May 31, 1883 Dodge County, Nebraska Desperado

On May 31, 1883, an individual died in Dodge County, Nebraska. On June 1st they were buried in Ridge Cemetery in Fremont. It's not stated the cause of death, but they were described as a desperado. Meaning they may have been some sort of outlaw or criminal.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

Disappearance of James Charles Stanford

In May of 1971 16-year-old, James Stanford went missing after telling his family of wanting to go to a convent in California or Texas. He disappeared from Overland, Missouri.

James is a white male and was 16-years-old at the time. He's 6'3" and 125 lbs. He has brown hair and green eyes.


SOURCES:
NamUs
Charley Project
National Missing and Exploited Children
International Missing Persons

May 29, 2006 City of Industry, California John Doe

At 2 p.m. on May 29, 2006, a man was found assaulted with a head injury at the rear of a building on the 15000 block of Salt Lake Street in City of Industry, California. He would be sent to LAC+USC Medical Center and was comatose. On June 30th he would suffer from cardiac arrest and was transported to another hospital where he would be pronounced dead. 

John Doe was a Hispanic male between 40 to 55-years-old. He's 5'4" to 5'8" and weighed 131 lbs. He has black hair and brown eyes and was sporting a mustache at the time. He had a homemade tattoo of a devil with a pitchfork and a small picture of a heart on his upper left arm. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Doe Network

Unidentified Wiki

Murder of Alfred Garcia

Around 2:02 a.m. on May 28, 2016, 19-year-old Alfred Garcia and an unnamed 16-year-old were shot on the 1800 block of Isil Ave in Bakersfield, California. Alfred was shot multiple times and died. The 16-year-old survived with minor leg injuries. 

SOURCES:

City of Bakersfield

Gun Memorial

Bakersfield Now

Murder of Jennifer "Jenny" Lin

 

At 5:15 p.m. on May 27, 1994, 14-year-old Jennifer "Jenny" Lin spoke to a friend on the phone. She was alone at her home in Castro Valley, California. Soon after the phone call, someone would break into the home. Jenny would be forced to strip and inside the bathroom, her killer would stab her to death. It's believed that her killer planned to sexually assault her, but for some reason stabbed her to death instead.It's believed that the killer had fled through a field behind the home. About an hour later she would be found by her father. 

A reward of $100,000 has been offered to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest in Lin's murder.

SOURCES:

FBI

Jenny Lin Foundation

Law and Crime June 20, 2022

Oxygen June 21, 2022

Urban Legends: The Golden Haired Girl

Photo by Engin Akyurt

Pine Barrens, New Jersey holds many legends. One includes a blonde-haired girl wearing white mourning her lover's death. She is usually seen staring out at the sea by herself, but after a while, the Jersey Devil sometimes joins her. 

Another legend says that the Jersey Devil's son, who was strangely human, fell in love with a girl. She was from a rich family and her family did not agree with their love. They would take her away and this would result in her killing herself. Heartbroken from his loss this caused him to become the next Jersey Devil just like his dad. She would become a ghost that now follows him and this is why the two are seen together. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Academic

NJ Pines Barrens

Frst Hand

Murder of Robert "Moose" Daly

On the night of May 24, 1969, 47-year-old Robert "Moose" Daly was having drinks with a friend at the Granite Club on 3820 S. Highland Drive in Millcreek, Utah. At approximately midnight Robert would leave alone. A deputy making a routine check of the parking lot would find Robert dead next to his truck.

Someone had shot him in the back of the left ear. The person was so close that powder burns were left on the ear.

SOURCES:

Unified Police Department
Utah Department of Public Saftey
Salt Lake City Tribune November 12, 1969

The Bernuthsfeld Man

On May 24, 1907 peat cutters would discover human remains in the Hogehahn bog in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was found that the body belonged to a man who lived and died between A.D 660 and 870. He was a medium-sized man between 30 and 60-year-old.At one point he experienced some health or nutritional crises during growth. It was evident in Harris lines on the long bones. He had suffered from osteoarthritis in his joints, had a well-healed fracture, his spine had a fused vertebra caused by inflammatory disease, suffered from sinus infections, and scans showed he had cancer.   It's unstated or unknown how the man died, but it's not believed to have been unnatural. He had no signs of violence and believed his cancer may have been what killed him.

