General Chat

I read a news item today about the body of a women that was discovered in a cellar in a house in Bromwich St, Bolton in 1982.

The women's body had been wrapped in newspaper dated 1966.
A man called John Baxendale was renting the house in 1982 when he made the terrible discovery.

So far they have never been able to identify the woman.

But surely they could check the electoral register for 1966? I mean if this chap was renting then they must know who owned the house and can check back on the deeds for clues?

The article is on the BBC news website. Manchester news

Florence in the hebrides

Goodness me, I think it won't take long for the forensics to find out who she is and may she rest in peace now.

Unless there are legal problems, they could get her DNA and see if it matches closely with anyone on s DNA family history site.

Well you would have thought that they have checked DNA but the article doesnt indicate it. They reconstructed what she may have looked like but noone came forward. One thought it was their mother that disappeared but it wasnt.

Surely the deeds of the property would offer a lead?

I've just read this article, Florence!

They did a facial reconstruction in the 1980's, Someone thought it may be their mother, so they exhumed the body, took a DNA sample, and compared samples, but it wasn't the woman's mother.

Now they're trying investigative genetic genealogy .

Yes Maggie, that's the case.

Surely with all the new technology in DNA etc they will find something.

But what about the house where she was found? Who did it belong to in 1966?

Florence in the hebrides

Are the police allowed to access the genealogy sites or are they restricted to matching from their own dna records?

nameslessone, I hope they do have access to genealogy sites.

So I looked it up. As of a report in 2020 the police can only access the sites with a warrant. Their own dna records are said to be extensive. :-0

Oh so it looks like the criminals get away with murder yet again.

I wonder if he had letters etc addressed to a woman, if he can remember her name and what he did with them.

Can you remember unusual post from 40 years ago - I can’t.

Well we have lived in this house from new for over 40 years so no I guess is the answer. :-)

Dug this up to see if it has been resolved, I hope it has.

ZZzzzz, I had a look online but there is no new update since December so i guess it hasn't been resolved yet

Florence in the hebrides

Ok, thank you Florence.

Maybe she didn't live in the house, ie was a "visitor", so she would never have been on the electoral roll nor received mail.

Don't be in any rush to see news of her ID .......... it can take years to go through the genealogy group.

It has recently taken around 3 years for researchers with the Canadian military to ID relatives of the remains of a WW! soldier. His dog tag was with the remains but he had no close relations, none of his 3 sisters had children. They had to use maternal DNA, and had to go back to the great grandmother and then back down from her until they found a match.

That line of relations had never even heard of him, but are delighted to welcome him into the family and will attend the re-internment of the remains in France.

Maybe there will be something similar with this poor lady.