Post by hi224 on Jan 25, 2019 5:54:21 GMT
The first disappearance was in 1945. Middie Rivers, a 74 year old hunting guide was leading a party of four other hunters around the southwest woods of Glastenbury Mountain. The group was heading back to camp when Middie pulled ahead, outpacing the rest of the group. The other men figured Middie was just quickening his pace to get back to camp and they would see him there. But when they arrived, Middie was nowhere to be found. They hadn’t seen any sign of him on the trail before reaching camp. Though he was older the group knew Middie was very familiar with the area and that he probably just got turned in the wrong direction and he would either find his way to camp or back down the mountain. Yet after a few days, Middie never showed up. A search party was formed but all that was found was a single shell from a hunting rifle near a small stream. Middie was never seen again. Authorities and those who knew him were perplexed - how did this man who knew that area of Glastenbury like the back of his hand disappear without a trace?
A year later, on December 1st 1946, the most known disappearance occurred - 18 year old Paula Welden, a sophomore at Bennington College, decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air after her shift at the college’s dining hall. After changing into a large red parka and jeans, she headed up the Long Trail at around 4 PM. She supposedly ran into a few people on the trail - a man who she asked how long the trail was up to a certain point, and an older couple who said they spotted Paula walking about 100 yards ahead of them, identifying her by her red coat. They saw her disappear around a bend in the trail, but after they reached that same bend, she was gone. Both of these witness encounters seem odd to me - at 4PM on December 1st, it would have already been starting to get dark. Why were so many people walking up the trail at that time? Nevertheless, multiple witnesses said they saw Paula either approaching or on the trail, so police focused their search efforts there. At the time, the Vermont State Police did not exist, so help from forces in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut were brought in to assist with the search. Despite an extensive search with up to 600 people and a $5,000 (nearly $70,000 in today’s money) reward, Paula has never been found. I’ve read in other threads on this sub about how there was supposedly a man living in a shack on the side of the trail who claimed to have killed her after getting into a fight with his wife to other locals. This may be true, but if it is it certainly can’t be related to the other disappearances.
I almost didn’t include this one, but it’s too weird not too. Three years after Paula’s disappearance, 68 year old James Tetford boarded a bus in St. Albans after visiting family up there. He was heading back to his home In Bennington. Multiple passengers, including the driver, remember seeing James near the back of the bus for the whole ride up until the last stop before Bennington, which likely would have been Manchester or Arlington. Yet somewhere in between that stop and the last one in Bennington, James disappeared. His luggage was still on the bus, but he was nowhere to be found. Glastenbury has quite a long profile that stretches for a few miles along Route Seven. It is theorizes he disappeared somewhere in that stretch.
A year later in October 1950, 8 year old Paul Jepson disappeared after last being seen playing outside by his mother, who went to tend to the pigs on their property, which also doubled as the local dump, located at the base of Glastenbury Mountain. After his mother reported him missing yet another huge search took place, but this time police used bloodhounds to try to track Paul’s scent. The dogs were able to follow his scent up to a nearby crossroads, when they lost it indefinitely. Police theorizes that Paul may have been abducted by a passing motorist, but no one will ever be sure. Not a single trace of the boy has ever been found.
A mere two weeks later the last disappearance occurred. 53 year old Frieda Langer was camping near Somerset Reservoir with her husband and cousin. A local of the area, Frieda was extremely familiar with the reservoir and the trails surrounding it. She decided to go for a hike with her cousin around the reservoir, while her husband, who had hurt his knee on the hike up to the campsite, decided to stay behind. Less than a mile into the hike Frieda slipped into a small stream, getting herself soaked and muddy in the process. It was still early in the day and Frieda didn’t want to end the hike, and knowing that camp wasn’t too far, she told her cousin to wait for her while she went back to change her clothes. Yet Frieda never made it back to camp where her husband was resting. Another massive searched was performed, and this time police were confident Frieda would be found, as the area around the reservoir was much more open than the areas the others disappeared. Yet nothing was found... until the following May, when Frieda’s body was found laying next to the reservoir, completely exposed, in an area that had been searched thoroughly. Her body was in advanced stages of decomposition, making it impossible to identify her cause of death.
