Aliology: Constructive, not Destructive

(Quick notice: some censored inappropriate slurs are put in one image.)

So...criticism. We've all dealt with it and we've all given it out. Whether it be for something you enjoy, or something you despise. Maybe it was a really annoying student, or a great friend that messed up. Perhaps you were critiquing your friend's article. It might've just been a minor dispute. You even handle and give criticism when you self-talk.

Criticism can really affect how you feel. Constructive criticism helps you grow as a person, realize you are imperfect and that you can change. Destructive criticism is just rude, often pointless, and affects self-worth. However, sometimes it might not be obvious if you're being constructive with your criticism. So, about 9 months ago, I put this on my wall, on how you can turn mean opinions into fair criticism.

Of course since this was a while ago, there are some sappy things said here, but it is still a good idea to consider how constructive your criticism actually is. My criticism used to be highly destructive, but I have been slowly learning to appreciate the positive things about stuff. After all, if I only focused on what I hate about something I love...do I really love something?

Something also important about criticism is to still try and be honest. Being disingenuous and lying about how something makes you feel, regardless on if you like it overall will mean skills will stay stagnant. 

And when you do mention something you don't like about something, explain why. It's easy to just say "it's boring" or "it's unfunny", but why do you personally think that? Is it a criticism relevant to the person's growth? Is it even necessary to mention?

EXAMPLES

Here's an example of constructive criticism I received about an animation a few months ago:

(This was on my animation "Fruition" btw)

The person highlighted what they liked about my animation and also suggested improving my shading. They also went in depth on said problems with shading. It doesn't get toxic and stays level-headed.

On the other side, here's an example of destructive criticism I once got for making an error in my writing about PBS Kids being defunded.

Who this guy think he is?!

Now, I was incorrect in what I was saying- PBS Kids was not fully defended, and it still receives funding from from other sources. However, not only did the person not fully explain their reasoning, but they said it in a pretentious and rather unwarranted way. "Lol you don't know anything do you"? Excuse me, everyone gets it wrong sometimes.

A better example of nicely explaining to someone they made a mistake would be this:

Discussion on PM photos

If you don't know what we're talking about, it's the postmortem photos of an unidentified decedent, in specific one of the Los Angeles Bus Stop Boys. (I may make a blog post about them in future!)

However, I mistakenly thought one of the images was taken at the crime scene. People casually were able to tell me it was taken at the autopsy by coroners without having to be rude, and they weren't dehumanizing my opinions on the photo either.

As a result, I was able to correct myself confidently and came out knowing more about PM photos.

ENDING

So, overall, remember- use your words politely in order to help others improve. Criticism can only be constructive if you make it so.

Keep on constructing!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

How to Draw a Derpy Frog

This was taken from a Newgrounds post I made about a month ago for a contest.

Green frogs. The poster child of amphibians.

Maybe you didn't know, but I love drawing frogs. (And toads!)

In fact without my hyper fixation you wouldn't know the difference between them.

So today, I'm going to share my wise knowledge on drawing the chubby, grass colored creatures in a crude, cartoony way!

STEP 0 - PROGRAM

Technically speaking the steps used here will be applicable to every program, as long as you follow the rules. Krita, MS Paint, Sketchpad, Flash, Scratch, Paper- even on an orange!...I think.

UPDATE: My hands are sticky and covered in orange seeds. Also, I confirmed, you can not draw on an orange using a toothpick. But the rest is all good!

For this tutorial, I'm going to use BurningLllama...I mean, FireAlpaca.

STEP 1 - GUIDE SHAPE

Draw two eggs that are almost perpendicular to each other. One is laying on it's side. The other will be at a titled angle, and will be slanted itself. Kinda looks like a crappy Venn diagram, or a fat heart. Oh yeah, speaking of fat hearts remember this masterpiece I made?

STEP 2 - TRACING LEG

Decrease the opacity of the guide shape and start tracing bits out of it. (If your doing this on paper, lightly erase the circles to the point you can still see them.) While we do that, we begin adding the limbs!

To make a leg, make one long...uh...how do I describe this?...Make a long oblong egg rectangle thingy squashed like an oval near the butt, and towards the opposite direction. Make it decently long. Then make the leg at the knee joint point downwards at an acute angle. Sorry I'm using a lot of math terminology.

Lastly is the webbed food. Just draw three arches that point at another angle, kind of like a very squashed and rounded off W with another V attached to it. By the end it should look like this (like a bent elbow)

STEP 3 - TRACING ARMS

Follows a similar pattern to the first, by drawing a long oblong egg rectangle thingy squashed like an oval near the chest area. Point it downwards, parallel to the body. The next leg has it's joint at more of a squashed < look, so draw it in that direction. Make sure it hits the ground. Draw the webbed feet again, but make it a less squased WV.

