Disappearance of Beverly Potts
Beverly Potts | |
|---|---|
| Born | Beverly Rose Potts April 15, 1941 |
| Disappeared | August 24, 1951 (aged 10) Cleveland, Ohio |
| Status | Missing for 73 years, 4 months and 3 days |
Beverly Rose Potts (April 15, 1941 - disappeared August 24, 1951) was an American schoolgirl from Cleveland, Ohio whose disappearance at the age of 10 in 1951 became a famous missing persons case. Thea Gallo Becker, author of Legendary Locals of Cleveland, stated that it "remains one of the most haunting and heartbreaking mysteries in Cleveland history."[1]
On August 24, 1951 the girl went with her best friend to see the traveling entertainment show Showagon at Halloran Park in western Cleveland. Her best friend went back to her house but the girl stayed at Showagon.[2] Her parents had given her permission to stay for the entire event. She never returned to her house and a search was launched.[1]
Area newspapers and radio stations covered the story. The police determined that the members of the Potts family had no culpability in the disappearance. Police interviewed students at the girl's school and tracked automobiles. Many parents banned their children from going to Halloran Park.[2] Beverly Potts was never found, and there were no clues as to where she went. There are many theories suggesting reasons for her disappearance.[1]
Elizabeth Potts, the mother of Beverly Potts, died in 1956; the father died in 1970. There is a memorial marker to the girl next to the graves of her parents.[2]
Police interviewed a woman after discovering a letter in a house which stated that her husband had murdered Beverly Potts, but the woman stated that the letter was forged and that her husband had not killed her.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Becker, Thea Gallo. Legendary Locals of Cleveland (Legendary Locals). Arcadia Publishing, 2012. ISBN 1467100293, 9781467100298. p. 53.
- ^ a b c Bibb, Leon. "Disappearance of 10-year-old Beverly Potts, who vanished 63 years ago, still haunts Cleveland" (Archive) Newsnet5. May 9, 2014. Updated May 12, 2014. Retrieved on September 7, 2014.
- ^ Cooper, Cynthia L. and Sam Reese Sheppard. Mockery of Justice: The True Story of the Sheppard Murder Case. University Press of New England (UPNE), 1995. ISBN 1555532411, 9781555532413. p. 318.
Further reading
- Badal, James Jessen. Twilight of Innocence: The Disappearance of Beverly Potts (True Crime Series). Kent State University Press, 2005. ISBN 0873388364, 9780873388368.