3191 Route 14 Brookfield- Information, Please!!!

If you were kind enough to read my last post, you know that I wasn't aware that I was receiving comments, so I am trying to respond to those relevant to my blog. 

I am revisiting this post (link below) as I read a comment that was left and now my curiosity is not only piqued, but my original intuition seems to be right on the money.

From my original post: Do You See What I See (will open in a new window), Dani Waters left this comment, which I copied and pasted: 

December 7, 2013 at 12:29 AM

"Hi, I stumbled upon your photos of this house because years after I was there, I'm still intrigued and curious about it. Several years ago, my husband and I answered an ad to live in this house rent free in exchange for fixing it up. (This was before the fire). While we were looking at the house, my husband was scratched- he had 3 scratch marks across his chest. I also caught a face of a little girl peering out of the front door window when I snapped a photo of the house as we were leaving. There's something to this house. Not sure they ever found anyone to live there, but we declined. I wonder how it burned. Thanks for sharing your photos. I'm so fascinated with this place."

To my knowledge, I believe this house still remains abandoned.

Does anyone know about the fire that occurred here?

Does anyone know what happened to the people who lived here LAST or in the PAST?

For my own "intuition", there seems to be something dark and mysterious in this home.....

Any stories or updates would be appreciated!

Bailey Mills - Lost Treasure?

Once again, are you ready to grab your metal detectors, pickax and shovel?

Another Lost Treasure in Vermont?

This is the story of Levi Bailey and Bailey Mills.

Birth: 15 FEB 1766, Andover, Essex County, Mass.
Death: 21 OCT 1850, Reading, Windsor County, Vermont
Burial: Hapgood Cemetery:  Reading, Vermont ( a.k.a. "Spite Cemetery")

Levi moved from Massachusetts as a young man to Vermont in 1790. First settling in Hartland then in 1794, he purchased property in Reading, Vermont and built his home and this was where he established a woolen mill (3 stories tall), a milling operation consisting of a grist mill, a timber operation, a carding, a linseed oil mill, a black smith shop, a general store and a dam in the brook now known as Baileys Brook.   The home and the buildings,  became known as Baileys Mills.

Levi amassed great wealth, and he apparently did not put his money into banking institutions, apparently, he did not trust them.  He was known as being very frugal, and a "penny pincher."  Levi had a neighbor by the name of David Hapgood, who Levi tried to befriend (to purchase the property adjacent to his home and milling operation) and repeatedly offered to buy his land, but it was too late.  

Hapgood was not fond of Bailey, and donated the "coveted acre" of land for the purpose of a town cemetery, and when he died in 1829, was buried with in view of the Bailey estate, which was hence labeled "Spite Cemetery". Ironically, when Levi died in 1855, he was buried just 6 tombstones away from Hapgood, in the Hapgood Cemetery; thus, finally owning a permanent slice of this land.

On his death bed, his physician was the only one present.  He told the doctor that he had buried a great sum of money "in the woods, on the west side of the saw mill."  

Today, Bailey's Mills is a popular Bed and Breakfast nestled on a scenic and historic back road, in Reading...and you can get there from here.... it is advertised as: 

"A winding country road, rolling meadows, an old mill stream, an historic cemetery.
Yes, it's a quiet neighborhood."

Vermont Unsolved Mysteries

Warning:  
Content may not be suitable for those under 18 years old.

Vermont has many sites which explain the known facts about the mysterious or otherwise disappearances of some of our residents.  

I think it is worth posting this information - because keeping us alert is what can not only solve crimes, but perhaps give closure to those families who have suffered through these mysterious circumstances:

All of the following information is from http://letsfindthem.wordpress.com/?s=vermont 
and http://www.ctcoldcases.com/vermont.html

WANTED:

CHARGED WITH HOLDING 12 YEAR OLD BOY AS SEX SLAVE:

Vermont State police have charged two men with Connecticut ties in an alleged child sexual assault case

The suspects are both middle-age men who were respected firemen for the West Haven Fire Department

The assaults occurred in The assaults allegedly occurred in Ludlow and Cavendish, Vermont

The victim, who is now a young man in his twenties, came forward with the allegations last month, saying the assaults began when he was 12 and the sexual relations continued to last year.

