Wanted: Northampton, MA Arsonist

Investigators are working hard to find the arsonist responsible for setting a rash of fires in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 27 in Northampton, Massachusetts.  Between the hours of 2:00 AM and 3:15 AM eleven fires were set in half mile radius of downtown Northampton.  One of the fires killed two people.  The names of those victims have not yet been released by investigators, but they are suspected to be the 81-year-old owner of the home at 17 Fair Street and his 39-year-old son.  Seven of the fires reportedly occurred in homes, while four more were started in cars left on the street.

This particular neighborhood in Northampton has been subject to random acts of arson for the past several years, but up until this point the fires had been small.  Now investigators believe that the same person or persons responsible for the fires on the 27th may be responsible for all of these acts of arson. 

If you have any information regarding these fires please call 413-586-5150.  A $5,000 reward is available for information leading to the arrest of the arronist.

Carbon County Jane Doe/ Pennsylvania Beth Doe

We never have had a case featured on this blog that wasn't in someway based in New England but I'd like to take a moment today to tell people about a case that is near and dear to me but took place outside of New England.  It was one of the first stories that got me interested in looking at unidentified persons cases and I hope that even if you're here in New England, you'll take the time to read about this unidentified woman found in Pennsylvania on December 20, 1976.

On that date, a boy discovered three suitcases on the banks of the Lehigh River in White Haven, Pennsylvania.  Inside the suitcases was the body of a sixteen to twenty-two year old pregnant woman.  She had been shot and strangled before being dismembered and put into the suitcases.  The woman was 5'4" tall, 130 to 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.  She was nine months pregnant and if her baby had been born, she would have been a healthy girl.

Could you know the true identity of this young woman?

To find out more about Beth Doe, we implore you to please visit: http://www.squidoo.com/missingwoman1976

Unidentified: Woman's Body Found in Bedford, NH October 1971

On October 6, 1971, the body of an unidentified woman was found on a wooded logging road off of Kilton Rd in Bedford, NH.

The woman was estimated to be between 25 and 35 years old.  She was between 5'1" and 5'5".  Her hair was possibly, but not certainly, brown.  The bust above is an approximation of her appearance.  The color and style of her hair, as well as her eye color should not be used as identifying markers.

Her clothes may be the biggest aid in identifying her.  She wore size 7 sandals, hip huggers 32" waist which had been cut short to make into shorts or cutoffs, and maroon or redish pullover blouse tied at the waist.

Authorities are unsure of how she died but note it is suspicious due to the location of the body on a then unused by the public road.  The location where the body was found is now the on ramp to Route 101 West.

Anyone with information is urged to call 603-472-5113.  An annonymous tip line is available at 603-472-8999.

Update: Granby Jane Doe's Shirt Released

In a past entry we featured the case of Granby Jane Doe, a young woman between 19 and 26 who was found shot in the head in November, 1978 in Granby, Massachusetts.  Investigators are taking a fresh look at this case and for the first time ever have released a photo of the shirt the unidentified woman was wearing.  Take a look below, could you recognize something about this shirt?  There was no labels or other identifying markers on it.  Police have no way of knowing who manufactuered it or where it was bought.  They are hoping forensic science, along with the Internet will yield new clues to this Jane Doe's identity.

If you know anything about this shirt or about the identity of this Jane Doe, you're urged to call the Northwest District Attorney's office at 413-586-5150. 

Unsolved: Diane Drake, Strangled and Drowned in March, 1980

Diane Drake was nineteen-year-old college student, one of nine children in a large family from Portsmouth, Rhode Island when she was found beaten and strangled in Newport, Rhode Island on March 22, 1980.  Although suspects have been questioned, Drake's murder remains unsolved.

Drake was last definitively seen alive on March 21, walking to her job at Photo Patio in Middletown.  Drake lived in a small cottage with a female friend about twenty minutes from Photo Patio.  She was scheduled for a 2:30 shift arrival but never made it.  Normally she would drive to her job, but she had recently sold her car and for the moment was without transportation.  A few people claim to have seen Drake walking her way to work, but the most promising lead came from a woman who saw a man and woman matching Drake's description fighting in a car.  The man was restraining the woman.  The onlooker called police but by the time they arrived, the car was gone.  It remains uncertain whether or not the woman seen was Drake but the assault took place just one block from Photo Patio.

