The Unsolved Murder of Carolyn Wasilewski: A 1950s Baltimore Teen

The Life of Carolyn "Peaches" Wasilewski

• 💡 Carolyn Loretta Wasilewski, known as "Peaches," was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1940 and was the oldest of seven children.
• 🏫 At age 12, she was sent to the House of the Good Shepherd, a reform school, and by 14, she was in ninth grade at Southern High School.
• 👧 Despite her age, Carolyn had a reputation for looking older, with some estimating she appeared to be in her late twenties or even thirties.
• 💔 She was known to run with a group called "The Drapes," often described as juvenile delinquents or greasers, who were associated with petty crimes like car theft and hot rod races.

The Night of the Disappearance

• 🗓️ On November 8th, 1954, 14-year-old Carolyn left home, telling her family she was meeting a friend to register for a new teenage dance club.
• 👗 She was last seen wearing a tight pink top, a black skirt, a black denim jacket, and had her bleached blonde hair in curlers, covered by a bright green scarf.
• ❓ Carolyn never arrived at her friend's trailer park or the school, vanishing after meeting members of "The Drapes."
• 😟 Her parents became increasingly worried when she didn't return home on a school night and initiated a search.

Discovery and Investigation

• 🚂 At 7 a.m. the next morning, the body of Carolyn Wasilewski was discovered on railroad tracks near the Belvadier Bridge by an engineer on an express train.
• 💔 Her partially nude, bruised, and scratched body showed signs of a skull fracture and a broken jaw, indicating she was killed elsewhere and her body was moved.
• 💄 The name "Paul" was written on her right thigh in lipstick, a clue that remained a mystery.
• 🔍 Several of her personal items and missing clothes, found about 8 miles away, were heavily bloodstained.

Unsolved Murders and Lingering Questions

• ❓ The case remains unsolved, with investigators unable to definitively identify "Paul" or the motive behind the brutal murder.
• 🔗 The area where Carolyn's body was found has been linked to other unsolved murders, including Tony Messina (1952) and Emma Keilus (1949), though direct connections are unconfirmed.
• 🎬 The case notably inspired filmmaker John Waters' 1990 cult classic film "Crybaby," which featured a delinquent gang called "The Drapes."
• ⏳ Decades later, the case continues to resurface periodically, with retired detectives noting that interest in Carolyn's murder remains, though the case is still open and unsolved.