Match! OH - Strongsville, WhtFem UP15394, 15-25, in Rocky River, Feb'75 - Linda Pagano

[nerosleuth]

Just wish we knew if there was any clothing found at the time. This girl is someone I would regard as having Nordic features but the more I read about Nordic features, the more I become confused.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/sjoberg_catherine.html

I believe that if any kind of clothing had been found on the body, it would have been noted in the coroner’s report.

Had any clothing been found on the unid victim, it would have given investigators a general idea of the unid victim’s height and weight. Any labels or tags found on the clothing could also possibly help investigators determine where the victim came from.

If you were to take into consideration the location and the time of the year (early February 1975) where the unid victim’s body was found, the weather in that area would have been cold and winter like at that time of the year.

I don’t think the body could have decomposed to skeletal remains at that location if the unid victim had been murdered as early as January of 1975. I believe it had to be sometime during 1974 or earlier that the unid victim disappeared and was murdered.

In regard to individuals having Nordic features, I believe that a majority of the immigrants that came from Nordic or Scandinavian nations settled in the upper Midwest region of the United States during the 1800’s.

 

[nerosleuth]

Putting together a summary of what is known about this Jane Doe.

Unidentified White Female

Found February 5, 1975 On the west bank of the Rocky River, 800 Feet west of Eastland Road, in Strongsville, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Physical Characteristics

* Approximate Age: Late Teens or Early 20's
* Height: 61" - 63" (5 feet 1 inch to 5 feet 3 inches)
* Head Hair: Blonde
* Cranial Shape: "Nordic"
* Other Facial Features: "Prominent Nose"​

I just thought of something concerning the hair color.

Is it the unid victim's natural hair color? Or was it dyed to another hair color? Would they be able to determine if a victim's hair color was natural or dyed?

 

[nerosleuth]

Here's a girl from the Detroit, Michigan area who disappeared at that time frame.


http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1589dfmi.html

 

[nerosleuth]

About the park where the body was found, how many public entrances did the park have back then?

Was there only one main entrance for the public to enter the park? Were there any side or back entrances at the park for the public to enter?

 

[ice190]

About the park where the body was found, how many public entrances did the park have back then?

Was there only one main entrance for the public to enter the park? Were there any side or back entrances at the park for the public to enter?

I'll be looking at maps tomorrow. If it's like today, it's just a road going through the place with side streets leading out maybe every mile or two. Some roads are regular traffic routes to get to shopping areas etc.

 

[ice190]

I just thought of something concerning the hair color.

Is it the unid victim's natural hair color? Or was it dyed to another hair color? Would they be able to determine if a victim's hair color was natural or dyed?

I'm pretty sure they'd be able to tell if it were bleached at least (common for blonde). This was a whole section is my highschool semester forensics class. Differences from animals, fibres, between races. I'd imagine this was one of the more developed tools in the 70s.

 

[ice190]

Yesterday I received an email with the autopsy photos that Lt. Don was able to obtain from the ME. He's still waiting to discuss the photos and cause of death with a doctor.

I was also at the library for about five hours. I found an additional four articles, one from The Plain Dealer and three from The Cleveland Press. Nothing that isn't already known was contained in them besides this Jane being checked against Patricia Hearst and ruled out. I was unable to locate any missing persons or articles about suspicious crimes besides this:

The Plain Dealer, Sunday, February 9, 1975
2 hitchhikers abduct woman

A 19-year-old Cleveland woman told the State Highway Patrol she was abducted early yesterday on Interstate 71 by hitchhikers she stopped to aid.

Mary E. Rogers told police she was en route to Cleveland from Parma about 1 a.m. when she stopped for two men she thought were waving for help. She said one of the men slapped her and ordered her to drive to Columbus.

She said she eluded her captors at a service station near Mansfield where she stopped on the pretense her car needed oil. She ran from the station to a patrol post nearby.

Richland County deputy sheriffs are investigating.

After the library I drove through to park until I reached the location where she was found. I am pretty sure the two banks I took photos of are where she was found. There is also a photo of the B&O railroad trestle, to show the height of the thing. I did not find her mandible, unfortunately...

