Unidentified Female Found May 1950 in Bath (Berkeley Springs), WV - NamUs #UP10026 Case Details

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP10026

Female, White / Caucasian: Jane Doe
Date Body Found: May 10th, 1950 (Wednesday)

Location Found: Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia. According to early journalism, she was found "along a little used road near the bridge which crosses the Potomac River of Hancock." She was found next to a ditch about 30 yards from the bridge. I think the Google Maps coordinates would be about 39.69214444454965, -78.1844344136343, River Road would have been a "little used road" back then, I think. 

She is barely across state lines between West Virginia and Maryland. That could mean whoever dumped her body did so in a way to try and get the wrong authorities to investigate.

May 12th, 1950. Beckley Post-Herald

County: Morgan County
Who found the body: Benjamin Miller of Hancock (his name is a good keyword to search to find early journalism)

Estimated Age Range: 35-50 Years
Birthdate Estimate: The person’s birthdate would fall between May 11th, 1900, and May 10th, 1915, based on the estimated age range and the date of death.

This individual was found nude according to reports. Clothing must have been added for the photo.

Demographics

Biological Sex: Female
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Estimated Year of Death: 1950
Estimated PMI: 48 Hours
Date of Death: Situation would suggest she died on May 8th, 1950. Early journalism suggested a bit longer time frame as an investigator said they weren't sure within five days how long she has been at her found location.

Height: 5' 5" (65 inches), Estimated
Weight: 130 lbs, Estimated
BMI: 21.6, meaning she would have looked average to slender

Circumstances

Date Body Found: May 10, 1950
NamUs Case Created: March 20, 2012

Circumstances of Recovery: Body was discovered by an individual while mushroom hunting along U.S. Route 522.

Physical Description

Hair Color: Red/Auburn
Head Hair Description: Curly, recent perm
Teeth: Natural teeth

Distinctive Physical Features

Scar/Mark: Y-shaped scar on outside right wrist approx. 3" long. W-shaped scar in center of forehead. 2 surgical scars—one a 10" hysterectomy scar and one a 4" appendectomy scar.
Other Characteristics: Freckles on back of hands and lower arms. Hands very small, shoe size 4 1/2 narrow.

Research

By: Shane Lambert

NamUS UP10026 is an old and cold case in the United States. It has drawn a fair amount of online attention with one Alice Kelly suggested as a potential match. 

Journalism for this case started the day after she was found. On May 11th, 1950, The Beckley Post-Herald headlined "Nude Body of Woman Found Near Highway."  Despite the nudity, it was thought that she had not been raped.

At the time of her discovery, it was originally thought that she was younger than what is now thought. A mushroom picker named Benjamin Miller found the body.

Journalism from the very next day estimated her to be 35 years old. A second piece of journalism said she did not have any ring marks on her fingers.

Her remains were found near a "lover's lane," a term meant to describe parking spots where people often go for intimacy. There have been numerous murders in lover's lanes in American history. But her proximity to the locale could also easily be a red herring.

This woman's body was displayed for viewing, and it seemed anyone from the public could have a look at her. In one instance of the early journalism, it was stated that she must not have been from around the area because so many locals had a look at her remains that she would surely have been identified. It was therefore thought that she was driven to the location where she was found as a body dump.

May 11th, 1950/Hinton Daily News

The cause of death in the early journalism was strangulation and a broken neck. Her neck was "seared by rope marks" according to the source immediately above. When I read the description of her neck, it sounded like someone murdered her by hanging her. However, the term "garrote" was used 

In journalism that followed a short time later, the case was described as the "Berkeley Springs Murder." They were not sure, "within five days," how long the woman had been at the location she was found (May 19th, 1950/Berkley Post-Herald).

In cases like these where a body is displayed for public viewing, a lot of 'tips' come in. They all have to be taken lightly, in my opinion. One man said she was a hitchhiker. Another man said he found a woman's dress some 38 miles away. There were some other murders in the area that involved strangulation of women.

Alice Kelly Theory

One popular theory with this case online is that she might be a missing person, Alice Kelly. She was from New York, which would actually align with this case in a way. The decadent was thought to be from far away based on the fact that scores of locals saw her body and none could name her.

I will note that the Jane Doe had red hair while Kelly had brown hair. Furthermore, the Jane Doe's hair was described as naturally red, instead of dyed. She was examined in relation to a missing woman who had red hair but was ruled out because the missing woman had dyed her hair. Furthermore, I found a source that called the Jane Doe's hair "flaming" red. That would suggest that it would not be confused with brown hair if they a mixed or kind-of in-between red and brown color.