Do it again on the backside, almost paralleling the other one, but erase the part the big ol' body is covering.

STEP 4 - TRACING FACE

Go to the top of the vertical egg shape and make two arches, one on the far left and the one on the far right. In between make a mini arch that's kind of like a ridge. For each arch, draw a great big circle under it. Then draw cross-eyed pupils. I almost always draw my frogs cross-eyed. You should to...or else...

Oh yeah, the mouth. Can't forget the mouth. Just draw a small protrusion like the Simpsons and pull it back a lot. Usually I draw my frogs frowning, but you don't have to follow that.

And ultimately, your new sketch should look like this:

Now we're getting somewhere!

STEP 5 - RE-TRACE YOUR STEPS

Set the opacity to your new sketch and begin tracing over it to make the FINAL outline! Keep in mind you don't have to follow it 100%. Make some small edits if you want to it; for example, I brought up the frog's mouth and made his limbs wider.

Also don't forget the other details! The legs and arms should be connected to the body, which can be made by erasing the end of the long oblong egg rectangle thingy squashed like an oval. The underside of the belly should have a line from the chest to...I guess the bottom. As for the eyes, usually give them big black pupils with circular whites inside.

Like an alien.

STEP 6 - COLOR

I think I've been yapping for a while, so let's move onto the final step! Hide the previous reference layer and chose a main skin color. I went with green (a.k.a. verde, Soy buen el espanol), cuz...well I like green frogs, okay?

But you can go with any natural frog color! Blue, red, orange, pink...yellow...wow, frogs are actually really colorful.

Anyway, make a lighter color of that for the underbelly of the frog. Shading is optional, just make it a darker color of the original skin color and shade accordingly...following what I did. Lastly, the eyes. Chose a bright yellow or orange color and fill in the sclera. (That's fancy talk for the white part of the eye!)

Wait! Don't forget to sign your art so everyone knows you made it!

AND VOLA! We have finished a masterpiece! Looks like it's going to be cherished for decades.

Now you know how to draw cool frogs!

If this tutorial failed-...um...try again, I guess! :D

Abrupt ending. TvT

ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

P.S. Anyone else excited for the new Amphibia book?

Clark Perry Baldwin and The Murders of Cindi Estrada & Irene Vasquez

WARNING: This post involves details of rape and violent murder. Viewer discretion advised!

Estimated reading time: About 6 minutes

Reconstructions by Carl Koppelman; left: Bitter Creek Betty (Irene Vasquez), right: Sheridan County Jane Doe (Cindi Estrada)

Hey everyone! Today I found out about the identification of Sheridan County Jane Doe, and I was absolutely amazed. Because of Cindi's identification, I would like to discuss her case, alongside her killer's other victim, who was also identified this year.

The Great Basin Murders

The Great Basin Murders is the general name for a series of killings committed from 1983 - 1997 made across Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. 

The modus operandi of the Great Basin killer(s) was to rape teenage or young adult women who were pregnant or parents, then murder them by strangulation, stabbing, shooting, or some combination. Their bodies would then be left in wooded areas. At least 9 women are suspected to be victims of this.

It's suspected there were multiple Great Basin killers during the period, and there have been multiple suspects. For more information on the many other victims, visit the Wikipedia article I link at the end. As suggested by the title, the suspect I'll discuss is Clark Perry Baldwin, but before we can, we have to delve into his victims.

Bitter Creek Betty

On March 1st, 1992, a truck driver found the frozen and mummified corpse of a young woman, near Bitter Creek in Streewater County, Wyoming. It was estimated her body had been left there for at least a month and no more than four months. She was about 24 to 32 years old, and had a unique rose tattoo on her right breast.

Original sketch and reconstruction of her tattoo.

To view the victim's post-mortem tattoo, click here.

Other characteristics of her included her long, dark wavy brown hair, a gold ring, and a golden necklace. Her pink panties and pants were recovered. Sadly, the victim also had C-section scar, meaning she could have been a mother.

Her death was very violent. It's unclear what exactly killed her, but it is known she had been raped, beaten, and strangled, along with having her face being stabbed with an ice pick. Her face was severely damaged by trauma.

Reconstructions by Charles E. Holt (left) and Wesley Neville (right).

With such a violent death, police began investigating for leads for the victim known as Bitter Creek Betty, but there weren't many...at least for now.

(Side note: I have to warn, you can easily find an edited PM photo of her by searching up her name, with what appears to be eyes pasted on her face. I will not link to it as it depicts a pained mouth and unsettling eyes, and I think it would be too distasteful.)