I will likely post the least gruesome photo I was given of the skull CarlK can decide if skull photos should be placed on here, he has access to them now... I feel the photos should only be shown anthropologist or something, besides the fact me obtaining them was a necessary evil? They are pretty gruesome, I pretty much glanced at them. I don't know, I just feel weird about that.

Here is an album of the articles I found as well as the photos I took of the river. Strongsville Doe

 

[CarlK90245]

I took a look at the photos.

They aren't suitable for public viewing, and there aren't any direct looks at the skull that would enable one to get a sense of her facial dimensions.

I don't see that putting them up here would help much for comparison to MP photos.

 

[ice190]

I took a look at the photos.

They aren't suitable for public viewing, and there aren't any direct looks at the skull that would enable one to get a sense of her facial dimensions.

I don't see that putting them up here would help much for comparison to MP photos.

That's how I felt. I just whipped out my drawing tablet and Photoshop for another unidentified case, I might try to piece together the views that are available and use anatomy knowledge to fill in the rest. Should be able to make it 3D and spin to a straight on view. The one photo does have an okay profile view. Give me a few weeks [emoji23]

 

[Migmuu]

This girl was added to NamUs just yesterday.

Helen Allison

Age (18/19 around time of death) is within range
Race (Caucasian) matches
Height (5'3) is within range
Weight (115 pounds) is within range
Hair color is listed as brown, BUT I found a post by her sister who said her hair is actually strawberry blond

The timing (about 2 years between date LKA and UID's estimated date of death) is really the only issue I have. Apparently Helen disappeared after being dropped off at a fast food place and her case was classified as a runaway (although her sister seems to believe she met with foul play). But there's nothing I can find to suggest she didn't run away or that she was actually abducted. There's very little regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.

The distance (372 miles) between Strongsville and the city Helen went missing from is long, but far from impossible for a runaway and especially over two years.

 

[ice190]

This girl was added to NamUs just yesterday.

Helen Allison

Age (18/19 around time of death) is within range
Race (Caucasian) matches
Height (5'3) is within range
Weight (115 pounds) is within range
Hair color is listed as brown, BUT I found a post by her sister who said her hair is actually strawberry blond

The timing (about 2 years between date LKA and UID's estimated date of death) is really the only issue I have. Apparently Helen disappeared after being dropped off at a fast food place and her case was classified as a runaway (although her sister seems to believe she met with foul play). But there's nothing I can find to suggest she didn't run away or that she was actually abducted. There's very little regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.

The distance (372 miles) between Strongsville and the city Helen went missing from is long, but far from impossible for a runaway and especially over two years.

Well look at the Kalamazoo missing girl, turned up states away. Anyways, and I think CarlK can agree with this, there appears to be no hair, not sure how they figured it was blonde unless there was a single strand in the mud or something. At this point I think we can only rule out men and those far outside age range...and those without matching dental work in 5 teeth. Good find!

 

[Owutatangledweb]

THanks for the pics of the river, Ice! I really think she was tossed into the water somewhere else, floated down and got hung up on one of thse sandbars. I wish I had a better idea of how the river runs down there. With all the snow that just melted, were you able to tell which way the water travels in a good flow?

 

[ice190]

It looked quite deep everywhere besides those two sandbars, for as much water as there was it didn't look like it was moving that fast but there could be undercurrent. Also the heavy flow would have been a few days before. Direction in general would be what you expect at a 90° bend, was hitting the outside bank a bit and swirling into the middle bar/inside bank.

Where the trestle crosses, that was running real fast. For it's name, at least with this water level, there did not appear to be many large rocks (think kayaking).

Going down there now I think it's very possible she went in farther upstream (such as where the turnpike crosses, although that part does get real shallow).

In the reports it said the bank she was on was 33" above the current water level IIRC. The newspaper for that day and surrounding days were still around freezing, so I don't think there was as much water flow as the other day; it may even be shallow but just the water looked dark.

 

[carbuff]

Thank you for the photos. It always helps seeing the scene of the crime.

The photos with the high water make me think she was left somewhere upstream and her body was dislodged by the spring melt and flooding. She could have been carried quite a distance that way. Are there other towns or highways upstream?

 

[ice190]

Thank you for the photos. It always helps seeing the scene of the crime.