Meyer is alleged to have brought other underage victims from Connecticut to Vermont where he would sexual assault them and then ask the victim to perform sex acts on them.

Suspects: Frank Meyer, 39, of West Haven, Conn., and

 Brett Bartolotta, 42, of Cavendish, Vt., are charged with

 aggravated sexual assault and slave trafficking

Disappearance Of Brianna Maitland

Brianna Maitland, was eighteen years old when she was last seen leaving the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, VT. It was Friday night, March 19th, 2004 and she just finished working there. Her vehicle, a green 1985 Oldsmobile was discovered the next day backed into an abandoned house about a mile away from where she was last seen.

Police believe that she did not run off and may have been a victim of foul play. She is described as being as five foot four and between 105 and 110 pounds. She has hazel eyes, with medium dark brown hair.

There is a $20,000 reward for information on her disappearance. $10,000 for anyone who can identify the exact location of Brianna may be buried. Another $10,000 for anyone with information leading to the arrest of the individual(s) that may be responsible for her disappearance.

If you have any information about this case you are urged to contact Vermont State Police Captain Glenn Hall at the Vermont State Police Headquarters at 802-244-8781. All calls can be confidential.

- There is a Facebook group dedicated to the Disappearance of Brianna Maitland. Just type ‘Brianna Maitland’ in the Facebook searchbar. Her Family and loved ones are still looking for answers and wont stop until they found out what happened to there Daughter, Friend, and Neice.

Brianna Maitland

Maura Murray

Maura Murray (pictured above) disappeared on February 9, 2004, after a one-car accident on New Hampshire Route 112 in Haverhill, New Hampshire. Murray, a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, left campus on the afternoon of her disappearance after telling her professors and her work supervisor by e-mail that she was taking a week off because of a family emergency. Official investigators suggested that she may have wanted to disappear and initially considered her disappearance to be a standard missing persons case, but her family and friends believe that she was abducted and her father has been critical of state investigators. As of 2012, eight years after her disappearance, there is no suspect and her whereabouts remain unknown. 

- Events before Disappearance -
On Thursday, February 5, 2004, Maura made a phone call in the evening to her older sister, Kathleen, while on break from her job at University of Massachusetts Student Security. Maura seemed normal to her sister.

The next day, February 6, 2004, Maura was at work at 1 am when she received a phone call that caused her to become upset. She was escorted back to her dorm room by her supervisor.

On Saturday, February 7, 2004, Maura went used-car shopping with her father, Fred Murray, and they later went for dinner with a friend of Maura’s. Maura dropped her father off at his hotel room, and then borrowed his Toyota Corolla, returning to the UMass campus to a dorm party with her friend. She left the party at 2:30 am, and drove to her father’s hotel room, hitting a guardrail on Route 9 in Hadley, causing $8,000 of damage, which would be covered by the insurance. Her father says she was shaken up and apologetic. Maura called her boyfriend, who was stationed in Oklahoma, from her father’s cell phone. Her father rented a car, dropped Maura off at UMass, and headed to Connecticut for work. In the evening, Maura agreed with her father that she would get the forms pertaining to the accident from the DMV on Monday, and they would discuss the forms over the phone that evening.

- Day of her disappearance -
Maura sent her boyfriend an e-mail at 1 pm on February 9, 2004, saying that she had not felt like talking to anyone, but that she would call him later in the day. Maura made several calls between 12 noon and 3 pm, including asking about information on a condominium in Bartlett, New Hampshire, that her family had annually vacationed at for years, leaving a voicemail with another student, and a number giving recorded information about Stowe, Vermont for approximately 5 minutes. Maura called her boyfriend for approximately 1 minute at 2:18 pm. According to a later police search of her computer, sometime that day, Maura searched MapQuest for directions to Burlington, Vermont.

Maura packed all her belongings into boxes and removed the art from her room walls.At about 4 pm, Maura e-mailed one of her work supervisors and some of her teachers to inform them that there had been a death in her family and that she would be out-of-town for several days, despite there being no such case of death. A dorm mate says they saw Maura leave the UMass Amherst campus between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. Maura withdrew $280 from an ATM, and was alone as seen by CCTV footage. Her bank account was left empty, with paychecks due from her job in the coming days. Maura then bought $35–$40 of alcohol, again while alone. Sometime after 4 pm, Maura left Amherst, probably heading up Interstate 91 north. She checked her cellphone messages at 4:37 pm.

