WA WA - Seattle, WhtFem 30-50, 159UFWA, UP12916, alias 'Mary Anderson', copper IUD, breast surgery scars, Oct'96

[furbabies]

I am glad someone posted this case. It has always intrigued me.

Here is another link for poor Mary

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/mary/ - Who was Mary Anderson and how did she die?

If she said that she has no family, it would be so hard to identify her as it is unlikely she was reported missing.

So sad....

she prob had sister or brother back in russia or similar, well they certainley didnt get the seattle times that day....nor have a computor no doubt so her siblings never knew what she did....very sad......as cyanide creates a horrid convulsing death, why did mary look so serene and no movement of the body and not even the bible, as cyanide causes convulsions and fits before you die.?

 

[lonewanderer]

my question is, mary went there to commit suicide, so why did she take 6 outfits and a iron in her case and hang them up in the wardrobe of her room?????then lie down and take cyanide.???

why would she take 6 outfits and a iron and hang them up in the wardrobe of her room, then lie down and take cyanide?????

Why did she take 6 outfits and a iron in her case and hang them up in the rooms wardrobe, then lie down and take cyanide.?????????

People do strange things.

I encourage you to look at two other cases of self cyanide poisining: “WM L Toomey” and “Christmas Tree Lady”.

 

[lonewanderer]

she prob had sister or brother back in russia or similar, well they certainley didnt get the seattle times that day....nor have a computor no doubt so her siblings never knew what she did....very sad......as cyanide creates a horrid convulsing death, why did mary look so serene and no movement of the body and not even the bible, as cyanide causes convulsions and fits before you die.?

Still unsolved WM L Toomey: A man whose name isn't his – the curious case of William L. Toomey

Solved, Christmas tree lady:

After 25 years, "Christmas Tree Lady" Is Identified

Fairfax County Police Department Partners with Othram to Identify "Christmas Tree Lady"

dnasolves.com

Both odd self poisoning cases with cyanide.

 

[GatorFL]

Still unsolved WM L Toomey: A man whose name isn't his – the curious case of William L. Toomey

Solved, Christmas tree lady:

After 25 years, "Christmas Tree Lady" Is Identified

Fairfax County Police Department Partners with Othram to Identify "Christmas Tree Lady"

dnasolves.com

Both odd self poisoning cases with cyanide.

Christmas Tree Lady was alcohol and valium, she had placed a plastic bag over her head and suffocated. Not cyanide.

 

[furbabies]

Unidentified White Female

Located in Seattle, King County, Washington on October 11, 1996

Cause of death was suicide.


Vital Statistics
Estimated Age: 33 - 45 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'8"; 240 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. She used a copper intrauterine device. She had some sort of breast surgery at some point. It had produced scars beneath both breast and around the nipple area. Her hair was combed, her nails were painted cream white and she wore make-up.
Dentals: Dental plate
Clothing: She wore black leggings and a black top.


Case History
This woman committed suicide in Seattle, WA. She checked in to a room at Seattle's Hotel Vintage Park on October 9, 1996 under the name Mary Anderson. She paid cash for her room. She left an non-existent address of 132 East Third Street, New York, NY 11103; and a phone number of 212-569-5549; the phone number does not exist either. When she failed to check out of her room two days later as expected, hotel staff entered the room and found her deceased. She had taken cyanide.
Investigators found a note scribbled upon hotel stationery:

To Whom It May Concern.
I have decided to end my life and no one is responsible for my death.
Mary Anderson.
P. S. I have no relatives. You can use my body as you choose.

A large black Bible lay open across her chest. It was opened to the Twenty-Third Psalm.

The woman's miscellaneous belongings -- velour outfits, shoes, slippers, black leather gloves, leather purse, Estée Lauder cosmetics, toothpaste, perfume, Metamucil, Crystal Light, panty hose, a kitchen bowl, and an iron -- were packed in several luggage bags.


Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
King County Medical Examiner's Office
206-731-3232


Agency Case Number:
96-1207 Source Information:
Seatle PI
Whamee.com

159UFWA

Some reports say only 2 luggage bags , above u say several so who knows? but why did she take 6 velour trouser suits with her if shes going to commit suicide, and a iron....more to the point is why did she hang them up in the hotel rooms wardrobe , surely you would just leave them in the suitcase as shortley she laid on the bed and took cyanide??

