WI WI - Charlotte Ann Erdman, 15, Watertown, 18 July 1974

[Aurora90]

I am debating making a thread where we could discuss and link up all cases like these? Linda Grimm is another case that comes to mind.

 

[Diane Redfern]

Who wants to bet Edward Wayne Edwards is on that list of suspects?

Can anyone confirm if he is even still alive?

According to Wikipedia, he died in 2011.

Edward Edwards (serial killer) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Between 1974 and 2009, when not incarcerated, Edwards lived in more than a dozen different states using many false names, according to his daughter April". It would be great to know some of his aliases and when he was exactly release in 1974.

Timeline

Index: 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 May 30, 1928 Edwards born. ( Note: prior to October 8, 2019 I believed Edwards was born June 14, 1933, as stated in his autobiography, see Date of Bi…

ededwardsserialkiller.wordpress.com

 

[Keiri]

Looks like this was a time when Edwards could have been out of prison. He had killed in Wisconsin before but was ruled out for sjoberg. Honestly I think you guys are wrong on sjoberg being related. Maybe because of the killings Edwards did of the couple by the Concord house investigators really wanted it to be him, but it is repeatedly incorrectly reported where she went missing. After leaving the concord house she was seen by a witness walking down the street in her prom dress and heels in delafield, the nearby town. Of course she was never found in the woods. Anyway, sjoberg aside, I do think Edwards was a possibility, but he never admitted all his kills.

Regardless the next step I think would be to review the evidence they have and see if it can tell us more about where she went.

 

[Keiri]

The obituary linked by T Rex is for Charlotte's maternal grandmother. Her mother is listed there as well but she divorced Charlotte's father and had remarried, so she no longer had the same last name as her daughter Charlotte.
Charlotte's mother died in 2011 (the husband listed there is her 2nd husband but both husbands had the same first name).
Her mother's obituary lists Charlotte as a survivor and doesn't mention her being missing.

Her father died in 2018 and his obituary lists Charlotte as preceding him in death with a note saying "whereabouts unknown".

Given this information, is anyone even still alive who can do a FOIA?

Also the last time the NaMus was cited in this thread is an old link, so here: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Still only the one comparison shown in previous threads

 

[Keiri]

I didn't see this posted: 3983DFWI - Charlotte Ann Erdman

 

[TessieLouToo]

I am debating making a thread where we could discuss and link up all cases like these? Linda Grimm is another case that comes to mind.

Was Linda Grimm a WI missing person?

 

[SleutherGirl]

Was Linda Grimm a WI missing person?

No she's out of Perris, CA. She was 25.

 

[Schiellj]

Are there any updates on Charlotte's case? I came across her in my research and started doing a bit of digging. I might have an idea or 2. I submitted a FOIA and they denied it due to "victims rights". I asked for clarification that the agency considers Charlotte the victim of a crime and I got the response "yes".

 

[Keiri]

Are there any updates on Charlotte's case? I came across her in my research and started doing a bit of digging. I might have an idea or 2. I submitted a FOIA and they denied it due to "victims rights". I asked for clarification that the agency considers Charlotte the victim of a crime and I got the response "yes".

I haven’t heard anything. certain departments are less inclined to show people anything. I don’t know if it’s fear of criticism of what they have or haven’t done or if it’s a control thing. While Wisconsin is an open records state, Sheriffs are a whole different thing than police departments, and I tried to find a simple answer for you, but it’s complicated. I know people have been denied access to some equally old cases and filed a writ of mandamus, but I suspect that’s way more than most People can do. On the other hand you could email the detective, Vickie Brugger, and ask your questions. I’ve had better luck going through the detectives who often are very willing to accept help and answer questions. Good luck.

 

[Schiellj]

I haven’t heard anything. certain departments are less inclined to show people anything. I don’t know if it’s fear of criticism of what they have or haven’t done or if it’s a control thing. While Wisconsin is an open records state, Sheriffs are a whole different thing than police departments, and I tried to find a simple answer for you, but it’s complicated. I know people have been denied access to some equally old cases and filed a writ of mandamus, but I suspect that’s way more than most People can do.

Thank you. I am no stranger to having FOIA requests denied. However, I did find it interesting that they were willing to answer that they did consider Charlotte the victim of a crime. I suppose they could be saying that based on the fact that she is thought to have been with a grown man but ‍idk. I am going to reach out to the detectives directly and at least drop some names they may not have considered.

 

[Keiri]

Thank you. I am no stranger to having FOIA requests denied. However, I did find it interesting that they were willing to answer that they did consider Charlotte the victim of a crime. I suppose they could be saying that based on the fact that she is thought to have been with a grown man but ‍idk. I am going to reach out to the detectives directly and at least drop some names they may not have considered.

