Lizzie Borden Society Forum

The lead story on the local Toronto (Canada) news last night was the discovery of the mummified remains of a baby found by a man who was renovating his home.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/ ... -baby.html

What is interesting is that the mystery is almost solved because the baby had been wrapped in a newspaper dated Sept 15, 1925. Very quickly the media was able to access the city archives where they found the owners of the house at that time. Apparently, it was a couple. The husband died in 1939 and the wife was then declared unfit to handle her own affairs. So, it looks as tho there was a mental health issue there.

An autopsy is being performed today to determine the baby's cause of death.

I guess that all other's involved, or possibly involved, have passed on. poor little baby!

Update:

The baby was a newborn boy with his umbilical cord still attached. The police are trying to track down any possible relations of the couple who used to live in the house at the time---presumably an attempt to notify "next of kin" & seek instruction on how to deal with the remains.

Strangely, this is not the 1st case I've heard of in Toronto where infant remains have been found while renovating. There was another found in the late 80s/early 90s in a house located in what was one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the 1870s & 1880s.

I once read a university thesis called, "Toronto's Girl Problem" all about how from the 1840s to the 1940s the increasing independence of women was seen as a genuine social problem. The author stated that it was not unusual for unwanted babies to turn up in outdoor privies.

I'm sure Toronto was much the same as other big cities.

Back in the day, it sure was easier for those inclined to kill to do so & get away with it.

There was a great cold case solved in Toronto during the 90s. Some bones were found beneath a 50s car dealership that was being demolished. The place was close to my apt at the time & I was sorry to see it go, as it was very 50s Malt Shop style; a very cool looking building. Anyway, the skeleton was a woman in her 30s. They had an artist's concept drawing done & released in the media. And you know, they solved the case! She was a woman who had gone missing in the early 50s after having a fight with her husband whilst they had some people over for the evening. The husband claimed she had simply up & left him. Well, it turns out the husband was working on the construction of that car dealership. He had killed her either accidentally or purposely, taken her body to the excavation late at night & buried her there. Later, the foundation of the dealership was poured right over her grave. He died before the dealership was torn down. So, in effect, he committed the perfect crime in terms of getting away with it for the rest of his life. However, amazingly enough, his secret still came out in the end!

It would be very cool if they could find out a lot about this poor baby. These days, you never know!

It would seem that if you were pregnant one day and not the next people would notice.....so, they are looking for some one other then the one who lived there? Giving birth is not an easy thing to do, there would have been quite alot of evidence to do away with. How could a woman do that to her child? I just can't imagine!! Please keep us informed!!

This report says no evidence was found of foul play---


http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/ ... d-Baby.php

I wonder, however, if that includes smothering (which is not mentioned)? It seems suspicious that if it was stillborn someone would go to the trouble of hiding it in the house instead of doing right by the little guy.

Also:

"A land title search shows Wesley and Della Russell bought the house in 1919. Wesley Russell, a postal clerk, died in February 1939.

It appears his wife continued to live there until the Public Trustee of Ontario sold the house under the Mental Hospitals Act."

Here is an article with the most complete story:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... emains0726

Here is an update to the story of the mummified baby---

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/ ... uried.html