The photos with the high water make me think she was left somewhere upstream and her body was dislodged by the spring melt and flooding. She could have been carried quite a distance that way. Are there other towns or highways upstream?

Only by looking at Google maps, it gets close to downtown Strongsville, crosses I-71, goes through another large area of the Metroparks, then south through Hinckley into Hinckley Reservation lake. It's possible that upstream of the lake it crosses I-271. It may also go or have gone through the Brunswick area. That's probably about the boundaries of the watershed. There's lots of waterways that appear to randomly start and stop in these areas, not sure what to make of it.

Hinckley and Brunswick still are today a majority rural, especially Hinckley.

The East Branch first begins in the Cleveland suburb of North Royalton, near State Rd. and Wallings Rd. Flow here is actually to the south, through Richfield and Hinckley Townships. The East Branch wraps around Whipp's Ledges in Hinckley Township, and begins its north-northwest journey.

 

[Nore]

Only by looking at Google maps, it gets close to downtown Strongsville, crosses I-71, goes through another large area of the Metroparks, then south through Hinckley into Hinckley Reservation lake. It's possible that upstream of the lake it crosses I-271. It may also go or have gone through the Brunswick area. That's probably about the boundaries of the watershed. There's lots of waterways that appear to randomly start and stop in these areas, not sure what to make of it.

Hinckley and Brunswick still are today a majority rural, especially Hinckley.

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Hi, most of those waterways are not deep at all. Hinckey lake is...This isn't in Cuyahoga County it's Medina county. Strongsville is Cuyahoga Millstream Run is off Pearl Rd..Right near the turnpike. Years ago park area was called Bonnie Park. Anyone with old newspaper subscription try Cleveland Plain Dealer or Cleveland Press. Highland Heights cemetery is way over on East Side..

 

[Nore]

About the park where the body was found, how many public entrances did the park have back then?

Was there only one main entrance for the public to enter the park? Were there any side or back entrances at the park for the public to enter?

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Main entrance Pearl Rd. there would be other points of entry as this is part of the "Emerald Necklace". Starts in Rocky River goes way around, connects with East Side Chagrin River which empties into Lake Erie. Beautiful area!

 

[ice190]

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Hi, most of those waterways are not deep at all. Hinckey lake is...This isn't in Cuyahoga County it's Medina county. Strongsville is Cuyahoga Millstream Run is off Pearl Rd..Right near the turnpike. Years ago park area was called Bonnie Park. Anyone with old newspaper subscription try Cleveland Plain Dealer or Cleveland Press. Highland Heights cemetery is way over on East Side..

Thank you!

Do you think with enough snow or rain water those rivers would be deep enough to move stuff along without many problems? I neglected to say that this area of the river she was found in and what I took photos of was roughly 15-25ft across. How narrow is the river closer to Hinckley?

 

[Nore]

The problem is I don't think Mill Stream Run existed back then. I think back then it was all Rocky River Reservation, but I should confirm that on Monday to be sure.

Here's why it matters - As you can see on the map, if it was all Rocky River reservation back then they could have been found five feet from each other or 15 miles apart. (Though I really think if it was 5 feet the Rangers would have been all over that for sure.) We don't know and none of the articles I've found about Melissa Hinke's case have shed any further light.

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Hi Irish, Millstream run was there in 74 , 75..Referred to as Bonnie Park. MillStream came into picture with construction of Chalet and Toboggan run hill . Rocky River Reservation is way over near Puritas rd, Lorain Ave. I have been there many times. Years back when I was a child Puritas Springs Park (amusement) was at Rocky River .. Now there are horse riding stables, boating etc. for public. leads to Lake Erie on North side. I am 82 yrs. but I remember much! Thank God. I remember too well the Beverly Potts story. hers and Amy Mihalovic (sp) in early 90's..Amys is a bit fuzzy as my son had just passed away.Life was fuzzy....

 

[nerosleuth]

Thank you for the photos of the river and the railroad trestle. The photos give a general idea of what the area around the crime scene looks like.

About the area where you took the photos at the park, were there any bike or walking trails near the crime scene?

I'm guessing that when the boys found the body, they walked along the river bank that was away from a trail in the park.