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American frontier: headless torso was found in the ‘70s in a cave
2024-03-25
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In 1979, a family exploring a cave outside a small town found a headless torso. The victim was named John Doe because no one knew who this could be.
John Doe composite picture from known relatives picturesPhoto byFind-a-Grave.com
In the remote cave, a family was looking for arrowheads. An activity common in this area. As they were exploring, they stumbled upon a body with no head, arms, or legs. The body was mummified, indicating it had been there for a long time. Most likely preserved by the year-round refrigeration effect of the cave.
This cave is called the Buffalo Cave and is well known to the locals of Clark County, Idaho. A place where it is not uncommon for people to look for native American arrowheads. The caves are known as the civil defense caves and are just outside of Dubois.
The body was in the hole that the family dug as they explored. The victim was still wearing a pinstripe shirt and wool pants with suspenders. It was apparent to investigators that the victim had been buried for a long period of time. How long would have to be determined by a laboratory.
The local sheriff's department removed the exposed torso from the cave. Then dug deeper into the hole to see if the arms, legs, and head were deeper in the grave. Scraps of burlap, a handkerchief, and other scraps of clothing were found beneath the torso. At that time they never found any other body parts but the torso.
Then 12 years later in 1991 a second artifact hunter stumbled upon the arms and legs about 25-30 yards further into the cave. Like the torso, they were well preserved. Still wearing clothing and wrapped in burlap.
Who is John Doe?
Based on the body’s clothing, it was determined he was murdered sometime around the 1920s. Forensics at Idaho State University, were not able to determine the cause of death. They were able to determine that this was a Caucasian male.
Extracting DNA from his bones, they were able to determine that he was an ancestor of many who descended from Mormon pioneers. From this data, it narrowed the search to John Doe’s parents, Joseph J. Loveless and Sarah Jane Loveless. The Loveless couple were Mormon pioneers from Utah that had eight children. Four of them being sons and John Doe was one of these sons. All census data and databases pointed to headstones in the Payson Cemetery in Payson, Utah. One of the headstones only had the birthdate and was missing the death date.
The Payson Cemetery was contacted for information. Their records showed that no one was ever buried in that particular grave. There was just the headstone reserved in the family plot for Joseph Henry Loveless.
Empty grave for Joseph Henry Loveless at Payton Cemetery.Photo byFind-a-Grave.com
From there they found Joseph’s wife, Agnes Octavia Caldwell Loveless. They were married in 1896 and lived in Soda Springs, Idaho in 1910. A Soda Springs census listed Joseph Henry as a “Stable Man” at a local hotel. Which is someone who took care of the horses. Joseph Henry and Agnes had four children. They are lost to time.
Before Soda Spring, they were in a town called Burley, Utah. John Henry had been arrested for bootlegging alcohol in the area. But he had escaped.
After that he and his family end up in Dubois, Idaho. Their lives at that time were most likely very strained and living in poverty.
The Mrs. Murdered?
An article was located by present day investigators that a Mrs. Smith was murdered in Soda Springs around the same time. Digging deeper it was found that Mrs. Smith was an alias for Mrs. Agnes Loveless. The article reads that she was found with her head hacked to pieces with an axe. Her husband was missing and was suspected of the murder.
But the wanted poster reads a “Walter Carin.” This is believed to be another alias that loveless went by. According to other articles, Walter Carin was found and arrested. But escapes from the courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho.
Although theories over the years have felt Joseph Henry killed his wife. Present day criminal investigators feel that Walter Carin and Joseph Henry Loveless are not the same person. They have ascertained that Walter Carin was in a love triangle with Agnes and Joseph Henry Loveless. They feel that it is too coincidental that Agnes was almost decapitated with an axe and John Henry was decapitated too. It is their expert opinion that the same person killed both John Henry and Agnes.
Who do you think killed Henry and Agnes? Do you think John Henry was falsely accused? Let us know in the comments.
Article about murder of wife.Photo byFind-a-Grave
Where are they now?
Agnes is buried in Idaho. Henry, I believe, is still at Idaho State University. He is not buried in the fmaily plot in Payson, Utah. Maybe they are waiting to find the rest of his body?
John Henry Loveless: The photo above is a composite of John Henry based off known family photos. No pictures of John Henry has ever been found. He was born December 3, 1870, in Payson, Utah. He is believed to have died May 1916 at the age of 45 in Dubois, Idaho.
Agnes Octavia Caldwell Loveless: Born Agnes Octavia Caldwell in 1880 in Idaho. She died May 8, 1916, in Dubois, Idaho, at the age of 36. She is now buried in Fairview Cemetery in Soda Springs, Idaho. In her picture she looks so much older. You can tell she had a hard life. Rest in peace Anges.
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