- Disappearance -
At 7:29 pm, police dispatch received a call from a Woodsville, New Hampshire resident, who reported an accident near her house on Route 112. At 7:43 pm another Woodsville resident reported a black Saturn partially in the road. A bus driver says that he spoke to a girl he later identified as Maura, and asked if she wanted him to call the police. She told him not to bother, as she had called AAA. However, there was no cellphone reception in the area and AAA says no call was made to them.

At 7:46 pm, an officer from Haverhill Police arrived on the scene. The girl who was seen by the second caller and the bus driver was not present. The car was facing westbound in the eastbound lane, locked and with a cracked windshield and two deployed airbags. A damaged box of Franzia wine was found on the rear passenger seat. Other items found in the car include Maura’s AAA card, the insurance forms she retrieved for her earlier accident, her gloves, music CDs, her makeup, directions for Burlington and Stowe, a favorite stuffed monkey, and the Nicholas Howe book, Not Without Peril, a book about climbing in the White Mountains. A rag from Maura’s emergency roadside kit was discovered stuffed into the Saturn’s muffler pipe.

The EMS and a fire truck arrived just before 8 pm, and quickly cleared the scene. Maura’s car was towed to a local auto repair garage by 8:49 pm, and the police officer left to attend another call at about 9:30 pm. A New Hampshire State Police trooper stopped by the scene of the accident, but it is unknown at what time he arrived, if he was dispatched or if he stopped on his own accord. The family reports that they were told there was no radio communication between the officer and his station for approximately two hours upon arrival to the scene. There was no immediate search as it was assumed that Maura had left the scene by herself. Her bank card, credit cards, and cellphone have not been used since.

Murder of Rochester Man Still Unsolved

On November 17, 2001 twenty eight year old Dean Webster was found shot to death in the backyard of his home on Sky Hollow Road. He had been discovered deceased by a friend. Webster was last seen alive the previous afternoon by a neighbor. There is a two thousand dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of conviction of the person(s) responsible for his homicide. If you have any information about this case please call Det. Sgt. John Hagen at 802-234-9933 or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-427-8477. 

Grace Reapp

VANISHED

One of the most infamous murder/disappearance cases in Vermont is the vanishing of 32 year old Grace Reapp and her five year old daughter Gracie Reapp. 

They were last seen at their residence at their Jericho, Vermont residence on June 6, 1978. Michael Reapp, the husband and father of the two filed a missing person's report. 

Around a year later, he marries a second time and maintains custody of the couple's two older sons. In 1996, after he moved to Florida, he went missing after he was informed that Vermont Law Enforcement was digging around the property where his wife and daughter had last been seen. 

In June 7, 2010, it was learned that Michael Reapp has committed suicide back in 1997. He had been chased by police after he did an armed carjacking. Vermont State Police believe that Michael Reapp murdered both his wife and daughter. To date, they have not been found. 

Serial Killer Never Caught in Series of Brutal Murders

Michelle Nicholaou

Michael Nicholaou paired with a sketch of the suspect 

Barbara Agnew

On August 6, 1988 Jane Boroski escaped death when she barely survived an attack from an unknown man just outside a small market in Swansea, New Hampshire. She was brutally stabbed twenty-seven times. It is believed that she is the lone survivor of a serial killer that killed at least six women. All six of the women were stabbed to death in the Connecticut River Valley near Route 91 in both Vermont and New Hampshire.

The victims were Mary Elizabeth Critchley, was found deceased in on August 9, 1981 in some woods that are located off of Unity Stage Road, in the town of Unity, New Hampshire.

Bernice Courtemanche, a 17-year-old nurse's aide was last seen May 30, 1984 in West Claremont, New Hampshire. Her remains were found in Kellyville, New Hampshire on April 9, 1986.

Ellen Fried, a nurse was last seen in West Claremont, New Hampshire on July 20, 1984. Her remains were found in Kellyville, New Hampshire on September 19, 1985.