Drake's roommate, Elaine Egan, who also worked at Photo Patio, became upset when her friend didn't show up for work and only grew more concerned when Drake did not return home that night.  The night of the 21st, Egan organized a search party of friends and alerted the police to Drake's disappearance but still could not find the missing Roger Williams College student.

At 10:30 the next morning, Drake's body was found at Easton's Beach in Newport.  She had been beaten and strangled but was still alive when she was thrown into the water.  She ultimately died of drowning although it is likely she was unconscious and close to death before that point.  She had fought hard against her attacker sustaining substantial defensive abrasions.  Bruises on her arms and legs indicated that she had been bound.  She was nude, but did not appear to be sexually assaulted.  Authorities estimated she had been thrown into the water approximately eight hours earlier leaving about twelve hours of unaccounted time between the time she started walking to Photo Patio and the time she was supposedly thrown into the water, alive.

Police questioned suspects, but turned up nothing.  Twenty years later in 2000, a letter from a citizen prompted further investigation including an interview with a man who had initially been questioned for the crime in 1980.  Police, however, only had circumstantial evidence and the interview led nowhere.   Four agencies including Middletown Police, Newport Police, Rhode Island State Police, and NCIS have investigated the case but have been unable to name Drake's killer.

If you have any information about the murder of Diane Drake please call 401-847-8300 to reach the Newport Police.

Update: Nick Nicholaou and Jane Boroski Appear Together on the Dr. Phil Show

On October 27, 2009 two unlikely people met for the first time on the Dr. Phil Show.  One, Nick Nicholaou, was the son of the man some feel is responsible for the Connecticut River Valley Serial Killings, another, Jane Boroski, was the last victim and only known survivor of the knife attacks that plagued the New Hampshire and Vermont area in the 1980s.

Over the past several years, Michael Nicholaou, Nick's father, has become one of the most high profile suspects in the Connecticut River Valley Serial Killings.  Michael Nicholaou killed himself, his wife, and his stepdaughter in 2005.  He is also suspected of being responsible for the disappearance of Nick's mother, Michelle Ashley Nicholaou from Holyoke, Massachusetts.  Michelle disappeared sometime in November or December 1988.  Nicholaou rose to the national spotlight as a suspect in the Valley Killer crimes when a private investigator, looking to find Michelle, discovered pieces of circumstantial evidence linking Nicholaou to the knife attacks.  Now Jane Boroski believes that Nicholaou was the man who attacked her.

On Tuesday, Nick revealed that, although he is not sure his father is the perpetrater of these crimes, he feels guilty every day for what his father may have done.  He also holds out hope that his mother will still be found.  Jane revealed that she still struggles to lead a normal life.   Ever after twenty-one-years it is difficult to fight the anger and sadness that her attack brought to her life.  Her daughter's problems with Cerebral Palsy are a daily reminder of the attacks.  After a very emotional meeting between the two, Dr. Phil worked with Jane on an exercise to move beyond the pain of her attack.

Aside from the emotional carthesis, perhaps one of the more revelatory pieces of information to come from the Dr. Phil show was the fact that Michelle's DNA is finally being tested against the Warwick remains we discussed in our very first profile on New England Unsolved.  DNA tests are not back yet but we hope to bring you an update on that in the near future.

It is important to remember that while Nicholaou is a suspect in the Valley Killings, he is by no means the only suspsect.  If you have information about the knife stabbings that took place in Vermont and New Hampshire between 1978 and 1988, you are encouraged to call 603-271-2663 or 802-241-5355.  If you have information about the disappearance of Michelle Ashley Nicholaou who disappeared in late 1988 from Holyoke, Massachusetts please call 413-322-6940.

Watch Videos from the Dr. Phil Show:
Jane Describes Her Attack and Its Impact
An Emotional Meeting Between Nick and Jane
Dr. Phil Helps Jane Move Past the Attacks

Missing: Wojciech Fudali from Narragansett, Rhode Island in December, 2008

On December 5, 2008, twenty-two-year-old Wojciech Fudali attended a party with college friends on East Shore Rd in Narragansett, Rhode Island.  The young man, an immigrant from Poland, had graduated from the University of Rhode Island in May of that year and had many friends in the area.  After the party he slept over a friend's house.  When his friends woke up on December 6th though, Fudali was nowhere to be found.

