NC NC - Wilmington, BlkFem & BlkMale, UP94348 &94346, 18-29, skulls and bones in field, Mar'62

[Romulus]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP94348
Female, Black / African American
Date Body Found: March 1, 1962
Location Found: Wilmington, North Carolina
Estimated Age Range: 18-29 Years

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP94346
Male, Black / African American
Date Body Found: March 1, 1962
Location Found: Wilmington, North Carolina
Estimated Age Range: 18-29 Years

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Circumstances of Recovery: Assistance in this investigation was requested on 03/06/1962, by Sheriff Millis of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. On or about 02/28/1962, or 03/01/1962, two human skulls and a quantity of human bones were discovered by a bulldozer operator in a field being excavated by the Timne Corporation of Wilmington, which is in New Hanover County. This discovery was reported to Sheriff Millis on 03/06/1962. The above bones were taken to Dr. Geoffrey Coe of the Department of Anthropology at the Memorial Hospital of the University of North Carolina for anthropological examination in order to determine the age and other pertinent information concerning these bones. In November of 2021 the remains were taken to Dr Ann Ross at the North Carolina Human Identification and Forensic Analysis Laboratory.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

The address that pops up when you click the maps link from the NamUs page is 2903 Despain drive, Wilmington, NC 28403 (although the marker shows the intersection of Oleander/S College for some reason). Despain drive is near UNCW and the current location is student housing. I've never heard of this case and am a local to the area. I wish we had more information. At first I thought of the two skeletons found in Carolina Beach in the 40's (Leila and Mary Rachel Bryan's case they are mentioned).

 

[MadMcGoo]

7 Mar 1962, 2 - The Charlotte Observer at Newspapers.com

www.newspapers.com

 

[MadMcGoo]

21 Mar 1962, Page 2 - Asheville Citizen-Times at Newspapers.com

www.newspapers.com

The Charlotte Observer 21 Mar 1962, page 6 - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Charlotte Observer dated 21 Mar 1962, page 6.

www.newspapers.com

Buried about 50 years.
Male: 20-30 years old, 5’8”
Female: 18-25 years old, 5’4”

 

[MadMcGoo]

I wonder why the renewed interest in identifying them. They were pretty quick to close the case back then. ETA: And why no other remains? If this was a known burial grounds.

 

[Susikatze]

I wonder why the renewed interest in identifying them. They were pretty quick to close the case back then. ETA: And why no other remains? If this was a known burial grounds.

It is normal for excavations due to construction work to only secure graves within the actual construction area. Of a whole cemetery you often only find a few graves.
Since it was a small makeshift cemetery connected to a local yellow fever outbreak in the early 1900s, there is not a huge amount of burials.

I wonder why there is a renewed interest in the case.

Two scenarios:

1. It is a documented burial site and the remains are without doubt buried more than 50 years in a regular fashion. Maybe even with some pieces of evidence such as grommets from clothing, shoeclips, coins etc. that date the burials accurately as "historic" and no foul play.

In the last years for whatever reason there seems an odd tendency to try to identify archeological burial sites via genetic genealogy. I get it for "celebrities" such as Richard III of England but i dont understand why money and time is dedicated to random 19th or early 2th century documented burials, identifying someone nobody knows anymore anyway. DDP has a few of those I think and others. But just my own opinion. And i am an archeologist...but i think that money could go towards an UID that disappeared and who is missed by someone.

2. There are doubts whether they are historical burials or may be victims of foul play. Or there are doubts about the timeline or they are looking for two missing people from the area that would match the timeline and description.

 

[MadMcGoo]

It is normal for excavations due to construction work to only secure graves within the actual construction area. Of a whole cemetery you often only find a few graves.
Since it was a small makeshift cemetery connected to a local yellow fever outbreak in the early 1900s, there is not a huge amount of burials.

I wonder why there is a renewed interest in the case.

Two scenarios:

1. It is a documented burial site and the remains are without doubt buried more than 50 years in a regular fashion. Maybe even with some pieces of evidence such as grommets from clothing, shoeclips, coins etc. that date the burials accurately as "historic" and no foul play.

In the last years for whatever reason there seems an odd tendency to try to identify archeological burial sites via genetic genealogy. I get it for "celebrities" such as Richard III of England but i dont understand why money and time is dedicated to random 19th or early 2th century documented burials, identifying someone nobody knows anymore anyway. DDP has a few of those I think and others. But just my own opinion. And i am an archeologist...but i think that money could go towards an UID that disappeared and who is missed by someone.

2. There are doubts whether they are historical burials or may be victims of foul play. Or there are doubts about the timeline or they are looking for two missing people from the area that would match the timeline and description.

I appreciate your insight! I agree those two scenarios are most likely. Will be interesting to follow.

 

[HopeRains]

There have been some articles over the last year-ish regarding Dr. Ross and work with NC Unidentified Project and partnering with RTI/Namus. NC Unidentified Project has had quite a few successes within the last year (approximately, I believe) reported in news articles where local LE agencies (related to where the body was recovered) indicate they are partnering/have partnered with the NC Unidentified Project. Charlotte-Mecklenburg announced such recently, they have close to 10% of the NC UID cases in Namus.

Ross Lab Receives Grant to Work With National Missing and Unidentified Persons System

I can't speak to the case in this thread, or any of the older (1956-1962) cases published since Aug 19 on Namus. I did note however, that these are the only NC cases where the contributor is not identified in the Namus case record. I believe in all others, the contributor is the Ofc, Chief Medical Examiner's Office out of Raleigh.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The DNA Doe Project has identified a few disturbed graveyards' unidentified people, maybe they (or a similar group) are taking on the case.

 

[cheemsg]

The NamUs says they were sent for forensic analysis in December 2021. Maybe they found the death is more recent than they thought?