‘Missing in the Pennsylvania Wilds’

PHOTO PROVIDED
James T. Baumgratz is pictured together with his newest e-book, “Lacking within the Pennsylvania Wilds” which options circumstances from Clinton and Centre counties.

James T. Baumgratz — creator of novels equivalent to: “Elk County Murders & Mysterious Deaths” — has begun selling his latest e-book: “Lacking within the Pennsylvania Wilds.”

On this e-book, he explores over 150 circumstances of males, ladies and youngsters who’ve all disappeared from the Pennsylvania Wilds and not using a hint. He even particulars some unidentified corpses discovered, in addition to tales of nice tragedies that affected the folks of the counties.

The e-book extends over 13 completely different counties which are part of the Pennsylvania Wilds: Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Centre, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga and Warren.

Baumgratz painstakingly researched every case himself, and in some situations was in a position to go to the areas of the disappearances and murders.

“Once I was writing the opposite books and on the lookout for homicide circumstances,” mentioned Baumgratz. “I might come throughout lacking folks. I might put them to the facet so I might return to them later — and that is that e-book.”

Baumgratz makes use of a number of sources when writing about these circumstances — from newspapers of the time, court docket data, police stories and, in some circumstances, even familial connections.

“How I begin to discover these circumstances is I am going to the courthouse — to the prothonotary’s workplace. That’s everybody who was charged with a felony — not simply murders. Freeway theft, incest, all that. Ninety % of the time within the basement of the courthouse is previous circumstances and court docket paperwork. It’s all public data, so you’ll be able to go in and dig round,” mentioned Baumgratz. “Earlier than 1950, newspaper reporters sometimes had higher accounts than the police. They had been allowed into the scene and allowed to explain all the main points.”

On the finish of every chapter — after telling the tales of those that have gone lacking and by no means been discovered — he tells the tales of those that had by no means been recognized; the individuals who died in mysterious or tragic methods and by no means had their deaths defined.

“I strive to not put the sensationalism in these tales. There’s much more to these tales than shock worth,” mentioned Baumgratz.

He particulars numerous experiences all through the Pennsylvania Wilds, from our bodies discovered within the woods and by no means recognized to nice tragedies equivalent to The Nice Austin Flood.

“I’m hoping that a few of these get solved. Once I wrote the others, I mentioned, ‘I wish to see the forgotten be acknowledged,’” mentioned Baumgratz. “A number of the graves of those persons are unkempt and forgotten. I feel a few of these will be solved.”

Baumgratz is already compiling circumstances for his subsequent e-book to be introduced at a later date. You possibly can receive extra data and all of Baumgratz’s books at elkcountymurder.com.