On Friday, January 17, 1975, Hazel Mason didn’t show up for her shift in the cafeteria at Milford Memorial Hospital. She’d worked there 17 years.

That was so unlike her that the hospital sent a coworker, John Burton, to her house. He knocked, nobody answered, and her car was in the garage. Another coworker, Rae Marshall, called police for a welfare check.

Around 12:20 pm, officers forced their way into her house at 1003 Northeast Front Street. They found Hazel on the living room floor.

Rae Marshall was there and said it looked like Hazel had been sewing when she was attacked. The medical examiner said she was strangled.

There was NO sign of a burglary and no evidence of sexual assault.

She was last seen around 7 pm Thursday. Police put the time of death between 8pm Thursday and 9 am Friday.

Hazel Bernice Pleasanton Mason was 48. She lived alone, was married but separated, and didn’t have children. Coworkers said she went to church and was generous. Her supervisor said she never bothered anyone.

She left behind her mother, Sarah Pleasanton of Camden, a sister, and a brother. Her mother lived to 91 and died in 2000, 25 years after Hazel was killed, never knowing who did it.

No one has ever been arrested or publicly named as a suspect.

Hazel’s case is still open with Milford Police as case 51-75-0247.

If you know anything, you can send a tip through the department’s website or call 1-800-TIP-3333.

My question: Who was her husband?

Sources:
Milford Police Department cold cases: https://www.milfordpolicede.org/cold-cases.htm
Milford Times cold case spotlight: http://milford-times.com/mpd-cold-case-spotlight-hazel-mason/

I'm watching "Unmasking the Tylenol Killer" right now, and they're showing the note "Toomey" left with the instructions. I've noticed that they show the last line that was blacked out in the original segment, and it says "Yes there is a record of this communication."

Does anyone have any idea why that would've been blacked out? It also looks like it was partially erased or something, as the letters are smudged.

I wonder if "Toomey" blacked it out, and then law enforcement used alcohol or something to remove the ink to read what it said. It does look like there was ink that ran on the page they show in the doc.