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Police receive mysterious calls about a woman missing for over 25 years.
CASE DETAILS In the days before legalized abortion, some pregnant women turned to bogus doctors to perform the procedure, and many died. In 1965, in Coral Gables, Florida, a 22-year-old medical technician named Judith Hyams learned she was pregnant. On September 14, she went for the operation and never returned. The name she gave for her pregnancy test was a false one, “B. Kenny,” an indication that she may have been trying to keep her condition a secret. Judith’s friend, Marilyn Jackson, never knew of her friend’s pregnancy:
 Did Judith have an illegal abortion? That day, Judith went to her bank and withdrew $300. She told her friends that she was going to buy a watch. Police believe that Judith used the money for an illegal abortion instead. Detective Sergeant Bob Robkin of the Coral Gables Police Department:
George Hadju was a Hungarian immigrant who posed as a physician. Police say he operated an illegal abortion clinic in Coral Gables. Marilyn does not believe that Judith died having the procedure:
 Who was the man in Judith’s rental car? Wherever she had gone that day, Judith Hyams never came home. Three weeks later, a rental car registered in Judith’s name was found 650 miles away in Atlanta, Georgia. On the back seat were traces of blood. According to Detective Sergeant Bob Robkin:
 Scherer received odd phone calls A local resident had seen a man in his thirties parking the vehicle. He removed what appeared to be a duffle bag from the trunk, and then left the area. This man was never identified. Three months later, George Hadju was arrested for impersonating a physician. Police suspected Hadju might know about Judith Hyams’ disappearance from Coral Gables. However, George Hadju jumped bail and was never seen again. Shortly after Hadju fled, the investigation into Judith’s disappearance ground to a halt. And a quarter of a century passed. Then, a bizarre series of events caused the case to be re-opened. It began with a routine law enforcement seminar. Coral Gables Police Captain Chuck Scherer lectured at a police academy near Omaha, Nebraska. When Scherer returned to Florida, he received a mysterious phone call. The caller claimed to be the host of a radio program in Omaha. He said he had received a phone call about the disappearance of Judith Hyams. But when Captain Scherer called the station the following day, the radio host said he had never heard of the Judith Hyams case and had not called Captain Scherer:
 An anonymous letter stated she was dead Two days later, Captain Scherer received another strange phone call. This time, the caller said that Judy Hyams was alive and living in Omaha:
Then, a story about the Hyams case appeared in a local newspaper, and Captain Scherer received a third mysterious phone call, this one mentioning the fraudulent doctor, George Hadju:
Police couldn’t locate George Hadju in Hungary, but they felt it was highly unlikely that he was responsible for the phone calls. The only real evidence that Judith was alive came from the mysterious callers. Captain Scherer:
The calls gave Marilyn hope that her friend might still be alive:
Four days after this story was broadcast, an unsigned letter arrived at the Coral Gables Police Department. The typewritten note said that Judith Hyams died from complications during an illegal abortion and that her body was dumped in Biscayne Bay near Miami. Police feel the letter was legitimate, and have no explanation for the mysterious phone calls from Nebraska. Detective Sergeant Bob Robkin closed the case, but questions remain:
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Anonymous
That is one example on why abortions are good to be outlawed. (And I’m for women’s rights. In some cases they are needed. But you have to regulate and not be half hearted with it.) She went to a person she thought was a professional doctor. All they wanted was her unborn child. The kid may still be alive, and the surrogate mother may have been trying to throw off police. I’ve seen too many cases like this. It is those bad apples that mess it up for people really needing an emergency abortion.
Jason
I’m glad women can now legally and safely have an abortion in this country.
Rocky
Tell that to their victims
Sam
If something goes wrong then that’s the price you pay for murdering your own child.
Anonymous
Confidential doctors could be confidential killers. It is very dangerous having medical practices like that. They should keep better records for county deputies.