Sheridan County Jane Doe

Now I can discuss the case I began this post with- SCJD. For some reason she isn't listed as an official victim of the 9th Great Basin victims, but I believe she is for reasons we'll explain soon.

On April 13th, 1992, about a month after Betty's body was discovered, the decomposing body of a young adult woman alongside Interstate 90 was found. Her official cause of death is undetermined, but it is generally listed as homicide by beating. She also had been severely sexually assaulted.

Like Betty, SCJD was sadly pregnant at the time of her death, and it appeared she had a history of childbirth. She was estimated to be about 16 to 21 years old, younger than Betty. She had tinted brown hair and wore a checkered blue and white midriff shirt.

Reconstructions of SCJD.

Shirt upon discovery

Original reconstructions of SCJD.

The DNA Connections

The cases of Bitter Creek Betty and Sheridan County Jane Doe initially seemed unrelated to each other. That was until 2014, when seminal fluid left behind when Betty was raped was tested for DNA. A genetic profile of her killer was built, and it matched DNA left behind at the crime scene of SCJD, suggesting they had been killed by the same person.

The DNA also matched the semen found on another murdered woman, named Pamela McCall, pregnant at the time of her death. Her body was found and shortly identified on March 10th, 1992, around the time of Betty & SCJD. Like all the victims, she had been sexually assaulted, and then strangled.

 

Pamela McCall

In 2020, another DNA examination proved the DNA found at both scenes belonged to 59-year-old truck driver Clark Perry Baldwin, who would've been about 31 at the time of the murders.

Clark Perry Baldwin upon arrest.

It was discovered Baldwin had already had a criminal history related to sexual abuse. In February 1991 (a month before the murders), he was arrested for assaulting a hitchhiker from Kansas in Wheeler County, Texas. He held her at gunpoint then struck her over the head. He hogtied and raped her before attempting to strangle his victim. Thankfully, she managed to escape. Baldwin confessed, "but the charge was dismissed due to failure to prosecute".

Due to his DNA being connected, he was arrested for the murders in 2020. His ex-wife then said he had mentioned murdering a girl in the 1990s and chucking her body out of his truck. It's possible this was SCJD.

Baldwin is also a suspect in another murder- Rhonda Knutson, who was found severely beaten to death near a truck stop in Williamstown, albeit not sexually assaulted like the other victims. Baldwin was living near the area at the time. He became a suspect after a witness described men who walked with Rhonda shortly before her death, and Baldwin looked similar to one of the sketches. He hasn't said anything about murdering Knutson.

Identifications & Current Case Status

In 2022, using genetic genealogy, Bitter Creek Betty and Sheridan County Jane Doe were identified. Their NamUs pages were removed and their Doe Network page said they were identified. However, no official announcement about their names was released, so it was still kind of limbo.

Thankfully, as of 2025, Betty and SCJD got the further dignity of having their names annouced. In May of 2025, Bitter Creek Betty was publicly identified as Irene Vasquez, aged 24. Her half-sister had last heard from her in 1990.

As I mentioned earlier, a few days ago, Sheridan County Jane Doe was publicly identified as Cindi Arleen Estrada, aged 21, who lived in California. Someone reports finding a possible yearbook photo of Cindi, but it is unverified. I may update this if it is confirmed to be Cindi.

After 3 decades, Irene and Cindi were finally home.

Unfortunately, as of writing, on July 18th...Clark Perry Baldwin actually died before he could be tried for the murders. He had suffered a heart attack. While it is for sure Baldwin murdered Irene, Cindi, and Pamela, whatever other secrets he had about the murders he took to the grave. How frustrating.

Despite this, I'm glad Irene and Cindi have since been publically identified, and their murders have been solved. It is unconfirmed if Baldwin was involved in the other Great Basin murders, but there is a bittersweet ending to have Irene and Cindi given justice and dignity after suffering such morbid deaths.

Rest in peace Irene Vasquez and Cindi Estrada, and the rest of the victims.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Morbidology

Wikipedia

r/gratefuldoe (Cindi Estrada)

r/gratefuldoe (Irene Vasquez) (POSTMORTEM WARNING)

Unidentified Wiki (Cindi Estrada)

Unidentified Wiki (Irene Vasquez)

Doe Network (Cindi Estrada)

Doe Network (Irene Vasquez) (POSTMORTEM WARNING)

CowBoy State Daily (POSTMORTEM WARNING)

CowBoy State Daily (POSTMORTEM WARNING)

The Backpack of Barstow

WARNING: This post details content relating to mutilation and murder. Viewer discretion advised!

(P.S. This post contains a picture of the victim's teeth.)

