“Unidentified Remains of Elderly Person in Chicago Cemetery Revealed to be Missing Veteran Reba C. Bailey”

Accident – Death – Obituary News : CHICAGO (AP) — In a remarkable turn of events, the Cook County sheriff’s office in Chicago has solved one of its most unusual cold cases, potentially leading to a change in state law. The investigation started when the remains of an unidentified person, known only as “Seven,” were discovered in a Catholic cemetery. With no name or known family, the case seemed hopeless. However, using post-mortem fingerprints, investigators were able to identify the individual as Reba C. Bailey, a 75-year-old Illinois veteran who had been missing since the 1970s.

The revelation has brought closure to generations of relatives and friends who had been searching for Bailey for decades. While some knew her as Reba, others only knew her as Seven, the name she adopted during her years of homelessness. The discovery of her true identity has sparked more questions about her life and how she ended up in such dire circumstances.

Bailey, a Women’s Army Corps veteran, was born in 1940 and grew up in a large family. Tragedy struck when she was just 10 years old, losing her mother in a car accident that also left her and her father injured. Despite the hardships, Bailey went on to join the military in 1961 and served in various states across the country. She was honorably discharged in 1962, but what happened to her after leaving the military remains a mystery.

Investigators have uncovered fragments of Bailey’s life, including a brief marriage to a fellow veteran named John H. Bilberry, who passed away in 1989. However, the details of her post-military life and the reasons behind her memory loss, change in gender identity, and adoption of the name Seven remain unclear. Many potential sources of information have either passed away or only knew Bailey as Seven, a person with no recollection of their past.

One individual who encountered Seven during her years of homelessness was Denise Plunkett, who found her on the porch of St. Francis Catholic Worker House in the late 1970s. Seven referred to herself in the third person, identified as a man, and avoided personal questions. Despite her own struggles, Seven became known for her cooking skills and provided meals for the homeless community. Plunkett remembers her fondly, stating that “nobody could have done more to help the homeless.”

In 2003, Seven’s declining health led to her transfer to a nursing home, where she eventually passed away in 2015. As she had no legal name or known family, the Chicago police launched an investigation, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Seven became a ward of the state, but now, with the discovery of her true identity, the Cook County investigators have updated her entry in the federal database of missing people, adding Reba Bailey’s name and photo.

The next step for the investigators is to provide a new gravestone and military honors for Bailey in the spring. Additionally, the Cook County sheriff’s office aims to amend the state’s Missing Persons Identification Act to require postmortem fingerprints to be checked against all available state and federal databases. This change in legislation could potentially lead to the earlier identification of individuals and allow their families to plan funeral services accordingly.

While some family members have considered moving Bailey’s body closer to them, the decision has been made not to disturb her final resting place. Despite the difficulties and unanswered questions surrounding her life, Rick Bailey, Reba’s nephew, finds solace in knowing where she is now. “At least we know where she is,” he said.

The discovery of Reba Bailey’s true identity and the subsequent investigation into her life has shed light on the importance of pursuing missing persons cases with dedication and compassion. Every person deserves to be identified and remembered, and this case may serve as a catalyst for change in Illinois law, ensuring that no one else is buried without a name..