Jenny from the Block
The summary does not specify gender for any of the three calls made to the police officer, other than the third call. That particular call was a male who claimed to be an FBI informant (according to the write-up here). Why are so many comments claiming or speculating that a female called during any of those three calls, or that the caller was Marilyn herself? No wonder investigations are so difficult, with people jumping to conclusions (even ones that are obviously incorrect, such as the MALE caller clearly being gender-identified) or making “facts” up out of whole cloth.
And as for family and friends claiming Marilyn would never do this or that or wasn’t this or that kind of person – no one thought that about Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, or Ted Bundy, either, and plenty of pregnant women (who wouldn’t ordinarily do “this or that” in ten lifetimes) end up doing EXACTLY what no one ever thought they would do.
Back alley abortion, foreign doctor with no actual experience, in a “hush hush” era? Odds are the procedure did go wrong in some way and she was dumped somewhere to let nature take its course.
Javier
Because if you watch the episode, the second call was re enacted with a woman making the phone call.
Anonymous
I think her unborn child is still alive and may have been the motive for her possible foul play disappearance. (All cases like that should be treated as homicides.) If that is the case, it would make perfect sense to contact police decades later when the child became an adult. We don’t know the gender of the kid. If it was a lady she could have possibly thrown off police while still convincing the child the lady was still alive. I don’t know. But that trail fits the puzzle.
J.
Miss x jane Doe was not Judy hyams. The timeline is way off. She died HRS before her discovery in March 1967. Judy hyams disappeared Sept, 65.How many 5’2 16-21 brunette females back in the late 60s, were there? Probably more than you can number! We may never know what really happened to her .
tiffaney
if shes dead how can a dead person contact the police the woman does sound like her in away i have been having wired dreams about this case along with another case you guys posted schery irley
Anonymous
The woman was pretending to be her the entire life of the kid she stole from her. Such an impersonation would be natural for her.
Anonymous
The image of the anonymous letter is so small as to be almost entirely illegible, but I squinted at it for a bit and managed to discern all but one word. It reads thus,
“Judy Hyams is not alive. She came in for an abortion and was given an injection of anesthetic to which she had an immediate allergic reaction. Everything that could be done was done however the reaction was fatal. The body was disposed of in Biscayne Bay.”
Anonymous
It has some merit. But it is not a sworn affidavit telling the whole truth. I believe that doctor was willing to kill the mothers only instead of the valuable kids.
Anonymous
I doubt Judith is the Bear, Delware Jane Doe/Miss X; the timeline doesn’t fit. Jane Doe was found on March 18, 1967, only hours after her death. Judith disappeared in 1965. There is no way she could have been “three months pregnant” two years later. Also, Jane Doe didn’t die from a botched abortion – she died from an untreated infection. They look similar, but the details just don’t match.
Anonymous
Unfortunately many doctors were like that back then. One of the Jack the Ripper suspects was an American physician that performed abortions. (Francis Tumblety. I would have charged him as an accessory, even though Ron Kosminski got the women pregnant and killed them.)
Peasunna
Have you read the case at all? I don’t think you have. Firstly, Tumblety was a known homosexual. Male homosexual serial killers do not target female victims. That alone rules him out, let alone his fondness for flamboyant behavior and ridiculous fake military uniforms, which everyone on the street would have noticed. Secondly, who is “Ron” Kozminski? You are thinking of Aaron. Who is not known to have impregnated anyone, ever, and is mostly known for having gotten sent up to court for walking around with an unmuzzled dog during a rabies scare, as well as later in life hearing voices and refusing to eat food unless he found it laying in the street. Please avail yourself of an education on the case. You might start at Casebook.org, and just perhaps you might try our own Robert House’s outstanding book on Kozminski, “Jack the Ripper and the Case for Scotland Yard’s Prime Suspect”, which should disabuse you of your highly imaginative ideas on the case.
JC
Miss X was identified as patra piamos .