If it wasn't obvious from my previous true crime posts, my favorite cases include unidentified decadents. The last cases I discussed thankfully had their identity discovered, but this one remains unsolved. 

Today we will talk about the disturbing case of Barstow Jane Doe (2010).

Latest recon for Barstow Jane Doe by NCMEC

Beheaded in a Backpack?!

On February 10th, 2010, a man was looking for cans along Lenwood Road, Barstow, California. While he was doing so, he came across a black backpack, which appeared to have white plastic bags in it.

Upon further examination, he discovered something gruesome-...the severed head of a female.

Backpack where victim was found

He alerted authorities, who confirmed the head's presence. It was wrapped in two plastic bags- one from Walgreens, the other from Fiesta Foods. Not much evidence was found at the crime scene. It appeared to have been there for a few days.

Now, unfortunately, with only a head to work with, we can't determine how she died- strangulation, drowning, stabbing- completely unknown. It wasn't even proven she died via murder. Of course though, considering a decapitated head was found disposed in a backpack, I think it's fair to say her death was definitely homicide.

Aside from being beheaded, the face of the victim was in very poor condition, as it had been brutally mutilated in a presumable attempt to avoid identification. It isn't known how bad this maiming is, but law enforcement said that reconstructions of the victim may not even be that reliable because her face was "destroyed". She may have fallen victim to a serial killer.

Original NCMEC reconstructions

A few things were still available; for one thing, the victim appeared to be a teenager around the ages of 14 to 19, which is absolutely horrific to think about. She was only high school aged and yet such a destructive thing happened to her.

The victim also appeared to be of White and Hispanic ancestry. Other characteristics included her hair, which was dark brown, wavy, and may have had light red highlights. She had brown eyes and pierced ears. Lastly, her dentals proved she had various treatments and fillings.

Dentals

Current Case Status

Barstow Jane Doe has been unidentified for 15 years, and as of 2025, she has 39 rule-outs, but I have a feeling in the near future she may be identified via genetic genealogy.

In 2021, the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office announced they were working with genetic genealogist Barbara Rae-Venter in order to identify Barstow Jane Doe. Barbara is well-known for assisting in the identifications of offenders like Joseph James DeAngelo.

Barbara Rae-Venter

Recent DNA testing has confirmed she has distant relatives in Mexico. If these relatives could be located, it could cause a break in the case. With a case developing like this, I can only hope for the best.

What happened to this girl is horrible. How cruel can you be to actively decapitate and maim a teenage girl, chuck her in a backpack, and move on with your life? I think whoever murdered her might've been extremely angry at her and murdering her was something personal. Her killer is likely out there, somewhere... 

I hope one day soon this victim of such a horrendous case can get her name back. Somewhere out there knows who she is. If you have any possible leads on the identity of Barstow Jane Doe or her killer, please contact authorities.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Doe Network

Unidentified Wiki

NCMEC

NamUs

Firebird Forensics

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

Short Story: Cookie or Not to Cookie

 

COOKIE OR NOT TO COOKIE

Written by A.A.

My alarm clock blared in my face, and my face grinned a wide smile. I opened up my curtains and the sun beamed my eyes like a laser. My eyes readjusted and I looked at the bright sunrise.

“Good morning world,” I said to myself. I knew today would be the day; a perfect Saturday. I rushed through my closet and put on my bright tie-dyed shirt, accompanied with a light unzipped sweater, all while my jovial smile whiter than a sheep kept put. I was so giddy and filled with bright bliss, you would’ve thought I found the cure for cancer.

As I finished dressing, I slowly opened my door into the kitchen. My eyes glittered with joy as I opened the refrigerator. I carefully poured some recently bought milk into a cup. A plastic cup to be safe, as I did not want to ruin this morning. My anticipation was immeasurable.

I precariously placed the milk on the table. I went up to the cupboard, pulled on the knob slowly, preparing myself for an appetizing adventure. My smile was uncontrollable. I put my hand out into the cabinet, ready to grab it.

Hold on.

I put my hand out…and nothing was felt.

My hand touched a bare, brown cupboard bottom with nothing of substance.

I paused, looked at the cupboard, and confirmed there was nothing there.

“It…it can’t be…” my voice started to shake, and I looked around the kitchen. Nothing out of the ordinary…except the empty cabinet.

Sweaty bullets ran down my face, and I hurried through every cabinet. They were filled the rim with various groceries I bought last night.

I had everything except what I was looking for. I fell to the ground, my hands shaky and jittery.

I screamed, “HOW could this happen to me?!!” all while tugging at my hair. I was on the verge of tears.

“Pull yourself together,” I had to reassure myself. “Maybe I just misplaced them…I do that frequently,” I rushed through the house in what felt like ten seconds. I pulled books from the shelf, opened my old boxes, and went through my desk. 