The body was wrapped in several garments. One garment was a tunic with sleeves made from 43 pieces of textile and two long-leg wrappings. The tunic was made with 20 different fabrics with 9 different weaving patterns. A sheath and a 6-inch knife were also found with the body. It's suspected that the sheath may have held the knife. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Archeology Magazine

Modern Middle Ages

Mummipedia Wiki

May 24, 1999 Kendall County, Texas John Doe

On May 24, 1999 a boy's mandible was found on the bed of the Guadalupe River 300 yards north of Mill Dam Bridge in Kendall County, Texas. It's believed that they were dead for 3 or more

John Doe is believed to have been between 10 to 16-year-old when they died. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki

May 23, 1923 Walkley, England Baby Doe

 On May 23, 1923, a woman with a parcel would be seen loitering about Walkley Cemetary in Walkley a suburb of Sheffield, England. 30 minutes later a black bag was found by some children in the Cemetary. Inside the bag was the body of a newborn boy.

SOURCES:
Unsolved Murders

May 19-22, 1945 Uithuizermeeden, Netherlands John Doe

Between May 19 to 22 1945 the body of a man was found in Uithuizermeeden, Netherlands. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Politie

Murder of Jose Antonio Coronilla-Garcia

On May 21, 2006, 21-year-old Jose Coronilla-Garcia and his brother Miguel were standing outside of their home on Goodyear Ave. in Lakeland, Florida. Just after 2 a.m. three black men dressed in all black would approach the two brothers. One of them would fire a gun at them. The bullet would strike the ground ricocheted and hit Miguel's leg and then passed through hitting Jose in the back. This would end up killing Jose. 

SOURCES:

Polk County Sheriff's Office

The Ledger May 23, 2006

May 1864 Vigo County Indiana Stranger

In May 1864 a person would drown in Vigo County, Indiana. On May 21st they would be buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Terre Haute

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Lost Media: A Fake Diamond Swindler (1908)

Georges Méliès in 1938

A Fake Diamond Swindler is a French silent comedy released in May 1908. The film was directed by Georges Méliès. and produced by Star Film Company.

PLOT:

In a laboratory that is full of chemicals and electrical apparatuses, a man claims to have invented a way to create diamonds. He is sought after and is swindling people of their money for his alleged process. The President of diamond mines in South Africa comes to see. He watches a diamond manufactured and receives it as a scarf pin.

The gendarmes enter and drag the impostor to court. During the exciting and ludicrous legal proceedings, he escapes. He knocks officials over and leaves through a window and is followed in hot pursuit. There are many obstacles encountered and overturned, one example being a couple on a park bench. t ends with him caught and behind bars.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
IMDB

May 19, 1957 Kinston, North Carolina

On May 19, 1957, a skull would be found in the lowlands area of the Neuse River just outside of Kinston, North Carolina. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES: 

NamUs

WANTED: Pedro Santamaria

Pedro Santamaria is wanted for his alleged involvement in the robbery of a tractor-trailer carrying precious metals traveling from Miami, Florida, to Boston, Massachusetts on March 1, 2015.  The robbery occurred in Wilson County, North Carolina, and Pedro Santamaria allegedly was a gunman during the robbery. He had allegedly bound the victims and then dragged them into the woods during the robbery. 

On May 18, 2016, a federal arrest warrant was issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. This was after Santamaria was charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Pedro Santamaria is a black male who was born in Cuba. He uses the birthdays of June 6, 1962, June 7, 1962, June 8, 1962, June 24, 1962, July 8, 1962, August 8, 1962, and June 8, 1962. He is 5'7" and 180 lbs. He has a scar on his left arm. He has connections to California, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. 

SOURCES:

FBI

May 17, 1900 Acton, England Jane Doe

 In 1899, Alfred Johnson, a laborer, began living in his home on  9 Junction Rd, Acton, England. On May 17, 1900, the Brentford Gas Company came to lay some pipes in the home. They sent Thomas Sheild to do the job and he had to take up the floor to do it. About a foot from the Heartstone Thomas spotted what he thought was a rat's nest. He then realized that it was a skull and he called to the other worker. The two would then contact the police. 