Other aspects of the two people, Alice Kelly and the Jane Doe, do, in fact, match up. Hair color can be misdescribed. Furthermore, the journalist's description of "flaming" red hair might be an attempt to be overly descriptive with writing that emphasizes imagery over fact.

The Jane Doe's Scars

Scar Description	Likely Origin	Definition in Layman Terms	Source
Y-shaped on right wrist	Surgical (e.g., complex wrist repair, vascular access)	A mark shaped like a "Y" from a surgery on the wrist, possibly to fix tendons, ligaments, or blood vessels	Many sources. Seemed to be veneral medical knowledge.
W-shaped on forehead	Surgical (W-plasty for cosmetic scar revision)	A mark shaped like a "W" from a surgery to make an old scar on the forehead less noticeable, typically done for cosmetic reasons	W-plasty in Scar Revision
Hysterectomy scar	Surgical (removal of the uterus)	A line from an operation to remove the uterus, usually seen as a horizontal mark on the lower belly	Cleveland Clinic, but seemed like common knowledge in the medical community
Appendectomy scar	Surgical (removal of the appendix)	A small mark from an operation to remove the appendix, usually on the lower right side of the belly, sometimes just tiny dots if done with a camera	Cleveland Clinic - Appendectomy

Attempt to Match -- Nancy Lynn Jason (#MP13877) vs. #UP7477

By: Shane Lambert

Updated: July 17th, 2024

In this article, I am going to look at the missing person case of Nancy Lynn Jason, NamUs #MP13877, and compare it to the Jane Doe case of NamUs #UP7477. The goal is to evaluate the likelihood that they might be one and the same person.

On that matter, I will start with one of the Jane Doe's composite sketches and a couple of photos of the missing person. In my opinion, they do look alike, with striking similarities in hair parting, swarthy skin tone, and general features.

Composite sketch of Jane Doe #UP7477.

Nancy Lynn Jason.

Nancy Lynn Jason.

Next, I'll look to see if the circumstances of their cases match up. The timeline of the two cases must match up.

Nancy Lynn Jason vs Jane Doe UP7477

Firstly, Nancy Lynn Jason went missing when she was 18 years old in July of 1977. The Jane Doe was found on August 24th, 1982 in the trunk in a state park. She has been dubbed "The Cheerleader in the Trunk" accordingly. The first point, that the Jane Doe had to be found after the missing person was last seen, does check out. 

We can move on to the more complex points.

August 26th, 1982. The Baltimore Sun.

According to the NamUs profile for the Jane Doe, the "body may have been at that location for three or more years." The Jane Doe was thought to have died somewhere between 1972 and 1982. If we assume that Nancy Lynn Jason died at about the time of her disappearance in 1977, then her estimated date of death would overlay with the estimated date-of-death range of the Jane Doe.

Secondly, the sex and ethnicity between Nancy Lynn Jason and the Jane Doe match. They are both white females.

Thirdly, the distance between Nancy Lynn Jason's last-known location and the spot where the Jane Doe was discovered are reasonably close. Nancy was last seen in Bethesda, Maryland while the Jane Doe was found about 40 miles away in Frederick, Maryland.

Interestingly, Nancy's disappearance may have involved southbound hitchhiking toward Florida, as she was planning a trip there at the time of her disappearance. However, Frederick is northwest of Bethesda, not south, which complicates the idea of her being found along her intended route. It’s possible she was transported to Frederick after an incident near Bethesda.

Next, Nancy Lynn Jason had brown hair and so did the Jane Doe. The length of the hair and the parting point on the forehead appear to be similar in the photos of Nancy Lynn Jason and the composite sketch of Jane Doe, further supported by what looks like a shared swarthy skin tone and general facial features.

Lastly, the height between the two does not really match. Nancy was thought to be 5'7" while the Jane Doe was thought to be about 5'4". However, taking heights from human remains isn't an exact science when it comes to figuring out how tall the person was in life.

The discrepancy in the heights is small, and taken alone, it cannot be used to rule the two individuals out. You shrink after you die, so perhaps that the Jane Doe was shorter than Nancy Lynn Jason could be overstated.

The so called "Cheerleader in the Trunk" was found by mushroom foragers. She was in a steamer trunk in a park setting.

