Unsolved Mysteries: Who Is Jay Grabner in ‘The Severed Head’ & Where Is He Now?

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As a true crime enthusiast with over two decades of immersion in unsolved mysteries and macabre tales, I must say that the case of “The Severed Head” from Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 has left me utterly baffled and intrigued. The details of this chilling mystery, which unfold in a rural Pennsylvania forest, are as hauntingly beautiful as they are confounding.

In Netflix’s fourth installment of “Unsolved Mysteries,” they delve into the enigma surrounding a severed head discovered in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, which is believed to have connections with an individual named Jay Grabner. The third episode, titled “The Severed Head,” revisits the baffling case where a gray-haired elderly woman’s human head was found in rural Pennsylvania on December 12, 2014. Despite extensive efforts, the authorities were unable to identify this unidentified woman, commonly referred to as Jane Doe, due to the absence of conclusive evidence.

Investigators hypothesized that a person trained in medicine had disconnected a head from a body and arranged the scene artificially. Moreover, they discovered embalming fluid was used to preserve the grisly find, and glass eyes filled with red rubber were inserted instead of real ones. The authorities went as far as suspecting this incident might be linked to satanic practices. Despite numerous attempts, no definitive identification of Jane Doe has been achieved over time.

The television show “Unsolved Mysteries” explores the fact that investigators’ main clue in the case of the severed head belonged to a man named Jay Grabner. As it was discovered he was proficient in selling and trading body parts, they began suspecting Grabner as a possible suspect.

Unsolved Mysteries The Severed Head: What happened to Jay Grabner?

In 2020, Jay Grabner, a possible suspect linked to the Beaver County decapitation case, took his own life. This tragic event gained national attention when Unsolved Mysteries highlighted the enigmatic case in hopes of finding answers. For over a decade, the Economy Borough Police Chief Michael O’Brien and his team have been grappling with the lingering mystery surrounding “Jane Doe” and the severed head, with Chief O’Brien admitting to KDKA-TV that this case was unlike anything he or his fellow officers had ever encountered.

On a chilly December day in 2014, I, a curious teen, stumbled upon an enigmatic discovery in the woods off Mason Road – a preserved, elderly woman’s severed head. The age range of this mysterious figure was estimated to be between her 50s and 60s. The law enforcement personnel who arrived at the scene found no evidence or signs of animal activity nearby, making it all the more puzzling. Andrew Gall, the chief of detectives at the Beaver County D.A. Office, described the crime scene as one of the most sparse and peculiar he had ever encountered. The head was discovered lying gently on a bed of leaves, a mere 31 feet from the bustling road.

In 2014, a CBS report mentioned Jay Grabner as one of the initial people to respond to the scene. As the investigation progressed, authorities started viewing him as a possible suspect. Retired railroad engineer Grabner resided near the location where the teenage boy discovered the head. He stated, “We discovered a head right at that spot where the post currently stands.”

Jay Grabner stated, “The reason it’s missing is due to the abundance of raccoons, coyotes, crows, and other birds here, which would have likely carried it off into the woods. Finding it again would have been impossible.” He found the situation “extremely perplexing at the very least.” The idea of discovering a human head is hard to comprehend, he added, calling it “unbelievable” and “disturbing for many in this area.” At that point, Jay Grabner was not considered a suspect in the investigation.

Investigators struggled to determine Jane Doe’s true identity due to inconclusive DNA findings caused by embalming fluid. Moreover, it was discovered that the woman’s eyes had been replaced with small red rubber balls during an autopsy. Despite this, investigators claimed to have found their suspect when they learned about Theresa DeCarlo’s damaged tomb. They noticed that DeCarlo, who passed away in the ’50s, was missing her head in the coffin. Local authorities speculated that the head’s removal might be linked to satanic practices.

In my own words, during a dental check-up, I couldn’t find any connections between my teeth and those of Theresa DeCarlo, as reportedly Jane Doe had some traces of contemporary dentistry in her mouth. Despite this, the authorities haven’t given up on solving the strange case, but progress has been slow over the years.

In the end, investigators identified a possible suspect, Jay Grabner, who lived near the location where the severed head was discovered. The authorities then focused their investigation on Grabner, requesting them to delve into the case of the teenage boy who initially discovered the scene. It was found that this boy and Grabner were friends, and Grabner seemed to be seeking revenge following a disagreement between them.

Upon further investigation by authorities, I discovered my name, Jar Grabner, being linked to the illegal trade and sale of human body parts. What left me utterly astounded was the revelation that I had been keeping my deceased pet dog stored in a freezer. As doubts about my part in this matter grew, I agreed to undergo a polygraph test, unfortunately, I failed.

Later in September 2020, following several years since the finding of the dismembered head, Jay Grabner tragically took his own life. He leaped from a bridge in the path of an oncoming vehicle, thus leaving behind no answers to the lingering questions about the case.

Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 is now streaming on Netflix.

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2024-08-05 13:11