Under the floorboards was the body of a young girl around 2 to 3 years old. She had been covered in lime and wrapped in a child chemise. Her cause of death could not be found and her hands were missing, but it wasn't stated whether or not the hands were destroyed due to the lime or removed either by a person or animal activity. The way her body was found it was believed that she was put there with care, but that does not mean she wasn't murdered. Due to the lime it was unknown when she died 2 to 3 years. 

There were several tenants who came in and out of the home, but the children were traced. One family who lived there between 1896 and August 1898 stated that all their children were fine and there was no noticeable smell. The next family moved in October 1898 and stated that there was a woody smell and it was stronger when the floor was washed and moved out around a year later. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

Middlesex County Times May 26, 1900

Acton and Chiswick Gazzette June 1, 1900

Murder of Joseph Peters

On May 16, 2012, the body of 41-year-old Joseph Peters was found wrapped in a tarp near Interstate 76 Frontage Road and Weld County Road 12.5 in Greeley, Colorado. He had been shot in the head. 

Joseph was known to frequent the Denver and Brighton area. 

SOURCES:
Welds County Sheriff's Department

CBS Colorado May 17, 2012

Murder of Douglas Houser

Photo of Douglas Houser and sketch of the suspect

On May 15, 2010, 37-year-old Douglas Houser was at his home on 900 block of Rue Madora Drive in Bear, Delaware. He would hear a knock at his door at 11 p.m. and three people would ask for an unknown person. Douglas had no knowledge of this person being at his residence. The suspects would then force their way into the home and shot and killed him. The suspects would then flee the scene.

A witness described a suspect as a light-toned or biracial black male. He was around  6'2" and 300 lbs He was sporting afro style haircut that was pulled back into a ponytail. She rated the drawing at a number eight based on likeness. 

SOURCES:

New Castle County Police Department

ABC May 16, 2010

Murder of Martha Moore

On May 14, 1999, 30-year-old Martha Moore was shot at a residence on 3920 W. 59th St. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This was during a reported home invasion. 

SOURCES:

Tulsa County Sheriff's Office

Tulsa Crime Stoppers

May 14, 1992 St. Louis, Missouri Child Doe

On May 14, 1992 the skull of a child was confiscated from a storage locker from someone who lived in St. Louis, Missouri. The person who had the skull claimed to have bought it from a flea market or Antique shop. They believed it was a historical native American skull. It's not stated how long they believed the child had been dead. 

The skull belonged to a white child between 7 to 10-years-old. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki 

Murder of John Michael Mabrey

 

At 6:05 p.m. on May 13, 2019 officers were dispatched to the rear of 966 E. 19th Ave in Columbus, Ohio. This is where the body of 32-year-old John Mabrey was found. on an unresponsive male. 

SOURCES:
City of Columbus
Ohio Attorney General

Murder of Theron “Boukie” Woodard

On May 12, 2019, 26-year-old Theron “Boukie” Woodard was with friends in Fairfield County, South Carolina. They had left Insomnia Night Club and traveled on Columbia Mall Blvd. on the way to Summit. As they approached the Theater at Columbia Mall a dark-colored vehicle pulled up beside them and began shooting. Theron who was in the passenger seat was shot and killed. 

SOURCES:

Richland County Sheriff's Department

New 19 May 13, 2020

May 11, 1991 Rock Springs, Wyoming Sexual Assualt

In the early morning of May 11, 1991, a man would break into the home of an unnamed 43-year-old woman in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He would sexually assault the woman. 

The suspect was in his late 20's to early 30's at the time. He's 5'9" to 5'10" and with a slender build (150 to 160 lbs). He had short brown hair at the time. He was wearing light-colored jeans, a white windbreaker, and white athletic shoes. 

SOURCES:

Rock Springs Wyoming (PDF)

May 11, 1923 Southern Pines, North Carolina Stranger

 On May 11, 1923, a man was found shot to death near the corner of New Hampshire Ave and Leak St.in Southern Pines, North Carolina. He had been shot to death with a pistol either on the 10th or the 11th. There is little information in this case. I'm not sure if anyone was arrested for the murder only information is from the Find a Grave. 

