Miss X (decedent)

Miss X is a currently unidentified deceased woman whose body was found on March 18, 1967, near the towns of Bear, Wilmington, and Glasgow, Delaware. It was at first thought that she died as the result of an attempted abortion, but a recent examination disproved this. It was established that she died of septicemia. Circumstances: Miss X's body was found on the side of Porter Road after an apparent dump job. She was clothed only in a pair of blue bikini-like underwear and a red ribbon that was used to tie her hair back. The victim's body was partially hidden inside of a canvas laundry bag that was whitish in color, which encased her legs. The manufacturer labels from her underwear had been removed, possibly by the individual who had disposed of her body. It is believed that Miss X died in a different location and was then disposed of in Bear, likely by a vehicle. The bag that was found at the scene had the words "Bag O - Storage. American Laundry. Dry Cleaning. EX4 5277." printed on it, indicating where it had originated from. It is unknown if the victim was associated with such an establishment. The young woman was discovered to have been three months pregnant when she died. It was assumed that she had attempted to have an illegal abortion, as a substance resembling a chemical used in the process was found in her vaginal cavity. It is still possible that the decedent had attempted to end her pregnancy, yet it was not the cause of her death. She had developed an infection due to an unknown cause, which was untreated, and ultimately killed her. Physical characteristics: Miss X was of small frame, at around 110 to 115 pounds at the height of five feet two inches. She had dark, curly hair and brown eyes, leading some to speculate she was of European origin, from areas such as Greece or Italy. Some have also stated that she appeared to be of "Jewish descent". The young woman had no identifying marks on her body except for a vaccination scar on the top of her left upper leg and had the blood type O. At one time, her ears had been pierced but she had not worn any earrings recently. She had cared for her teeth very well and had some evidence of repair; she was presumed to have seen a dentist approximately six months before her death. She had a large bra size, estimated to be 34DD. Her age was originally estimated to be between eighteen and twenty one, but has recently been increased to sixteen to twenty-five. Investigation: Detectives have focused primarily on identifying Miss X instead of finding the individuals who disposed of her body or may have been involved in her death. Because of the significant amount of time that has passed since the body was found the suspects would either be "dead or elderly". The laundry bag that was found at the scene was traced to a company known as American Laundry, which operated in Trenton, New Jersey. When asked about the victim, members of the owner's family stated that they remembered a young woman, who matched Miss X's description, that either lived close to them or was a customer. An anonymous man had called police and claimed to have brought a woman's body from the state of Washington to Delaware, but little information about the investigation of this tip has been published. This lead is somewhat questionable, as Miss X was deceased for less than twenty-four hours and it would have taken a considerable amount of time to transport the body from such a distance. The case was reexamined in 2011, when an evidence container was located that contained the victim's blood and the ribbon found in her hair. The DNA extracted from the blood was then entered in a genealogy system and was linked maternally to individuals from Virginia and North Carolina, although it is not known how close the relatives were to Miss X. This evidence has not assisted with the identification of the victim. Early in the investigation, a sketch of Miss X was released to the public in the hopes that someone would come forward and identify her. It was not until 2013 that the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reconstructed her face with a much more precise and detailed method.