West Haven Jane Doe Identified Death Still Puzzles Investigators
The Circumstances Surrounding West Haven Jane Doe Sally Abbott's Death Remain a Mystery
By Shawn R. Dagle
The discovery of the skeletonized remains of a young woman on the New Haven Water Company property near Derby Avenue in West Haven four decades ago still remains shrouded in mystery.
While genetic genealogy was able to identify the remains as belonging to 29-year-old Sarah “Sally” Tatham Abbott (who went missing from New Haven in the summer of 1970) how she died still remains unknown.
There were no visible injuries on Sally’s skeleton that indicated exactly how she had died when her remains were discovered on the New Haven Water Company property on April 20, 1979.
Police discovered no identification. Only a black lace bra found on her body and a Westclox brand, folding travel alarm clock in a hard, red case have been identified as being found at the scene.
Two years later Sally’s mandible was discovered on the property. Other pieces of her skeleton remain however missing to this day.
When she was first discovered in West Haven investigators estimated that Sally had been dead for approximately eight years. Unable to identify her Sally became known as the West Haven Jane Doe.
As decades passed and DNA technology developed and progressed police continued to seek clues to Sally’s identity. According to the New Haven Register at one-point investigators believed they may have even identified the remains of the West Haven Jane Doe as belonging to missing Middlebury College student Lynne Schulze – a freshman from Simsbury, Connecticut who went missing in December of 1971 after leaving her dorm. The West Haven Jane Doe’s mitochondrial DNA was a match to Lynne’s. Not as specific as other forms of DNA when it comes to identifying unknown persons Schulze was eventually ruled out as being the West Haven Jane Doe when comparisons were made using Schulze’s dental records.
Despite the setback investigators continued to push ahead. In 2022 Medicolegal Death Investigator Michelle Clark from Connecticut’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner partnered with Othram – a Texas company which specializes in forensic genetic genealogy – to identity the West Haven Jane Doe’s remains.
Costing thousands of dollars to complete, a crowdfunding campaign was initiated to raise the necessary monies to conduct testing and analysis. The money was raised and that work conducted. In July of this year police announced that the West Haven Jane Doe had been identified as Sally Abbott – who had gone missing from New Haven in July of 1970.
Born in Manhattan on August 3, 1940, Sally had spent most of her life living in New York. Her father Lawrence and mother Ann Tatham were married in 1932.
Lawrence - a native of Cornwall, New York - graduated from Harvard, attended Columbia, published two books on music and worked as staff writer (writing musical commentary) for NBC. He also wrote musical reviews for Time magazine before embarking on another career in mathematics and economics.
For a time Lawerence worked as math teacher at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut (where he also led the band and was a trustee and treasurer of the Town Hill School).
Later he joined the faculty at Columbia as an associate professor of economics and lived with his family in Mamaroneck, New York.
There Lawrence, his wife, Sally and her brother and sister lived on Melbourne Avenue in Rye Neck in an historic colonial – with an open front porch, library, powder room, maid’s room off the kitchen, square shaped living room with fireplace and second floor master suite and bedrooms – dating to before the Civil War.
While in Rye Neck Sally attended classes at the Barry Avenue School with her younger sister, spent time playing with her pet guinea pig “Red” and pet turtle, joined the Brownies and attended Sunday School at the Mamaroneck Methodist Church.
Then somewhat unexpectedly in September of 1951 Lawerence accepted an associate professorship in the economics and sociology department at Mt. Holyoke College in Hadley, Massachusetts.
There the family moved to Silver Street - spending the school year in South Hadley and their summers at their home in Mamaroneck.
At Mount Holyoke Sally became a member of the Girl Scouts, joined the Red Cross Swimmers (a group of children who swam at the college pool), took horse riding lessons and competed in the college’s annual spring horse show with her sister.
In June of 1953 Lawrence was named an associate professor of economics at Union College in Schenectady. There the family moved into a home on Van Curler Avenue.
By all indications Sally was an accomplished student. In 1958 she graduated from Linton High School and was among eight students who had short essays published in the National Essay Association Anthology.
She also was a member of the Yearbook Literary Committee, editor of the yearbook and a member of the Linton Corps. -a group of students who attended dances, sporting events and assemblies and were tasked with “upholding the safety and well-being of students.”
Sally also played the French horn in the high school band and orchestra and was a member of the Ski Club, Interschool Youth Council and won the National Poetry Association and Girls State awards.
She also was named to the Math Honor Society for maintaining a B or better average in geometry, intermediate or advanced algebra or trigonometry.
For at least another five years after leaving high school it appears that Sally lived in Schenectady. It is unclear whether she was living or visiting New Haven at the time of her death. Police have only indicated publicly that she went missing from New Haven in 1970.
Her father and mother however did divorce in 1966. Lawrence eventually remarried, retired from Union College in 1968 and moved to Coventry, Connecticut. She also had family that lived in Vernon and Hartland Connecticut.
With the West Haven Jane Doe’s remains at last identified police are now asking for the public’s help determining what happened to Sally in the Spring of 1970.
Given that no cause of death was able to be determined from Sally’s remains it is unclear whether she passed away as the result of foul play, accident or other circumstance.
No identification however was found on Sally’s person and the location where she was discovered could lead one to suspect she was potentially the victim of foul play. Police have also indicated that she was found with a black lace bra. No information regarding any other clothing has been released. If she was discovered wearing only a bra that could potentially also be an indication of foul play – though it appears Sally’s cause of death will remain undetermined until further information is obtained by investigators or made public.
Anyone with information regarding Sally has been encouraged to contact the West Haven Police Department’s Investigative Services Division at (203) 937-3905.
-August 27, 2023
For More on This Case Visit Our Youtube Page at Mystery Persists in Death of West Haven Jane Doe Sally Abbott
SOURCES
New Haven Register “West Haven Police Ask for Help in Identifying Women Found Dead in 1979” Liz Hardaway May 24, 2023
West Haven Police Facebook
Transcript Telegram photo caption May 11, 1953
Transcript Telegram “Final Session for Red Cross Swimmers”
Transcript Telegram “Food Drive On” May 15, 1953
Transcript Telegram “College Water Ballet This Week” March 11, 1953
Transcript Telegram “Five Area Residents Among 26 New Mt. Holyoke Faculty Appointments” September 14, 1951
Transcript Telegram “Would Enclose Part of School St. Brook as Safety Measure” June 26, 1952
The Daily Times “Abbott In New Post May Remain Trustee” August 21, 1951
Transcript Telegram “Professor Talks to Rotary About Stead Inflation”
The Daily Times “Abbott at Parley” June 11, 1951
The Daily Times “Abbott Becomes Nominee for Rye Neck Board Post”
The Daily Item “Name Abbott Professor” August 23, 1951
The Daily Times “2 Houses, 2 Lots Involved in Multiple Realty Deals” February 12, 1960
The Daily Times “Blue Ribbons Are Awarded at Pet Show” July 26, 1951
The Daily Times “Children’s Day Exercises Held in Auditorium” June 13, 1949
The Daily Times “Pet Show Winners Receive Prizes at Bellows and Barry” July 27, 1950
The Daily Times “Supper Party” November 1, 1949
The Times Record “Promotes Eight Men” June 15, 1956
The Troy Record “Union college News Dr. Abbott to Staff” June 26, 1953
The Berkshire Eagle “Eileen Keegan to Be Bride” July 13, 1963
Linton 1958 High School Yearbook
The Hartford Courant Obituary Eileen Theresa Keegan Abbott July 6, 2017