Police have identified a body found in a container this month in West Baltimore as Versey Spell, a 75-year-old woman who was first reported missing in October 2022.

Her remains were found on March 3 in the 3900 block of Liberty Heights Avenue, not far from her home in the 3900 block of Barrington Road.

She disappeared under suspicious circumstances.

Spell’s cane, walker and other health-related items were still there. Her glasses and other personal items were found outside of the home.

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“I had been so worried about her … this is a huge loss for us,” said Mardine Queen, Spell’s eldest daughter. “All the way up until the day she died, she had helped take care of us [her kids], our kids and even their kids.”

Those who knew Spell told WJZ in November she had been renting an apartment from a longtime friend and co-worker for the past 15 years. She was a retired federal worker who greeted fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, they said.

Queen and her daughter, Nikiya Gills, said Spell’s disappearance did not make sense.

“I didn’t believe it. I thought it was a joke. Because that’s not my grandma,” Gills said. “She still was in her right mind. And whenever she traveled, she religiously called me on the phone.”

Queen said her mother had been all over — the Southern U.S., the Caribbean and Europe. During the first seven years of Queen’s life, the family lived in Germany.

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The possibility of Spell leaving without saying anything was out of the question. Family member said Spell’s home was broken into twice before she disappeared. A third time, family members visited her residence and found the place was in disarray and a strange woman was in her bed.

“This whole thing doesn’t make any sense. My grandmother was not a sketchy person. She was a lovable, caring type of person. She would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it,” Gills said.

Family members tapped the Black and Missing Foundation for help in the search for Spell after she went missing.

“Ms. Spell’s disappearance is absolutely heartbreaking. We were hoping for a different outcome, yet we remained hopeful that she would have been found,” said Natalie Wilson, a co-founder and spokesperson for the Black and Missing Foundation.

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Wilson said the foundation worked with the family to bring awareness and communicate with law enforcement.

“We knew that something was amiss. She would not leave home voluntarily,” Wilson said.

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The foundation will continue to work with the family and assist with funeral and counseling services, if the family needs it, Wilson said.

“We reached out to her family this morning and offered our condolences, our thoughts, our prayers, and we are here as a resource. ... And our hope is that whomever did this heinous act is found and punished to the greatest extent of the law,” she said.

WJZ-TV contributed to this report.

Penelope Blackwell is a Breaking News reporter with The Banner. Previously, she covered local government in Durham, NC, for The News & Observer. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Morgan State University and her master’s in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. 

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