Comparison Chart: Nancy Lynn Jason vs. Jane Doe

Attribute	Nancy Lynn Jason (MP13877)	Jane Doe (UP7477)
Date	Last seen: July 17, 1977	Found: August 24, 1982; Est. death: 1972–1982
Location	Bethesda, Maryland	Frederick, Maryland (40 miles northwest)
Sex	Female	Female
Race	White/Caucasian	White/Caucasian
Age	18 years	Estimated 17–45 years
Height	5'7" (67 inches)	5'4" (64 inches, estimated)
Hair	Brown	Brown, medium-length
Circumstances	Hitchhiking, planning trip to Florida	Found in trunk, state park

Based on an analysis by Grok, an AI developed by xAI, there is a 40–55% chance that Nancy Lynn Jason and Jane Doe are the same person. This estimate accounts for the timeline overlap, matching demographics, and notable similarities in hair parting, swarthy skin tone, and general features between Nancy’s photos and Jane Doe’s composite sketch, balanced against the northwest location of Frederick versus Nancy’s southbound intent and the height discrepancy, which may reflect forensic imprecision.

Grok also stated that there was an implied match between Nancy's plan to hitchhike and an effort to conceal the Jane Doe. I did not quite understand what the AI meant when that was said. I took it to mean that when hitchhikers go missing, something clandestine is usually involved. Certainly, when a body is put into a trunk and disposed of in a park, something clandestine has happened. So perhaps the AI meant that there were matching circumstances between Nancy and the Jane Doe that way.

The Two Have Not Been Examined

The Jane Doe has numerous rule-outs listed at her profile but she has not been compared to Nancy Lynn Jason. Also, Nancy Lynn Jason has numerous rule-outs but she has not been compared to the Jane Doe. At this point, I think it's possible that they are one and the same person. I hope that they are looked at and, if they are not matched, at least they could be listed as rule-outs of one another.

Betty Marie Roberts -- Last Known to be With a Man Named Charles

Author: Shane Lambert
Original Time of Writing: December 31st, 2020
All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Betty Marie Roberts: The Unsolved Missing Person Case

Missing Person Overview: Betty Marie Roberts

"She left with a man from Charlotte, NC and went to Baltimore, Maryland. Her sister received a letter 3 days later. The letter stated she was doing fine and she would write later. The letter was postmarked Baltimore, Maryland. Never heard from her again." NamUs profile: Qtd March 19th, 2025.

Key Details of Betty Marie Roberts' Disappearance

Last-seen date: November 6th, 1959

Last-known communication: November 9th, 1959

Last-seen location: Baltimore, Maryland or Charlotte, North Carolina

Identification and Physical Description

NamUs # and Link: #MP7259

Ethnicity/Race: White

Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 29 years old

Hair: Brown
Eye color: Hazel
Height and weight at the time of disappearance: 5'6" to 5'7" and 135 pounds
Other: Dentures, scar on stomach, and tattoo saying "Jeff" on left forearm

Background of Betty Marie Roberts' Case

The case of Betty Marie Roberts is a memorable one for the last interaction that she had at her last time. Her sister, who was probably angry with being left in charge of Betty's two children, reportedly said “If you walk out, you’re not my sister. Don’t ever come back.”

In the years that followed, the two children ended up in an orphanage and a foster home. At some point, Louise Doane, the sister, searched for a reference to Betty Marie via her Social Security Number and driver's license. Nothing matched up after the year 1959.

Discrepancies in Missing Person Databases

This is a case with some contradictions when one consults multiple missing person's databases. At the time of writing, I noted the following:

• NamUs said she went missing on November 6th, 1959; CharleyProject said it was November 3rd of that year
• NamUs said she disappeared from Baltimore, Maryland; the same source said this: "She left with a man from Charlotte, NC and went to Baltimore, Maryland." That would suggest she's missing from Charlotte, not Baltimore.

The contradiction can be reconciled if we take a letter to be her last-seen date. However, technically she was last seen on November 3rd, 1959 in what looks to be Charlotte, North Carolina and her last communication was from Baltimore three days later according to a postmarked letter.

That would make the CharleyProject's date of November 3rd make more sense (ie. that's when she was last seen). The November 6th date is more like when she was last heard from.

Potential Leads to Find Betty Marie Roberts

In this case, I submit that the potential for finding her is grounded in two things, one firm and physical and the other much more tenuous.

Physical Evidence: Dentures as a Clue

Firstly, there are the dentures to consider. This is a physical characteristic of Betty's that is unlike the scar on her abdomen and the tattoo on her forearm. If a Jane Doe is found that is skeletonized the dentures will remain a clue for identity. Importantly, "dentures" is a searchable term in some unidentified remains databases, like the one with NamUs.

Websleuths or amateurs that come across a Jane Doe where dentures are mentioned in the report should cross-reference other details of the Jane Doe with Betty Marie Roberts. On that note, remember to note the contradictions above and to keep an open mind to both cities, Baltimore and Charlotte.