Initially Fudali's friends thought it was possible he had gone for a walk, but this scenario quickly became implausible as Fudali had not only left his wallet, keys, and money behind, but also his clothes and sneakers.  He had not brought a change of clothing or extra shoes.

In a highly unusual turn of events, neighbors of Fudali's friends reported seeing a young man fitting Fudali's description sitting naked on a dock at around 8:30 AM.  Two hours later a friend reported seeing Fudali running nude on Galilee Escape Rd. near Galilee Bird Sanctuary.  The temperatures hovered near thirty degrees that day making it unlikely that Fudali could have survived more than a few hours in the nude.

Fudali's mother talked to him a few days before his disappearance and reported that he seemed normal.  However, the friends he was with thought Fudali may have been depressed and was acting strangely.  His roommate reported that Fudali had developed a keen interest in nature in the days before his disappearance.  He also began reading the Bible regularly.

Wojciech Fudali has brown hair and blue eyes.  He is approximately 5'11" and weighs 200 pounds.  He has several identifying markers including a tattoo of a black eagle on a yellow and green background below his left ribcage.  He has a gap between his front teeth.  He has visible acne scars on his face.  He once broke his clavicle.  Fudali often went by the name Tek and sometimes spelled his name "Wojtek".  He grew up in Wilbraham in the western part of Massachusetts and posessed a Massachusetts based drivers license.  He was born in Poland in 1986.

Anyone with information about the disappearance of Wojciech Fudali is encouraged to call the Narragansett Police Department at 401-782-0661.

Unidentified: Man in Methuen, MA Discovered in October, 2000

On October 28, 2000 the body of a man was discovered wrapped in a blanket at a construction site on the corner of Pelham St and Aegean Dr in the Marsh Corner section of Methuen, MA.  He was murdered in an undisclosed manner and had been at the site from six months to four years.

The victim appeared to be a white male between thirty-five to forty years old.  His brown hair was greying.  He was between 6'1" and 6'5" with a thin build.  His most prominent characteristic was a long goatee.  He was also missing several molar teeth on both his top and bottom.

The clothes he wore were not common in the Boston area at the time, but were sold in K-Mart stores across the country.  His clothing included Maverick jeans with a 34 inch waist, black size 12 Texas Steer workboots, a long sleeved blue shirt with white stripes worn over a navy blue t-shirt.  His underwear was size 32 Fruit of the Loom briefs.

Work rags were in his pocket and other items found with the body indicate that he was probably a mechanic or truck driver or possibly a biker.

If you have ay information about the possible identity of this man please call 978-745-8908 to reach Sgt. Barry Brodette with the Massachusetts State Police.

Missing Across New England 3

Most missing persons cases we feature on New England Unsolved have extensive information about the subject and many clues about their possible whereabouts.  The cases we feature in Missing Across New England are different-- these are cases where the law enforcement has few, if any clues, to work with.  Usually these are adults, sometimes with transient lifestyles.  The key in these cases is often recognizing a photo.  So take a look below, can you help find any of these citizens missing across New England?

Frank Nash from New Fairfield, CT in 1999- Nash, 35, was last seen at his home on Newfane Rd in New Fairfield, CT on May 20, 1999.  On May 21, Nash called his father to ask about car registration from a DMV in Danbury, CT.  At the end of his phone call, Nash said he would be returning home on the 22nd but he had to go meet someone.  He has not been heard from since.  His car, a 1994 Dodge Ram was located abandoned in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 3, 1999.  His clothes were inside the vehicle but there were no other signs of him.  Nash has brown hair, hazel eyes, and is about 6'0"  and 190 pounds.  The picture on the left is an approximation.  203-312-5710

Jose Ortiz from New Haven, CT in 2005- Ortiz, 19, was last seen riding a bicycle  in New Haven, CT on December 28, 2005.  A firefighter may have seen Ortiz on Poplar St. near the firehouse.  The firefighter reported that a man matching Ortiz's description was pulled off his bike and into a silver 1990s era Ford Taurus that had three men inside.  Ortiz is a Hispanic male with brown eyes and brown hair.  He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, blue jeans, and a bandanna.  He is 5'10" and 140 pounds.  203-946-6316.


