VT VT - Paula Jean Welden, 18, Glastenbury Mountain, 1 Dec 1946

[shadowangel]

The comment that LE supposedly made, that this could not have been a suicide...Would this indicate she was shot in the back of the head, execution-style? Could this have been a mob-hit, a message to someone? Having your wife and two kids disappear could certainly change someone's outlook...Or, could she have been the wife or girlfriend of a gangster who was trying to get away?
That they were recent immigrants to the US seems most likely, in any case.

 

[Marilynilpa]

The comment that LE supposedly made, that this could not have been a suicide...Would this indicate she was shot in the back of the head, execution-style? Could this have been a mob-hit, a message to someone? Having your wife and two kids disappear could certainly change someone's outlook...Or, could she have been the wife or girlfriend of a gangster who was trying to get away?
That they were recent immigrants to the US seems most likely, in any case.

I took it to mean that she was shot in the back of the head, or in a part of the head that would not be easy for a right-handed person to reach with a gun.

I thought about the mob connection, and it seems plausible. I'm not sure if all three of them were shot in the back of the head, but they were all shot in the head. The mob connection could explain why no one reported them missing - no one wanted to squeal on the mob. But was there any mob activity in/near this area in the '30's?

 

[Marilynilpa]

Here is the text of an e-mail I received about the three unidentified skeletons:
Ms. Rogers: Dr. Adams forwarded your e-mail inquiry to me. The case you

refer to is one that our former Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Paul Morrow,

took a special interest in. He has since retired from our office, but I

know that he worked on this case in conjunction with a group of forensic

anthropology students. Their research led to some interesting theories

about the identities of the victims, which Dr. Morrow summarized in a

paper.

He is currently working in Sydney, Australia, but I will forward this

e-mail to him, and perhaps he would be better able to field your

questions.

I hope to hear from Dr. Morrow soon, and will see if I can obtain a copy of the paper in which he summarizes the research of the anthropology students. it will be fun to see if any of our theories even come close to what his theory is regarding these three murdered people.

 

[shadowangel]

If it could happen, I would really like to see the Dr. post here with his thoughts. Evidently, they couldn't solve the case either, but I would enjoy comparing thoughts.

 

[shadowangel]

I thought about the mob connection, and it seems plausible. I'm not sure if all three of them were shot in the back of the head, but they were all shot in the head. The mob connection could explain why no one reported them missing - no one wanted to squeal on the mob. But was there any mob activity in/near this area in the '30's?

Middlebury is between NYC and Boston, and also Rhode Island. Though NYC was the "nerve center" for the mob at the time, both Boston and Providence had prominent families in residence.
There was a power shift in '31 when "Lucky" Luciano came to power in NYC. Several people disappeared during that time. Though the NY families certainly had an influence on the other areas, these families had their own noteriety. Boston was controlled from 1916 to 1924 by Gaspare Messina, who was succeeded by Phil Buccola who ruled from 1924 until 1954.
Providence, RI, was the home to Frank "Butesy" Morelli, who basically ran things in MA, CT, and NH (and, no doubt, VT). He maintained control from 1917 until Ray Patriarca came to power-he consolidated the families from New England to a single base of power in Providence in the mid-'50s.
Rural areas of VT would be the perfect dumping ground for anyone "travelling" between the families in NYC and New England.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Middlebury is between NYC and Boston, and also Rhode Island. Though NYC was the "nerve center" for the mob at the time, both Boston and Providence had prominent families in residence.
There was a power shift in '31 when "Lucky" Luciano came to power in NYC. Several people disappeared during that time. Though the NY families certainly had an influence on the other areas, these families had their own noteriety. Boston was controlled from 1916 to 1924 by Gaspare Messina, who was succeeded by Phil Buccola who ruled from 1924 until 1954.
Providence, RI, was the home to Frank "Butesy" Morelli, who basically ran things in MA, CT, and NH (and, no doubt, VT). He maintained control from 1917 until Ray Patriarca came to power-he consolidated the families from New England to a single base of power in Providence in the mid-'50s.
Rural areas of VT would be the perfect dumping ground for anyone "travelling" between the families in NYC and New England.

That is very interesting. I know the mob has certain places where they dump bodies, I believe one has recently been discovered in New Jersey. There was also a "dumping ground" found in West Virginia.