The Mysterious Companion: Charles Wegman

The tenuous lead on Betty Marie Roberts has to do with the man who saw her last. She was running off with a man that Louise, Betty's sister, said was named Charles Wegman. CharleyProject offers this: "Roberts's sister sent photos of Roberts and Wegman to the FBI, and an agent told her Wegman was actually named Charles Dennison but didn't disclose any further information about him."

Investigating Charles Dennison: Who Was He?

The identification of Charles Dennison is a subject that some work has been done on. I've consulted AndTheyWere.com's contribution to this case. The description there of Dennison is as follows: “tall and thick, and pleasant-looking, in his late 30s.” Charles also said he was from Houston which, if taken at face value, might be a lead. It's with assumptions like this that efforts start to get tenuous.

Charles Dennison’s Criminal Background

The AndTheyWere.com blogger wrote this:

"I was unable to find information about Charles Wegman, but there were two entries in Texas inmate records for Charles C. Dennison. While some of the demographics differ slightly, Charles was a native-born Texan serving time in the late 1940s and early 1950s for burglary and theft. He had served in the Army and/or merchant marines and at one time lived in New York. This individual likely died in 1983 according to Social Security death records."

Linking Charles Dennison and Charles Wegman

Unifying the identity of Charles Dennison with Charles Wegman is a challenge in this case. Wegman said he was from Houston and Dennison was from there as well. However, that hardly makes them a lock for being one and the same people.

The differing demographics between the Dennison files alluded to in the quote above, have to do with two different birthdates across the two files for Charles C. Dennison in the Texas Convict and Conduct records. However, despite those two different birthdates, it is clear that the two files are for the same person. When I consulted the documents, they were linked by a remark in the latter one that referenced the file number of the former.

Texas Convict Records Analysis

According to the Texas Convict and Conduct Records, there is a Charles Clifford Dennison with a record date of August 3rd, 1949. This individual has a convict number of 114392 and a birth year of 1922. There is also a Charles C Dennison with the birth year of 1920 and a convict number of 120126. Of course, those could be different people except that someone who worked with the document wrote some chicken scratch in the final column which appears to be directing whoever reads it (ie. me) to convict number 120126.

Also, there is some writing near the convict's name which encourages the reader of the document (ie. me) to look at convict 120126 in conjunction with 114392. The two Dennison's with different birth dates are actually the same person and the birth years are just wrong.

Charles C. Dennison: Biography and Timeline

I think Charles C. Dennison was all of the following according to the documentary records:

• Born: either 22 Sep 1923 in Houston, Texas or 22 Sep 1922 in Houston, Texas
• Died: either 10 Aug 1983 Harris County, Texas or 15 Aug 1983
• Death certificate: 076838
• Possible stepfather: Arthur L Nurse
• Possible biological father: might be James Radley Malin
• Last name: probably connected to Geo K Dennison, a romantic interest of his mother's
• Possible mother: Majorie Pearl Lewis or Mable Lewis
• He was a convicted burglar and thief
• Known to be in custody as of July 25th, 1949; was said to be of New York before this time; appeared to be in prison all the way to Jan 12th, 1953
• His four-year sentence would have ended July 25th, 1953 but a comment suggests that he might have been out as of May 15th, 1951; that date is listed with "Revoked" written beside it on his Texas conviction record
• However, the next record for him suggests that he was not out of prison until January 12th, 1953; I think the first record for Convict #114392 is for a first sentence that lasted from July 25th, 1949 until it was revoked on May 15th, 1951; the Convict #120126 pertains to his second sentence starting without any time out of prison; it ends Jan 12 1953

That he might have been in New York is supported by a passenger list that I found. The passenger list for the Queen Mary vessel is listed as arriving in New York on January 3rd, 1946 as per the records I looked at with Ancestry. They show an "Inf" (infantry?) named Charles C. Dennison on that vessel. There is an Army Serial Number there if anyone wants to have a look and expand further.

Physical Characteristics of Charles Dennison

If someone can read the following then please remark on it. It appears to be something to do with a physical characteristic in the region under his left eye, I think. As far as I can see it says "ct sc under lf eye. app sc st storm."

Also, what does this say exactly? I see "2 at wheel upper rt arm. Scr lo. lft arm." which I interpret to mean he has a scar on his lower left arm and 2 on his upper right?

Challenges in Unifying Identities

I was not able to find anything that substantially unified the identities of Charles C. Dennison and Charles Wegman together. The premise is all based on the description of the FBI's response to the picture of Charles Wegman. One connection I could make, besides both being of Houston, is tenuous: Charles C Dennison had aliases and his real name is hard to find.