I’m pretty sure they’ve heard Edward Edwards, but beyond that, I couldn’t even guess. I think that enticing her, a child, to cross state lines, or for her to have sexual relations would be a crime, even if she wasn’t murdered or kidnapped. Just a thought.

 

[Schiellj]

I'm sure they have had Edwards suggested for sure. Yeah I'm not reading too much into the victim aspect. Just thought it was interesting and worth mentioning.

 

[Keiri]

I'm sure they have had Edwards suggested for sure. Yeah I'm not reading too much into the victim aspect. Just thought it was interesting and worth mentioning.

Yes, thank you! Good luck and please do keep us updated. I have really no ideas on this one, except I thought it was weird they mentioned the person she ran off with was 41. Just oddly specific.

 

[Schiellj]

Yes, thank you! Good luck and please do keep us updated. I have really no ideas on this one, except I thought it was weird they mentioned the person she ran off with was 41. Just oddly specific.

Yes it is oddly specific. I really wonder if she didn't give a name and they withheld it after all.

 

[PeriwinkleE]

Yes it is oddly specific. I really wonder if she didn't give a name and they withheld it after all.

Ed Edwards was 41 in 1974.

 

[Keiri]

Ed Edwards was 41 in 1974.

That was kinda what I was getting at. Very specific if they werent going to release the name.

 

[Grimm1123]

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Charlotte ran away from home at age 15. She may have been picked up by a 41 year-old long-haul trucker based out of Illinois. Family received a letter from her around 2 weeks after her disappearance, postmarked from Illinois, stating she was not involved in any illegal activity and would continue to send correspondence. They never heard from her again.

The letter mentioned sounds strange for a fifteen year old.

Charlotte was likely to have done drugs in my opinion because her photo with longer hair shows her pupils are unusually large compared to the picture of her with glasses.
Another thing is that I don't recall seeing any description of her with glasses.

Unfortunately it was common for kids in the 70's to get involved with psychedelics especially for a runaway.

Here are some other photos of Charlotte that were on NAMUS.

 

[Teamir]

So she was just reported missing a couple weeks ago, I thought it was just an update or something. That's interesting.
It's her grandmother's obituary but I can't make heads or tails about who her parents could be. Maybe they go by another name or are not listed in this obit. Theres a full copy of it at this find a grave page.
Sorry I had to edit, I forgot to add the link. Here it is.

Esther Hattie Wendt Nelson (1910-2004) - Find A...

This was extremely hard to find, but I did finally find a news article about Charlotte Ann Erdman from when she was younger and living in Otsego, WI. This clipping is from the Portage Daily Register 10/30/1959. Other than that clipping, I cannot locate anything on newspapers dot com for Charlotte. Maybe my search needs tweaking.

 

[snooptroop88]

I am debating making a thread where we could discuss and link up all cases like these? Linda Grimm is another case that comes to mind.

Was Linda Grimm a WI missing person?

Agreed, these are throwing off flags to me that these cases may be related, jmo.

Linda Grimm last seen Perris CA end of March 1986. Mother said Linda went to buy pack of cigarettes and never returned.
Linda phoned her mother every so often over next 18 months, said she was in Wichita, Kansas and was doing well, would provide no address. Last call was Oct 1987, she said she was living on a farm outside Wichita, with a trucker "Robert Masters." In April 1989, her vehicle found abandoned in the parking lot of a supermarket in Huntington Beach, California.

Linda Rose Grimm – The Charley Project

Parallels jmo to Charlotte, who went missing many years prior in 1974. Family gets letter from her around 2 weeks after she goes missing, letter postmarked from IL, says she's not involved in anything illegal and would write back again, which she never did. So WI, IL, KS, all Midwest states. And CA is where Linda was from, and I have always believed based on that vehicle (abandoned in CA) that Linda Grimm would someday be found in CA, and I still think that might end up being the case.

Were these two young women in contact with the same perp? I see Ed Edwards mentioned on here, based on the little I've learned about him-- that's seeming very interesting. But while he appears (based on a timeline I'm viewing) not to be incarcerated at the time of Charlotte's disappearance, he would have been released a few months after Linda Grimm's disappearance (release PA July 1986, Linda disappeared CA March 1986) Wondering about Robert Ben Rhoades, maybe? Or someone very similar.

This Doe brought me to this thread:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Found Aug 1 1976 Acton CA, 18-30 5'5"-5'10" wearing the hip clothes of the era. Light brown 16" hair. Acton's.very close to Angeles National Forest, which was employed by multiple SKs over the years. In the 70s, but I don't see Ed Edwards associated with it. Acton was still pretty rural but developing, becoming an aerospace hub, lots of ranches, wide open spaces.