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"Lady of the Lake" was an unidentified murder victim found along the shore of Euclid Beach in Bratenahl, Ohio on September 5, 1934
Case
The victim's lower torso, thighs still attached but the knees amputated, were discovered by a young man washing up on the shores of Lake Erie just east of Bratenahl. A subsequent search only recovered a few body parts. The head was not recovered. The medical coroner of Cuyahoga County, A.J. Pierce, noted that there was a chemical preservative on the skin that made it red, leathery, and tough.
The victim, called "Lady of the Lake," is also referred to as "Victim #0" or "Victim #1" of the Cleveland Torso Killer. Between 1935-1938, the Cleveland Torso Killer was responsible for the murder and dismemberment of twelve transients and hobos in which only two were ever identified. Investigators believe there are additional victims, including this victim. Although investigators had several suspects, most notably Frank Dolezal and Dr. Francis E. Sweeney, no one was ever charged and convicted for the murders.
Jane Doe I, the eighth canonical victim of the Cleveland Torso Murderer, was discovered in virtually the same spot as the "Lady of the Lake" two years later in 1937.
"Lady of the Lake" is now buried in Plot 102-3 of the Potter's Field Section of Highland Park Cemetery in Highland Park, Ohio.
Sources
- Lady of the Lake at the Doe Network
- Cleveland Torso Murderer on Wikipedia
- Cleveland Police MuseumGRAPHIC POSTMORTEM WARNING
- "Lady of the Lake" at Find a Grave