Eva Morse, a single mother was last seen hitchhiking after leaving her place of work on July 10, 1985 in Charlestown, New Hampshire. Her remains were located by a logger on April 25, 1986 in Unity, New Hampshire.

Lynda Moore, was murdered in her home outside of Saxtons River, Vermont, on May 15, 1986.

Barbara Agnew (pictured far right), a 36 year old nurse was missing for two months from a highway rest stop in Hartford, Vermont. She was found deceased near Advent Hill Road in Hartland, Vermont on March 28, 1987. All of these women were stabbed in similar areas and had their throats slit.

There are a few suspects in the murders and Boroski has indicated that one of these suspects physically matches the description of the person who attacked her.

Michael Nicholaou.

During the time of the murders, Nicholaou lived in the Holyoke, Massachusetts. His wife at the time had relatives that lived in Vermont. His residence was also very close to Interstate 91. A few years ago in Florida, Nicholaou committed suicide after he killed his stepdaughter and wife. He is also believed to be responsible for the disappearance/murder of his former wife, Michelle Ashley (pictured far left). So far, Nicholaou has only been proven to be responsible for two murders. However, as police continue to investigate his history, that may soon change.

Above are pictures of Michelle Nicholaou and picture of Michael Nicholaou paired with a sketch of the suspect that attacked Jane Boroski. Next to that is a picture of victim Barbara Agnew. 

Human Skull Found and Police Want Answers

 A resident in the town of Danby came across an unusual discovery on February 12, 2012. On the side of Danby Hill Road, he found a human skull. It was determined that the skull was female and thought to be that of a young caucasian (white) female. There were theories that pointed to the skull belonging to either Brianna Maitland, Maura Murray or Hedi Wilbur. All three were young white women who had gone missing in the last two decades within a reasonable distance of the discovery. The skull also showed signs of some trauma which indicated that it could have belonged to a victim of homicide. The investigation took an unusual turn when months later it was determined that the skull belonged to that of an Asian female between the ages of 15 to 40 years of age. Searches of the area where the skull was located provided no other clues or body parts. If you have information about who this female might be, please contact Vermont State Police at 802-442-5421.

UNSOLVED:  Gruesome Discovery and Questions Remain

A homeowner in Southeastern Vermont (near the New York & Massachusetts border) made a gruesome discovery in 1997. The homeowner's dog had brought back human bones which included a skull and a femur. Despite several searches by police, no other bones were ever found. 

The Medical Examiner theorized that the bones belonged to a mentally retarded/handicapped adult white male. But not enough bones were found to determine a cause and manner of death. Carol Cielecki, an online member of the Doe Network (a group of online sleuths that match missing persons with unidentified persons/remains) had a hunch that the bones could belong to a New Jersey man that was missing since the mid-nineties. She made her suggestion to the Doe Network which contacted the Police. Law enforcement soon were able to prove through DNA matching that it was indeed Sean Cutler. 

A Carbon Monoxide poisoning accident at the age of seven had left Cutler severely handicapped, blind and unable to walk. He had been in the care of his father and not seen by other members of his family for years. In July of 1996, in the town of Wayne, New Jersey, a house fire had claimed the life of Lewis Cutler (his father) and William Spitzer of Clifton. Sean Cutler's remains were not found in the fire and police believe that the fire was set, most likely by Lewis Cutler. Questions remain though, what really happened to Sean Cutler? Why was he buried in that part of Vermont? These answers may have died in the 1996 fire with Lewis Cutler. 

     

FBI Mystery in Rutland Vermont 1934

UNSOLVED???  MYSTERY!!!

A friend of mine sent me this link on Facebook, and it was so well written, so very intriguing and interesting  that I am re-posting it, word for word from Urban Post Mortem.

If anyone has any information about this and would like to add to the mystery or help solve it, feel free to leave a comment! ~Denise

Strange visitors: Rutland’s Pine Hill Mystery

Saturday, April 21, 1934. Rutland, Vt. 14 year old Raymond Webster is walking around Rutland’s Pine Hill area when he finds a newspaper protruding oddly from the ground. But this is no an ordinary piece of litter — there was something strange about this find. Beneath the paper, the dirt seemed to be fresh, as if something were buried beneath it.