To no avail did I find them. My desperation increased; I tore up the carpets, shoved every table, and flipped over the couch, as my despair abruptly transitioned to aggravation.

I saw red, and my hand slapped the milk glass. “THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” I shouted like a madman, as the milk splattered, getting all over the kitchen floor.

I looked at the white disaster that was on my floor. It felt like a decade had passed. The disfigured and wet personification of a calm contained day spiraling into disaster. It was runny and pale, just like my face. 

My lungs sucked up as much air as possible and unleashed a loud explosion. “WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!” My screaming shattered glass and caused an earthquake. I fell to the ground again, dishelved and fuming. The milk stained my recently washed clothes.

I looked at the wreck that used to be my living room, realizing I had turned my entire house upside down. It looked like a tornado went through it. Despite this, I still hadn’t found them. Not even a crumb I came across. It’s like they vanished.

A blue aura arose around me, until I burst into tears, and sobbed for what felt like a year. Only fifteen minutes have passed since I woke up. 

“I just wanted them…” I wailed louder than a siren. “How could they just…disappear?!” Glaring at my stained kitchen floor and the disaster of my house, I continued wallowing.

I sniffed. I whined. I paused. I knew I couldn’t do this anymore. At last, the one drop of hope inside me has dried out. This was not worth it. Was I even hungry anymore? No.

Looking at the back door, I decided on going on a long walk, where I could think of what might’ve been. “I guess it was wishful thinking,” I tried to gaslight myself, but I fail.

It’ll probably take me weeks to get over this, but I muster the courage to start grieving. There’s nothing I can do to solve this, and I shouldn’t spend so much time miserable over it. After all, I can just get it another time. When I come back, I’ll work on cleaning up the mess.

I wipe my tears and slowly opened my door, all while looking down.

Then I looked up.

My eyes saw something, and opened real wide. 

Unbeliavable. Inconceivable. Impossible! 

The thoughts were rushing through my head. I had to rub my eyes multiple times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I stared at the spectacle for what felt like a century.

On my porch…

…was a school of fish…

…which were green with yellow stripes...

…and while levitating…

…they were devouring…

…my cookies.

The Gruesome Slaying of Gordon Sanderson

WARNING: This post contains graphic details regarding murder, mutilation, and torture. Viewer discretion advised!

Undated enhanced image of Gordon Edwin "Gordie" Sanderson (1950 - 1977)

26-year-old Gordon Edwin Sanderson, who often went by "Gordie" to his friends and family never had an easy life. He was an indigenous man born in Canada (First Nations). At the age of 9, he was a victim of the Sixties Scoop, and he was separated from his biological parents and placed into foster care.

By the 1970s, he was living in Edmonton. As a young adult, Gordie struggled with addictions and often found himself with the wrong crowd, leading to frequent police run-ins. However, Gordie still was a pretty fun-loving dude who liked his family. That's likely why sometime in 1976, he was going to visit his brother Arthur.

He would never make it to his brother.

THE SEPTIC TANK DISCOVERY

Tofield, Alberta, where Sanderson would later be found

On April 13th, 1977, a farmer in Tofield was searching the property for a septic tank pump. As he searched through his septic tank, he smelled something strange, and noticed something disturbing. It was a human leg, floating in the septic tank. The farmer and his wife immediately notified the authorities, who arrived to the crime scene.

Two officers arrived and spent an hour emptying the putrid septic tank with an empty ice cream pail. As they cleaned the scene out, they found the badly decomposed body of Gordie Sanderson. The scene was absolutely horrific. It made headlines in the small town.

Now, even though we now know this was Gordie, because the man couldn't be matched with any missing persons records, he remained unidentified for decades. The victim was given the rather undignified and infamous nickname of "Septic Tank Sam". Later on, some Websleuths referred to him as simply "Sam Doe" or "Tofield John Doe" to humanize and respect the victim. Personally, I also find the nickname rather insensitive. Imagine being immortalized as something like "Fecal Tank Frank" or "Toilet Bowl Ben". For most of the rest of his blog post, I'll be referring to him as simply Sam.

Sam's clothing upon recovery

Reconstructed shoe

Anyway, as you can tell, Sam's clothing was highly deteriorated, but police could still tell it was a blue buttoned Levi shirt, with blue jeans and knock-off Wala bee shoes. Sam was estimated to be around 26 - 40 years old. He was initially thought to be Caucasian, but later investigation suggested he was of aboriginal descent.

He had all his teeth, with a few fillings. He was also likely right-handed and may have suffered a disease around the age of 5. He also had long, dark hair. Coroners then took an autopsy of Sam, with astonishing results.

