Murder of Billy Stone

 

On December 11, 1914, 21-year-old Billy Stone was working at Whitby Junction in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. He was working as a telegraph operator. At 12:05 an accountant for the local asylum walking by. Billy had turned off the lights and the only one on was the one on his desk.

At 12:37 someone would enter Whitby Junction and shoot Billy in the chest. In his last moments, he would go to his desk and call the Bell Telephone Switchboard. Billy would tell them "I'm shot, I'm all done in". 

When law enforcement arrived Billy was dead. He had fallen backward onto the floor and the phone hung over the side. He had fallen from where he was standing and died. There was no gunshot powder on Billy's clothes meaning that he was shot from a distance. 

The scene was not displaced or anything. The killer did not seem to have stolen any money or objects from the station. There were no broken windows the only thing that was out of place was that the ticket window was closed and unlocked. It's believed that this was done after or during Billy's murder. It was also possible that since there was no struggle Billy was shot through the ticket window when it was open.

However, there was evidence that they had searched Billy's body as a bloody handprint was found on the side of a cabinet near the desk. The killer had used it to help stand up after getting Billy's blood on his hands. There was no way Billy made this print as there was almost no blood on his hands.  There was nothing in Billy's pockets and even his watch was missing. Strangely, Billy was robbed, but the station wasn't.

It's unknown who killed Billy, but there are a few motives. One was that Billy's father had killed him for money. His father was examined as a suspect. Feeling like he had become the main suspect in his son's murder he would end his life. He would lie on the tracks and be hit by a train.

A friend of  Billy's claimed that he thought that Italians had something to do with the murder. Another friend stated that he was not planning to marry and was talking to a woman at the time. It could be possible that it was because of a jealous lover.  It was also possible he was killed over a potential gambling debt. 

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

The Standard December 12, 1914

The Tronto Star December 14, 1914

The Province December 17, 1914

The Standard April 22, 1914

Unclaimed Persons: Velma Lasater

On December 10, 1929, Velma Lasater either died or her body was found in Boise, Idaho. Her name is known, but she was never claimed by her family.

Velma is a white female. She had grey or greying hair and blue eyes.

SOURCES:
NamUs

Disappearance of Columbus G. McLeod

In 1908, 62/63-year-old Columbus G. McLeod was a DeSoto County sheriff. On November 30th he carried out game law enforcement duties in Lee County, Florida. He was searching for egret hunters at Cayo Pelau Island. He was never seen again and it's presumed he was killed. 

His boat was found sunken with sand sacks tied to it. His hat was located nearby with two axe chips, blood, and hair. His body was however never recovered. 

SOURCES:
Officer Down Memorial Page

Find a Grave
International Missing Persons

November 15, 1880 Springfield, Missouri John Doe

On November 15, 1880, an unknown man would "drop dead" in or close to Springfield, Missouri. He would be buried at the Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave

October 9, 1893 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

On October 9, 1893, skeletal remains were found in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania near Wildwood. Two men hunting hops in a wooded area overgrown with brush would find the remains. That area was rarely used because of the brush. It was obvious that the man's body had been left there. He was lying straight with his arms by his sides. It was believed that he had been murdered around 6 months before. 

John Doe was believed to be around 40 years old. He was around 5'7" and 160 lbs. There was nothing left at the scene to identify him. 

I assume that in these news articles, they were the same remains as the areas are almost 10 miles apart and found on the same day. The remains were likely brought to Sharpsburg to be buried because they were a bigger community. I could be wrong though. 


SOURCES:
Find A Grave

Pittsburg Press October 10, 1893

Butler Citizen October 13, 1893

September 10, 1948 Abergavenny, Wales Two Skeletons

 On September 10, 1948, two skeletons were discovered while trying to make a foundation for a tennis court in Abergavenny, Wales. One of the skulls was first discovered, and the rest of the remains were found 2 feet below the surface. There was no evidence of this being a designated place for burial. The way the bones were found made it obvious that the two were buried as bodies and not as bones buried at a later time. The two were believed to have died no less than 10 to 15 years before, but it's also possible that they had been dead for hundreds of years.

The adult skeleton was believed to be a man between 40 to 70 years old.

The child was around 7 years old.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave (man)
Find a Grave (child)

August 6, 1818 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania John Doe

On August 6, 1818, a man died or was found dead in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There is little information in this case. 

John Doe is a black male around 40-years-old.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

August 5, 1925 Palatka, Florida Wilbur Doe

On August 5, 1925, a man was picked up on the street by police in Palatka, Florida. He was acting in a crazed state. He was taken to the jail hospital and refused to give any information about himself other than his name being Wilbur. He would refuse to eat and this would result in him dying from starvation on August 30th. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

July 11, 1925 Easton, Pennsylvania John Doe

 On July 11, 1925, the body of a man was found floating in the Delaware Canal in Easton, Pennsylvania. It's believed that he died from an accidental drowning around a week before.

