Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 08/24/1951

Missing Since:

Missing Since 08/24/1951

Missing From:

Missing From Cleveland, Ohio

Classification:

Classification Non-Family Abduction

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 04/15/1941 (83)

Age:

Age 10 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 4’11, 90 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description Size 14 or 16 girls’ blue denim jeans with a side zipper and no label, bright red cotton panties with no tag and with elastic around the waist but not around the leg holes, green socks, a white cotton Honeylane undershirt with a tag, a reddish-pink turtleneck jersey with no label, a navy blue poplin jacket with no label and both pockets torn, size 5 or 5 1/2 brown Karrybrooke Sportshoes loafers which had been re-soled and -heeled, two metal hair clasps with brown plastic covers, and a yellow gold ring. The ring is similar to a wedding ring and has spaces for seven or eight small stones, but the stones are all missing.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Beverly had her hair cut in a short bob with bangs shortly before her disappearance. She has wide-set eyes and gaps between her teeth, and her upper and lower molars have silver fillings. She has a vaccination scar on her upper left arm, a small scar over her left eyebrow, and a kidney-shaped birthmark about one inch long and three-eighths of an inch wide on her instep. Beverly had a distinctive, duck-like gait in 1951, with her toes turned out. She was tall for her age at the time of her disappearance and could have easily passed for twelve. She may have grown tall in adulthood.

Details of Disappearance:

On August 24, 1951, 10-year-old Beverly disappeared in Cleveland, Ohio. She went with a friend to a summer festival (“Showagon”) in Halloran Park, a short bike ride from her home. The park was dark at night because of lots of trees.

Beverly’s friend left around 8:40 pm, but the last confirmed sighting of Beverly was around 9:30 pm. A teenager saw someone he thought was Beverly walking home.

Beverly was a shy, good student who loved her family. She was cautious around strangers, especially men. Police don’t believe she ran away.

Over the years, there were many false leads:

* **A ransom demand:** A man called demanding money, but it was a hoax.
* **A car accident claim:** A man said he hit Beverly with his car, but this was also false.
* **A letter from a brother:** A letter claimed a man confessed to the kidnapping, but there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute.
* **A carnival worker:** William Henry Redmond, a convicted child molester, was a suspect but never linked to the case.
* **A letter about a body:** A woman wrote a letter claiming her husband disposed of Beverly’s body, but she later said it was a lie.
* **Deathbed confession letters:** A dying man wrote letters confessing to the crime, but he never revealed his identity.

Despite extensive investigation, Beverly was never found. Police believe she was abducted and murdered, likely by someone she knew and trusted because of her shy nature. Her family never gave up hope, with her sister searching until she died in 2006. The case remains unsolved.

Agency:

Cleveland Police Department 216-621-1234

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