BODY FOUND IN BOTTINEAU ND

Darren's mom told us that last week a manager was showing an apartment to future tenants in Bottineau, ND. While inside the apartment the manager went to open a closet door to show the people how big the closets where and when the manager opened the door they found the dead body of an elderly lady. They are guessing that the poor woman had been dead for about a week.

I have some questions for the manager in Bottineau.

1.) If she was dead for a week, she must have stunk really bad so why didn't neighbors say anything about the odor?

2.) How come THEY didn't question any rank smell when they entered...or even got close...to the apartment?

3.) How did the dead woman get into the closet?

4.) How did the dead woman even end up in a empty, LOCKED apartment? Isn't the manager supposed to check the apartments after people are finished moving out??? I mean, that's how you know how much of your deposit you are getting back, right???

5.) How come the family of the woman didn't notice that she was missing for a week?

It sounds really fishy. My guess is that it's the manager, ex-tenant, or a family member. I don't think there was anything random about it but that's not my profession.

I Googled this but couldn't find anything on it but I did find this news article from 1903. I wonder if we are related to Carl Hanson.....

William R. Ross, Bottineau ND, ­ December 1903

Willie Ross was an expert on horses, a life-long horse trader and handler. He was also an accomplished horse thief. So, when he went to the Willow City area to steal a fine band of horses from Thomas Walsh, an elderly farmer, on July 5, 1902, he made off with the horses after shooting the sleeping Walsh to death through a screen door. Local authorities focused on Ross from the beginning and under questioning he soon admitted his guilt. Brought to trial at Bottineau in August, he was convicted and sentenced to hang on December 5th.

Events leading up to the execution at Bottineau were moving smoothly until the day before when Ross suddenly confessed to involvement in a second murder. In November 1901, Ross related, he and a young Minot man, Carl Hanson were working on a ranch near Delta (present-day Blaisdell) when they met Napoleon LeMay, camped overnight with several horses which they admired. When LeMay refused to trade the animals, Hanson ended the matter by simply shooting him in the back. The body was concealed in a nearby dry well.

This sensation was enough to stay Ross' execution for long enough to investigate. Hanson was located near Williston and though he denied complicity Ross' testimony was sufficient to obtain his conviction for murder. Ross' execution was rescheduled for early on March 6th, on an enclosed gallows set up alongside the Bottineau County courthouse. In his last days Ross converted to Catholicism and went to his death without a murmur.