Identified! MA - Provincetown, Race Point, 'Lady in the Dunes' WhtFem 27-49, UP11840, Jul'74 - Ruth Marie Terry

[carbuff]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)


What about her? Was added today

Her name is Patricia Newsom, from New York somewhere, very little other information given. She was only 16 in 1974, so quite a bit younger than most of the age estimates. Height and weight are in range.

"Possibly wearing a ring, "Cecilian Academy, 1952" with a blue stone." Cecilian Academy is a girls' high school in Philadelphia; the date is right for the ring to have been her mother's.

Quite a resemblance:

 

[MarziPanda]

She is way below the age estimate, but she doesn't look 16 in the picture either. And the resemblance is striking.

 

[Alleykins]

That is a striking resemblance between Patricia and the Jane Doe
Ages have been off before, so hopefully she will automatically be compared if they build a DNA profile for her.

 

[landis]

wow in that photo Patricia looks MUCH older than 16. maybe it's the style or low quality but she has this "more mature" look

 

[CCJD]

I'd say Patricia is already being looked at by MA LE.

Contact info in NamUs for Patricia is:

Case Owner
Massachusetts State Police
(508) 362-8113

Agency Case Number 2015-102-362

That phone # is for
Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office
3231 Main St., Barnstable, MA, 02630
(508) 362-8113
Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office

Barnstable County is where PTown is.

 

[Alleykins]

I'd say Patricia is already being looked at by MA LE.

Contact info in NamUs for Patricia is:

Case Owner
Massachusetts State Police
(508) 362-8113

Agency Case Number 2015-102-362

That phone # is for
Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office
3231 Main St., Barnstable, MA, 02630
(508) 362-8113
Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office

Barnstable County is where PTown is.

Sounds like it, if the MSP is the contact information and not NY, where she went missing.

 

[Doeologist]

Faces will look more alike if they have the same expression. They can at first be taken as a match when they are as similar on second look.

There are multiple artist sketches of the Lady of the Dunes, quite different but the artists guess and interpret things differently and often slightly exaggerates certain prominent features to trigger people's memory. It appears as though the LoTD would have a strong chin which would be exaggerated with a small mouth.

 

[Ursamajr]

Her name is Patricia Newsom, from New York somewhere, very little other information given. She was only 16 in 1974, so quite a bit younger than most of the age estimates. Height and weight are in range.

"Possibly wearing a ring, "Cecilian Academy, 1952" with a blue stone." Cecilian Academy is a girls' high school in Philadelphia; the date is right for the ring to have been her mother's.

Quite a resemblance:

View attachment 301212 View attachment 301213

Wow! A striking resemblance for sure.

 

[carbuff]

I'd say Patricia is already being looked at by MA LE.

Contact info in NamUs for Patricia is:

Case Owner
Massachusetts State Police
(508) 362-8113

Agency Case Number 2015-102-362

That phone # is for
Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office
3231 Main St., Barnstable, MA, 02630
(508) 362-8113
Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office

Barnstable County is where PTown is.

Wow, I didn't notice that. Yeah, that sure looks like they're investigating.

I tried to poke around for family or other background, but mostly what I'm getting are a million articles referencing the California governor

 

[Bit of hope]

If I hear the name Patricia I'm always thinking about this woman. Still looking out for this Jane Doe.

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

 

[carbuff]

If I hear the name Patricia I'm always thinking about this woman. Still looking out for this Jane Doe.

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

This Patricia would definitely be a possibility for that woman. Doesn't seem to be much information to go by in either case.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Her name is Patricia Newsom, from New York somewhere, very little other information given. She was only 16 in 1974, so quite a bit younger than most of the age estimates. Height and weight are in range.

"Possibly wearing a ring, "Cecilian Academy, 1952" with a blue stone." Cecilian Academy is a girls' high school in Philadelphia; the date is right for the ring to have been her mother's.

Quite a resemblance:

View attachment 301212 View attachment 301213

The case contact for her and for LOTD at MSP listed in NamUs are the same person so they clearly are considering her as a match.
The picture, however, doesn't look at all like a typical 16 year old girl would look in 1974. Could it possibly be a picture of her mother they used there instead of her?

 

[snowgoose]

Or maybe, say, that's a picture of Patricia at 16 in 1954 and she actually went missing at 36 in 1974, but the family didn't have a more recent photo, and there was a miscommunication about her age?

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Or maybe, say, that's a picture of Patricia at 16 in 1954 and she actually went missing at 36 in 1974, but the family didn't have a more recent photo, and there was a miscommunication about her age?

That sounds quite plausible. I couldn't find a 1952 Cecilian yearbook but the style of the photo and clothes look like a bit like the ones of seniors from their 1950 yearbook that was available. Still in that one photo of Patricia she looks older than 16.

 

[carbuff]

That sounds quite plausible. I couldn't find a 1952 Cecilian yearbook but the style of the photo and clothes look like a bit like the ones of seniors from their 1950 yearbook that was available. Still in that one photo of Patricia she looks older than 16.

I had assumed the 1952 date made the ring likely her mother's, but the age discrepancy seems possible as well.

 

[Susikatze]

Or maybe, say, that's a picture of Patricia at 16 in 1954 and she actually went missing at 36 in 1974, but the family didn't have a more recent photo, and there was a miscommunication about her age?

Agree. Which 16 year old sports a mouth with 7 gold crowns? Unlikely

 

[carbuff]

Agree. Which 16 year old sports a mouth with 7 gold crowns? Unlikely

I would believe 7 porcelain or ceramic crowns. That was kind of a fashion thing in the sixties, apparently, if your teeth were naturally too yellow or too pointy. Cosmetic dentistry, "having your teeth capped," and similar names.

And as I consult Google, I see that it's still a thing. Huh.

 

[Doeologist]

Brenda Sue Lefler, according to this, had all 7 gold crowns in the right place. But the dentals were ruled inconclusive because LoTD had one extra tooth not on Lefler's chart. I assume it was a chart and not an x-ray because the S. Sgt. goes on to say that "further analysis might overcome these discrepancies". Presumably that includes further analysis on Lefler's daughter's DNA which came in initially as a close familial match.

 

[Alleykins]

I wonder about Brenda Sue.
In a news article, it mentions she has diabetes and needs insulin.
Wouldn't diabetes show up in an autopsy?

 

[Feme98]

I wonder about Brenda Sue.
In a news article, it mentions she has diabetes and needs insulin.
Wouldn't diabetes show up in an autopsy?

I think that it would have been visible.

I don’t know if the blood is tested for presence of any illness or disease that the UID could have had in life.