Identified! OH - Dobbstown, 'Belle in the Well' WhtFem UP6259, 30-60, in cistern, Apr'81 - Louise Petersen

[Ambercat]

The reconstruction
http://www.irontontribune.com/2012/04/26/model-shows-what-missing-woman-could-have-looked-like/
The article included something I don't remember reading about her before --

The body was found with a bus ticket and a key to a Greyhound Bus Terminal locker.

 

[CarlK90245]

Here she is with two alternative hairstyles:

 

[CarlK90245]

Julia Helen Klachan
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2508dfbc.html

* between 30 to 60 years old. - Check. (Age 31)
* buck teeth - Check.
* about 5 feet, 4 inches - Check (5'4").
* About 140 lbs. - Check (140 lbs).
* In the well six months to a year - Julia went missing a little over 2 years prior.

The circumstances and geography are pretty far off though - The circumstances hint at domestic violence, though that's not necessarily the case. However, if that was the case, I'm not sure how she would get from BC Canada to the backwoods of southern Ohio.

I never did call this one in, but I probably should, despite the geographical problems. Her facial shape is pretty consistent. Since she is from Canada, she isn't going to be on their NamUs or CODIS radar.

 

[CarlK90245]

It says in this article that found with the victim's remains was a Jerry Falwell commemorative coin.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news...ght-to-identify-murder-victim-of-31-years-ago

I had not seen that tidbit of info before.

 

[Jubble]

The article included something I don't remember reading about her before --

Another tidbit: The article from Wednesday (posted by ctaylor) says that the bus ticket was from Ashland, KY to Huntington, W. VA.

The only significant evidence that investigators found at that time was a Trailways bus ticket from Ashland, Ky., to Huntington, W.Va. and a key to a Greyhound bus station locker.

http://www.irontontribune.com/2012/04/25/reconstruction-of-%E2%80%98belle-in-well%E2%80%99-face-to-be-unveiled/

 

[Kat]

IIRC Ashland and Huntington are very close together. Like 15 miles or something like that.

ETA: I can't find dobbstown OH in google maps either but the article CarlK posted said it was the area "Greasy Ridge Rd & McKinney Creek Rd" which is about 118 miles I think from Ashland. (area is south of there is described as Dobbstown). At least as far as I can tell.

 

[Kat]

The ruleouts list has changed from Kat's post. Paulette Jaster has been removed and Ellen Akers added.

Looks like there are 193 or so rule outs now.

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Just north of Chesapeake, OH there is a McKinney Creek Road...which I'm guessing more or less follows McKinney Creek, the area near where she was found. If you look on the map, Huntington, WV and Chesapeake, OH are right across the Ohio River from each other....just a quick trip across the bridge. I am thinking that she used that train ticket, got to Huntington, and then met with trouble there. But Ashland, KY is really close to this general area too. The problem is, I can find NO one who makes a whole lot of sense to be this person, from OH, KY, TN, IN, WV, or VA. Wondering if 1) she wasn't ever reported missing, or 2) She was from further away and the train ticket was from only one leg of a much longer journey.

 

[nerosleuth]

Ashland, Kentucky to Huntington, West Virginia is 15 miles and about a 30 minutes drive.

You can go across the Ashland Bridge into Ohio to get on US Route 52 to get to Huntington. Or you can take US Route 23 in Ashland to Catlettsburg and either take US Route 60 or Interstate 64 to Huntington.

From 1974 to 1998, there used to be an Amtrak station on US Route 23 in Cattletsburg, Kentucky. The Catlettsburg Amtrak station is now abandoned and Amtrak moved the station to Ashland in 1998.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashland,_Kentucky_(Amtrak_station)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilltopper_(Amtrak)

There still is a Greyhound Bus Station in Ashland, Kentucky today.

I believe the Huntington Herald Dispatch article said that the unid had a bus ticket from Ashland to Huntington and a key to a locker at the Huntington Greyhound Bus Station.

But it is possible that the unid victim could have taken either the bus or train between Ashland and Huntington.

I also want to point out that Ashland and Huntington are near Interstate 64. So the unid victim could have come from anywhere.

 

[MawMaw]

A trucker by the name of Edward A. Surratt confessed to the murder of Linda June Hamilton in 2007 while living in FL. She has been missing since September 20, 1977 from Beaver Township, Mahoning County, Ohio. I wonder if he took I77 south heading towards I64 and disposed of her. He declared in an interview that Linda Hamilton's and "Ranee Gregor's bodies "another victom", were "unrecoverable by anybody's standards".

 

[ctaylor]

A new article on this case...

http://www.irontontribune.com/2012/05/15/leads-followed-in-‘belle’-case/

Leads followed in ‘Belle’ case
Published 9:22am Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Clay model sparks interest

Law enforcement continues its detective work as it tries to find the identity of the woman now referred to as the “Belle in the Well.”

In 1981 the remains of a woman was pulled from a cistern near Dobbstown, her body weighted down with concrete blocks tied to her with panty hose. An autopsy performed at the time showed that the body could have lain in the cistern as long as 1979.

Since no one came forward at the time her body was found authorities surmised she was homeless. The body was found with a bus ticket and a key to a Greyhound Bus Terminal locker. Two years ago, County Coroner Dr. Kurt Hofmann put the data from that autopsy into National and Missing Unidentified Persons System to see if there would be a match with any missing women listed. In June the woman’s body was exhumed to take DNA samplings to add to that data.