John Doe was a male around 25 years old. He had $100 and a revolver in his pockets. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

The Morning Call July 12, 1925

The Philadelphia Inquirer July 13, 1925

July 9, 1945 Jefferson County, Missouri Jane Doe

 On July 9, 1945, the body of a woman would be found in the Mississippi River in or near Sulpher Springs, Missouri. Her body was taken to Kimmswick to help Identify her, but she wasn't and was buried in Kimmswick.

Jane Doe is a black female.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave
Daily News-Democrat July 12, 1945

Disappearance of Tony Gikoff

 On July 9, 1955, 62-year-old Tony Gikoff was last seen near Colborne, Ontario, Canada at a property he rented out. 

Tony is a white male and was 62-years-old at the time. He was 193 cm (6'4") and 120 kg (265 lbs). He has dark brown hair. 

SOURCES:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Ontario's Missing Adults

International Missing Persons Wiki

June 11, 1921 Omaha, Nebraska Baby John Doe

On June 11, 1921, an unknown baby boy was found in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

June 8, 1950 Pomona, California John Doe

In Pomona, California an elderly transient would work for a woman. He would reside in her barn as he worked for her. On June 5, 1950, he would admit that he was not feeling well. She would contact her doctor to check him out. He was prescribed medicine but had refused to take any of it. He would be last seen alive at 8 pm on the 7th and at 6:35 the next morning he would be found dead. It's not stated how long he'd worked there or if he told them his name/what they had called him.

John Doe was a white male between 70 and 90 years old. He was 5'10" and 140 lbs. He had grey or greying hair. Army tan undershirt, gray workshirt, inner trousers khaki, outer pants Levis, Army hook leggings, and heavy work boots.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Lost Media: Tragic Death of Colin Scott

On June 7th siblings 23-year-old Colin Scott and his sister Sable would travel to Yellowstone National Park. At the time Colin had recently graduated from Pacific University and was visiting his sister from Portland, Oregon. The two planned to have a day trip to Yellowstone.

They would park not far from the Norris Geyser Basin in the Wyoming part of the park. Sable would record their trip and when they found that there was no one there with them on the boardwalk route they decided to venture off it. 

The two planned to hot pot which is the prohibited exercise of swimming in hot springs. They would pass by warning signs and venture into a forbidden area. This area was prohibited due to the heat and acidity of the hot springs. These areas were dangerous and deadly and since 1890 there have been 22 known deaths from hotspring accidents. 

The siblings would venture and a terrible accident would happen. Collin would slip into one of these hot springs. Sage would try to save her brother, but it wasn't possible. She would then run to the museum and beg for help. The whole accident would be caught on her phone. 

By the time help arrived, it was obviously too late to save the young man. The only thing they could see was his head hands and upper torso and he was unmoving. It was too dangerous at the time to try to retrieve his body with the oncoming lightning storm and the volatile temperatures of the pools. The hotspring would completely dissolve his body overnight due to the heat and acidic nature of it. Only his wallet and flip-flops were found.

His death was tragic and left a warning to others about the dangers of going into prohibited areas. The recording is considered lost media and it would be best that it's left that way. 

SOURCES:

Lost Media Wiki

The Guardian

The Mirror June 10, 2021

May 26, 1865 Boston, Massachusetts John Doe

 On May 26, 1865, the body of a young boy was found in the Boston Harbor in  Boston, Massachusetts. He was never claimed and was buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery in an unmarked grave in the potter's field. 

It's believed the boy was around 8-years-old. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Murder of James Walsh

Around 1 am on May 18, 1853, 54-year-old James Walsh was found stabbed in a court area in 1 Pleasant Passage, Lower Holloway in London, England. He was unable to say much except it was a woman who stabbed him. But he was unable to say how it happened. He was taken to the hospital and died shortly after. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

May 12, 1850, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jane Doe

 On May 12, 1850, a woman died or was found dead in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There is little information in this case. 

Jane Doe is a black male around 80-years-old.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

April 21,1823, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania John Doe

On April 21, 1823, an unknown man died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

John Doe was a black male and was around 50-years-old. 

SOURCES:

Find A Grave

April 3, 1974 Cleveland, Ohio John Doe

On June 27, 1973, a building in Cleveland, Ohio was firebombed and gutted by fire on March 14, 1974. On April 3rd a man would go through the building and discover bones. Police were called and it was discovered that a man had crawled in a crawl space and died. However, he likely died in the 1930's as his shoes and a bottle indicated he was from that time. The bottle of beer he had with him was bottled in Cleveland in 1938.