Let's say the mob was involved in these three murders. That leaves me with this question - since the road beside which these three bodies were left was a remote, seldom-used road leading into the woods, how did the mob know about it? I wonder if any mobsters back in those days came from this area?

 

[shadowangel]

That is very interesting. I know the mob has certain places where they dump bodies, I believe one has recently been discovered in New Jersey. There was also a "dumping ground" found in West Virginia.

Let's say the mob was involved in these three murders. That leaves me with this question - since the road beside which these three bodies were left was a remote, seldom-used road leading into the woods, how did the mob know about it? I wonder if any mobsters back in those days came from this area?

Though I had the thought that maybe the person who did this knew the area, its also possible someone just dropped off a main road and drove back roads until they felt comfortable.
Given the remoteness of the area, the sparse population...Its possible that an illiegal alcohol operation (moonshine, if you will) was running in this area. I haven't seen anything to this effect yet, but I'll look into it. The mob had their hands into pretty much everything, maybe logging?

 

[Marilynilpa]

Back to the original topic of this thread . . .

After reading the newspaper.archive articles about Paula's disappearance, it appears to me that there were too many people involved in the investigation. It doesn't appear anyone was sharing information with anyone else. At one point, a private investigator said he was talking to newspaper reporters, because they knew more than the police did regarding the investigation! There were detectives brought in from out of state, private investigators, and local law enforcement. I can't help but think that if a unified investigation had been conducted from the outset, this mystery might have been solved. It's no wonder this case lead to big changes in law enforcement in Vermont.

On another note, I saw that the police were looking for a maroon coupe seen in the area where Paula was last seen. I ran across an article later on stating that a burned out maroon coupe was found in another state, and police were unsure if it was the same car they had been seeking.

This area certainly seems rife with mystery. In August of 1947, a decomposed headless body of a man was found in the Winooski River. In April of 1948 near Hartford, Connecticut, a woman's hips and legs were located. There were missing women from Smith College across the border in Massachusetts in the 1920's and 1930's. In November of 1948, a woman's body was found and was identified as being a woman who had vanished in June of 1936. And as we've discussed earlier on this thread, there were a series of disappearances along Long Trail.

I wonder if Paula left willingly? She thought her family preferred her three siblings over her, and was so upset that she refused to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Her roommate said Paula discussed wanting to make new friends, to become less dependent on people, and in fact said there was going to be a "new" Paula. What better way to create a new version of yourself than disappearing and starting fresh someplace where no one knows you?

More than likely, though, Paula died. It could have been accidental (shot by a hunter, fell down an embankment, fell through a mine shaft) or at the hands of a murderer. It isn't too surprising that her body was never found. Although there were extensive searches, on land and by helicopter, this is a vast wilderness area with few residents. There are abandoned mines throughout the area. If Paula had wandered off and gotten lost, she could have died of exposure. She was dressed for hiking, but not for staying overnight in the cold.

What a mystery.

 

[talelights]

This is interesting in and of itself. The only .38 cal pistol I can think of in use in '35 would be the Luger P 08, used by the German military. The very popular Walther P.38 didn't come into use until (go figure) '38, and would not have been available to American civilians until much later. Other countries, like Czechloslovakia, also produced .38 semi-autos, but again not until the late '30s. This would have been a rare weapon used in these murders. Most .38 caliber weapons are revolvers. I assume the police were able to recover shell casings, which would indicate a magazine-fed weapon. The shells would also have had ejector marks, indicating that they were not just unloaded from the drum of a revolver.

Just to put another spin on this mystery.

I found this interesting on the .38. "Automatic pistols were initially manufactured in the late 1890s, but the Colt Model 1900 in .38 caliber was the first American automatic. John M. Browning, a Mormon, is given credit for its creation."
I found this information on http://www.texasranger.org/dispatch/3/1911Auto.htm

 

[KarlK]

In '96, Joseph Citro authored the book Passing Strange: True Tales of Hauntings and Horrors which goes into detail on the missing from this area of Vermont, including Miss Welden. The book is available on Amazon.com.

Glastenbury Mtn is difficult to navigate today, due to the very rough terrain, zig-zagging creveases, many old wells, etc. One can only imagine what it was like 60 years ago. Hunters who have spent their lives on the mountain report that they themselves sometimes become lost. If one of the older gentlemen reported missing were to have a heart attack in one of the more remote locations, they may never be found. Miss Welden may have become lost or disoriented and wandered off the trail. It is not hard to believe that someone could be missed during a search. There was also much speculation that she "ran off" to Canada with a "secret lover".

