The Mystery of "Mary Anderson"

"Kitsap Sun," February 18, 1997, via Newspapers.comEvery suicide is a tragedy, of course. However, among the most poignant ones are where the person remains unidentified. Did they leave behind loved ones who suffered the agony of never knowing what happened to them? Or--possibly even sadder--did this person have no one in the world who cared if they lived or died? The following case could fall into either category.On October 9, 1996, a neatly-dressed, well-groomed woman took a cab to the posh Hotel Vintage Park in Seattle, Washington. She had phoned earlier in the day to reserve a room. She paid $350 in cash for a two-night stay, and signed the register, “Mary A. Anderson.”Her stay in Room 214 was eerily quiet. She made no phone calls, ordered nothing from room service. She merely put out a “Do Not Disturb” sign, and made her very private plans. At some point, the woman reapplied her lipstick, tidied her hair, wrote a brief note on hotel stationary, took up a Bible, and in a glass,…