(I'm about to talk about his death in detail. Be warned, it truly is abhorrent!)

The victim had been dead for at most a year. Sam had been brutally tortured the day of his death. His killers presumably tied his body to a bed (based on marks on his arms), then beat and burned him multiple times, with the use of a butane torch and cigarettes. As if that wasn't enough, Sam's genitalia was then severely mutilated with a small knife, which was a statement if there ever was. The man had been put out of his misery by two gunshot wounds, to his chest and head.

After killing him, the killers went to the septic tank and dumped his body. Police believed he was killed far elsewhere due to the lack of evidence at the scene. The killers then poured quicklime all over his body, likely in an attempt to accelerate decomposition. In reality, the quicklime ironically helped dry out his remains and keep them preserved for longer. Even then, he was so horrifically decayed and mutilated, it took MONTHS for the medical examiners just to find out if he was a male.

WHO'S SAM?!

So, police had a problem. They knew how Sam died, but they didn't know why he died, who killed him, and who he even was. There were many missing clues in solving this case, and barely any leads, ultimate resulting in the case going cold with a long investigation process. Even though he was badly decomposed and maimed, two reconstructions of Sam based off his skull were still able to be produced.

RECONSTRUCTION DISCUSSION

Reconstruction by Betty Pat Gatliff

The first one was created by Betty Pat Gatliff, well known for her reconstructions of JWG's victims. To say it was unnerving and creepy is putting it nicely. They barely even gave him the dignity of eyebrows. The low quality resolution certainly doesn't help. Looks like something out of an analog horror!

Reconstruction by Cyril Chan

This later sculpture was produced by Cyril Chan in 2000. It's also a bit offsetting, but definitely less uncanny. I also like how he put a cap on him and used a clay that resembled that of someone of aboriginal descent.

Both reconstructions do a pretty good job replicating Sanderson, despite how unsettling they kind of are. I think Betty's reconstruction matches this image of Sanderson the most, in which he doesn't have his beard.

Gordie Sanderson

IDENTIFICATION

For 44 years, Sam would only be known as the unfortunate torture victim who was left behind in a septic tank. At least...until Othram came in. Othram is a company dedicated to genetic genealogy, where DNA is compared to people on a database in an attempt to identify unidentified decedents. If you want to know more, search it up.

Anyway, money for DNA testing for Sam was raised, and Othram began working on the case sometime in 2020. Sanderson was finally identified sometime in 2021. The announcement was made on June 2021.

He was no longer Septic Tank Sam. He was Gordie. Gordie Sanderson was home.

THEORIES

Gordie Sanderson

Gordie Sanderson may have gotten the dignity of his name back, but his murder remains unsolved. And considering it's been about 50 years, it's likely his killers are elders or possibly dead by now. But that doesn't matter. Future investigation may still be able to uncover his killers. Until now, all we can do is speculate. 

With a killing as horrendous and unimaginably painful as this, it's very clear whoever did this to Gordie absolutely HATED him. It's also likely there were multiple people involved. But why did they hate him, and take such extreme efforts to kill him? Did Gordie know his killer(s)? 

One of the most popular theories (especially before his identification) was that Sam might've been killed out of vigilantism or sexual revenge. As I mentioned earlier, he was severely sexually mutilated. This is not only cruel, but it's also a sign whoever attacked him felt it would be a statement. People suspected Sam could've been unfaithful to a partner, or even a child molester. Was Sanderson's death a case of vigilante justice?

Now, obviously, we shouldn't demonize poor Gordie. We don't know all that happened in the years before his death, so it isn't fair for us to just assume he was a bad person and that's why he was tortured. He seemed like a pretty nice person in fact. However, as I mentioned earlier, we do know he was involved in criminal behavior and drugs in his early adulthood. Perhaps Gordie had wanted to back out of that type of life and be better...but his associates didn't like that. When one of them happened to encounter Gordie again, it all went downhill from there.

However, something interesting to think about is the fact he was dumped in an abandoned septic tank local to the area. A Reddit user named debrisaway pointed this to me and said "It's unlikely that his criminal confederates from Edmonton would know about an abandoned septic tank in rural Alberta." The killer might've been someone who knew the area well if they did know about that random septic tank. But what did the random local have to hate against Gordie?

The last theory I know of is a short one, but plausible one: perhaps Gordie's murder was a hate crime against Native Americans. I already mentioned he was a victim of the Sixties Scoop. Racial crimes have always been a problem (especially today), so I think it's possible really messed up people wanted Gordie gone just because of his ethnicity.

Right now I'm split on most theories. What do you think the most? His old associates in Edmonton? A vigilante local who wanted revenge? Or the victim of a hate crime? Maybe something else entirely...

