Stella Williamson
1904-1980
Dates of Crimes - 1923-1935
Place - Penn.
Victims - 5+
No one in the small town of Gallitzin, Pennsylvania, gave much thought to Stella Williamson in life. Unmarried and reclusive, seldom speaking even to her closest neighbors, it was clear that Stella loved her privacy. She made a regular appearance in her local church, but the parishoners knew nothing of her past and little of her present life, beyond the obvious. In 1975, one of Stella's legs was amputated, and she never quite recovered. She was seventy-six at the time of her death, in August 1980, and while the event seemed predictable, its aftermath would spark an uproar in Gallitzin. Following the funeral, one of Stella's few acquaintances discovered a sealed envelope, marked for opening after her death. The letter within, written in 1960, directed police to the attic of Williamson's house, where an ancient trunk was opened to reveal the withered remains of five human infants. The tiny corpses were wrapped in newspapers from Johnstown, Pittsburgh, and New York City, with dates spanning the decade from 1923 to 1933. John Barron, coroner for Cambria County, reported that four of the infants were newborns, while one was older, perhaps by as much as eight months. All things considered, there was little that authorities could do about the startling case. It was presumed that Williamson, a lifelong spinster by her own account, had born the children out of wedlock through the years, disposing of them as they came, and that she somehow felt compelled to save the pitiful remains. Details of the case reportedly were offered in her parting message to authorities, but none have been revealed. As Coroner Barron explained to the press, "Everybody involved is deceased. But we have to make sure the obvious is the truth. We have to make sure it's not a coverup."
1904-1980
Dates of Crimes - 1923-1935
Place - Penn.
Victims - 5+
No one in the small town of Gallitzin, Pennsylvania, gave much thought to Stella Williamson in life. Unmarried and reclusive, seldom speaking even to her closest neighbors, it was clear that Stella loved her privacy. She made a regular appearance in her local church, but the parishoners knew nothing of her past and little of her present life, beyond the obvious. In 1975, one of Stella's legs was amputated, and she never quite recovered. She was seventy-six at the time of her death, in August 1980, and while the event seemed predictable, its aftermath would spark an uproar in Gallitzin. Following the funeral, one of Stella's few acquaintances discovered a sealed envelope, marked for opening after her death. The letter within, written in 1960, directed police to the attic of Williamson's house, where an ancient trunk was opened to reveal the withered remains of five human infants. The tiny corpses were wrapped in newspapers from Johnstown, Pittsburgh, and New York City, with dates spanning the decade from 1923 to 1933. John Barron, coroner for Cambria County, reported that four of the infants were newborns, while one was older, perhaps by as much as eight months. All things considered, there was little that authorities could do about the startling case. It was presumed that Williamson, a lifelong spinster by her own account, had born the children out of wedlock through the years, disposing of them as they came, and that she somehow felt compelled to save the pitiful remains. Details of the case reportedly were offered in her parting message to authorities, but none have been revealed. As Coroner Barron explained to the press, "Everybody involved is deceased. But we have to make sure the obvious is the truth. We have to make sure it's not a coverup."
