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From Netflix Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 Episode 3, titled “The Severed Head,” looks at the case of a severed head in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and the alleged involvement of a man named Jay Grabner. Episode 3, titled “The Severed Head,” looks at the mystery of the Jane Doe human head found in rural Pennsylvania. On December 12, 2014, a teenager allegedly found the severed head of an elderly gray-haired woman. Due to a lack of evidence, authorities were never able to identify Jane Doe.
Detectives believed that someone with medical expertise had severed the head from the body and then staged the scene. In addition, the head had been preserved using embalming fluid and the eyes were replaced with red rubber balls. Authorities even believed they had discovered the individual's true identity, leading them to believe that it was the result of Satanic activities. However, all attempts to determine Jane Doe's identity have yielded no conclusive results over the years.
Unsolved Mysteries examines how the only lead authorities had in the severed head case was a man named Jay Grabner. After discovering he was an expert salesman and dealer of human body parts, they suspected Grabner's involvement.
Unsolved Mysteries The Severed Head: What Happened to Jay Grabner?
The cinephile stated that Jay Grabner, a possible suspect in the Beaver County severed head case, died by suicide in 2020. CBS News Additionally, Unsolved Mysteries brought the strange case into the national spotlight, in hopes of finding answers. Economy District Police Chief Michael O'Brien stated that the mystery surrounding Jane Doe and the head has haunted them for a decade. Chief O'Brien told KDKA-TV, “It was something I had never seen, as had the other officers that were there.”
On December 12, 2014, a teenager came across a stuffed severed head in the woods near Mason Road. The head belonged to an older woman who may have died in her 50s or 60s. Police found no evidence near the head and no signs of animal activity. Netflix in SpanishBeaver County District Attorney's Chief of Detectives Andrew Gall called it “one of the rarest” and “strange” crime scenes. The head was found lying on leaves about 31 feet from the road.
TO CBS Report In 2014, Jay Grabner was one of the first people to arrive at the scene. However, as the investigation progressed, authorities considered him a possible suspect. Grabner was a retired railroad engineer and lived not far from the area where the teenager found the head. He said, “We found out that there was a head lying right there where that pole is.”
Grabner added: “Because of the animals, and there are so many raccoons and coyotes and crows, and so many other birds here, birds of prey that would have dragged him into the woods, they would have never found him.” He called the discovery “very disconcerting, to say the least. How they were able to find a human head. It’s unbelievable. It’s very disturbing to a lot of people in the area.” At the time, Jay Grabner was not a potential suspect in the case.
Detectives attempted to identify Jane Doe, but DNA was inconclusive due to embalming fluid. Additionally, an autopsy revealed that the woman's eyeballs were missing and had been replaced with small red rubber balls. However, investigators believed they had identified the woman after learning about Theresa DeCarlo's vandalized crypt. They discovered that DeCarlo, who died in the 1950s, had her head missing from her coffin. Police in the area believed the removal of the head was likely due to Satanic activities.
The attempt proved fruitless when a subsequent dental examination came back fruitless. Jane Doe apparently had signs of modern dentistry in her mouth, which did not allow her to be linked to Theresa DeCarlo. However, authorities continued to investigate the strange case with little progress over the years.
Eventually, detectives found a possible suspect, Jay Grabner, who lived near the area where the severed head was found. Authorities began investigating Grabner after they did, asking them to look into the teenager who discovered the scene. They learned that the boy and Grabner had been friends and that the latter was trying to get revenge after they had a fight.
Authorities also began investigating Jar Grabner and discovered that he was involved in the sale and trade of human body parts. Most shockingly, they discovered that Grabner had kept his dead dog in a freezer. When suspicions began to arise about his role, the retired railroad engineer took a polygraph test and failed the test.
Then, in September 2020, several years after the discovery of the severed head, Jay Grabner committed suicide. He jumped off an overpass in front of a truck, leaving all questions about the case unanswered.
Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 is now available on Netflix.