AND NOW...

Gordie Sanderson

To this day, the case of Gordie Sanderson remains a tragic, horrific, and cold one. Even if Gordie did have a turbulent early life, I think what happened to him was highly unjustified. If he was still alive today, he would've been turning 75 in a few months.

Rest in piece, Gordie. You did not deserve such a vindictive, horrific death. I hope one day there will be justice for you.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING;

Unidentified Wiki

Wikipedia

Lazy Masquerade (YouTube)

DNA Solves

Medium (premium needed)

Aliology: An Anger Analogy

(This comic will make sense once I get to the analogy.)

Random fun fact of the day: "I am angry!" In Spanish is "¡Estoy enojada!"

A few weeks ago, I was having a very frustrating day for reasons I won't explain, and I did some very rash things which I look back on with disappointment. However, one smart thing I did during that period was rant in my journal for a page.

Later, I mostly forgot about the morning and wanted to go to the library. It was closed earlier today and I didn't know. I overreacted to say the least and I regret it also. It wasn't even that bad in retrospect, but it's still kind of embarrassing to explain what I did, so I won't.

As I cooled down, I went to the bus stop and realized how dangerous impulsive rage really is. I usually take my anger out on objects, but in future, I could start lashing out on people or more valuable things, which isn't a healthy emotional regulation skill.

I remembered I drew a half jokey poster and put in my school about cheering yourself up when your having a bad day. It pictured a drawing of a frog eating flies.

So, I opened up my new sketchbook my mom bought me and drew what represented me at the moment.

By the end I was calmer and actually able to reflect and chuckle at my impulsive misbehavior. Then the bus arrived, and now I'm home.

I opened up my journal again and read through some of my angsty words. I mentally laughed again, and began writing again now from a better perspective. By the end of my reflection on the day, I figured this would be a good thing to blog about.

So ultimately, here's what I've learned:

Taking anger out on an object is still bad. But don't hold in all your frustration either, as that's just a replacement for being sad. Instead...

1) Allow yourself to feel these emotions, but don't outwardly express them in a harsh or possibly irreversible way.

2) Use some sort of calming strategy that doesn't involve violence. Drawing, journaling, taking a walk, you know the deal. You could even cry if you want. Or take it on something you know isn't valuable...like a pillow.

3) By the time your done with your meltdown, reflect on what your upset about. Is it actually that big of deal you thought it would be? Now solve the problem in a more reasonable manner.

And there you go! Note that this strategy is very variable depending on the type of person you are. But overall, it seems to be working for me. I'm still having trouble with my anger, but I hope I improve in the future with strategies like this.

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To end this post off, let me explain the actual anger analogy I entitled this post.

A small match is easy to ignite. But it's also very easy to put it out when you know what you're doing.

If you don't know what you're doing, that small match can start a fire...then erupt into an uncontrollable house inferno.

Even when it eventually dies out...there's still damage to that house. It might take a long while before it can be repaired. 

- A.A.

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Thanks for reading!

What would you like me to talk about next?

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

The Peculiar Death of Patra Patmios

Warning: This blog post discusses sensitive details about death and abortion, which may be disturbing to some readers. Viewer discretion advised!

(I recently made a Reddit post about this, where you get to see other people's input on the case. Don't forget to check it out!)

Welcome to my first true crime blog post! Today I would like to discuss the case of Patra Patmios, formerly known as Miss X, which remains unresolved.

Enhanced undated image of Patrona "Patra" Patmios (1946 - 1967)

Patrona Patmios, who often went by "Patra", was a Greek woman in her 20s who had been adopted by a Alexandros and Margarita Patmios as a child. She then immigrated to the United States sometime during her childhood. She was living in New Jersey in 1967, living a pretty unknown yet normal life. 

Immigration document; Patmios and her parents have been highlighted

However, in 1967, she disappeared, and her life come to an abrupt, graphic...and rather strange end in Delaware, that to this day people are still confused about.

DISCOVERY

On March 18th, 1967, the partially nude body of Patmios was found near Porter Road, located outside the rural area of Bear, Delaware. Her legs were covered in a laundry bag, and a red bow was found near the scene. Blue panties were also found at the scene. She had been dead for a few hours to a few days. Sadly, she had also been about 3 months pregnant, and her unborn baby was dead to.

Laundry bag

Ribbon

Initially it seemed it was another case of some trash human being murdering and discarding a innocent life like garbage on the highway, like many cases you've heard before. However, the autopsy proved that she hadn't died from murder...but the results were still odd.