John Doe is a black male. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Lost Film: The Purple Dawn

Bessie Love as Hulda in The Flying Torpedo (1916)

The Purple Dawn is a silent romantic film distributed by Aywon Film Corporation on May 10, 1923. 
The film was directed, produced, and written by Charles R. Seeling. The film was 5 reels long. At the time White actors were used to playing other races. This film is now considered lost.

PLOT:

In San Franciso's China Town Chinese American Mui Far falls in love with Bob, a young sailor. Bob gets involved with drug smuggling. When he is delivering a package of opium to Wong Chang, a tong leader, and Mui Far's Father. A rival gang would rob Bob of the goods which lead to his being beaten. Bob would flee to the country and falls in love with a white girl. He forgets all about Mui Far.

The original owners of the opium are furious. They believe that Bob was the one that stole the drugs. Wong Chang finds Bob and kidnaps both him and his new girl. He threatens Bob with death. Mui Far finds out that this had happened and goes to the police. She then reunites the couple and is heartbroken when she realized that their love was doomed from the beginning.

The ending of the movie is not clear as there are two separate claims to the endings. One with Mui Far giving up her love and committing suicide walking in the San Francisco Bay at Dawn. The other is that Mui Far almost does this, but instead doesn't and decides to Marry the man her father chose.

The original owners of the opium think that the sailor stole the opium, and kidnap him and his new sweetheart. Mui Far is heartbroken but rescues the sailor and his new sweetheart. She then commits suicide by walking into San Francisco Bay at dawn

CAST:

Bessie Love as Mui Far
Bert Sprotte as "Red" Carson, the sea captain and dope smuggler
Edward Peil, Sr. as Wong Chong, the Tong leader
William E. Aldrich as Bob, the hero
James B. Leong as Quan Foo
William Horne as Mr. Ketchell
Priscilla Bonner as Ruth Ketchell, Bob's sweetheart

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

IMDB

AFI Catalog

All Movie

Turner Classic Movies

Murder of Andre Heckstall

At 5:30 May 9, 2003, 40-year-old Andre Heckstall was in the parking lot in front of the Dollar Tree on 600 block of Newton Rd. in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was speaking with an unknown black male when he was shot. He would be transported to the hospital where he would pass away. 

SOURCES:

City of Virginia Beach

Project Cold Case

Arson: The Oregon Right to Life arson

At about 10:38 on May 8, 2022, police received several calls about someone throwing Molotov cocktails at the Oregon Right to Life building at 4335 River Rd N in Keizer, Oregon. The security camera spotted an individual retrieve an item from a vehicle trunk and walk towards the building. A glow could be seen from the flame of the Molotov cocktail and then they threw it at the building. The person then ran back to the vehicle.

The suspect may have been driving a white sedan, possibly a 2017-2018 Hyundai Elantra.


The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for this crime.

SOURCES:

FBI

Murder of Vickie Lynn Brekke

On May 7, 1978, 15-year-old Vickie Brekke would leave her home at 3612 Braddock St. in Las Vegas, Nevada. She had called her friend and was supposed to arrive at her friend's home around 5:30 p.m., but would never arrive.

The next day Vickie's body would be discovered in the desert area to the east of Sunrise Mountain East Lake Mead Blvd. approximately 6 miles east of Mt. Hood. Vickie had been strangled to death in a different place and her body was dumped in the 4ft drop. She was not beaten nor sexually assaulted.

SOURCES:
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Find a Grave
Reno-Gazette Journal May 9, 1978
Images of news articles
Las Vegas Sun January 2, 2022

1913 Presque Isle, Maine Jane Doe

A woman would come to Presque Isle, Maine in May 1913 and would die the same year from a hemorrhage. For some reason, her arrival was listed, but her date of death was not. 

Jane Doe was a white female.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

Disapperance of Ricardo Hernandez

On May 5, 2013, 87-year-old Ricardo Hernandez left his home in Downey, California. He had a history of wandering away and would take the bus to downtown Los Angeles and Bell Gardens. He was not carrying a phone or any identification when he left.

