Sparked Interest

I've always been intrigued with unsolved crimes.  I believe I was around 12 when I watched a special about The Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short.  I had always had the impression of when there is injustice there are consequences.  The case of Elizabeth Short was so vile and unjust, it was hard for me to believe that no justice was served under such an evil act.  I remember a young me laying away terrified at night, thinking about how that could've happened to anyone, and that we are all at risk to be victims of such a disgusting and vulgar act.

In college, I discovered the Buzzfeed show Unsolved.  I was infatuated with the unsolved mysteries of the world and the various theories that explained the horrors of the unknown.  Then the obsession with true-crime podcast emerged, and I was hooked.

After reading Michelle McNamara's book I'll Be Gone in the Dark, I was sparked with the need to further research some of these cases that have been on my mind for years.  The power of sparking interest in solving these crimes is not just in the hands of law enforcement, the FBI and families of the victims, but also the general public, the communities, and people who have loved ones that they care for. These people who have been the victims of crimes of rape, kidnapping, and murder were once people living their daily lives like you and I.  They had personalities, families, and aspirations that all vanished when their lives changed.  Michelle McNamara highlighted this fact in her book and looked deeper into the lives of the victims of the Golden State Killer.  She greatly inspired me.

This then takes me into the case that I have been interested in for years, the Lady of the Dunes.  The name was given to this victim because of where she was found.  On July 26, 1974, the body of this unknown woman was found laying out on the Racepoint Dunes of Provincetown, Massachusetts. A teenage girl who was walking the trails near the dunes with her dog, which were isolated from the rest of the beautiful beaches of the popular Massachusetts vacation spot.  The remains were just a few yards from the road and were surrounded by two sets of footprints and tire tracks.  She was faced down on a beach blanket.   The coroner's office believes that she had been there for between 10 days to 3 weeks before discovery, which greatly hindered the investigation into finding out who this woman was.

What was interesting about this case was how she was found.  Investigators said that she was found with a pair of wrangler jeans under her head and blue bandana, popular fashion choices of that era.  Her toenails were painted pink and her auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail fastened by a gold-flecked hair tie.  She had an athletic build, was 5'6'' and was around 145 lbs and estimated to be about 20 to 40 years old.  She had what they called "New York Styled" dental work that was believed to be a pricy $5,000 to $10,000.  The killer had attempted to remove some of her teeth, but the evidence of dental work and crowns remained.

This woman suffered a brutal end.  The left side of her skull had been crushed.  She was strangled, so severely that she was almost decapitated.  A crime of rage.  There was not a sign of a struggle however, indicating that she might have been asleep when she was attacked and was unable to fight back since she was lying on her stomach. Her hands have been removed in an effort to further hide her identity.  Evidence showed that she may have been sexually assaulted post mortem.

A composite sketch of the victim reconstructed by the victim's features and physical traits.  This composite was made in an effort to identify the victim.

What is amazing about this case, is that she has never been identified.  It has now been 35 years, and within those 35 years, no one has looked for her.  Not a parent, friend, brother or sister.  Not a past lover or a person who might have seen her in town. It was like she never existed before she was found.  Over the years, investigators have made efforts to use modern-day technology to answer some of the lingering questions that mounted throughout the decades about her identity.

Another piece of this case is, who did it?  There have been various theories which include infamous ganger Whitey Bulger and serial killer Hadden Clark.  The truth is, finding the identity of the woman found in PTown would only eliminate the theorized suspects and possibly would explain the motive to such a horrible and gruesome murder.  What we need to do, is keep this case alive, so we will hopefully one day learn this woman's name.

This first post is dedicated to Michelle McNamara.  She inspired so many to seek justice, even if it seems out of reach.   (April 14, 1970 - April 26, 2016)