Siphat Chau from Portland, ME in 2005- Chau, 19, was last seen at 1:00 AM on December 24, 2005 in his family's home.  When his family woke up the next morning Chau was gone, but his wallet, car keys, and car were still there.  Chau was an excellent student attending the University of Maine- Orono but had recently become addicted to internet gambling and was taking a semester break from school for the Spring 2006 term.  Chau's family feels he would not leave without provocation.  Chau is a Vietnamese male with black hair and brown eyes, 5'8" and 140 pounds.  He was wearing a red sweatshirt and blue jeans.  207-874-8575

Starlette Vining from Presque Isle, ME in 1998- Vining, 39, was last seen sometime in October, 1998 in Presque Isle.  She was a reliable employee at Smythe's IGA at that time but inexplicably didn't show up for work in October and didn't pick up her last paycheck.  In the past Vining has moved suddenly without telling family but she has never been missing for this period of time.  She is divorced with 3 children.  Vining is between 5'3" and 5'6", her weight fluctuates between 100 and 150 due to medication.  She is Caucasian with brown hair and blue eyes.   207-941-4071

Melissa Fadden from Lowell, MA in 1997- Fadden, 13, was last seen in her home on March 3, 1997.  Her mother thought she ran away and did not report her missing until March 5.  Fadden may have been romantically involved with James Howley, 32, a man who killed an 11 year old girl from Lowell in 1999.  Howley hung himself after being questioned about the 11 year old's kidnapping but DNA tied him to the case.  Police believe it is possible Howley also killed Fadden although this remains uncertain.  Fadden was 5'4" and 110 pounds with brown hair and green eyes.  She has an "M" tattooed on her arm.  617-679-6600 or 978-937-3200

Jerald Gelb from Brookline, MA in 2001- Gelb, 40, was last seen at his parents' home in Brookline, MA on August 16, 2001.  Gelb has a masters degree in Computer Science and was employed by prestegious companies up until a mental breakdown in the '80s when he became homeless.  Gelb may be schizophrenic, he often called himself by a different name, and claimed to be married even though he was not.  His parents believe he may be homeless.  He's previously lived in Phoenix, LA, and Harrisburg. Gelb has brown hair, blue eyes, and is around 5'6" and 130 pounds.  617-730-2222

Dorothy Ann Bois from Nashua, NH in 1973- Bois, 22, was last seen on October 3, 1973 in her home on Kinsley St.  Bois's husband reported that he fell asleep in front of the TV at 11:30 and when he awoke around 4:00 AM Dorothy was gone.  Her purse was also missing.  Bois was under stress at the time due to the poor health of her daughter and impending divorce from her husband but her family does not feel she would leave without telling someone.  Bois's husband continued divorce proceedings after she vanished and remarried in 1974.  Bois was 4'10" and 100 pounds Caucasian female with brown hair and hazel eyes.  She sometimes went by the name Dot.  603-594-3553.

Joseph Kasak from Keene, NH in 1980- Kasak, 43, was last seen at his home in Newington, CT on May 9, 1980.  At 5:10 AM on May 10, Kasak's car, presumably but not definitely driven by Kasak, was involved in a one car accident into a guardrail on Route 9 in Keene, NH.  Kasak was never seen at the scene of accident and searches in that area proved fruitless.  Investigators also searched for him in Connecticut but were unable to find him.  Kasak is a Caucasian male with black hair and brown eyes.  He is 5'7" and 185 pounds.  860-666-8445 or 603-357-9815.

Frank Mazzella from Westerly, RI in 1999- Mazzella, 39, was last seen inside his apartment on Oak Street around 9:00 AM on February 7, 1999.  When he failed to pick up his son from school, his family became suspicious.  All of Mazzella's belongings were found inside his apartment and his car was parked outside.  One of his two pistols may have been missing.  Investigators searched across the entire southern New England area for Mazzella.  He is a Caucasian male with black hair and brown eyes around 5'11" and 170 pounds.  He sometimes wears a mustache.  Some agencies list him as Frank Mazella.   401-596-2022

Katrina McVeigh from Woonsocket, RI in 1992- McVeigh, 27, was last seen near Front and Lincoln St on May 3, 1992 but was not reported missing until June 17 of the same year.  She reportedly was getting into a car.  McVeigh was involved with prostitution and drugs at the time of her disappearance.  She was the mother to three children.  There is a strong possibility McVeigh met with foul play and police have a person of interest in the case.  Her family believes she was murdered by a man she was in an abusive relationship with.  McVeigh is a Caucasian female with brown hair who is approximately 5'1" and 90 pounds.  401-769-4444