 

[MarziPanda]

Some reports say only 2 luggage bags , above u say several so who knows? but why did she take 6 velour trouser suits with her if shes going to commit suicide, and a iron....more to the point is why did she hang them up in the hotel rooms wardrobe , surely you would just leave them in the suitcase as shortley she laid on the bed and took cyanide??

Habit? People do things when they're about to take their own lives that don't always make sense to us. They might do the laundry, go to work, do their makeup, order things they don't plan to be alive to receive, flip their calendar to the new month, make plans to go out with friends. Some people continue with habits they've always done, even if these are pointless with the suicide plans they have made. I can definitely see someone hanging up their clothes when arriving in a hotel room because they've always done that, even if they then plan to take their own life hours later.

 

[furbabies]

Habit? People do things when they're about to take their own lives that don't always make sense to us. They might do the laundry, go to work, do their makeup, order things they don't plan to be alive to receive, flip their calendar to the new month, make plans to go out with friends. Some people continue with habits they've always done, even if these are pointless with the suicide plans they have made. I can definitely see someone hanging up their clothes when arriving in a hotel room because they've always done that, even if they then plan to take their own life hours later.

i see, but i cant see her hanging them up to be honest she was logical and methodical , got rid of all id etc and i would think , would think whats the point of doing that....also in the case of the cyanide its a convulsing death before you actualy die, so why did she look so serene on death, no movement of the body or bible from her, which there should have been with cyanide as it causes convulsions and fits before death, horrible death indeed .?? yet she looked so serene, that doesnt make sense either.? never has for years lol.

 

[MarziPanda]

i see, but i cant see her hanging them up to be honest she was logical and methodical , got rid of all id etc and i would think , would think whats the point of doing that....also in the case of the cyanide its a convulsing death before you actualy die, so why did she look so serene on death, no movement of the body or bible from her, which there should have been with cyanide as it causes convulsions and fits before death, horrible death indeed .?? yet she looked so serene, that doesnt make sense either.? never has for years lol.

I think just because we can't imagine why someone would do something, doesn't mean they didn't do it. She was methodical as you said, and hanging her clothes up was probably just another methodical part of what she was doing.

I don't think cyanide deaths are always like that. If you look on the Wiki page for cyanide poisoning there are several instances where death from cyanide has occurred within minutes. Writer Horacio Quiroga for example. Russian spy Aleksandr Ogorodnik is said to have died before he even hit the ground. I would also argue that convulsions aren't always a super violent, flailing all over the place kind of thing. Convulsions can also mean minor twitching. To me, having seen the pictures, it does look like the bible might not be in its original position. It's partly covering the right side of her face and chin which probably isn't where she'd naturally put it. It may have been on her chest and then it moved up as she twitched.

 

[lonewanderer]

Christmas Tree Lady was alcohol and valium, she had placed a plastic bag over her head and suffocated. Not cyanide.

Good call.

I do think that women are more likely to have a more exaggerate self inflicted death, much like how Christmas Tree Lady had many items with her.

 

[Aurora90]

I am having a bit of trouble finding the podcast regarding this Jane Doe. Can someone possibly point me in the right direction? I have a strong lead regarding this Jane Doe and I am hoping to listen to a podcast or any interview with law enforcement regarding the details on this case.

I read all 49 pages but I seem to have missed it somehow! I think I just got over excited.

There is a woman matching this description who is of Iranian descent who I want to compare with this Jane Doe. If it is her, the reasons for suicide seems to make sense.

 

[Aurora90]

I am going to send my tip into Othram but is this case still also with the King County Medical Examiner?

She isn't listed in the unidentified remains section of their website. I want to send my tip to Othram and also to Law Enforcement or the correct ME.

Unidentified remains - King County, Washington

kingcounty.gov

 

[MelmothTheLost]

1. She had a copper IUD opposed to hormonal birth control. (The pill isn’t ideal for women with type 2 diabetes).

A long-term form of contraception might also be chosen by a woman who was geographically mobile and could not guarantee being able to obtain a prescription for or otherwise obtain hormonal contraception when required.

 

[Mandala]

I am having a bit of trouble finding the podcast regarding this Jane Doe. Can someone possibly point me in the right direction? I have a strong lead regarding this Jane Doe and I am hoping to listen to a podcast or any interview with law enforcement regarding the details on this case.

I read all 49 pages but I seem to have missed it somehow! I think I just got over excited.

There is a woman matching this description who is of Iranian descent who I want to compare with this Jane Doe. If it is her, the reasons for suicide seems to make sense.