Curious, Webster returns later with a few friends. They manage to extract two boxes from a shallow hole, both wrapped in newspaper. But their wonder is short lived when, almost instantly, two strange men suddenly emerge from the nearby woods and walk towards them. Fearing for their lives, the boys drop the boxes and run.
The strange men call after them and order them to stop, but the boys kept running. Seconds later, they hear the sound of gunfire.
What Webster didn’t know at the time was his terrifying encounter wasn’t unique. Something odd was happening in Rutland in April 1934; other residents noticed it, too. They also began to notice a group of visitors who suddenly appeared in the community — a group whose seemingly strange behavior distressed whomever encountered them.

On April 26, 1934, the Rutland Herald ran this front page headline: “20 mystery sleuths upset Rutland’s calm.” The story revealed that the skulking intruders were FBI agents. Now, concerned residents all had one question on their minds: What was the FBI doing in Rutland?

The Herald and the local authorities weren’t talking — mostly because neither had any answers. The rumors began to spread. Kidnappings, extortion or illegal narcotics all seemed like plausible explanations.

But as details about the FBI’s presence slowly began to leak out, the situation took a turn for the bizarre. The Herald reported they were ordered to keep quiet about the FBI’s arrival until two days after the fact.

When the local police contacted FBI offices to inquire about it, they were told that the agents were only taking instructions from Washington, and any additional information was classified. Local police were then instructed to carry out any arrests the FBI agents called on them to make — without question.

Around the city

Rutland residents soon began to notice that the agents were focusing their investigations on the area of the city around the Rutland Country Club and Pine Hill. People began to speak eagerly of their sightings. Residents saw agents lurking around the country club, and another staking out the area with a pair of binoculars from atop a silo on Grove Street.

Others reported seeing agents using the barn at the Fitzgerald farm on Grove Street as some sort of base camp. Agents were seen entering the barn and exiting shortly after wearing different clothes.
According to some witnesses, agents would return at least four times a day to change their clothing and leave again. These clothing changes appeared to be part of some undercover operation where agents were disguising themselves as hobos, like those who frequented the local railroads and hitched free rides on from Rutland to Ludlow.

Over in Proctor a West Rutland resident recalled a bizarre encounter of his own, which was thought to be related to the mysterious activities in Rutland. One night, as he was hitchhiking on Route 3 in Proctor, he approached a car on the side of the road near a bridge. Concealed by bushes and the shadows of the night, the vehicle would have never been visible unless another car hadn’t driven past with its high beams on. When the lights illuminated the suspicious vehicle, he noted four men inside the car, waiting for something unknown.

What was going on here? Who or what were they looking for?

The interrogations

While paranoia spread throughout the community, the FBI began to seek out certain individuals for questioning. Among the first to be questioned was Webster, whose startling encounter near Pine Hill had piqued the Feds’ interest.

What was so important about those mysterious boxes buried near Pine Hill? Speculations abound. Soon, there was little distinction between fact and myth. One rumor held that federal agents were trying to catch an extortionist who had been told that there would be ransom money waiting for him at the country club — in the exact spot where Webster found those strange packages.

Another theory posited the agents were sent to Rutland to prevent a kidnapping. The alleged kidnappers were said to have used the Rutland Country Club as a drop site for the ransom money. With the Lindbergh kidnapping captivating the nation at the time, an extortion case in Rutland seemed easy to believe.

After Raymond, FBI agents brought in 28 other young men for questioning at the local federal building. Cloaked in secrecy, the Herald dubbed these interrogations the “Star Chamber Sessions.” The boys’ parents were prohibited from attending these meetings.
Soon, caddies from the Rutland Country Club and several more young men were also brought in for questioning. The interrogations weren’t random; the Feds were looking for someone.

Rumors began to circulate about these clandestine hearings. It was said that everyone who was brought in was fingerprinted and asked to produce a specific writing sample for the agents. The content of the sample was revealed on April 27 when the Herald printed the full text of the cryptic note on the front page. It read:

“If you were co-operate in giving your fingerprints and help us out, it will make the country safer for you and your family. If you meet us at Union Station in Albany on Thursday, Friday or Saturday of the last week in April, your troubles will be over and we will never trouble you again. On your arrival in Albany, you will receive $1,000 for your troubles.”

