Hell's Kitchen Jane
In February 2002, construction workers were in the basement of a rundown, mostly abandoned apartment building on West 46th Street in Hell's Kitchen on the West Side of Manhattan. Concrete was being broken up and removed when they got to a newer pad of concrete located behind an old coal-burning furnace. The pad was fractured, the large chunks hauled away.
Until someone made a discovery that would remain a mystery for 17 years and counting. A rust-colored rug or large section of carpet was rolled up and buried there, under the concrete pad. The construction workers, like many of us, knew that anything that gets rolled up in a rug and buried in a basement is likely something that the police should be alerted to. And so the police came to investigate, soon confirming that tucked inside the rug were the skeletal remains of a teenage girl. With her remains, investigators found a ring and a watch, which they had hoped would help to identify her quickly. Unfortunately, that would not be the case for Hell's Kitchen Jane. Her case has proven to be quite challenging, despite having a ring with (what we assume are) her initials engraved. Her death was ruled a homicide. Identifying her could get authorities one step closer to figuring out who took her young life. |
What We KnowWhite
15-21 years old (most likely 17-19) 5' 1" Light-colored hair, possibly red Petite build Expensive dental work at one point, but also severe decay, suggesting that she may have come from a family of means but may have fallen on tough times Wearing a bra (size 32A) and pantyhose, remnants of glittery fabric were nearby Yellow metal ring with initials "P Mc G" or "P G Mc" and a 1966 Bulova watch A dime from 1969 was with the remains, as well as an International Ladies Garment Workers tag of some sort that was sewn into clothing in 1988 Cause of death: Strangulation It's thought that she died somewhere between 1970-2000 |
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My Two Cents
Much of this is speculation, as it is with any case that has limited details. First, I think it's important to try to narrow the range of estimated years of death. Looking at the clues we have that can be dated, I wish I knew just how relevant they are to her remains. Is the clothing tag something that was in the basement near where she was found? Or was it in the rug with her? If we assume the latter, then she must have died some time from 1988 to 1993, as the date on the tag is 1988 and the International Ladies Garment Worker Union merged with another group in 1993 and the name changed. So we'll keep the 1988-1993 timeline in mind. Now, the watch...it was a 1966 Bulova watch, which would likely mean that it was purchased secondhand or was passed down to her, because she was too young to have gotten it in the 1960s when it was manufactured. The fact that she had the watch, and the signet ring, further validates the theory that she came from a family of means. Some have speculated that she may have been a prostitute, as that building and area were known for that type of activity. She could have been a runaway, coming to New York and getting sucked into the risky lifestyle of working the streets, holding on to the two most valuable and cherished items from her past.
There were several points of entry into the basement of the building, but I'm unsure how someone could have committed the murder and proceeded to bury her then cover the burial site with concrete without others witnessing at least some part of it. Of course, it was hidden away behind a furnace, so that may have afforded the murderer with more privacy as he carried out the disposal of her remains.
The ring, oh, the ring! Those initials haunt me. Its a puzzle similar to the infamous "What color is this dress?" that broke the internet. Does the engraving suggest her initials to be P G Mc? Or P McG? Or P Mc G? It's something that swirls around in my head quite often. Working under the assumption that the ring belonged to her, and that the initials are hers, I hopped on over to the Social Security Administration's list of most popular baby names by decade, focused mainly on the 1960s and 1970s. For that range, the list includes first names beginning with P such as: Patricia (also Patty), Pamela (also Pam), Paula, Penny, Peggy, and Phyllis. If we think that the "G" is her middle initial, it could possibly be one of the following from the list: Gloria, Gina, Gail, Gwendolyn, or Glenda. Variations of all of the names are also possibilities, or names passed down from a parent or grandparent that may not be as popular.
Don't even get me started on all of the potential last names that begin with "Mc", even if you assume that the "G" is, in fact, part of the surname and narrow the possibilities down to only names beginning with "McG". There are a boatload and then some. I've found it much simpler to try to look up birth records for combinations of the names above, then narrowing that list down to those with a "Mc" last name. So far, no luck, but she was born somewhere and I'm certain that someone will get to the bottom of this mystery.
I have several questions that I'll likely never know the answers to, but that doesn't stop my brain train from chugging along. Was she killed in the building, or was that location only the dump site? Were there other murders similar to hers (rope binding wrists and ankles then wrapped around the neck) within the estimated range of her death? Was isotope analysis performed on the bones? Narrowing down the region in which she likely grew up would certainly be of benefit, at least as a way to focus publicity to try to reach family or friends who may recognize her or her jewelry.
There were several points of entry into the basement of the building, but I'm unsure how someone could have committed the murder and proceeded to bury her then cover the burial site with concrete without others witnessing at least some part of it. Of course, it was hidden away behind a furnace, so that may have afforded the murderer with more privacy as he carried out the disposal of her remains.
The ring, oh, the ring! Those initials haunt me. Its a puzzle similar to the infamous "What color is this dress?" that broke the internet. Does the engraving suggest her initials to be P G Mc? Or P McG? Or P Mc G? It's something that swirls around in my head quite often. Working under the assumption that the ring belonged to her, and that the initials are hers, I hopped on over to the Social Security Administration's list of most popular baby names by decade, focused mainly on the 1960s and 1970s. For that range, the list includes first names beginning with P such as: Patricia (also Patty), Pamela (also Pam), Paula, Penny, Peggy, and Phyllis. If we think that the "G" is her middle initial, it could possibly be one of the following from the list: Gloria, Gina, Gail, Gwendolyn, or Glenda. Variations of all of the names are also possibilities, or names passed down from a parent or grandparent that may not be as popular.
Don't even get me started on all of the potential last names that begin with "Mc", even if you assume that the "G" is, in fact, part of the surname and narrow the possibilities down to only names beginning with "McG". There are a boatload and then some. I've found it much simpler to try to look up birth records for combinations of the names above, then narrowing that list down to those with a "Mc" last name. So far, no luck, but she was born somewhere and I'm certain that someone will get to the bottom of this mystery.
I have several questions that I'll likely never know the answers to, but that doesn't stop my brain train from chugging along. Was she killed in the building, or was that location only the dump site? Were there other murders similar to hers (rope binding wrists and ankles then wrapped around the neck) within the estimated range of her death? Was isotope analysis performed on the bones? Narrowing down the region in which she likely grew up would certainly be of benefit, at least as a way to focus publicity to try to reach family or friends who may recognize her or her jewelry.