Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The Star of Local "Crime of the Century" Passes Quietly...

The New York Times is always interesting - that is why I subscribe to weekday delivery. But today I read something that shocked me as I'd never heard the story before - and it happened in Tucson! June Robles Birt, who had been kidnapped for 19 frantic days in 1934, died 2 months ago. Her original obit had her married name listed, explaining why so much time passed before the star of the story was recognized as passing.



It was big news in 1934 - 6 year old "Little June" was kidnapped off a Tucson street while walking to her aunt's house after school setting off a frantic search. Over the course of a couple weeks and 3 ransom notes, the case was no closer to being solved. Finally a week after the last ransom note, a letter arrived, mailed from Chicago, with a crude map where "the girl's body could be found". Spectacularly, after a 3 hour search, the county attorney found her alive, locked and chained in a metal box buried underground in the oppressive AZ heat. Even with daily nationwide headlines, no headway could be made in the case, and June went on to successfully become as anonymous as she sought to be, marrying quietly and raising 4 children.  Of course, this is the "Cliff Notes" of the story - go read it yourself at the NY Times website!

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