November 8, 1981 Danville, Virginia John Doe

November 8, 1981, the skeletal remains were found scattered in an old dumpsite near Danville, Virginia. It's believed that he had died likely in 1959.

John Doe was a Black male and was between 40 to 60 years old. He was 5'2" to 5'7". He was wearing a large dark-colored cotton T-shirt.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Murder of Patricia Ann Lupton

 

On Feb. 16, 1959, 12-year-old Patricia Lupton and her three friends saw a babysitting notice posted on the bulletin board at the A&P supermarket in the Kennedy Park Shopping Plaza at Kennedy Rd and Eglinton Ave E. in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

The girls all put their names, addresses, and phone numbers for the ad, as they all had a history of babysitting. On March 9th Patricia would receive a call from the man answering the ad. Patricia was not the only one who received a call as two of the other friends were. One missed the call as the line was busy and the other was sick.

He called himself Mr. Johnson and told her that he and his wife were visiting their infant son in the hospital and needed a babysitter for their slightly older son.  Patricia agreed and was excited as she liked taking care of younger children. She was supposed to get picked up by Mrs. Johnson at the Kennedy Park Drugs in the same Plaza where she saw the bulletin. 

Her parents felt safe with her accepting the job as she was highly regarded by the people she previously babysat for. She told her parents she was going to check in with them when she got home. At 5:30 pm she left her home to the Plaza.  

A call that was supposed to happen never came and this worried her family. Unknown to them her body was found at 7:20 in a snowbank on McCowan Rd, less than two miles from her home. She had been strangled to death with her own scarf, her knees were bruised, and her clothing was in disarray, she was not sexually assaulted, but it can be assumed that that was the motive.

Four hours later her family learned of what had happened to her from the news.

SOURCES:

Toronto Police Service

Find a Grave

February 14, 1959 Miami, Florida John Doe

On February 14, 1959, the body of a man was found in shallow water near the shoreline of a rock pit on Bailes, Rd in Miami, Florida. He was found nude and laying face down. His cause of death was unknown or unstated.

John Doe was a black male between 30 to 40-years-old. He was 5'5" and 150 lbs. He had black curly hair and black eyes. Clothes were found near the body by the shoreline. The clothes were a white T-shirt, white jockey shorts, a blue sports shirt, tan pants, and a pair of army-type ankle high-laced shoes. 

There were also various pans and food scraps found nearby. 

SOURCES:
NamUs
Doe Network

Uncovered

Disappearance of Nellie Margaret Tibbitts

On October 1, 1959, 26-year-old Nellie Tibbitts was last seen in Watsonville, California. She was driving her green and white four-door 1952 Plymouth that had black wall tires and simple Chrom hubcaps. Her vehicle would be found a few weeks after and there was no sign of her.

Nellie was from Illinois but moved to California as a child. 

Nellie is a white woman and was 24-years-old at the time. She's 5'4" and 135 lbs. She had brown hair and eyes. She has twisted fingernails on two fingers (hand unstated/unknown).

SOURCES:
NamUs
Charley Project

July 14, 1959 Surrey, England Baby John Doe

On July 14, 1959, the body of a baby boy was found in two carrier bags at a railway station in Surrey, England. The infant was found in a sanitary bin in the ladies room. It's believed that the child had been strangled to death. 

SOURCES: 

Unsolved Murders UK

Disappearance of Diane Marie Webb

18-year-old Diane Webb lived with her family in San Bernadino, California until 1959. In March her family would move to Dolan Springs, Arizona, and Diane would stay. She would then stay with her 16-year-old boyfriend, Bennie Webb, who would soon become her husband.

At least one time that year she stayed with her family in Arizona for a week. During the visit, she told her parents she was pregnant and that she was going to marry. Her father disapproved of the relationship, but her younger brother and mother made it to the wedding in Indio, California. 

The wedding was the last time her family saw her, but they would receive letters for several months after her wedding. The last letter was mailed on August 22, 1959, for her little sister's birthday. It included handkerchiefs that she crocheted for her. 

A letter would then arrive to Diane's family from Bennie in late 1960. He had believed that she was with them in Dolan Springs, and this confused them. They would send a letter back asking what had happened and when she had left. 

On January 5, 1961, he responded back stating that he hadn't heard from or seen Diane in a very long time. That he had given her $100 and put her on a bus to Dolan Springs. He stated she wrote one letter to him after she left and stated she had a miscarriage. Bennie recommended they to talk to a friend of Diane's in California to see if she knew something.

In August of 1961 Diane or someone else using her name visited a dentist's office in California. This was the last possible sign of her. 

Diane's family suspects that her husband had done something to her. Her father went to Bennies hometown in New Mexico where Bennies brother was a police chief. He was searching to see if he can find information on Diane. Allegedly Bennies brother chased him out of town. 

Bennie is still alive, but is not cooperating with the police and refuses a polygraph. He allegedly never recalled marrying Diane, but their marriage certificate exists. This however seems suspicious but does not mean he is guilty. 