I live about 100 miles from the area and have hiked that area of the Green Mountains on a few occasions. Glastenbury is typical northern appalachian forest; dense foliage in summertime, bare, clear woods in late fall except near the summit where evergreens prevail. Clear woods doesn't necessarily mean one can't get lost but you'd have to wander quite a ways from the trail before you lose your bearings in daytime.

Daytime. That's what bothers me with this case. In this area dusk comes very early in December, by 4 pm it's practically nighttime and by 5 it's pitch black. And yet that's the time Welsen chose to hike the trail? She would have wanted to get lost on purpose that she wouldn't have done otherwise, and getting lost in those mountains in the frozen darkness can mean death. Nights are very cold there in December and depending on altitude temps can dip near zero.

I don't know what was on her mind but if she perished up there she chose the best time of year for her body never to be found. By mid December a thick layer of snow closes all trails (unlike today where some are used by snowmobilers and cross-country skiers) until late April or early May and by that time bears, foxes, coyotes, racoons et al. would have long taken care of the body.

I don't think she was acting rationally, and I would tend to believe she was suicidal or at the very least cared little about what could happen to her. If she was familiar with the area she certainly knew what she was facing. Based on the directions she asked it appears she wanted to venture deep in the woods.

 

[KarlK]

The theory that they were moved makes me wonder how the police came to the conclusion that a pistol and not a revolver was used-the shell casings would be the only way I know of for them to discern a difference. I wouldn't think the killer would transport the casings along with the the bodies...

I sometimes notice that reporters unfamiliar with firearms often confuse the terms "revolver" and "pistol" and use either to describe a handgun. This was probably just as common in the 1930's, especially in Vermont. Ironically, we manufacture a lot of handguns in New England but don't use them much so the population is not that familiar with that type of weapon. It's not something you'd typically see in homes.

 

[KarlK]

Middlebury is between NYC and Boston, and also Rhode Island. Though NYC was the "nerve center" for the mob at the time, both Boston and Providence had prominent families in residence.

Middlebury is also close to Montreal, whose mob bosses were and still are closely related to New York families. Moreover during the Prohibition (1919-1933) the border area was teeming with trigger-happy smugglers and other unsavory characters, and crossing the border unnoticed was a joke, as many roads leading from Quebec to Vermont didn't have checkpoints.

I've read that committing a crime on one side of the border and disposing of the evidence on the other side was common practice. I believe it could be worth considering that the victims may have been transported from Canada, which could explain why they were never claimed in the US. During Prohibition lack of collaboration between LE in US and Canada (especially when the FBI was involved) was no secret, too many people had lucrative interests to protect.

I could be way off the mark of course but I believe that the surreal legal context of the day may have been a factor, as evoked by Shadowangel above.

 

[shadowangel]

I sometimes notice that reporters unfamiliar with firearms often confuse the terms "revolver" and "pistol" and use either to describe a handgun. This was probably just as common in the 1930's, especially in Vermont. Ironically, we manufacture a lot of handguns in New England but don't use them much so the population is not that familiar with that type of weapon. It's not something you'd typically see in homes.

Autos were the favored weapon of the mob, lots of rounds to fire without reloading and much quicker to reload than a revolver. Most autos of the day were .45 (such as the Thompson "Tommy gun" submachine gun).
The murders of the female adult and two children really has the feel of mob involvement.

 

[KarlK]

Autos were the favored weapon of the mob, lots of rounds to fire without reloading and much quicker to reload than a revolver. Most autos of the day were .45 (such as the Thompson "Tommy gun" submachine gun).
The murders of the female adult and two children really has the feel of mob involvement.

I agree, it has the look and feel of a mob hit.

 

[shadowangel]

I agree, it has the look and feel of a mob hit.

I'll take it Marilynilpa never heard anything back from the professor who had his students look into the multiple murder, it would have been very interesting to see what theories they were able to develop.
As pointed out earlier, the stories make a point of saying her death could not have been suicide, that tells me execution. Someone sent a strong message. I would be curious if there was a similar murder at about the same time--retaliation?

