Dorothy Leishman Wood Madden:1975, Lorain, Ohio

 

      Dorothy Leishman Wood Madden 


   Dorothy Leishman Wood was called Dotty. She was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on December 3rd, 1948. She was the daughter of Dorothy L. Wood and John T. Wood. She had a sister named Karen E. Wood who was two years older. 



  She married Joseph Madden. I wasn’t able to find the date. They later divorced and she moved to Lorain, Ohio. That’s a community right on the lake west of Cleveland. 

  


  She was last seen on August 8th, 1975 by her boyfriend Nathan Wisely. He said she left the home in the middle of the night after a fight. She left her four year old child from her previous relationship behind, he said. She never returned. 


  He reported her missing under the name Dorothy Wisely. He later admitted that they were not married. 


  In 1975 police considered her a “run away”. No searches were launched. No newspaper articles or flyers were handed out. No one was looking out for Dorothy. 

   

   The Lorain Police reported that Dorothy might have 2 ½ months been pregnant. 


   Her remains were found incredibly close to home on March 9th, 1981 at 10801 Hawke Road, Columbia Station, Ohio. That’s in a rural area southwest of Cleveland, Ohio. Her remains were wrapped in a yellow and white striped bedsheet. 




   There were no newspaper articles in 1981 about the discovery of the remains. If an article had been written; it’s possible that this case could have been solved sooner. As you can see Columbia Station (lower right on the map) and Lorain(upper left) are only a short distance apart. It’s about a 20 minute drive. 


   The area was very rural farmland then but houses have been built there since then. 


   She wasn’t identified right away. Her remains were on NAMUS for years and eventually police were able to connect these remains with Dorothy’s missing persons case. But investigators in Ohio are working on this cold case murder now. 


    Where is Nathan Wisely now? I wasn’t able to locate him.  A websleuths post reported that Nathan Wisely was known to be violent. 


    If you have a tip please submit it by calling the Lorain Police at 



    Or use the following link: https://www.lorainpolice.com/dorothy-leishman-wood-madden/


 Dorothy Leishman Wood Madden is buried in Massachusetts with her mother. Her family is working with the police and hoping for answers. August 8th, 2025 will be the 50th Anniversary of Dorothy’s murder. That’s a long time but there’s always hope that a cold case can be solved. 


      Rest in peace Dotty.

    

     


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