What did this odd message mean? Why were all who were brought in for questioning required to rewrite it? And what did the FBI intend to do with it?

On April 28, Rutland’s mystery gained national attention as out of state papers such as The New York Times began reporting the story, calling it “The Pine Hill Mystery.”

More puzzling events

Strange things kept happening, and everyone was speculating. Supposedly, a man approached a Rutland businessman and made him a suspicious offer. He offered him $40 for every $100 in $5 and $10 bills he circulated around the city. Naturally suspicious, the businessman went to alert the police, but before he could, the mystery man had disappeared.

Up the road in Forest Dale, a local man made another alarming discovery — this one far more sinister. Reports of explosives concealed in a mattress were found on the side of the road. According to police, they found two tin cans filled with a grayish powder inside. The amount of powder was enough to level a large city block.

Who left these explosives on a back road in Forest Dale? Were they forgotten, or were the mysterious owners planning on coming back for them? Most importantly, were they related to the FBI’s presence in the area?

The notes

Eventually, the FBI agreed to reveal that they were sent to Rutland to investigate mysterious notes that were sent to the Bureau. Though the Feds refused to release the name of the target, they did reveal the contents of the notes they received. All of them threatened death or kidnapping if the victim refused to pay the amount of money that was demanded. Every note was simply signed “The Gang.”

By this point, the Herald had determined that this was an extortion case and ruled out any other possibilities. But if that was the case, then who were the targets — and what did “The Gang” want?
Rumors continued to spread. People spoke of a few Proctor residents who had also received mysterious kidnapping notes. Soon, other so-called extortion letters were reportedly found. The authorities traced the letters to post offices in Fair Haven and Poultney. Federal agents now were spreading their investigations across Rutland County. Newspaper boys from across the county were also brought in for questioning, as the FBI worked to figure out whether the local newspapers were hiding some sort of coded message.

Meanwhile, in Brandon, George H. Young received a death threat instructing him to leave a specific amount of money at a chosen location at Neshobe Country Club. George contacted the police who sent him to the country club to place a dummy package in the designated spot. It was never picked up.

Later, the investigation uncovered an abandoned camp in the woods near a green at the Neshobe Country Club. This secluded woodside perch provided an excellent view of the clubhouse and surrounding area.

Apparently, when George Young dropped off the dummy package at the golf course, the extortionists were observing him the entire time. When they gathered that police were involved, they decided not to retrieve the package.

Among the many who allegedly received kidnapping notes was Redfield Proctor Jr., a well-known local figure, who was formerly a Vermont governor and owner of the Vermont Marble Company. But the Proctor family denied such accusations. A plot against Proctor would have made sense; the well-respected businessman was incredibly wealthy and had great influence. Nevertheless, the Proctors remained silent.

Rutlanders and a gaining population of curious followers across the country were baffled. People wanted answers. Despite the massive scale of the investigation, no information was turning up and no answers were being given — at least to the public.

Undeterred, the Herald continued to seek answers. The paper sent a telegram to the FBI offices in Washington demanding an explanation. The reply was, not surprisingly, vague and didn’t yield any new information.

Instead, the Bureau accused the Herald of exaggerating the story, and attempted to diminish the scope of the investigation by asserting they had only sent 12 agents as opposed to the actual 20 who were currently in the city. The Herald would later print the FBI’s reply.

And then there were none

Just as mysteriously as the mysterious occurrences in the spring of 1934 started, they seemed to stop. Though the FBI held Rutland in gripping tension for two months, the Herald never reported any arrests or any breaks in the case. By May, stories about “The Pine Hill Mystery” seemed to fade.

Then on May 25, four men were reported driving around the town of Proctor for several days in a car with New Hampshire plates. Witnesses also reported seeing a machine gun within the car. But the car and its occupants seemed to simply disappear — as did the federal agents.

After two intense months of shocking encounters and gripping newspaper headlines, the Herald stopped reporting on “The Pine Hill Mystery.”

Now, we are left to ask what happened. Why did the FBI come to Rutland? Was there actually an extortion case? If so, who was the target, and was it ever solved? Or was this a cover-up for something far more sinister?