 

[dark_shadows]

Paula disappered dec 1st,1946.
Paula was on the Longtrail near Glastenbury Mountain in Vermont.She would be in her 70's now.
At the time,we did not have the Vermont State Police.Vermont had to call upon the staes of New York and Massachusetts for help.It was because of Paula's disappearance that the legislators formed the Vermont State Police.
Also missing from this area;
Not four years later, within a period of two weeks, 8-year-old Paul Jepson and camper Frieda Langer also mysteriously vanished, launching massive searches into the local wilderness. the 8-year-old Jepson boy, he was left in his mother's pickup while she tended to the pigs at the Bennington town dump that they managed. When she returned to the truck, Jepson, who was later reported by his father to have had a recent yen to go the mountains, was nowhere to be found.

-Seventy-four-year-old veteran woodsman Middie Rivers split off from his hunting group in Bickford Hollow, said he would be back to the camp for lunch, and was never seen again.
-James Tetford, an elderly man who was returning to the Bennington Soldier's Home in 1949 from visiting family in northern Vermont and never got off his bus.
-In the 1940's, 1940s apparently three hunters from Massachusetts and a 13-year-old Bennington boy named Melvin Hills disappeared.

-Ms. Langer, a 53-year-old resident of North Adams, Mass. was hiking with her cousin from their summer camp on the Eastern side of Glastenbury Mountain, near Somerset Reservoir. After slipping and falling into a brook, Ms. Langer left her cousin to return to the camp and change clothes.

Ms. Langer's is the only mystery that has been somewhat solved. Her body, according to Mr. Citro, was found seven months later. In "gruesome" condition, it could not be determined what happened to her.
There have been so many mysterious vanishings and that only one person has ever turned up.



Paula Welden

Missing Since: December 1, 1946 from Bennington, Vermont
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 18 years old
Height and Weight: 5'5, 122 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Blonde hair, blue eyes. Welden has a grayish-colored scar on her left knee, a small scar under her left eyebrow, and a vaccination scar on her right thigh. She has a cleft chin and an upturned nose.
<LI>Clothing Description: A red parka with a fur-trimmed hood, blue jeans, size 6 1/2 or 7 white Top-Sider sneakers with heavy soles, and a small gold ladies' Elgin wristwatch with a narrow black band. The watch has the repairer's marking "13050 HD" scatched on the inside of the back case. ​

​

​

​

 

[dark_shadows]

unsolved Bennington cases Dec 1st date

 

[Rhys]

I live about 100 miles from the area and have hiked that area of the Green Mountains on a few occasions. Glastenbury is typical northern appalachian forest; dense foliage in summertime, bare, clear woods in late fall except near the summit where evergreens prevail. Clear woods doesn't necessarily mean one can't get lost but you'd have to wander quite a ways from the trail before you lose your bearings in daytime.

Daytime. That's what bothers me with this case. In this area dusk comes very early in December, by 4 pm it's practically nighttime and by 5 it's pitch black. And yet that's the time Welsen chose to hike the trail? She would have wanted to get lost on purpose that she wouldn't have done otherwise, and getting lost in those mountains in the frozen darkness can mean death. Nights are very cold there in December and depending on altitude temps can dip near zero.

I don't know what was on her mind but if she perished up there she chose the best time of year for her body never to be found. By mid December a thick layer of snow closes all trails (unlike today where some are used by snowmobilers and cross-country skiers) until late April or early May and by that time bears, foxes, coyotes, racoons et al. would have long taken care of the body.

I don't think she was acting rationally, and I would tend to believe she was suicidal or at the very least cared little about what could happen to her. If she was familiar with the area she certainly knew what she was facing. Based on the directions she asked it appears she wanted to venture deep in the woods.

Back to the original topic of this thread . . .

After reading the newspaper.archive articles about Paula's disappearance, it appears to me that there were too many people involved in the investigation. It doesn't appear anyone was sharing information with anyone else.

On another note, I saw that the police were looking for a maroon coupe seen in the area where Paula was last seen. I ran across an article later on stating that a burned out maroon coupe was found in another state, and police were unsure if it was the same car they had been seeking.


I wonder if Paula left willingly? She thought her family preferred her three siblings over her, and was so upset that she refused to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Her roommate said Paula discussed wanting to make new friends, to become less dependent on people, and in fact said there was going to be a "new" Paula. What better way to create a new version of yourself than disappearing and starting fresh someplace where no one knows you?

