Woman's Headless Body Found in Detroit Manhole

[Grande]

Woman's Headless Body Found in Detroit Manhole

By Mara McDonald
WDIV/NBC News Channel

DETROIT, MI -- Detroit city workers investigating a backed up sewer line made a gruesome discovery early Monday morning. The crew found the headless body of a woman stuffed into a manhole. The water department said it was called to the area to investigate reports of backed up sewage.

"I noticed it last night, it was like it didn't want to go down," said a neighbor.

Police said the body has been taken to the Wayne County medical examiner's office, where they will attempt to determine how long the body has been down there. However, police said it will be difficult to identify the body because the head, hands and feet have been cut off.

Police said they were able to determine it was a white female, who was wearing only underwear.

Source: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=96503

[Grande]

Nov 28,2007
Headless body found in Detroit sewer

DETROIT -- A body dressed only in underwear and missing its head, hands and feet was found in a sewer in Detroit.

Investigators said the body appeared to have been stuffed through a manhole cover at least a week ago and that the person appears to have been killed elsewhere and transported to the area, The Detroit News reported.

"That is a good neighborhood where people have tried to take care of their property," said Police Chief Joyce Motley. "It's just true that as long as you have people, good and bad things will happen."

Investigators were still unsure Tuesday of the cause of death or the identity of the person. They were not even completely sure of its gender, although they believed it was a woman.

http://www.bendweekly.com/Nationwide-News/10825.html

[The Kitchen Guy]

Police ask public to help ID headless torso found in sewer

November 28, 2007

By BEN SCHMITT - FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Detroit Police today released more information about the headless torso found this week under a manhole cover on the east side, and asked for the public's help to identify her.

Police said the body belonged to a white woman, about 5-foot-5, weighing 120 pounds. She had recent stitches in her left abdomen.

<snip for brevity>

The woman's hands, head and feet were missing, police said. She was clad only in underwear.

Police say they suspect someone placed the torso under the manhole cover about a week ago.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit Police at 313-596-2260

Link: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071128/NEWS01/71128062/0/NEWS01

[The Kitchen Guy]

This case, and cases like this one, really bother me and really frustrate me.

Someone, somewhere, and probably not far away from this location, has to be missing a loved one!

WHAT does it take to get someone, who is missing a loved one, to put two and two together and identify this lost soul???

[PatC]

This case, and cases like this one, really bother me and really frustrate me.

Someone, somewhere, and probably not far away from this location, has to be missing a loved one!

WHAT does it take to get someone, who is missing a loved one, to put two and two together and identify this lost soul???

It's very sad to say, but there is an alarmingly large body of people who live a kind of limbo existence where they truly are not missed if they disappear. Lost touch or have no more family, no real friends, work hit and miss... Sometimes when they aren't around anymore rather than worry about what happened to them, if their absence is noted at all, it's with relief not to have to deal with them.

[kindee]

It's very sad to say, but there is an alarmingly large body of people who live a kind of limbo existence where they truly are not missed if they disappear. Lost touch or have no more family, no real friends, work hit and miss... Sometimes when they aren't around anymore rather than worry about what happened to them, if their absence is noted at all, it's with relief not to have to deal with them.

Hey PatC! Followed you over here and I'm looking around. :0012:

[dojewo]

Hey PatC! Followed you over here and I'm looking around. :0012:
Kindee, I tried to send you a PM on CTV about this site but your box was full. Glad to see you arrived safely.

[kindee]

Kindee, I tried to send you a PM on CTV about this site but your box was full. Glad to see you arrived safely.

Oh cool you're here too buddy! :basic44:

[PatC]

Hey PatC! Followed you over here and I'm looking around. :0012:


I'm here. I had to go out today, b ut I'm back.

[rockford2]

It's very sad to say, but there is an alarmingly large body of people who live a kind of limbo existence where they truly are not missed if they disappear. Lost touch or have no more family, no real friends, work hit and miss... Sometimes when they aren't around anymore rather than worry about what happened to them, if their absence is noted at all, it's with relief not to have to deal with them.


I agree with Pat on this. Even if they do work somewhere, some are very private.

Look at the Black Dahlia case. I don't remember much from recent memory, but more for when the 1974 movie came out with Lucy Arnaz, who played the lead role.

Everyone seemed to know of the Black Dahlia, but nothing much about her life.

[The Kitchen Guy]

It's sad, really, but there are people who disappear because they want to disappear.

Every couple of years, there's a new television news reporter in Milwaukee who wants to make a name for him/herself and they go an search of the state unclaimed property list. There's a homeless guy who has several (more than several, actually) thousand dollars in an account someplace, and the reporter makes a big deal of going to find the guy. (His last known address was Under the 35th Street Viaduct, South End.) They interview him with the good news, he pretends to be pleased and then he disappears again without his money.

Guys like him could disappear, and other than the other homeless under his bridge, no one would know he was gone.

In 2004, the City of Chicago found a guy living under the Lake Shore Drive bascule bridge, the double-decker that crosses the Chicago River. For three years, Richard Dorsay lived like a king under there, having built a wooden structure between the steel trusses.

http://bridgehunter.com/tools/posts/il_cook_16603027328/1189298485-1-T.jpg

Dorsay knew the schedule of the bridge tenders, who often left the control tower unlocked, so he'd help himself to the bathroom to wash up. He had an extension cord that went up to the control tower, a space heater, a microwave oven and a television with a PlayStation. He used to invite his friends over to watch Bears games on his television.

When he was evitcted and charged with criminal tresspass, the city did not press charges. "Watching the Bears for the last three years was punishment enough," someone said.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2004/12/22/2002128101.jpg
Richard Dorsay lived for three years
under a bascule bridge spanning
the Chicago River.


