In a remarkable breakthrough, investigators from the Cook County sheriff’s office have finally solved the cold case of an unidentified person buried in a Chicago Catholic cemetery. The person, known only as Seven, had died in 2015 at a nursing home without any recollection of their own name. However, through extensive post-mortem fingerprint analysis, investigators have identified Seven as Reba C. Bailey, a 75-year-old Women’s Army Corps veteran who had been missing since the 1970s.
The discovery of Seven’s true identity has brought closure to generations of relatives and friends. Reba, who was raised in a large family, had become homeless and had no memory of her past, apart from wanting to be identified as a man named Seven. The investigation has shed light on the mysteries surrounding Reba’s life, raising questions about how she ended up in such circumstances.
The Cook County sheriff’s office, known for its expertise in cold case work, took on the case of Seven Doe last year. This particular case was unique, as it involved a person who remained unidentified both in life and death. Sheriff Tom Dart expressed the significance of the case, stating, “We never had anything like that before. This one is different and it just kept getting more different.”
Reba, who suffered from heart disease, dementia, and diabetes, was buried in a section for unclaimed people at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery. Eight years later, Cook County investigators took up the case and used post-mortem fingerprints to run them through multiple databases, including military records. The fingerprints matched with Reba, who had enlisted in the Army in 1961. Despite Reba’s five siblings being deceased, she has several nieces and nephews who are relieved to finally have answers about their long-lost aunt.
As investigators pieced together Reba’s life, they discovered that she was born in 1940 and had experienced tragedy at a young age when her mother died in a car accident. Reba joined the military in her late teens and served in different states. She was briefly married to a fellow veteran before being honorably discharged in 1962. What happened to Reba after leaving the military and how she ended up in Chicago remains a mystery.
Those who encountered Reba during her later years have fond memories of her. Denise Plunkett, who found Reba at a hospitality house for the homeless, described her as a kind-hearted individual who cooked for the community. Reba spent decades at the house before moving to a nursing home in 2003. Unfortunately, due to her lack of legal identification and known family, Chicago police were unable to trace her origins.
The Cook County investigators have now updated the entry for Seven Doe in a federal database of missing people, officially adding Reba Bailey’s name and photo. They are working towards honoring Reba with a new gravestone and military honors in the spring. The case has also prompted the sheriff’s office to propose amendments to Illinois law, advocating for postmortem fingerprints to be checked against all available state and federal databases to identify people sooner.
While Reba’s family considered moving her remains closer to them, they ultimately decided against it, wanting to respect her resting place. Rick Bailey, Reba’s nephew, expressed their gratitude, stating, “At least we know where she is now.”
This remarkable cold case resolution serves as a reminder of the importance of pursuing unidentified individuals’ cases and providing them with the dignity of a name. The closure brought to Reba’s family and the potential changes to Illinois law highlight the significance of this investigation.
