Neighbor Finds a Tin Box That Unlocks an 81-Year-Old Secret: The Adelle Simmons Case

Neighbor Finds a Tin Box That Unlocks an 81-Year-Old Secret: The Adelle Simmons Case Cold morning, kitchen twine, and forty-three letters sealed with a butter-yellow ribbon - a hidden correspondence spanning 1961 to 1988 that points straight to Dunmore, Ohio. Who was Crystal Cooper, why did Adelle address every letter to her, and what truth waited inside a tin that had sat in a red oak for seventeen years? In this episode, you’ll hear how a neighbor found a rectangular tin on February 19, 2019, and how that discovery led a granddaughter to search county records and old microfiche for a single name. Follow the trail from a rural Pennsylvania porch to a Mahoning County birth index that hides a third Marsh child with a redacted placement line - why was “Cooper, Dunmore” written there? Person: Adelle Marsh Simmons Date: February 19, 2019 Location: Caldwell Road, Greer's Bluff, Pennsylvania Age: 81 years old Letters: 43 envelopes postmarked 1961-1988 - The tin was found at 7:43 AM on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, when the temperature was 19 degrees. - Howard Collins called the house at 7:51 AM after spotting the rectangular tin wrapped in kitchen twine. - The forty-three letters were tied with butter-yellow satin ribbon, the same shade as the house curtains. - The letters were all addressed to Crystal Cooper in Dunmore, Ohio, and all bore Adelle’s handwriting and return address. - A Mahoning County birth index entry from February 1942 shows a third female Marsh child with a partially redacted "placed with" line that includes the legible words "Cooper, Dunmore." To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].