A Humble Life: A Suspicious Death - 83 Years LaterIf you were going to read a book, you wouldn't open to a random chapter and start from there, and the same applies to Stella's story. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5 are worth the read if you want to truly understand how things progressed to this point.
I delayed the release of this part of the story, hoping that the University of Pittsburgh Archives would be able to locate the coroner's file on Stella but, unfortunately, they couldn't find an archived record for her. Any documentation, descriptions, or reports from the coroner are lost to time, I suppose. While I'm disappointed by the fruitless search, I'm confident that the rest of Stella's story can be told despite that lack of information. In February 1940, Stella Carolina Miller-O'Neill was found floating in the Ohio River, deceased, near Edgeworth. In the weeks following the discovery, county detectives were nearly as puzzled as they'd been when she first disappeared. We can't be certain about the police investigation, as those records were destroyed long ago, but the available information and outcomes provide enough insight into the steps taken after she was laid to rest. From my perspective, Stella was quickly written off as a "frail and very nervous" housewife who put herself into the river, back in December 1939, while "temporarily insane". The death certificate makes no mention of an autopsy, but the death is ruled a suicide just one day after her body was recovered from the river. Would things have gone differently with modern-day forensic technology? Would they have better understood Stella's death if they had done an autopsy like detectives ordered? If they hadn't accepted Walter's description of Stella, characterizing her as unstable and distraught, would they have taken a harder look at possible foul play? No one can change what happened in the past, but we can try to shine a light on the shortcomings of an investigation that, while likely adequate for its time, would not be so hastily closed today. A Humble Life: A Suspicious Death - 83 Years LaterIf you haven't already, go back to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4 before reading this one. I promise, its worth it.
So much has happened since this story began in 1890. 50 years of growth, loss, hardship, hard work, new loves, new life, stress, joy, and memories. The Miller family's experience wasn't really unique for the time, but it is far from what a typical American family experiences today. Improvements in pharmaceuticals and medical care, access to that care, and better community education regarding health and medicine helped to increase life expectancy. Illnesses and conditions that were deadly to members of Stella's family are now diagnosed in a timely manner and effectively treated. And what about Stella? The "nervousness" her husband described and the fretful expression that we see in her photo could have been attributed to any number of psychological issues but, in 1930s America, her symptoms were not recorded or well reported. We only know that her husband called her "frail and very nervous". Could she have received proper treatment if she were living in the 21st century? Probably. Her options were limited, though, in 1939. So limited, in fact, that she might have felt hopeless and considered ending her life. Might have.... A Humble Life: A Suspicious Death - 83 Years LaterThis is the fourth part of Stella's story. If you haven't already, I suggest going back and reading Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3 first.
By now, you've met and become more acquainted with the Miller family. Both parents, John and Lena, and two brothers, Jacob and Harry, had died by 1928. All but one of the Miller children had married, most starting families of their own. They had made it through World War I, the Great Depression, and two massive floods in the Pittsburgh area (1936 and 1937). The communities in Allegheny County were hopeful for the future; the men were returning to work, children were fed, and positive change was happening in front of their eyes. We have to wonder, though, how many people experiencing mental health issues had slipped deeper into their struggle during the Great Depression. How many had wandered beyond the point of saving, by 1939 psychiatric care standards, never to return? Could Stella overcome the battle in the back of her mind, unseen and unheard to those around her, but overwhelming to the wife and mother? A Humble Life: A Suspicious Death - 83 Years LaterIf you haven't already, you should read Part 1 and Part 2 of Stella's story first (just click the link and it will take you to it).
In Part 1, you met the Miller family: John & Lena, a couple living on their farm in Allegheny County, PA, and their nine children. The Millers laid their oldest son, Jacob, to rest when he was only 16. Less than a year later, John passed away, leaving Lena heavily pregnant with 7 children and a farm to take care of. One month after John's death, Lena gave birth to John Jr. In Part 2, Lena laid another son, Harry, to rest. Albert married and took over the family farm with his new wife. Gertie married and moved to Ohio, starting her own family. Lena moved to a newly built home in Emsworth with five of her children. Stella married and quickly started a family, having 4 children between 1922-1928. The Miller children lost their mother, Lena, in 1928. By 1929, William, Mary, and Ella had married. The Great Depression was just around the corner and Death was not yet finished with the Miller family. Stella Miller, now Stella O'Neill, had suffered unimaginable loss in her 32 years. She had buried two brothers and both of her parents, but could her past adversity prepare her for hardships to come? A Humble Life: A Suspicious Death - 83 Years LaterIn Part 1, I introduced you to the Miller family of Aleppo, PA. John and Lena Miller, hard-working parents to several growing children, were living on their family farm in the early 1900s. They had their faith, their family, and their farm. They found out, though, that nothing could shield them from that which comes for us all. The devout and the deviant, the ambitious and the apathetic, the wealthy and the working class; Death sees only the fire of life, tucked away behind each beating heart, that it will, inevitably, snuff out.
After suffering the loss of her oldest son, Jacob, followed by the loss of her husband, John, Lena gives birth to her ninth child. A widow, a farmer, a single mother to eight living children; where will life take her next? A Humble Life: A Suspicious Death - 83 years laterIt’s no secret that women have been overlooked, undervalued, and dismissed throughout history. Through the lens of 2023 knowledge and experience, deaths of women that were labeled as "accidental" or "self-inflicted" decades ago seem far more suspicious. Could the death of a Pennsylvania housewife in 1939 really be an accident? Or brought on by "temporary insanity"?
This story is not written for the purpose of suggesting that authorities mishandled the case, suggesting that the coroner did an inadequate examination, or accusing her husband of being involved. It is simply an examination of the disappearance and death of a woman that would likely be handled differently if it occurred today. We will likely never know what occurred that day in 1939. Files destroyed, memories lost, close relatives and friends have passed. A few archived newspaper articles, digitized vital records and a cemetery headstone are the only wisps of her existence that remain. I'd like to tell you her story, as best I can, rather than only sharing the final chapter. The following is primarily comprised of factual information with some speculative details for storytelling purposes. |
EmilyTrue crime, cold case, long-term missing/unidentified, and all things mystery. I've always been interested, but now I'm involved in the search. Archives
June 2023
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Jinx!, Damian Gadal