mentions a suspect, you can't post about them.

 

[Quoththeraven]

The 24 Apr 1960 issue of The La Crosse Tribune, page 2, states, "Widow, 76, Is Raped, Killed In Milwaukee. Authorities said that except for a meager description of the assailant, furnished by the victim, Mrs. Ida Lowry, before she died, clues were lacking. She told police officers that her attacker was "a big white man" who had said he "works at the bridge." She said that he grabbed her as she walked past the alley, knocked her down and dragged her into the alley...an autopsy indicated that death was shock caused by internal injuries resulting from a "sadistic" sexual assault. Mrs. Lowry was also beaten on the head and body with some sort of weapon, possibly a heavy stick."

 

[PayrollNerd]

The 24 Apr 1960 issue of The La Crosse Tribune, page 2, states, "Widow, 76, Is Raped, Killed In Milwaukee. Authorities said that except for a meager description of the assailant, furnished by the victim, Mrs. Ida Lowry, before she died, clues were lacking. She told police officers that her attacker was "a big white man" who had said he "works at the bridge." She said that he grabbed her as she walked past the alley, knocked her down and dragged her into the alley...an autopsy indicated that death was shock caused by internal injuries resulting from a "sadistic" sexual assault. Mrs. Lowry was also beaten on the head and body with some sort of weapon, possibly a heavy stick."

Can you add a link to the document or article? If not sometimes you can snip / clip it as a photo.

 

[Quoththeraven]

Can you add a link to the document or article? If not sometimes you can snip / clip it as a photo.

Hi, I got that off of Newspapers.com, which can be found under Badgerlink or HeritageQuest. Both are accessible for free through our public library and probably yours, too, using only your library card for access and might be listed under a different name in your state. There wasn't any other evidence-related news in that article that would be helpful to identify the man.

These links also allow you to access censuses, city directories, etc. and other genealogy and search tools, including recent newspapers, periodicals and magazines.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Hi, I got that off of Newspapers.com, which can be found under Badgerlink or HeritageQuest. Both are accessible for free through our public library and probably yours, too, using only your library card for access and might be listed under a different name in your state. There wasn't any other evidence-related news in that article that would be helpful to identify the man.

These links also allow you to access censuses, city directories, etc. and other genealogy and search tools, including recent newspapers, periodicals and magazines.

The Terms of Service (TOS) require a link to reference that’s why I asked. Your post can be deleted without a link.

 

[Quoththeraven]

Can you add a link to the document or article? If not sometimes you can snip / clip it as a photo.

 

[Quoththeraven]

The Terms of Service (TOS) require a link to reference that’s why I asked. Your post can be deleted without a link.

24 Apr 1960, 2 - The La Crosse Tribune at Newspapers.com

 

[Teamir]