Despite the case running cold, there is an interesting footnote to the story. Years later, former Herald editor Kendall Wild reached out to his high school classmate, Sam Willson, for some answers. Earl V.K. Willson, Sam’s father, was a successful Rutland businessman, who, at one time, lived with his family in the mansion at 1 Shadow Lane in Rutland.

According to Willson, his family was allegedly one of the targets of the extortionists. But his father never spoke a word of it. It was their mother who, decades later, finally told her children about it.
At time, Willson assumed his mother was making it all up until Wild contacted him. Amused, if not a little taken back, Willson was now able to recall some peculiar events from his childhood that suddenly took on another meaning to him. He remembered his parents buying a German shepherd for him, to keep him company. In hindsight, the dog was a likely protector more than companion.

His parents also hired a nanny for him and his younger brother so there would always be an adult supervising them.

But the strangest thing he recalled was the big black sedan that parked for a time at the top of Shadow Lane, blocking the rear entrance of their driveway. Willson now believes his parents kept silent about the case because they didn’t want to scare them.
To this day, no one seems to have any answers, and the FBI isn’t talking. Rutland author Mary Fregosi, who first investigated this strange tale for the Rutland Historical Society in 2007, attempted to contact the FBI for some answers. Their reply stated that their records on this case were destroyed in 1998, leaving this great mystery just that.

So were any arrests ever made? And did the FBI find what they were looking for among Rutland’s residential neighborhoods and manicured golf links? We’ll most likely never know, making this startling mystery an eternal reminder of man’s fight against evil.
(Information for this story was gathered in part from the Rutland Historical Society Quarterly Vol. 38, No. 2, 2008, by Mary Fregosi.)

Waterbury Tragedy, Still Unsolved

nce upon a time at the corner of South Main Street, and Park Row in Waterbury, Vermont stood the Waterbury Inn.  It was actually built "without blueprints in 1865" just after the Civil War.  Accessible by train and car, wealthy folks from New England, New York and Canada made this a favorite destination as a vacation place from that time, into the 1950's.   

"Numerous owners and managers maintained the Inn over the years. Perhaps W.F. Davis served the longest tenure and is most remembered by townsfolk.

Situated behind the Inn was a croquet course for guests' entertainment. At one time deer were penned there. An archery course abutted the golf course, on Blush Hill which was advertised as the Waterbury Inn Golf Course. Local organizations met at the Inn and celebrations, tea and card

parties were held there.

Families would come by rail for a vacation at the Inn, availing themselves of the previously mentioned activities plus trips to Stowe, up Mansfield, picnics or porch rocking. Livery stables and other businesses flourished.

A 1930's brochure indicates the appeal of the hostelry-- "newly decorated with innerspring mattresses-- most rooms have twin beds and private baths-- and elevator takes you up and down-- rates $7 per day or $47.50 week-- rates include meals of course.""  -http://www.vermont-towns.org/waterbury/history/hist8.htm

Updated 7/5/15:  With profound gratitude to the Vermont State Police Museum and Archives and the Waterbury Historical Society, the historical photos posted on this blog post, were used with permission.

The following content is from The Vermont State Police Archives:  http://vsparchives.com/category/articles/

"On the morning of March 18, 1950, the partially clad body of the owner, Pauline Gill Molony (41) was found in a rear alley, face-up and spread-eagled in the fresh, wind-blown, snow.  Waterbury doctors C. B. Orton and John Wright were summoned, but despite the urging of Eric Graves, the Health Officer, both were unwilling to sign a Death Certificate.  

Each doctor agreed that the cause of death was open to question since there was no obvious fatal mark on her body and no known prior medical condition.  Other marks on her hands, knees and face appeared suspicious...Pauline Molony met her untimely death over six decades ago and the case is still officially open.

Amazingly, it wasn’t until early evening when her husband – Edmond Molony, contacted Waterbury Police Chief Forrest N. Reber to notify him of the death.  Reber in turn contacted the three-year-old Vermont State Police to ask for help.  At the urging of an alcoholic doctor, Henry St. Antoine, who resided at the Inn, Mr. Molony requested an autopsy on his wife.  

