Frances Smith (missing person)

Frances Smith (1910–1928) was a freshman at Smith College who disappeared in January 1928.[1] Her body was discovered on March 29, 1929 in the Connecticut River, near Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Her full name was Frances Anderson Smith.[2]

Smith's body was identified by a bulging forehead and its height, 5'5" to 5'6", which were the same as Smith's. Reports from New York City stated that Smith's parents discredited the identification of the corpse. A friend from Smith College confirmed that Smith wore a silver retainer to straighten her teeth like the one authorities found in the mouth of the body. The band extended from the eye teeth on the lower jaw.[3] Smith's dentist also was able to provide her dental fittings which aligned with the corpse.[4]

The search for Smith extended to convents in Quebec, Canada[5] and to Paris, France, where her aunt resided. Paradise Pond, adjacent to the Smith College campus in Northampton, Massachusetts, was drained on March 29, 1928. Ice covering the pond prevented its being drained earlier.[6]

Smith is buried in Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst, Massachusetts.[7]

References
  1. Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Signet Books, March 1974, pg. 65.
  2. Bezdek Clue Fails in Hunt for Girl, New York Times, January 19, 1928, pg. 25.
  3. Find Body of Girl Like Frances Smith, New York Times, March 30, 1929, pg. 11.
  4. "The Strange Case of Frances St. John Smith", True Detective Mysteries: 18ff, November 1929, retrieved December 24, 2013
  5. Search In Convents For Frances Smith, New York Times, March 17, 1928.
  6. Drain Pond for Lost Girl, New York Times, March 30, 1928, pg. 3.
  7. Flowers Cover Amherst Grave of Smith College Girl, New York Times, April 2, 1929, pg. 25.


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