Can you share any more information?
I looked at a lot of missing persons pages searching for this doe. I hope your tip leads to something.

I found this podcast, I’m not sure if it’s the one you’re looking for though.
Mary Anderson Podcast

 

[Mandala]

The more I see the illustrated pictures it annoys me because they look nothing like the post mortem photos (the black and white ones). I don’t think they are an accurate portrayal of this doe at all. JMO.

 

[Aurora90]

Can you share any more information?
I looked at a lot of missing persons pages searching for this doe. I hope your tip leads to something.

I found this podcast, I’m not sure if it’s the one you’re looking for though.
Mary Anderson Podcast

Sure thing! But again, I may have gotten over excited and I am more likely to be wrong than right regarding this possible identification. It's like finding a needle in a haystack with any John/Jane Doe.

I am hoping to speak with a detective today to see if the person I am looking at is her.

She looks A LOT like this recon, so much so that I got surprised! Hence my excitement. But she is younger than what I guessed for 'Mary Anderson'. She was roughly 33-35 in 1996.

I hope to learn more once I speak with detectives. And once I do speak with them, I will include more info here.

Like I said, I could be very wrong here but its the closest thing I have found to a possible identity for her.

 

[Aurora90]

The more I see the illustrated pictures it annoys me because they look nothing like the post mortem photos (the black and white ones). I don’t think they are an accurate portrayal of this doe at all. JMO.

Thank you for the podcast link. Also RIP to Katy Taylor. She was the forensic anthropologist on the scene for Mary and passed away recently. She worked had to identify her and I am sad to see she isn't here to see a possible identification.

Funny thing is, Katy Taylor said she looked significantly younger when the make up came off. so much so that it surprised her. That also makes me thing the woman I am looking at might be her. She really looks a lot like the younger recons.

 

[The4TierBridge]

The more I see the illustrated pictures it annoys me because they look nothing like the post mortem photos (the black and white ones). I don’t think they are an accurate portrayal of this doe at all. JMO.

The lady who did her more recent reconstructions (Natalie Murray) has said that after she was taken to the morgue and her make-up was washed off she looked "more than ten years younger and much different". Obviously we don't have the autopsy photos to make the comparison ourselves. Link to a post she made: Log into Facebook

 

[Mandala]

Was the makeup off in the post mortem photos? In those photos she looks to be in her mid forties to early fifties IMO. I can’t get past her being Middle Eastern or Greek, it’s just
a hunch.
Another thought I had was that possibly post mortem bloat in the face could have smoothed out any lines and made her look younger. I don’t know what the effects of Cyanide have on the skin either.
RIP to Katy Taylor. @Aurora90 I hope your lead is on the right track, and you can share it when you’re ready. I feel so sad for this woman, who felt like there was no hope and died alone like that.

 

[The4TierBridge]

Was the makeup off in the post mortem photos? In those photos she looks to be in her mid forties to early fifties IMO. I can’t get past her being Middle Eastern or Greek, it’s just
a hunch.
Another thought I had was that possibly post mortem bloat in the face could have smoothed out any lines and made her look younger. I don’t know what the effects of Cyanide have on the skin either.
RIP to Katy Taylor. @Aurora90 I hope your lead is on the right track, and you can share it when you’re ready. I feel so sad for this woman, who felt like there was no hope and died alone like that.

The photos the public has access to are from the crime scene when she still had the make-up on. Her DNA analysis by Othram showed that she was of Persian ancestry and had ancestors in Iran and parts of Afghanistan, so we know she was of Middle Eastern descent.

 

[Friday Fan]

Was the makeup off in the post mortem photos? In those photos she looks to be in her mid forties to early fifties IMO. I can’t get past her being Middle Eastern or Greek, it’s just
a hunch.
Another thought I had was that possibly post mortem bloat in the face could have smoothed out any lines and made her look younger. I don’t know what the effects of Cyanide have on the skin either.
RIP to Katy Taylor. @Aurora90 I hope your lead is on the right track, and you can share it when you’re ready. I feel so sad for this woman, who felt like there was no hope and died alone like that.

Yeah, the nose in the more recent sketch appears too small to be anything besides northern European, also the eyes are really small and brows are too small (barely extend past the middle of the eyes) The original sketch (on NAMUS) shows a longer nose and the brows extend past the eyes (which is the case in almost everyone of ME descent)