53 Years Later; Florida River Dead Body Still Unidentified
This is one of the craziest cold cases I have ever heard. “53 years later and they still can’t identify the dead body that was found in a Florida river.” Since they could not identify the woman’s body, they named her “Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee.” In 1971 she was found floating in Lake Panasoffkee after being strangled. Lake Panasoffkee is about an hour and 30 minutes from where I live in St. Petersburg. This case really does not sit right with my spirit because why didn’t this woman’s family ever go looking for her? It’s sad that her body has still yet to be identified.
Dead Woman Found Floating In Lake Panasoffkee In 1971
According to reports, in February of 1971, there were two hitchhikers on their way to Mardi Gras who discovered the dead body. As they were walking they looked down from the overpass and saw the woman in shallow water. The two hitchhikers were able to wave down police and from there an investigation was started.
In the beginning, reports told us that the victim was a Caucasian woman between the ages of 17 and 24 years old. She was very petite and only weighed 115 pounds. Police say she looked to be around 17 to 24 years old. She was also no taller than 5ft and had brown hair. Sadly her body was decomposed very badly and they were unable to get any fingerprints.
She had been laying in the river for about a month after being strangled by a mans belt. She was wearing a gold watch and chain and also had a ring on her left hand. Investigators believe that she may have been engaged or married.
Later examination of the body determined that the woman could have been of Indian decent. It was also determined that she may have been Greek and traveled to the United States for student work. As far as her killer goes, he was never found. Police did have an early suspect but he vanished.
Very sad case and I hope one day it will be solved. Breaks my heart that nobody came looking for her.
Florida National Park Named Popular Place For Murderers To Dump Bodies In The U.S.
Louisiana Swamps
The Louisiana Swamps is an area full of culture an adventure. They have exciting tours and great food. Sadly it is also home to frequent body dumps. In 1995, 24 people were killed and most of the victims were prostitutes. Reports tell us the that women had been dumped in different locations throughout the swamps. Also between 2005-2009, eight women from Louisiana were murdered. Their bodies were found in the swamps and ditches along the interstate.
Pocono Mountains
The Pocono Mountains cover 4 counties in region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The area is full of tourist activity. Sadly it is also a popular place to dump bodies. In 2008, 8 bags filled with body parts were found along two highways in the Pocono Mountains. A year later human remains were also found on a different highway in the mountains. Reports tell us that in 2011 a motorist stopped and found a headless torso wrapped in a plastic bag.
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert takes up land in 4 states. Those states are California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. The Mojave desert is believed to be a dumping ground for the Mafia. Serial killer William Richard Braford dumped a lot of his bodies in the Mojave desert. In 2013 skeletal remains were found of four more bodies in the Mojave desert.
Everglades
Everglades National Park is located in Florida and is great for tourist attraction. Sadly the isolation makes it a great place to get rid of bodies. One of the most eerie stories involves serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Elwood Toole. Toole was sentenced to life in prison for arson and raping and eating people. Lucas was arrested and claimed to have participated in about 3k murders. The two told police they were approached by a man about joining a cult called ” The Hand Of Death.” The cult was located in a secret location in the Everglades. Police however searched and found no sign of the cult. According to Crime Reads,” Since 1965 alone, there have been 175 unsolved cases involving deaths and murders in the Everglades.”
East River
East River is located in New York City and has been a dumping ground for dead bodies. New York Magazine once reported that bodies dumped in the East River during winter resurface just in time for “April Showers.” One of the most notorious incidents happened in November 2000. A teen from Manhattan killed her parents and dumped the bodies in the East River a few days later. Serial Killer Joel David Rifkin also dumped body parts in the East River.