Ricardo is a Hispanic man who was 87-years-old at the time. He is 5'2" and 110 lbs. He had grey hair and brown eyes. It's believed he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. He was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.

SOURCES:
State of California Department of Justice
Charley Project

Urban Legends: The Purple Mirror

A young girl was always sick because of her immunity impairment and her body was so weak she spent most of her teens in the hospital. One year for her birthday she received a cute hand mirror from her parents. She would treasure the mirror and would look into it every single day. 

The girl's favorite color was purple and she decided to paint the mirror purple. After it was painted purple and she could look into it she became strange. She was shocked and tried to desperately peel the purple paint off of it. It would not peel though and it was stuck. It was permanently purple and she could no longer look into it. 

Her illness would take for the worse maybe because she was distraught about her precious mirror. Her parents hoped that she would get better and bought another mirror, but she was not interested in it. 19 days before her 20th birthday she lay in her bed holding the purple mirror. She would look into it muttering "Purple mirror" repeatedly until her last breath.  

It's said that the grudge for the mirror lives in the words "purple mirror (murasaki kagam)" and children who remember it by their 20th birthday will meet with misfortune or death.

In another variation of the story as told in the Kansai area the girl was not sick. One day a girl was approaching her 20th birthday. She was excited about her coming-of-age ceremony and was looking forward to wearing her best clothes for it. This would never happen though as she had died in a traffic accident. 

Her family wanted to bury her with her treasured purple mirror. She carried it around with her everywhere, but when she died it wasn't on her person. When her parents looked in her room it was gone. So the funeral proceeded without it.

A short while after a terrible rumor about the dead girl began to spread. It was said that she was dating a boy with a bad reputation and this soured when she wanted to break up. This was why she had died and the missing mirror was a treasured gift from the boy. This however was not true. 

It had turned out that a close friend of hers started the rumor. When it came to that girl's coming-of-age ceremony arrived she disappeared. Inside her room was the missing purple mirror. It's said that her parents died from anxiety. 

In other variations of the story, it's until the person meets another age like 18 or 15, or sometimes when they graduate. Some say that she had an eating disorder and finally saw how she looked after painting the mirror.  All in all because of the unfortunate fate of a young woman and her mirror a curse began. 

SOURCES:

Kowabana

Scary For Kids

WANTED: John Doe 19

John Doe 19 is allegedly involved in a video involved with the sexual exploitation of children and sexual abuse of a minor. The video was found being traded on the internet.

SOURCES:
FBI

Disappearance of Sophie Chéenne

On May 2, 1996, 20-year-old Sophie Chéenne left her residence in Laval, France. She left the home after she and her boyfriend had an argument. At the time she was upset about their relationship. The apartment seemed to have been a mess and her boyfriend only told her mother of her disappearance 4 days later. 

Sophie is a white female and was 20-year-old. She is 145 cm (4'9"). She has light brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a navy blue Terylene jacket, a pair of light blue jeans, high-top black lace shoes, and a purse. She should have an identity card and her apartment keys on herself.

SOURCES:

APEV

Doe Network

May 1, 2019 Albuquerque, New Mexico Sexual Assault

On May 1, 2019, an unknown man would a woman and her friends in Albuquerque, New Mexico. None of the woman's friends or her could recall having seen him before. the man made himself a part of the group and followed them to various bars and restaurants throughout the night. The whole time he shared only a limited amount of information about himself. The only thing he really said was that he was a truck driver and was only passing through Albuquerque to get to California. He mentioned at one point that he was based out of Denver, Colorado.

At the end of the night he appeared to be intoxicated. He asked a woman in the group to bring him to his rig at a TA truck stop. At the truck stop the man would sexually assault the woman in her vehicle. 

The suspect is a black male between 30 to 45-years-old. He had a Dominican or Haitian accent. He's 5'10" to 6'2" and 180 to 210 lbs. he has a cross tattoo on his neck below his right ear. He wore a black cap, black shirt, and jean shorts. He was seen driving a Peterbilt flatbed tractor-trailer truck.

SOURCES:

FBI