Firstly, the C initial for his middle name might stand for Clifford or Clinton. Secondly, according to the 1940 census he might have been Charles Nurse at the age of 17 and of 7427 Avenue O, Houston, Texas in relation to someone who I think was his stepfather (see below). He also might have been known as Charles Malin at birth in relation to his biological father. Charles Dennison comes later in relation to a George K. Dennison. A user on Ancestry wrote this:

"Charles was the biological child of James R. Malin and Marjorie P. Lewis. Marjorie's second husband was George K. Dennison. (Mable Emogene Lewis was Marjorie's sister and the aunt of Charles C. Malin Dennison.)" (postkrispykritters on 1/17/2017).

The Classified Ad: A Possible Clue in Betty’s Disappearance

It was my hope that the classified advertisement that Betty replied to would yield some clue. However, finding the advertisement wasn't easy. My best guess is that it was the following:

Sat, Sep 19, 1959 – 23 · The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina) · Newspapers.com

The date of the advertisement is about right. Furthermore, Betty's age fits the age range in the ad. Also, it says that she has to be free to travel and she did up and leave. Furthermore, it mentions photography and that's true to the description of Betty's missing person webpages.

Analyzing the Advertisement’s Details

In an expanded look at this ad, it appeared in the Charlotte area newspapers between February 22nd, 1957, and November 3rd, 1961 according to what I found. The wording in the advertisement changed here and there. The alphanumeric code at the end would be a mailbox number or even a phone number, I think, as there is no other form of communication in the ad (ie. 334-2176). There are similar ads placed to a phone number or mailbox number "ED 3-8581."

The Tom Jones that is mentioned was, I think, the owner of a legitimate and successful studio called "Jones & Presnell Studio's." I think their address was 433 Lawton Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28216. I'm wondering if Charles Wegman or Charles Dennison was employed with that company but it's a tenuous connection because I don't even know that this was the ad Betty Marie replied to: it just seems to match-up. This is something Websleuths or amateurs could investigate if they have a brainwave on how to do it. I do know his Social Security Number.

Is the Ad a Red Flag?

The advertisement does strike me as the phony kind. I think this advertisement targets someone who is gullible. $360 pay is about $3200 by modern standards per month. That's pretty good pay for someone with "No experience necessary." Also, "Paid vacations" sounds a little too good to be true but maybe they just meant you get paid time off every year.

This ad targeted women as it was placed in a column designated "FEMALE HELP." I'm not sure why women were needed to be photographers over men. However, this position seemingly was working with children and the 1950s was a time when women were seen as better suited for such work. Perhaps some still feel that way. Other ads with strikingly similar wording that appeared in the area said that they needed a Child Photographer as a large-print headline instead of "Want A Change."

Conclusion: What Happened to Betty Marie Roberts?

My read on this overall situation is not a great one when it comes to finding evidence that Betty Marie Roberts survived much longer after she left with the man named Charles. Firstly, I defer to Louise's efforts to find evidence of her based on her identification which suggests that 1959 was a terminal year in Betty Marie's life.

Family Dynamics and Disappearance

The animosity that Louise communicated toward her sister is a small clue. It doesn't point to Louise but rather, I think, it references Betty Marie's discretion in leaving her children behind to go off with a strange man. Betty Marie was dropping everything and leaving and that speaks to a breakdown of sorts.

The Danger of Charles Wegman/Dennison

The situation seems particularly dangerous because she was running off with a man who an FBI agent seemingly recognized only from a photograph. If that's the case, then that's interesting in and of itself: what kind of man is the kind that an FBI agent recognizes from a photograph alone? That kind of person is likely to be one with a rap sheet -- and not just for jaywalking or going five over in a 50 zone.

So what do we have? A woman who's breaking down is running off with a man who's on the FBI's radar. That doesn't sound like a situation that's going to lead to harmony.

Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Her credentials have not entered the documentary record since. In my opinion, the balance of the conjecture, in this case, would support the notion that Betty Marie is long dead. On that matter, the graves of the people associated with this case might start showing up on Findagrave.com. More and more memorials from the past are being digitalized.

The work on this case has to do with connecting Charles Wegman to Charles Dennison in a convincing way and then tracing his location between 1959 and 1983. Also, remember that if you come across a Jane Doe with dentures, especially one with a date-of-death assumed to be in the ballpark of 1959 near Charlotte or Baltimore or even points in between, that she's a candidate for a rule out. It wouldn't hurt to search for "dentures" in NamUs from time to time and list your Jane Does that match in the comments.