I’ve seen a lot of theories posted here but none of them really sit right with me. Also a lot of people focus on Paula’s disappearance while seemingly forgetting all of the others, especially Frieda Langer’s, who was an experienced outdoorswoman and knew the area like the back of her hand. She was found a little over six months after her disappearance laying next to the Somerset Reservoir in an area volunteers and police alike searched extensively. Another thing people rarely point out is that Vermont has a huge hunting culture and the majority of forests here are combed throughly every fall by thousands of hunters. As a result people don’t stay missing in VT woods for long. Glastenbury is rural but it’s an extremely popular hunting spot. How has no one found the other bodies? I really believe a serial killer was loose in the National Forest back then and because the VT police force was in it’s infancy a lot slipped through the cracks.
allthatsinteresting.com/bennington-triangle
www.nydailynews.com/news/national/vt-student-body-found-1946-disappeararance-article-1.2603927
A year later, on December 1st 1946, the most known disappearance occurred - 18 year old Paula Welden, a sophomore at Bennington College, decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air after her shift at the college’s dining hall. After changing into a large red parka and jeans, she headed up the Long Trail at around 4 PM. She supposedly ran into a few people on the trail - a man who she asked how long the trail was up to a certain point, and an older couple who said they spotted Paula walking about 100 yards ahead of them, identifying her by her red coat. They saw her disappear around a bend in the trail, but after they reached that same bend, she was gone. Both of these witness encounters seem odd to me - at 4PM on December 1st, it would have already been starting to get dark. Why were so many people walking up the trail at that time? Nevertheless, multiple witnesses said they saw Paula either approaching or on the trail, so police focused their search efforts there. At the time, the Vermont State Police did not exist, so help from forces in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut were brought in to assist with the search. Despite an extensive search with up to 600 people and a $5,000 (nearly $70,000 in today’s money) reward, Paula has never been found. I’ve read in other threads on this sub about how there was supposedly a man living in a shack on the side of the trail who claimed to have killed her after getting into a fight with his wife to other locals. This may be true, but if it is it certainly can’t be related to the other disappearances.
I almost didn’t include this one, but it’s too weird not too. Three years after Paula’s disappearance, 68 year old James Tetford boarded a bus in St. Albans after visiting family up there. He was heading back to his home In Bennington. Multiple passengers, including the driver, remember seeing James near the back of the bus for the whole ride up until the last stop before Bennington, which likely would have been Manchester or Arlington. Yet somewhere in between that stop and the last one in Bennington, James disappeared. His luggage was still on the bus, but he was nowhere to be found. Glastenbury has quite a long profile that stretches for a few miles along Route Seven. It is theorizes he disappeared somewhere in that stretch.
A year later in October 1950, 8 year old Paul Jepson disappeared after last being seen playing outside by his mother, who went to tend to the pigs on their property, which also doubled as the local dump, located at the base of Glastenbury Mountain. After his mother reported him missing yet another huge search took place, but this time police used bloodhounds to try to track Paul’s scent. The dogs were able to follow his scent up to a nearby crossroads, when they lost it indefinitely. Police theorizes that Paul may have been abducted by a passing motorist, but no one will ever be sure. Not a single trace of the boy has ever been found.
A mere two weeks later the last disappearance occurred. 53 year old Frieda Langer was camping near Somerset Reservoir with her husband and cousin. A local of the area, Frieda was extremely familiar with the reservoir and the trails surrounding it. She decided to go for a hike with her cousin around the reservoir, while her husband, who had hurt his knee on the hike up to the campsite, decided to stay behind. Less than a mile into the hike Frieda slipped into a small stream, getting herself soaked and muddy in the process. It was still early in the day and Frieda didn’t want to end the hike, and knowing that camp wasn’t too far, she told her cousin to wait for her while she went back to change her clothes. Yet Frieda never made it back to camp where her husband was resting. Another massive searched was performed, and this time police were confident Frieda would be found, as the area around the reservoir was much more open than the areas the others disappeared. Yet nothing was found... until the following May, when Frieda’s body was found laying next to the reservoir, completely exposed, in an area that had been searched thoroughly. Her body was in advanced stages of decomposition, making it impossible to identify her cause of death.
I’ve seen a lot of theories posted here but none of them really sit right with me. Also a lot of people focus on Paula’s disappearance while seemingly forgetting all of the others, especially Frieda Langer’s, who was an experienced outdoorswoman and knew the area like the back of her hand. She was found a little over six months after her disappearance laying next to the Somerset Reservoir in an area volunteers and police alike searched extensively. Another thing people rarely point out is that Vermont has a huge hunting culture and the majority of forests here are combed throughly every fall by thousands of hunters. As a result people don’t stay missing in VT woods for long. Glastenbury is rural but it’s an extremely popular hunting spot. How has no one found the other bodies? I really believe a serial killer was loose in the National Forest back then and because the VT police force was in it’s infancy a lot slipped through the cracks.
allthatsinteresting.com/bennington-triangle
www.nydailynews.com/news/national/vt-student-body-found-1946-disappeararance-article-1.2603927