John Doe was a male between 35 to 40 years old. He was around 5'10". He was wearing a pair of shoes that were of the type that a male might have worn in the late 30's, they were ankle high and the last three eyelets were of the hook type. There was a beer bottle from the Royal Beer Company, Cleveland, Ohio that was bottled in 1938.

SOURCES:

NamUs

March 28, 1925 Milwaukee, Wisconsin John Doe

On March 28, 1925, the body of a man was found at Lake Michigan, foot of Park Place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's believed he accidentally drowned.

John Doe was a white male around 45 years old.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave

Murder of James Clark Nicoll

 In 1871 James and Amelia Nicoll would come over to America from Scotland. The couple had 7 children in total 2 of which were born in Iowa where they settled. He would then establish the first baker in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was located on the north side of Broadway across from Ogden Hotel. The family would live above the bakery. By 1884 the business would thrive allowing them to build one at 130 West Broadway, where he moved his home and business.

Around 8 pm on March 16, 1885, 52-year-old James would leave his home. at 10 the next day James body was found in a ditch that led to Indian Creek on Tenth Ave by a man passing by. He was frozen in the 15 inches of water. His hand and one shoulder were the only things seen above the ice. He was weirdly enough not wearing his hat, shoes, or stockings. It was unknown how or why he had died, but it was suspicious. 

SOURCES:

Iowa Cold Cases

Find a Grave

Murder of John "Henry" Bernard Nurre

The image has a typo it's supposed to be 1814 not 1914

In 1890, 76-year-old John "Henry" Nurre and his third wife 57-year-old Elizabeth. The couple had been married for 20 years and lived in rural Clinton County near Brown’s Station, Iowa. The area that the couple were living in was mostly Catholic including them. They would seldom miss any meetings at the church.

Henry was also one of the richest men in their area of the state and was highly esteemed by many. He had more real estate mortgages in Jackson County than anyone else. For the last 4 years, he was a member of the Board of Supervisors of Clinton County. It was estimated that he was worth $250,000.

On March 12, 1890, Henry and Elizabeth did not show up to the 13-hour church meeting. This was concerning, however, it wasn't until they didn't show up to the Thursday meeting people got worried. Elizabeth's son-in-law Theo Hullman, and the Priest were worried because the two never showed up to the meeting. This was unusual for them. The two would go home and investigate to see why the two didn't show up.

When they went inside the house they would go into either the kitchen and find Henry dead near the table. He was in a large pool of blood and had a large gash on the back of his head and another which hit his jugular vein in his neck.

Elizabeth was found unconscious in their bedroom in the attic above the kitchen. She had been attacked with a hammer and she had nine deep scalp wounds. She would stay unconscious for several more weeks before regaining consciousness. However, she could not provide any information on what had happened.

It's believed that the attack happened on the evening of March 11th. Henry was sitting in the sitting room responding to a letter from his son. The letter was received on the 10th and the letter Henry was writing was dated the 11th. It seemed Henry was nearly finished with the letter when he was killed.

The murderer or murderers tried to clean up the pool of blood. There were clothes stained with the blood found on the teakettle. They then dragged Henry into the kitchen. It's unknown why they had done this, but maybe they were thinking of destroying the scene and never got to do it for some reason.


Elizabeth must have witnessed the murder as it seemed that she had run to their bedroom in the attic. She had tried to barricade the door, but they had broken it open with a poker. They would then attack her with the poker and then the hammer when they found it. The room was left a mess with the bestead broken to pieces, the bedding scattered and blood covered almost everything in the room. It was a miracle that she survived.

In another bedroom, a safe was found. It was unknown if the killer or killers were able to get it open, but the dial had been broken off. In the same room, there was a little satchel that Henry was known to carry money and papers. One of Elizabeth's skirts was lying over it and it wasn't seen by the killers. Inside was $1,105 and some papers indicating he was planning to go to Preston that night. Likely after he was done writing his letter and eating dinner.

Theo stated that it was not normal for Henry to have that much cash on him at once and usually only carried around $100 to $150. However, he himself had recently paid him the $1,000 on Sunday so it must have been that money in his satchel.

SOURCES:
Iowa Cold Cases

Find a Grave

Murder of Caroline Frances Ely

 On February 26, 1915, 25-year-old Caroline Ely died from an illegal operation in Fulham, England. It's not stated what kind of operation it was. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

January 15, 1865 Nashville, Tennessee

 On January 15, 1865, in or around Nashville, Tennessee a man was killed by a shotgun blast that severed his arm. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

January 10, 1924 Limerick, Ireland Baby Jane Doe

 On January 10, 1924, an unidentified stillborn baby girl was found at Garryowen Blackboy Pike in Limerick, Ireland. She was buried in Mount St. Lawrence on the 12th.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave