Unclaimed Persons: Charles Watson

On June 16, 1941, Charles Watson would either die or his body was found in Ellensburg, Washington. He is an unclaimed person meaning that he was not claimed by family. There is little information in this case.

Charles was a white male.

SOURCES:
NamUs

April 21, 1941 Phoenix, Arizona John Doe

On April 21, 1941, the body of a man was found in the Salt Lake River in the rural part of Phoenix, Arizona. It was believed that he had died between April 5th to April 15th, but his cause of death was unknown. It also stated he had been in the state for 12 years, but it's unknown how they knew or came to that conclusion. 

He was a white male around 65-years-old. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

1941 Usquert, Netherlands John Doe

 In 1941 a man was found drowned in Usquert, Netherlands. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Politie

Jan. 19, 1941 Charlotte, North Carolina Unknown Newborn Girl

 On Jan. 19, 1941, the body of a newborn was found abandoned in the woods in Charlotte, North Carolina. The baby girl had died from exposure recently. 

She was a newborn African American female.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

 

Disappearance of Leila Lewis Bryan and Mary Rachel Bryan

On May 10, 1941, 36-year-old Leila Bryan and her only child, Mary Rachel Bryan went to the beach and returned around 6:30 p.m. Her husband and Mary Rachel's father Edis Clarence or E.C. was preparing plans to pour concrete in the basement.

The two were last seen in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. At 9 p.m. Leila supposedly took Mary Rachel out to buy groceries at a store two blocks down and another said she was going to buy a new brassiere at the dime store. She only brought Mary Rachel with her because her daughter kept insisting on coming with. For some reason, Leila left her rings on the sink.

E.C. went to bed while the two were out. Barry, Leila's brother, and a friend came to the home that night. That was when he found out the two never arrived home. Barry and his friend went searching for the girls but didn't find a trace of them. E.C. called the police within hours and the police and community joined in the search. The search included the beach, waterways, and wooded areas.

 At the time she was driving her husband's black 1935 Ford Model A coupe with 1941 North Carolina License plate number 219-056. The car was low on gas when she left and it could have been possible she filled up the tank. One filling station attendant was pretty sure he saw Leila at 10 p.m., but that lead led nowhere.

The car was never recovered and the two were declared dead in 1948. Police did not believe that Leila left on her own accord. It could be possible that she met foul play and she and Mary Rachel were dead.

Police suspected Leila's husband for their disappearance. They suspected that he killed his wife and daughter and then buried their bodies. It was initially believed that they were buried under their concrete basement floor at the beach cottage on Raleigh Ave., but it was dug up in 2009 and remains were not found. It's possible their bodies were buried elsewhere though.

Leila may be spelled as Lela is a white female and was 36-years-old at the time. She was 5'7" to 5'8" and 120 lbs. She has black hair and grey eyes. She was wearing a summer print housedress with a green turban, possibly a sweater and white and brown shoes.

Mary Rachel is a white female and was 4 at the time. She was 3'0" and 40 lbs at the time. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes.

 
SOURCES:
Charley Project (Leila)
Charley Project (Mary Rachel)
Find A Grave (Leila)
Find A Grave (Mary Rachel)
Doe Network (Leila)
Doe Network  (Mary Rachel)
Dead Maidens

Murder of Denson Hudson

48-year-old Police Officer Denson Hudson and his partner Fred Risener were working in the early morning of March 18, 1941, in Apopka, Florida. Shortly after 1 a.m. the two officers spotted an open window at the Standard Oil Plant (it's now the Catfish Place) and approached the building.

There were two burglars inside the building and were breaking into the company safe when the officers stumbled upon them. The two unknown men would shoot at the officers with rifles hitting Officer Hudson. He was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries that night.

SOURCES:

Project Cold Case

Officer Down Memorial Page

The Apopka Voice 

Disappearance of Betty McCullough

On the morning of June 21, 1941, 10-year-old Betty McCullough woke up earlier than her sisters. She got dressed and went outside with a bucket to get water at a water pump near their home in Silver Creek Falls, Oregon. 

There was a search that was led by Forest Servicemen and the State police were involved in the search. They searched all over Silver Creek Falls for the young girl, but nothing was found. It was believed that a passing motorist may have picked up and abducted the girl. Betty was deaf and mute and was sick. If still alive after she disappeared she wouldn't live past her teens. 

Police were informed of her disappearance and a search happened. There was an extensive search for the girl in Silver Creek Falls that was led by Forest Servicemen, and State Police helped also. The area where her family picked berries was also searched. There were no traces of the girl and it's believed a passing motorist may have picked her up. 

At the time Betty's family were migrant workers working in berry fields picking the berries. Her case is still unsolved, but it is considered closed due to the amount of time that's passed. 

Betty is a white female and was 10 at the time. Betty was deaf and mute and suffered from bouts of illness. It was estimated that she would not have lived past her teens. She was wearing a man's shirt and her sister's shoes. 

SOURCES:

Charley Project

Doe Network

The Capital-Journal (June 23, 1941)

The Capital-Journal (June 25, 1941)

Albany Democrat-Herald