In the 1936 film “My Man Godfrey,” a homeless man is described as “a forgotten man.”
The film opens at a city dump, where wealthy socialites on a scavenger hunt are tasked with finding one as a way to win a game. Actress Carole Lombard’s character explains that a scavenger hunt differs from a treasure hunt in that you’re searching for something nobody wants.
When she gets to speak to the man she has labeled “forgotten,” played by William Powell, she recognizes him as a human being deserving of dignity, not dismissal.
Nine decades later, the question of who is seen, who is discarded, and who is forgotten is still relevant.
Police are seeking the name of a woman believed to have been homeless and who has remained unidentified since her death in 2024. They are asking the public for help.
While the woman’s name is unknown, she is not forgotten.
A Roswell police detective is exhausting every available lead in an effort to identify her. Families searching for missing loved ones have also reached out, hoping and fearing that she might be who they are looking for.
On Nov. 21, 2024, the woman was transported by ambulance from Sandy Springs to Wellstar North Fulton Hospital in Roswell for treatment of a foot injury, said Det. Angel Gutierrez. She provided a false name and date of birth, was treated and discharged, according to Roswell police, but died before leaving the hospital.
She is described as a Black woman believed to be between 55 and 60 years old at the time of her death, about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing approximately 275 pounds. The Roswell Police Department has shared a photograph of the woman along with a composite sketch created by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Facebook and other social media platforms. Anyone with information can contact Det. Gutierrez via email at agutierrez@roswellgov.com or phone, 770-640-4588.
Gutierrez said several people told him they saw the woman daily sitting on a bench at the intersection of Hammond Drive and Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs.
“She never bothered anybody,” he said.
While the woman was transported by ambulance to the hospital, Gutierrez said there is no record of the 911 call.
“This is not a criminal investigation,” he said. “I just want to know her name.”
The woman’s remains are being held at the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, said Brian Reents, a senior investigator and supervisor at the facility.
“There were some people who believed they might be related to her, and we conducted DNA testing, but there has been no positive identification,” Reents said.
Gutierrez said he has received calls from as far away as Texas from people searching for loved ones whose whereabouts are unknown.
“Sometimes you can lose sleep trying to figure it out,” he said. “People recognize her, but no one has been able to identify her.”
The post ‘I just want to know her name’: Detective seeks identity of deceased woman appeared first on SaportaReport.