Diane is a white female and was 18-years-old at the time. She's 5'2" to 5'4" and 110 to 120lbs. She has brown hair and grey eyes. She was pregnant at the time but may have had a miscarriage, one of her breasts was larger than the other, she has freckles on the tip of her nose, and her ears are pierced. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

International Missing Persons

Murder of Gordon Pitcher

 On June 27, 1959, 21-year-old Gordon Pitcher got into an argument in a downtown hotel washroom in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This resulted in him being stabbed in the stomach. The weapon was either an icepick (more likely) or a knitting needle.

SOURCES:

Toronto Police Service

The Sault Star July 2, 1959

The North Bay Nugget July 4, 1959

May 24, 1959, Parsippany, New Jersey Baby Jane Doe

 On May 24, 1959, the body of a newborn baby girl was found in the woods near Vail Road in the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany, New Jersey. The girl was found in a paper sack. She had been born and died several hours before she was found.

Jane Doe was a white female.

SOURCES:

Morris County New Jersey

The News May 25, 1959

Murder of Elizabeth Boyington

 On the night of June 26, 1959, a couple was taking a stroll in the wooded area of the west end of High Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They would find the body of 44-year-old Elizabeth Boyington. Her arms were folded across her chest and her clothes were disarranged.  She had been stabbed around 5 times around her throat and it wasn't stated whether or not she was sexually assaulted. She was last seen being rejected entry at the downtown bar.

Elizabeth was a practical nurse at the time. She was also known to frequent bars.

SOURCES:

Toronto Police Service

The Windsor Star June 30, 1959

Toronto Sun June 13, 2021

Disappearance of Mary Flanagan

 

On December 31, 1959, 16-year-old Mary Flanagan overslept but told her parents she was going to work that afternoon. She would leave her home in Newham, England at lunchtime. She was never seen again after this. She was supposed to go to a New Year's Eve party her work was having.

Mary's family contacted her workplace, a local firm, to see if she had worked that day. It had turned out that even though Mary was pretending to leave each morning for work she was had not been there for 2 weeks.  They had thought Mary was sick and that was why she wasn't showing up.

Her family thinks it's possible that she eloped with a possible fiance. They think that he may have been an Irish laborer who worked with the merchant Navy. His name was Tom with possible last names McGinty, McEntee, or McGuiness this man could not be located in the Merchant Navy though.

The night before the 31st Mary mentioned she was going to break up with her boyfriend. They had an argument over him lying to her. He had told her that he lived with a landlady when in fact it was his mother. 

It's also possible that Mary was pregnant at the time and disappeared because of it. She was a Catholic and nay not know how to tell her family. 

Mary is a white female and was 16-years-old at the time. She's 165 cm or 5'4". She has brown wavy hair and hazel eyes. She has an olive complexion. 

SOURCES:

Doe Network

Missing People

Wikipedia

Murder of Catherine Didluke

On April 9, 1959, the daughter of 63-year-old Catherine Didluke went to her home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Catherine did not answer the door and her daughter worried about her contacting the police. Inside Catherine's body was found. Her home had been robbed and she had been beaten to death with at least 2 hammer blows to the head.

SOURCES:

Toronto Police Service

Edmonton Journal April 11, 1959

Toronto Sun April 5, 2021

Murder of Ruth Whitman

 

On December 9, 1959, 18-year-old Ruth Whitman was attacked soon after eating oranges. She was driven to Sand Creek Road in Colonie, New York. Her killer then would beat her and drag her through the bushed and dump her into a water-filled ditch. This would be where the poor girl would drown around 3 a.m. A school bus driver then would soon find her body at 8:20 a.m. 

At the time her family was not alarmed that she did not return home that night. She would often stay with her fiance's mother at night. Her fiance at the time was not suspected and was working at the time of her murder. It was believed at the time that murderer had known Ruth. 

SOURCES: 

New York Troopers

The Kingston Daily Freeman December 9, 1959

Murder of Robert McKay

 

On the night of March 18, 1959, 34-year-old Robert McKay was driving his Taxi.  He was working for Edmonton's Yellow Taxi on and off for several years in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. At 8:25 p.m. he radioed his dispatcher from the Canadian National Railways station. This was the last time he was heard from.

At 10:30 p.m. George Bates was returning home to 130th St. in the Laurier Park area when he spotted a Yellow cab parked in the middle of a dead-end st. on the corner of 85th Ave. and 131st St. He went to check on the can and inside Robert was unconscious and slumped over the steering wheel.

When police and ambulance arrived and were removing him from the cab he weakly struggled and mumbled, "What are you guys trying to take me for now?". He would be rushed to the hospital and was operated on, but never regained consciousness and would die.

Robert had been beaten and suffered a compound fracture of the skull, and other head injuries resulting in severe brain damage. His taxi windows were broken and there was blood on one of the doors, but there was no sign of struggle near the taxi.