AUTOPSY

The initial investigation suggested the woman had actually died of fat embolism due to the insertion of a foreign object in her uterus. Something also intriguing- but disturbing, was that a foamy, soap like substance was found in her vaginal cavity. And as I mentioned earlier, she was pregnant. 

Due to this, police concluded at the time she likely died from a botched illegal abortion. You see, back before abortions were legal in more states, women would insert harmful chemicals into their uterus, killing the baby, which sounds terrible, and understandably dangerous. Hence why police thought this is what killed her.

Original death certificate

However, later investigation revealed she had actually died of sepsis (blood poisoning), which is when deadly bacteria invade the bloodstream. She had not received medical care for this infection, which lead to her demise. We aren't sure of what caused the infection, and it could've been completely unrelated to the abortion theory.

Now, it is good to know she was not brutally murdered. However, knowing she died from sepsis only made her death more confusing.

Considering the fact her body was dumped on a road side, it's clear whoever was involved in her death did not want people to know. But why would they go through such efforts to conceal her death? And why hadn't they tried to get medical help for the victim? Did she even know she had sepsis? 

Because of these suspicious circumstances, examiners ruled her manner of death as homicide. Remember, homicide is when a human kills another one, whether through manslaughter, accident, or murder.

WHO WAS SHE?

Unfortunately, there was another problem: investigators could not identify this woman. No missing reports were connected to her; as a result, she remained unidentified. She was given the nickname "Miss X".

The victim was estimated to be a late teen or early adult, about 16 - 25. She was also possibly of Jewish, Italian, or Greece descent. Along with this she had long, curly brown hair and brown eyes. The victim also might've had good access to health care, as she had a vaccination scar on her left thigh. Her teeth were also in good condition, suggesting she had visited the dentist at least half a year before her death.

In an effort to help identify her, multiple reconstructions over the years were made of her, and police released her autopsy photographs. They're not necessarily graphic, but they are kind of disturbing. You can see her bruises and skin discoloration as a result of the infection. I won't show you the postmortems on this website to spare you, but you can view them here and here.

RECONSTRUCTION DISCUSSSION

Here are the reconstructions of Miss X over the year:

Inital sketch

PM Derivatives

This was the initial sketch, and the postmortem derivatives. Looks pretty unsettling if you ask me. Looks like they could be in an analog horror! But the strange sketches do have some similarities, particularly the eyebrows and nose. It still just looks so...wrong...

Carl Koppelman reconstruction

Then there was this reconstruction by the ever so talented Carl Koppelman, depicting her with the ribbon found at the scene. I think this one matches her the most, especially her nose and teeth. I also like how the skin matches someone of her descent.

NCMEC Reconstruction

Lastly was this reconstruction by the NCMEC, which is also quite accurate. However, I feel they slightly misrepresented her Greek ancestry, and she looks younger here.

IDENTIFICATION

For over 50 years, Patra would only be buried under Miss X. That was until some time in 2022, when Patra's younger half-brother wanted to figure out what happened to his half-sister. He ended up submitting his DNA, and ancestry connected it to the Doe and his sister. Further DNA testing was needed to verify this. Her grave was then silently updated to match her alleged identity; however, this remained unconfirmed.

In January 2023, her NamUs was removed, and the Doe Network successfully announced Miss X was in fact 21-year-old Patmios.

Patra Patmios was finally home.

AND NOW...

Bould Blvd Potter's Field, where Patmios would be buried.

To this day, we still don't know what happened to Patra Patmios in the months she was missing and on the fateful night she died. And considering it's been over 60 years, it sadly seems we may never know. However, the main theory is that her partner of Patmios, the father of the baby, was responsible for dumping her body. Why remains unclear.

I have mentioned another theory was the infection was a byproduct of an attempted abortion, but the theory she had tried to is unconfirmed. As I mentioned, the infection could've just been from something else. I also understand the concept of abortion is controversial in some places, but regardless on your view on it, I don't think Patmios deserved to die if she (or someone else) didn't want her baby. If you think she did deserve a fate like this, I suggest you get out off the internet for a while.

I hope one day a break in the case can help find whoever disposed of Patra, or possibly even killed her. Patra would've been in her late 70s at of writing, so the guilty party is likely in their 80s or possibly deceased at this point.

Rest in piece, Patra Patmios. You were never forgotten, and will always be loved.

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:

Unidentified Wiki

Podcast

Doe Network - Identification Annoucement PDF

Websleuths Forum

Reddit - r/unresolvedmysteries

Reddit - r/gratefuldoe (annoucement)

Find a Grave

Doe Network

Stories of the Unsolved

Reddit - r/gratefuldoe (revisiting crime scene)

Wikipedia Article (archived)

Wikipedia Article #2

Wikimedia Commons [POSTMORTEM WARNING]