30 years ago – March 14, 1986
The new site for the Gilpin County Public Library is literally inundated with books that were kept in storage boxes when the library was located in the log cabin. Roger Baker, the library director, is in the process of unpacking the boxes and stacking the books to try to make some kind of order. Many of the books are duplicates, but many are not, he says. Baker estimates that there are probably 5,000 to 7,000 books. When entering the main portion of the library, it appears organized, until Baker opens the doors to the back rooms where all the books are being stored. There are three walls of books, each taller than Baker, and numerous boxes that have not been unpacked. It is no wonder that Baker is exhausted after trying to straighten out the storage room and find some sense of order. However, he is confident that one day his efforts will pay off. The library’s new location is where the Heritage West Realty Company used to be located.
More conclusive results of the forensic examination that is being conducted on the child’s skull that was recently found north of Black Hawk apparently are being delayed because of the district attorney’s office. According to Dr. Michael Charney, forensic specialist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, who is conducting the investigation, the examination is on hold until he receives dental records and a photograph of a missing female child. The information was expected last week, or at the latest on Monday. As of Wednesday, it had not been received. Charney said that “so far, everything is speculative,” but the examination at this point shows that the skull “matches the description of the child that is missing.” The child in question is Deara Whalen. She was last seen in May 1985, hitchhiking with her mother toward the Central City area. Whalen’s mother, Ann Mary Durand, previously of Idaho Springs, is presently in the Pueblo County jail awaiting trial for the alleged murder of a man outside of Pueblo. After examining the skull, Charney said that it is that of a Caucasian, 3 year old child, with blonde hair. Cartilage that is on the skull “would not be there” if the victim had been deceased longer than two years at the most, Charney explained. The age of the victim was arrived at by X-rays of the jaw. Once a photograph is received of the Whalen girl, Charney plans to reconstruct the facial features on the skull to determine if the victim is indeed Whalen. Until that is accomplished, the definite identity will not be determined.
Support authors and subscribe to content
Subscribe to read the entire article.
