In the summertime of 1969, a family in Cruger, Mississippi, was following the routine a typical afternoon. That day, in particular, however, they were having their septic tank repaired. Suddenly, the workers unearthed a mystery that has been intriguing people for more than five decades. Workers found a women in red buried in an iron casket on the property. The identity of the woman found on the Egypt plantation is still unknown today. Still, many people are intrigued by this discovery and want to unravel the story behind this woman. So, here is the story of the Lady in Red, whose body was found on Egypt Plantation.
The Discovery
As mentioned, it was summer in 1969 when the Thomas family was having their septic tank repaired by a group of men. Suddenly, one of the men hit something unusual, a metal casket with a preserved woman inside. An investigation immediately started, as one of the men in the area was Sheriff Carl Moore.
The Iron Casket
The story of the Lady in Red began when the group of men found her metal casket buried four feet underground. According to the sheriff, they immediately noticed the smell of alcohol. As such, they didn’t examine the woman’s preserved body further.
According to reports, the casket was a “Fisk Iron Casket,” initially made in 1848. Additional reports showed that this type of casket was popular in the mid-1800s among the rich or the upper class.
The Woman’s Clothing
When the sheriff opened the iron casket, he described that the body belonged to a woman aged around 27 to 34 years old. She had auburn hair and was wearing a red dress. After further inspection, it was reported that she had a cape and blanket. Aside from that, the inspectors also noticed that she was wearing mid-calf boots with broad heels.
Historians believed that the boots were popular from the 1830s to 1840s. For this reason, they concluded that the Lady in Red died before the Civil War. Additionally, they suggested that her dress was made for the upper class, which was solidified by the expensive iron casket.
Who is the Lady in Red?
After the Lady in Red was found, people made numerous speculations regarding the woman’s identity. Unfortunately, the truth could never be uncovered, as it was impossible to reach the previous owners of the land.
One viable explanation is that the mysterious woman died from yellow fever. When they were transporting her body home, something unfortunate occurred. As a result, her body was buried there.
Unfortunately, after breaking the seal that was preserving her body, the woman’s body was rapidly deteriorating when they brought it to the funeral parlor. As such, they cannot determine her true identity. Still, her corpse remained in the funeral parlor for months. Eventually, her body was reburied in Odd Fellows Cemetery with a gravestone marker reading, “Lady in Red Found on Egypt Plantation 1835-1969”. When she was reburied, the story of the Lady in Red may have ended. However, many are still curious and trying to unravel the mystery behind this woman.