Dr. Joseph W. Spelman, the Vermont State Medical Examiner, conducted an autopsy that evening inside the V.L. Perkins Funeral Home on South Main Street in Waterbury.  It was discovered that Mrs. Molony had died of a hard blow low on the back of her head.  Spelman ruled a cerebral hemorrhage as the cause of death.

The State Police then launched a full investigation under the direction of Lt. John G. Peters and Detective Almo G. Franzoni.  Immediately, it became obvious that there was some limited evidence she could have fallen on the ice, hit her head on the corner of the building, and crawled a short distance until overcome by her injury and the cold.  

On the other hand, there was a rich lot of possible suspects and nobody could explain why she was found outdoors with so little clothing in March.  Likewise, nobody could fully explain the blood splatter and other evidence at the scene.  For example, one of her socks was found the next morning hundreds of feet away in Dr. Orton’s driveway.

The Waterbury Inn

Lt. Peters, Detective Franzoni and Lab Technician Hemenway  used several advanced techniques during their investigation.  At a time when it was not common, they incorporated, microscopic fiber analysis, microscopic hair analysis, blood typing, and blood spatter analysis.  They spent hours carefully dusting several inches of new snow away to expose the surface as it has been at the hour of her presumed death.

The primary suspect was Edmond Molony (53), the husband who told a somewhat confusing story and admitted to having a fight hours before her death.  He heaped suspicion on himself in a number of ways.  One example was the immediate removal and washing of the limited clothing in which she had been found.  He later had a hard time producing these items for the police.  Additionally, he didn’t notify any law enforcement agency of his wife’s death for nearly 12 hours – neither did the doctors, the health officer or any of the many employees and guests at the Inn!  

At a time when VSP had no such capability, Molony was transported out of state for a polygraph with the results having been inconclusive.  A read of the transcript does leave one with a vision of police officers hovering over Molony in a dark room lit by a single bare light bulb suspended over his head.

The other suspects were far lower down the list and included a recently fired and alcoholic physician from the Vermont State Hospital.  The doctor was living at the Inn and not paying for his room and board.  It would appear that the Molony’s were planning to evict him.

The Front Desk Clerk on duty that night and the last person to admit to seeing her alive was investigated.  It was quickly determined that he had previously run a house of prostitution in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.  His past clearly was not a clean slate.

Another suspect was a former patient at the Vermont State Hospital and handyman employed at the Inn in exchange for room and board.  He was apparently ill treated by Mr. Molony and was unable to be a good witness for himself.

The last suspect was a refrigeration repairman who had worked on the freezer at the Inn.  Mrs. Molony had been convinced that someone had been stealing meat from the freezer.  There was initial speculation that she was checking the freezer and had surprised a thief in the act.

The case remains as an officially unsolved/untimely death.  A key reason is the subsequent events that overtook the primary suspects.

a)  The Desk Clerk died of a heart attack within eight months

b)  The Doctor committed suicide in July of 1951.

c)  Edmond Molony died of cancer in July of 1952.

d)  The Handyman was incapable of providing meaningful testimony.

With the subsequent disappearance of the building itself (burned in a massive fire on November 3, 1953) and the loss of most related police files, this case is no longer solvable unless a new witness(s) comes forward.  The last known witness died several years ago.

Mrs. Molony’s death certificate on file in Waterbury still shows that the case is “under investigation” and has never been amended."

A tragic fire of November 3-4, 1953 destroyed the Inn; and, ironically, this was also the 26th anniversary of Vermont's Flood of 1927.

"In the late 1940's, the property was purchased by Elmond Molony beginning a saga reflective of a Dorothy Sayers mystery. Mrs. Pauline Malony was found dead in the rear of the hotel in March 1950. Clad in night wear, bruised about the knees and legs the body was found at 9 A.M., apparently having been outside all night. A cerebral hemorrhage caused by a blow to the head was the cause of death.

Dr. Henry St. Antoine, a long term guest, committed suicide by leaping in front of a Central Vermont train; 

Mr. Edmond Molony died of natural causes; 

Robert Molony, Jr., who was managing the Inn for his uncle's estate, perished in the fire."  -http://www.vermont-towns.org/waterbury/history/hist8.htm

Pictures of the fire, and post-fire, 1953: