On January 23rd, 1973, a real estate buyer discovered the body of a recently murdered man in the cellar of an abandoned barn. Who was John Doe of Westford, Massachusetts?
Westford is a semi-rural town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The town today still has many farms and forests, but in 1973, it was much less populated with about ten thousand people, and less developed than it is now. A town known for its beautiful natural landscape would look like a good prospect for someone interested in real estate. One man on January 23rd, 1973, was looking to buy property in Westford when he was looking through an old, abandoned farm on Howard Road, a street off the state highway Route 225. The farm was in a relatively isolated area at the time, but this does not mean it was a completely unknown place. The surrounding area of the farm was popular with local hunters and snowmobilers, as well as teenagers having bonfire parties.
While the prospective buyer examined the property, he found a hole in the cellar. In this hole he found a horrific discovery – a murdered man, his body burnt from the neck down. Police were contacted to investigate the murder.
The murder victim was a young Black man in his 20s, approximately five feet and ten inches tall, and one hundred and seventy pounds. He had been dead and his body in the cellar for at least four days. He was wearing blue jeans and a dashiki shirt. There were no shoes found anywhere near the crime scene. A burnt plastic container was also found at the scene. The victim was burned with fire on his chest that spread on his body. Since the autopsy displayed there was no smoke in the victim’s lungs, it is assumed that he was burned after he was murdered, and that he was already dead when his body was put in the cellar. The autopsy, however, did not determine how exactly the victim did die.
Police Sargeant John F. Sullivan, Jr., stated to the Lowell Sun on January 25th, 1973, that the police believed- for reasons that were not elaborated on- it was possible that the victim had overdosed or that the murder was “some sort of revenge”. He said that, on the other hand, “before we can make any definitive move we have to identify who the man was and then we could work to ascertain a cause and a reason to the deed,” referring to the murder. No known suspects were revealed to the public.
In 1994, the murder was still unsolved, and the victim still unidentified. In an article about unsolved murders, the Boston Globe revisited the case of John Doe. Lieutenant Edward Cossette, also of Westford, told the Globe that in trying to identify John Doe, his dental work information was examined by many organizations including the military. It was believed that John Doe could have been a soldier stationed at nearby Fort Devens (a military base in Ayer and Shirley). However, John Doe’s dental work did not identify him, as no matches were found. Westford also had housing for itinerant workers employed at farms, but whether this is relevant to the case or not is unknown.
As of October 23rd, 2023, Westford Police Chief Mark Chambers stated that “this investigation is still active and Westford Police Detectives are working with the Middlesex D.A.’s Cold Case office.” In response to questions about whether John Doe’s DNA had been tested, Chambers told the Globe that “we do know the location of [John Doe’s] remains and the case is still under investigation.”
John Doe is buried in Westford’s Fairview Cemetery. His grave marker is a small, square stone with only the number “9” inscribed on it. Over fifty years later, his murder is still unsolved, and his name is still unknown.
NamUs: https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/107976?nav
Lowell Sun: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-lowell-sun/142657212/
Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/23/metro/westford-cold-case-burned-body-1973/