A Clip From Jaws Could Solve A 40-Year-Old Cold Case

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A Clip From Jaws Could Solve A 40-Year-Old Cold Case

Universal Pictures

What do you get when you mix a Hollywood blockbuster, a mysterious crime, and a famous fiction writer?

A recipe for a great story, and that's just what this new theory about an infamous cold case delivers.

The case of the "Lady of the Dunes" has haunted police for decades - but author Joe Hill's new theory could solve it.

A Forgotten Cold Case

Lady of the Dunes
An investigator holds a artist's sketch of the woman and her damaged skull.Boston Globe

In July, 1974, a young girl walking her dog in Provincetown, Massachusetts made a grisly discovery by the side of the road.

Her beagle led her to the abandoned body of an unidentified woman, beginning a murder investigation that is still unsolved to this day.

The body was badly decomposed, and the killer had taken the victim's teeth and hands to try and disguise her identity.

Police sketches of the Lady's appearance through the decades.Wikimedia

Investigators could only rule that the "Lady of the Dunes" was between 20 and 49 years old.

They checked thousands of missing persons cases, but could not make a match.

Through the decades, police have exhumed the body three times, hoping to find a new clue.

But the only leads police have produced are a series of sketches, clay models, and scans reproducing the woman's appearance.

A New Theory

Jaws
Author Joe Hill says he spotted the Lady in 'Jaws.'Universal Pictures

The unsolved mystery of the murdered woman's identity could stay unsolved forever. But one amateur sleuth has a surprising theory that could solve it.

In 2015, Stephen King's son and fellow horror author Joe Hill was watching his favorite movie, Jaws.

Out of the blue, Hill spotted a woman in the crowd scene who bore a striking resemblance to the Lady of the Dunes.

Lady of the Dunes
A model of the Lady's face made using a CT scanner, and the extra Hill spotted in 'Jaws.'Wikimedia / Universal Pictures

The extra was even wearing a blue bandanna, the kind that was found nearby the victim's body.

Because of the timing and location - Jaws was filmed 100 miles south of Provincetown on the island of Martha's Vieyard, in the months before the body was found - Hill believes the extra could be the victim.

The author admits his pet theory is "out there," but as an FBI agent friend of Hill's said, "Odder ideas have cracked colder cases."

Hill has shared his unusual idea with police, but some investigators have labeled it as "wild speculation."

White Bulger
Police once connected mobster Whitey Bulger to the murdered woman.WMUR

It's not the first outlandish theory about the Lady's death. In the early 1980s, investigators followed leads connecting her to infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger.

Bulger and his associates were known for removing their victims' teeth, to keep their bodies from being identified.

Lady of the Dunes
Serial murderer Hadden Clark once confessed to killing the Lady of the Dunes.Montgomery County Police Department

Serial killer Hadden Clark also confessed to the Lady's murder, but police say Hadden is a schizophrenic, and his admission is not trustworthy.

Do you see the resemblance? Do you have any theories about the Lady's murder?

[H/T: The Sun]

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