Heide Wilbur from Middletown Springs, VT in 1991- Wilbur, 16, was last seen at her family's home in Middletown Springs on February 9, 1991.  At the time, Wilbur was living in a foster home in Rutland, VT and under custody of the state but had obtained a pass to visit her biological family for the weekend.  It is believed that she was picked up while hitchhiking.  She may be missing voluntarily.  Wilbur was between 5'3" and 5'4", 100-115 pounds, Caucasian female with blond hair and blue eyes.  She has scars on her forehead, left wrist and hand, and right leg.  She has a tattoo of a tiger on her back and a rose on her ankle.  802-773-9101

Mary Wilcox from Westford, VT in 2006- Wilcox, 78, was last seen at her home on Cambridge Rd. at around 10:00 on November 9.  She was upset at the time of her disapperance and suffers from depression and Alzheimers as well as heart disease.  Before her disappearance she mentioned wanting to visit relatives in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts but she has not been seen by any of those relatives.  She can drive but did not have a vehicle or license when she disappeared.  Wilcox is a Caucasian female, 5'0 with grey hair and blue eyes.  She wears full dentures and wire rimmed glasses.  802-878-7111

Missing: Bianca Lebron from Bridgeport, CT Since November, 2001

On November 7, 2001, ten-year-old Bianca Lebron told her classmates at the Elias Howe School in Bridgeport, Connecticut that she was planning a shopping spree with an uncle that day.  She was an excellent student and normally did not skip school but just before the start of classes at 8:30 AM, Lebron left school and entered a two tone brown and tan van with tinted windows.  Lebron has not been seen since.

Administrators at the Elias Howe School were not initially concerned about Lebron's absence since a teacher had overheard her talking to friends about her plans with her uncle.  Her teacher did report her absent but did not seek to find out why the girl was not in class.  This led to a delay in realizing that the girl had actually been kidnapped until 8:30 PM that night.  Lebron's mother eventually sued the school for wrongful death due to their poor handling of the case.  Carmelita Torres had to have her daughter declared legally dead to pursue the lawsuit.

Bianca Lebron does not have an uncle and no other members of her family own a van matching the description of the van she was seen getting into. 

In April 2002, police announced they were seeking a man named Jason Gonzalez (a.k.a. Jason Lara) for questioning.  Gonzalez was an acquaintance of the Lebrons and his mother dated the brother of Lebron's grandmother.  There is an unsubstantiated claim that Gonzalez may have been romantically involved with the girl but police have been unable to verify this.  In November, 2003, Gonzalez called into the Bridgeport police department to deny his involvement in the case.  He had relocated to Fort Myers a month after the kidnapping but was brought back to Connecticut for questioning after being arrested on an unrelated charge.  Gonzalez claims he has an alibi for the time the kidnapping was committed.

When she was abducted, Lebron was 4'11" and 115 pounds.  She is white-Hispanic with long brown hair and hazel eyes.  A mole is present on her forehead.  On the day she was abducted she wore a green, beige, and brown camouflage shirt with beige pants, black boots, and a dark denim jacket.  Lebron was ten at the time of her disappearance and would now be eighteen-years-old.  A picture of Lebron in 2001 appears at the top of this post.

Her abductor is described as being a Hispanic male who was 20 to 30 years old in 2001.  He has dark curly hair fashioned in a short afro style, long sideburns, and a beard.  He was average build and 5'9" to 5'11".  He had scratches on both cheeks.  A forensic sketch of the man appears below.  The children who witnessed Lebron getting into the van reported that the driver was wearing Fubu brand jeans with the character Fat Albert on the right pocket and a long sleeved blue shirt that said Gap on the front and sleeve.  He was also wearing scuffed brown Timberland boots.  The van he was driving was an older model with a two toned brown and beige color scheme, chrome trim, and tinted windows.  It may have been sanded and the exterior was in poor condition.

If you have any information about the abduction of Bianca Lebron or the suspect seen taking her from Elias Howe School please contact the Bridgeport Police Department at 203-576-7671.  The FBI is also handling this case and can be reached at 203-777-6311 or by e-mail at newhaven@ic.fbi.gov.  Information will be kept confidential.