Remains of Missing Child Found After Nearly 150 Years

A bizarre chain of events led investigators to uncover and solve a heinous crime committed nearly 150 years ago.

In 2008, a family who lived on the outskirts of Fairview hired a horticulturist to investigate a large, old oak tree (pictured). This tree was invulnerable to all attempts to cut it down or remove it; almost as if the tree were made of steel instead of wood. With the onset of autumn, its leaves turned an unnatural, blood red color. Something about the tree made children who came near it feel afraid.

These characteristics were first discovered in 1979. A few miles outside of Fairview, a farm had been established in the mid-1970s, accessible only by one lengthy dirt road which was often impassible for much of the winter. A 50-acre area, which included the oak tree, had been deforested that same year in order to grow crops. However, this one particular tree was left standing, because no tools were able to cut it down. Many had tried, but their saws either dulled or broke when attempting to remove the mighty oak. Thus, the tree remained solitary in the now-open field, and farmers were forced to work around it. A dirt road for transporting the field's harvests to the barn passed within 10 feet of the tree.

Victoria Smith, the horticulturist, visited the farm for the first time in May 2008, with a case of instruments and meters for testing the tree to learn why it seemed to be resistant to cutting tools. Accompanied by the owner of the farm, she drove to the tree, opened her case, and set it on the ground. The air was still and 76 degrees, according to the temperature reading on the thermometer laying in the case. When Victoria attempted to insert a sharp, narrow instrument into the tree, such as a medical doctor would do for a biopsy, a sudden gust of wind swept through the immediate area. The leaves trembled, and the air temperature dropped four degrees. The wind carried with it a barely-audible sound similar to a cry, which was heard by both Victoria and the farmer. Victoria did not believe in ghosts, so she ignored the noise.

The needle only made it through the outer layer of bark before breaking off. Within minutes, the temperature returned to its previous 76 degrees. After failing to extract a wood sample in this manner, Victoria pulled out an apparatus which was designed to extract a thin wedge from a tree. When she attempted to use it, the air stirred again, carrying with it a scarcely-detectable, breathy cry. They both turned toward each other at the same time, searching for a confirmation of this faint, ghost-like echo, but neither had an answer. The instrument was unsuccessful at retrieving a sample of wood from the tree.

Victoria applied a hatchet to the side of the tree, and once again the gust, the temperature drop, and the breathy sound occurred. The hatchet failed.

Victoria spent the next day researching archived newspapers at the library which volunteers had tediously transferred onto microfiche. Being one of the older towns in the U.S., volunteers in the past had been able to find newspaper archives dating back to pre-Civil War. Victoria hoped to find any information possible regarding the tree or the area around it.

In addition to wedding and funeral announcements, weather and mundane local news, the only memorable piece of information she found seemed to be unrelated to the tree. It was an article about two local feuding families. Apparently, the feud began in 1864 when a 6-year-old child, Bobby Taylor, perished in an accident while under the care of the Brown family, which was then blamed for Bobby's death. According to the article, no murder had taken place--only a very sad accident. Strangely, the Browns' 5-year-old daughter, Jessica Brown, went missing soon after.

Following an exhaustive search for information, Victoria spoke with some of the old-timers in town about the story of the accidental death and subsequent missing child. The stories she heard from various individuals were all similar in describing Jessica Brown's disappearance as an act of retaliation against the Brown family for the death of Bobby Taylor. Slightly different versions had evolved over such a great span of time, but each version still contained the same theme: an accidental death, and a missing child. No evidence of a crime was ever found, and therefore, no one was ever charged in Jessica Brown's disappearance. Jessica was never seen again, nor her body ever found.

Unable to find an answer for the mystery of the oak tree, Victoria Smith concluded her research and returned to her hometown empty-handed.

Fourteen months later, in August of 2009, the old oak tree was uprooted by a direct hit from a tornado that tore through the field and surrounding woods. Fortunately, no homes were in its path, sparing Fairview's residents from harm.

After receiving word that the tree had blown down, several residents, including the sheriff, traveled out to the site of the uprooted oak tree. The gigantic tree laid on the ground, split right down the center into two halves. The crowd gathered close in horror. Inside the tree could be seen the skeletal remains of a child with chains that had apparently been placed around the wrists and feet and tied to the tree 145 years ago, (later determined by a count of tree rings). Several gusts of wind swept over the crowd carrying an airy weeping sound.

After investigators completed their reports, information regarding this incident was released to the public in the paper.

Investigators revealed that a dark color on the 145th ring of the tree indicated that the tree had survived a lightening strike coinciding with the time of Jessica Brown's disappearance. This resulted in the strong possibility that Jessica died in the lightening strike after being abducted and secured to the tree with a chain. Investigators also explained that a tree will grow around and eventually encase any motionless object that touches it or leans against it. In this case, the tree had actually grown completely around Jessica Brown's small skeleton, preserving it for as long as the tree itself survived.

Jessica's remains were carefully extracted from the tree which was now penetrable with tools, and she was given a proper burial in the town cemetery near the location of her family.