Anonymous
shes alive, she decided not to go forth with the abortion in the end. and 25 years later
she called the station to be found. but she got cold feet and disapeared again.
Anonymous
Believe it or not you are half right. I don’t believe she had an abortion performed on her. But she has been missing too long. By law they have to be looked at as possible homicides.
Linda
Has anyone checked if the analysis done on the Jane Doe from Bear, DE matches this person? Until this person comes forth to prove she is alive she still is considered missing. I am sure there is some way to verify if this person matches the Jane Doe from DE. This is to coincidental the information regarding both woman. The Jane Doe site does not show this person above as being checked against Jane Doe as a possible match. Therefore it seems it has slipped through the cracks.
Michelle
Why no mention of the babies father? Who would have more motive to kill and disappear her? I assume they have no idea who he is, hence no mention? A 30 year old, unidentified man dumped her car. …sounds about right.
Maybe they interviewed and eliminated him as a suspect. But if you don’t present that info, all I’m thinking is he killed her
Elise
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_X_(decedent)
Could this possibly be her ?
Valerie
This Jane doe looks just like her and the story fits this case the second sketch looks just like her http://doenetwork.org/cases/743ufde.html Unidentified Female
Date of Discovery: March 18, 1967
Location of Discovery: Bear, New Castle County, Delaware
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Septicemia (blood poisoning/infection)
Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate
Estimated Age: 16-25 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5’2″
Weight: 110-115 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark brown, long and curly, tied back with a 1/2″ X 8″ red ribbon.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Vaccination scar on front of the left thigh. No birth marks or surgical scars. Both ears pierced, although it didn’t appear that she had worn earrings in quite a while. Approximately three months pregnant. Fair complexion. Blood type O. Petite.
Dentals: Available. Dental coding from limited dental charting done in 1967. No radiographs to confirm. Natural teeth in good dental repair, probably last seen by a dentist about six months to a year prior to death.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Blue bikini style panties with manufacturers label removed. Her bra size is estimated to be 34DD.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Case History
The victim’s body was located off the shoulder of Porter Road, a rural area in Bear, New Castle County, Delaware. This location is just a few miles away from Interstate 95 and US Highway 40.
Her legs were stuffed inside of a large white cloth commerical laundry bag (24″ X 36″) which bore the markings “Bag O – Storage. American Laundry. Dry Cleaning. EX4 5277.” The laundry bag was found to be from a laundry and dry cleaning company located in Trenton, New Jersey.
Initially, it was believed that she had died as a result of a botched abortion. It is now known that she died from not receiving medical care for an infection.
Recent ancestry testing suggests she may be of European, Italian, Greek, or Jewish descent. DNA was compared with genealogy websites and revealed a maternal connection with relatives in Virginia and North Carolina, but no one contacted knows who the victim is.
She is buried in Potter’s Field in Delaware.
Investigating Agency(s)
If you have any information about this case please contact;
Agency Name: Delaware State Medical Examiners Office
Agency Contact Person: Hal Brown
Agency Phone Number: 302-577-3420, ext. 206
E-Mail
Agency Case Number: ME: 67-N-170
NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: UP #7097
Rebecca
Even though Judy was a lab technician and she had a lot of medical knowledge, it seems she had made up her mind to not keep her baby. At 22 she was probably scared, ashamed, the stigma during that time a single unwed mother with a child, thinking she can lose her job, she could not support her child. Many contributing factors could have caused her to went through with the abortion. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. She probably went through with the abortion and end up dying, after all George Hadju was not a real Physician. Complications could have set in afterwards and she succumbed, Someone transported her body in the rental car and dumped it, then took off with the car. Such a sad story, she was so young, the one person who knows what happened to Judy cannot be found. If she was alive hopefully she would have contacted friends or family. No closure for this family at this time.
Jon Bon
One could suppose that the mysterious caller was, perhaps, a relative or friend, desperate for closure and willing to do whatever it would take to get the police to re-open the case – just to look at it again in case something would click.