The article mentions they are looking at Sheila Gail Wears Pierce who went missing from Point Pleasant in West Virginia on 24th June 1978. I could not find Sheila on Doe Network or NAMUS however there a picture and details here on the West Virginia Police website - http://www.statepolice.wv.gov/missing-persons/Pages/MissingPerson_Detail.aspx?personid=17

Sheila Pierce

 

[CarlK90245]

She doesn't fit too closely to BITW's description. She is too young, too tall, and doesn't appear to have buck-teeth.

But it's interesting to see new cold-case MP's not listed in the usual MP sites.

 

[Marilynilpa]

I am curious about the amount of clothing this woman was wearing:

Dark pullover sweater covered with a lightweight shirt. On top was a heavy red cable-knit sweater.

Gray slacks (although I've also seen it reported as blue jeans)

Light-colored lightweight sock on right foot covered by heavyweight red sock.


Doesn't that seem like a lot of heavy clothing? It makes me think this person was expecting to be outdoors and wanted to stay warm. Dressing in layers like that makes sense if you intend to strip off layers as the day gets warmer.

Maybe this could be a clue to the time of year when this woman disappeared - cold enough for layers of clothes, but not cold enough for a coat or jacket?

FYI, there are now 231 rule outs on NamUs for this woman.

 

[webrocket]

interesting. at the documents section of the UID's namus profile is the death certificate. I don't remember seeing that on any of these cases, but I can't say I've looked for it particularly.

at the time of her autopsy, the coroner's office estimated the date of her death to be November 1979.

 

[Marilynilpa]

interesting. at the documents section of the UID's namus profile is the death certificate. I don't remember seeing that on any of these cases, but I can't say I've looked for it particularly.

at the time of her autopsy, the coroner's office estimated the date of her death to be November 1979.

I was surprised to see the death certificate also.

Usually when I check the "documents" on NamUs, there aren't any. The death certificate is a helpful tool, I wish it was included on all the unidentifieds.

 

[Marilynilpa]

One of the articles posted here mentions that at one time LE thought Belle might have been affiliated in some way with a motorcycle group/gang because of the rubber bands on her arms. They said that motorcyclists sometimes use rubber bands to keep their sleeves from flapping around.

This made the wonder again about the amount of clothing this woman was wearing. If she had been riding on a motorcycle, that might account for the layers. If she had hitched a ride with someone on a motorcycle, she might have worn layers to keep warm.

I wonder if there were any motorcycle gatherings, rallies, etc. in the area during the time period Belle wound up in the cistern.

Motorcycles are more mainstream now, but in the 70's and early 80's there were a lot of unsavory motorcycle clubs.

On different note - was it ever mentioned who owned the property on which the cistern was located?

What are the chances that someone just stumbled upon a cistern while looking for a place to dispose of a body?

Also, one article mentioned the two girls saw something floating in the cistern, and this led to Belle's discovery. I wonder if the cistern was open, or if the two girls opened it.

I think I'm overthinking the whole cistern thing!

 

[bflocket]

I am curious about the bus ticket and locker. Was the locker ever checked or looked into? I have never ridden Greyhound or know about their rates (ie per mile, per destination, etc) but I had always thought they were the type you would take from, say Chicago to Atlanta. Not a way you would take to get across town to work.
These towns are all VERY close. A friend (who apparently hadn't gotten around much) was super-excited that we were in three different states within about 15-mins. We're from KY and crossed the Sandy to Huntington (WV), then the Ohio IMO Chesapeake (OH).
That is why I don't understand why you would get a Greyhound (I thought to be a long-distance service) ticket for such a tiny distance. But if the locker was not checked then, it would be impossible to know what she/whoever had in it. That info would likely lead to her identity, or at least provide more clues.

 

[dotr]

Sandra Flynn Fisher was last seen only 20 miles away in Russell Spring KY. (I can't find a Dobbstown OH in Google Maps, but Chesapeake OH is the city listed in NamUs).

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/fisher_sandra.html
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/2236/1

Her listed height (5'4") is within an inch of the 5'3" estimate, and her listed weight 150 is within the 130-150 lb "Living weight" estimate (In the Circumstances Section of the NamUs UP casefile).

Although S Fisher is pictured wearing earrings, they look like clip- ons - her hair is dark but dyed blonde which often fades to reddish,could this be Buckskin girl?

 

[CarlK90245]

Although S Fisher is pictured wearing earrings, they look like clip- ons - her hair is dark but dyed blonde which often fades to reddish,could this be Buckskin girl?

No way, IMO. Her head is too wide at the cheeks, her nose is too small, and her chin too strong.

 

[Shamrocker99]

I am curious about the bus ticket and locker. Was the locker ever checked or looked into? I have never ridden Greyhound or know about their rates (ie per mile, per destination, etc) but I had always thought they were the type you would take from, say Chicago to Atlanta. Not a way you would take to get across town to work.
These towns are all VERY close. A friend (who apparently hadn't gotten around much) was super-excited that we were in three different states within about 15-mins. We're from KY and crossed the Sandy to Huntington (WV), then the Ohio IMO Chesapeake (OH).
That is why I don't understand why you would get a Greyhound (I thought to be a long-distance service) ticket for such a tiny distance. But if the locker was not checked then, it would be impossible to know what she/whoever had in it. That info would likely lead to her identity, or at least provide more clues.

I was thinking the same thing about the bus and wondered about the locker myself. Why hold on to the key to an empty locker??? I would only hold on to it if I left my suitcase or other belongings in there!! Greyhound is used to travel around here, not for small commutes between area cities!!