More than likely, though, Paula died. It could have been accidental (shot by a hunter, fell down an embankment, fell through a mine shaft) or at the hands of a murderer. It isn't too surprising that her body was never found. Although there were extensive searches, on land and by helicopter, this is a vast wilderness area with few residents. There are abandoned mines throughout the area. If Paula had wandered off and gotten lost, she could have died of exposure. She was dressed for hiking, but not for staying overnight in the cold.

What a mystery.

One key to this mystery may be the weather. My grandfather lived in Dalton, Mass. at the time and noted in his diary that it was 22 deg. and sunny on Saturday. He made no mention of the weather on Sunday, but according to an article in the Bennington Banner on Dec. 1, 2006 it appears to have been above freezing with no snow on the ground. However, by Monday my grandfather notes it had dropped to +5 deg. with a wind. Usually when the temperature drops that much that fast it is because a cold front is moving through - you can have clear skies one minute and a whiteout the next. I don't have specific information for the Bennington area, but if the front moved through at the time Paula was hiking she could have become disoriented by blinding snow and strayed off the trail. If she had been injured or fallen in the brook and gotten wet she probably wouldn't have made it out.

As far as light goes, she had more time than I expected.
Sunday
1 December 1946 Eastern Standard Time

*SUN*
Begin civil twilight 6:32 a.m.
Sunrise 7:03 a.m.
Sun transit 11:42 a.m.
Sunset 4:20 p.m.
End civil twilight 4:51 p.m.

I drove around up there Sun. evening (damaging my exhaust in the process!)
and this was about right, even in the valley.
By 4:50 it was nearly dark, but you could still see well enough to
follow a trail. She would have had a first quarter moon if the sky
was clear and if a little snow fell it would have been quite bright even after twilight ended.
(There may have been some snow on the ground up there even if there wasn't in Bennington.)
She should have had time to make it a mile to a mile and a half up the valley.
I walked this trail as a boy when it more or less followed the old railroad and the tracks still showed in places. (My grandfather rode the cars!). It was sort of a Jeep track at the time (today it looks like Forest Service road, though I haven't been up it yet. The last time I hiked it was in the '80's, I think). The valley of Bolles Brook is deep with steep sides - it would be hard to get too far off the trail without doing some climbing. She would have had to cross the brook a couple of times. There are no mineshafts in this area and I doubt any wells.

The real mystery is why she was never found. Unless she totally panicked she shouldn't have gotten too far off the trail. The search seems to have had no organization, at least for the first 10 days, so searchers could have searched one area extensively and missed another altogether. The temperature gradually warmed up through the 10th of December when it got into the 50's, but if it snowed her body may have been covered. I need to find some weather records. She may have crawled under something to try to keep warm.

Of course, another possibility is she did walk out, but by that time it would have been dark and people inside, so no one saw her. If she hitchhiked back to the college and caught a ride with the wrong person, she may have disappeared that way. I really don't buy the idea of her faking her death and going to Canada with a boyfriend. She would have just gone - she was 18 - and not left all her things behind. It would be helpful to know more about her. She may have been trying to prove to herself she was self-reliant, but really she seems to have been planning a short walk and to be back to the college in the evening. I doubt a murderer would have been lurking at dusk in the cold on a trail lightly used in wintertime - unless he was a local with other reasons for being there. A hunter could have shot her accidentally and hidden the body to avoid facing prosecution, but no one mentioned hearing any gunshots at the time.

 

[Rhys]

I just added a post to this subject in another thread under Cold Cases.

 

[Richard]

...I drove around up there Sun. evening (damaging my exhaust in the process!)
and this was about right, even in the valley....
... If she hitchhiked back to the college and caught a ride with the wrong person, she may have disappeared that way. I really don't buy the idea of her faking her death and going to Canada with a boyfriend. She would have just gone - she was 18 - and not left all her things behind. It would be helpful to know more about her. She may have been trying to prove to herself she was self-reliant, but really she seems to have been planning a short walk and to be back to the college in the evening. I doubt a murderer would have been lurking at dusk in the cold on a trail lightly used in wintertime - unless he was a local with other reasons for being there. A hunter could have shot her accidentally and hidden the body to avoid facing prosecution, but no one mentioned hearing any gunshots at the time.

Good work and interesting comments on this old case. Checking microfilm files of local area newspapers - or looking at old bound copies of the papers might give a better picture of what the weather was like at the time, and maybe shed some light on the searches.

The two most likely scenarios would be first, that she got lost or injured in the woods and succumbed to hypothermia. Second, that someone abducted and/or killed her then hid the body successfully.