A local resident would find a hammer with blood and hair on it, a pair of rubber boots, and Robert's cap several blocks away. The items were set beside each other on the road with a nickel and dime on the grown a few feet away. 

Snow would soon hide any evidence of a struggle and they barricaded the area hoping the snow would melt and reveal evidence. An inconsiderate motorist would remove part of the barricade and would drive up the lane destroying any evidence that may have been there.

He had not been robbed his recorded fare money was still in his pocket, and he only had a few cents when he left for work. His glove compartment seemed to have been gone through, so a robbery may have still been the motive. The killer may have been scared off and didn't get the chance to go through Robert's pockets. 

The cab company told police that if Robert was going to pick up a fare and be asked to go to an isolated area like he was found that he would have likely called their dispatch and tell them because robberies often happen in isolated areas. 

SOURCES:

Edmonton Police

Taxi Library

Edmonton Journal March 19, 1959

Edmonton Journal March 23, 1959

Murder of Miles Vallint

On August 27, 1959, 11-year-old Miles Vallint was excited to pick out a bike for his birthday next month. At 1:30pm he left his home in South Norwood, south-east London, England to Croydon to look at bikes. His mother told him to be home by 4:30 pm. 

He would not return home again. Miles was very good at meeting curfew and when he didn't return home his mother worried for him. The next morning would come and she would go looking for her son. She frantically went to the bicycle shops asking if anyone saw him. Only one person told her that they saw him around 2:30 for leaflets.  

What she didn't know at the time was that Miles's body was found under a chestnut tree behind a 3ft fence on Tavistock Rd. The boy had been strangled to death. It was believed he died between 6 to 10 pm and was strangled to death with a rope. There was no evidence of a sexual assault.

A shopkeeper in Croydon may have been the last person to see him alive the day before. He came in around 4 pm to buy a plastic clothesline. In the doorway waiting for the boy to purchase his item was a man.

The man was described as the vagrant type. He was pale and gaunt with a fair complexion. He was between 35 to 40-years-old. He was drab-looking and was wearing a dirty fawn raincoat. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

True Crime Library

The National Archives

Evening Standard August 28, 1959

Evening Standard August 28, 1959

Evening Standard September 8, 1959

Disappearance of Stanley Lionel Cooper

On 19 August 1959 27-year-old Stanley Cooper was last seen in the Bellingen area in New South Wales, Australia. He was last seen leaving his home in Thora in his blue/grey Holden Sedan. He hasn't attempted to make any contact with family and friends since his disappearance and his family worries about his safety and welfare. There was an unconfirmed sighting of Stanley on Fraser Island in 1962.

Stanley is a White male and was 27 at the time. He was 182 cm with a medium build. He had fair skin, blue eyes, and black hair. The tip of his right index finger had been amputated. 

SOURCES:

Doe Network 

Missing Persons

Murder of Donald Burton and Joseph Greco

On May 2, 1959, the bodies of Donald Burton and Joseph Greco were found in the trunk of a vehicle parked on the side of the road on Montague  1/4 mile east of Meridian, Illinois. The 21-year-olds were beaten to death and had evidence of gambling paraphernalia. They were known for their frequent illegal gambling operations in the Northern Illinois area.

SOURCES:

Winnebago County Sheriff's Office

Murder of Evelyn Grace Shank

On Feb. 4, 1959, 45-year-old Evelyn Grace Shank was working at the Travelodge Motel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her relief came and found nobody there. When there was no sign of Evelyn and the police were notified. a 1949-1950 Ford Sedan possibly in a dark blue was seen parked near the front door. When he returned from searching for Evelyn she was gone.

An all point bulletin was posted and roadblocks were set up in Henderson, Boulder City, Las Vegas, and Clark County to help catch the kidnapper.

It was found that $174 was stolen and Evelyn had been kidnapped. On February 7, teens riding horses off of Moutain Springs Rd. Evelyn was alive for at least 24 hours. They had forced Evelyn to walk where they found her body and then shot her twice with 32-20 slugs. They had left her to die.

SOURCES:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27528494/murder_of_evelyn_shank/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9149268/reno_gazettejournal/
https://www.lvmpd.com/en-us/Homicide/Pages/Casesbyyear1950-1969.aspx

November 15, 1959 Havre de Grace, Maryland John Doe

On November 15, 1959, the body of an adult male was found on the shore of the Susquehanna River in Havre de Grace, Maryland. It is believed he died days before.

He was a white male between the ages of 50 and 70 years old. He was 135 lbs and around 5'5. He was described as having greying hair that was scant. He has a surgical scar on his lower right abdomen from Appendectomy, he also did not have his appendix. A scar on his lower right arm, right knee, and right hand. He was also uncircumcised.

He had an Appendectomy in which the appendix is removed. He was possibly an Alcoholic or had abused alcohol. It is also possible he had a thyroid disease. It is also possible he was a coal miner or worked and or was somehow exposed to coal dust.

Dentals are available in this case, but Fingerprints and DNA are not.

SOURCES:
NamUs