Case Profiles #46
Berta Pereira-Roldan
On September 29th, 2019, Berta Pereira-Roldan was out in Providence, Rhode Island celebrating her 19th birthday with a bunch of her friends. After dancing and celebrating at Noah’s Lounge all evening, the club closed at around 2:00am and the friends left, branching off into groups. Just as she was about to get into her car, gunshots rang out and suddenly Berta was lying on the ground, as well as another woman nearby. While the other bystander survived her wounds, Berta soon succumbed to her injuries. Thanks to surveillance footage, shell casings, and recovered firearms, arrests were able to be made and three men were charged with her murder. They are still awaiting trial for her death and the serious injuries to the other victim.
Westford John Doe
On January 23rd, 1973, a man looking at a potential property in Westford, Massachusetts, went to take a closer look at the foundation of an old farmhouse in a secluded area on Howard Road. The man looked down inside of a cellar hole and found the body of a black male. Upon further investigation the male was determined to be in his 20’s, 5’10” and 170lbs, and was barefoot but wearing blue jeans and a colorful dashiki. The man had been murdered in another location before being brought to the cellar and set on fire. Dental records and records from nearby military base Fort Devens did not yield any results. The man’s remains were buried in Fairview Cemetery in Westford, and his grave is marked by a small stone with the number 9 carved into it. Anyone with any information on the Westford John Doe is asked to please call the Westford Police Department’s tip line at (978) 399-2072. You can also submit a tip online through the department’s website at westfordma.gov or contact State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office at (781) 897-6600.
Image sources:
wpri.com - “Vigil held for Revere woman killed in Providence”
bostonglobe.com - “Cold Case Files: Dumped in cellar hole 50 years ago, badly burned body has never been identified”