He was released to his family in the suburbs, but I've heard that he disappeared again a few days later. He's probably somewhere downtown, but most likely, not under a bascule bridge.

He told reporters that the first time the bridge went up it was pretty scary, but after awhile, he got used to it. “The first time it was scary,” he said. “After that, it was almost like riding a Ferris wheel.”

More on Dorsay here (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sidelinechatter/2002128403_chat23.html)and here (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1301086/posts).

[slaphappy]

Unidentified victims just break my heart. To be that invisible in our society just stuns me.

This lady, though, had recent surgery. Maybe a local hospital worker might remember her.

Hope she is identified soon.

[Louise]

Unidentified victims just break my heart. To be that invisible in our society just stuns me.

This lady, though, had recent surgery. Maybe a local hospital worker might remember her.

Hope she is identified soon.

Agreed, it is sad. :( I hope that she is identified somehow.

[Jazz]

Unidentified victims just break my heart. To be that invisible in our society just stuns me.

This lady, though, had recent surgery. Maybe a local hospital worker might remember her.

Hope she is identified soon.


You would certainly think someone would be missing her. This is a person. Someone's child, sister, maybe even someone's mother. This type of case breaks my heart as well

[Tempus Fugit]

I agree Jazz. How could someone, somewhere not be missing this poor soul?

Am I the only one who thought "Stacy Peterson" when I read the link? Detroit isn't far from the Peterson's home and whoever severed this woman's head, hands and feet obviously doesn't want her identified.

Could it be?

[mood*ring]

I agree Jazz. How could someone, somewhere not be missing this poor soul?

Am I the only one who thought "Stacy Peterson" when I read the link? Detroit isn't far from the Peterson's home and whoever severed this woman's head, hands and feet obviously doesn't want her identified.

Could it be?


I suggested the same thing on the Stacey Peterson thread. It is 299.4 miles from town to town. and a 4 hour drive one way. but you still never know.

[The Kitchen Guy]

I just can't buy that theory. Please explain to me why would anyone carry a body across 300 miles of open country, that offers hundreds of obscure places to dump a body, to take a chance of being seen dumping it in a highly populated, urban area?

[Tempus Fugit]

I just can't buy that theory. Please explain to me why would anyone carry a body across 300 miles of open country, that offers hundreds of obscure places to dump a body, to take a chance of being seen dumping it in a highly populated, urban area?

Good point.

Anything's possible, it could be that Peterson thought the same thing. I don't imagine there'd be much of a chance the Illinois police would send sniffer dogs to an area around that manhole in Detroit. :0009:

Whoever this woman is, I do hope she is identified and returned to her family for a proper burial soon.

[mood*ring]

I just can't buy that theory. Please explain to me why would anyone carry a body across 300 miles of open country, that offers hundreds of obscure places to dump a body, to take a chance of being seen dumping it in a highly populated, urban area?

I agree, but the thought had crossed my mind at first. And its possible that he "shipped" her to someone that did it for him. He could have had help.

But yes between the 2 cities, there is alot of places that he could have put her and this scenario is highly unlikely.

[Nut44x4]

STILL, after 5 months I find no updates listed in any searches. Ridiculous.

I sent an email to 'clickondetroit' to see if there have been any updates we have missed. I doubt I will hear from them...I rarely get responses from news outlets.

[Nut44x4]

Now it is 10 MONTH and no updates or developments! This is an outrage! I STILL think Stacy, as a possible ID should be checked!! How can we do that?? Grandeeeeeee, oh Grandeeeeeee.

[Nut44x4]

Still no updates, but I keep going back to Stacy.....

OK, realizing that this torso IS just a torso....some of the description could be 'off' a bit...

NOTE: From the article in the Press>
Police said Wednesday that the woman was in her 30s, she was about 5 feet 5 inches tall, and weighed about 120 pounds. They told Local 4 that the woman had recent stitches on the upper left side of her stomach and a tattoo on her left arm.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/14693688/detail.html


NOTE: From Drew Peterson's description of Stacy>
Stacy Peterson is described as a 5-foot-2-inches, 100 pound, white female with brown hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a red jogging suit. She has a tattoo of a blue and yellow carnation on the small of her back and a scar across her stomach.

Now if the above is a description from DREW, we all know it could be altered/fake/not true/partially true...if you get my drift.

Is Stacy's tattoo really on her left arm? Is the scar he describes on her tummy really a scar...or more recent??

Just thinking out loud.

[N. Mi thoughts]

Its been over a year. I wish they'd release more info. First and foremost the police should want to identify the woman. They could tell if she had given birth. There has to be other info they could provide. Scars for example. I wish there was a site that was dedicated for her info.

I am sure they checked the DNA against Stacey Peterson. What they haven't done is put an update out on the 'headless woman' case.

[lost indie]

Its been over a year. I wish they'd release more info. First and foremost the police should want to identify the woman. They could tell if she had given birth. There has to be other info they could provide. Scars for example. I wish there was a site that was dedicated for her info.

I am sure they checked the DNA against Stacey Peterson. What they haven't done is put an update out on the 'headless woman' case.

Hi N Mi thoughts....

welcome to the forum...

:howdy:

[packy]

Its been over a year. I wish they'd release more info. First and foremost the police should want to identify the woman. They could tell if she had given birth. There has to be other info they could provide. Scars for example. I wish there was a site that was dedicated for her info.

I am sure they checked the DNA against Stacey Peterson. What they haven't done is put an update out on the 'headless woman' case.

Welcome, N. Mi thoughts, and yes it would seem they know something by now or at least more of a description or a possible time frame. Unfortunately many cases make the news and then dropped.