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Long Island's Vanished Heiress: The Unsolved Alice Parsons Kidnapping
A new look at the 1937 abduction of a wealthy wife and mother, based on previously classified FBI documents—includes photos. When she was kidnapped from Long Meadow Farm in Stony Brook, New York, in 1937, Alice McDonell Parsons was the heir to a vast fortune among Long Island’s wealthy elite. The crime shocked the nation and was front-page news for several months. J. Edgar Hoover personally assigned his best FBI agents to the case, and within a short time, Parsons’s husband and their live-in housekeeper, Anna Kupryanova, had become prime suspects. Botched ransom attempts, clashes between authorities, and romantic intrigue kept the investigation mired in drama. The crime remained unsolved. Now, in this book, former Suffolk County detective Steven C. Drielak reveals previously classified FBI documents—and pieces together the mystery of the Alice Parsons kidnapping.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2020
105 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 12, 2024
Excellent book! Well worth the read!
November 6, 2021
I had never heard of this heiress or her husband. But this is an interesting murder/mystery case that was never solved. Nor was her body ever found. In this day and age, I am sure DNA testing and more accurate detective work would have solved this case and brought the housekeeper and the husband to trial and ultimate justice. The facinating part of this book was reading about how the FBI worked back then (1930s). And the other part of this book is how the two suspects went on to live rather productive lives as if nothing had happened in the '30s. Kind of left me very angry at that fact. I wanted them to be arrested and brought to trial.
May 1, 2023
A tale of passion, jealousy, greed, ambition, and treachery. And that's just the cops!
Book blurbs tend to exaggerate. I read that Alice Parsons was the heiress to a "vast fortune" and wondered why the cover picture showed a modest farmhouse. In reality, the Parsons were struggling financially. She HAD inherited part of a Long Island estate from her uncle, but there was probate, other heirs, and the selling of the property to deal with before her inheritance was realized. Her uncle's property wasn't a "vast fortune," even during the Great Depression, although it would greatly improve their financial circumstances.
William Partons came from a family of hard-working, successful men, but he seemed content to live on his wife's small income. Their farm was purchased with a mortgage from her uncle and their home business was losing money. There were no children, which was a grief for Alice. William seemed satisfied with the company of their young Russian housekeeper and her schoolboy son.
I was interested in the account of Alice's childhood and the somewhat skimpier account of William's background. Even better was the complicated story of Anna Kupryanova, who was born in the Crimea and whose history included ex-husbands, imaginary husbands, lovers, immigration to England, and at least one deportation from Ellis Island because she lied on her U.S. immigration forms. Since Anna lied as easily as she breathed and almost as often, that's not surprising. Eventually, she got through immigration and she and her son "Roy" (whose parentage was never established) fetched up in Long Island, living with the Parsons on Long Meadow Farm.
On June 9, 1937, Alice Parsons disappeared. William claimed she'd driven him to catch a train to New York City. Roy claimed he saw Alice driving the car on his way to school. Anna claimed that a middle-aged couple came to the farm, took Alice off with them, and never returned.
Roy was the only one who stuck to his original story. Who's going to lean on a 10-year-old kid? William's stories changed daily and Anna's creativity astonished even experienced cops used to improbable tales and gross inconsistencies. Alice's brothers and aunt got involved and William's brothers and sisters chimed in with their versions and opinions.
The local police were first on the spot, then the state police arrived. The county District Attorney and his Assistant DA stuck their fingers in the pie, anxious to get their share of the publicity and credit. Kidnapping - a word coined after Charles Lindbergh's infant son was taken from his home in 1932 - was big business during the Great Depression and every one made headlines. Did people who were struggling to survive enjoy reading about the "rich" becoming victims?
The FBI was only two years old when Alice Parsons disappeared and J Edgar Hoover was fighting to establish his agency's superiority over local and state agencies. There were already power struggles between local and state police and between police and prosecutors. Now a new gang had entered the fray and the investigation of Alice Parson's disappearance became a complicated dance. Would the investigation have been more successful if the various agencies had worked together? Probably. Would it have made any difference to Alice Parsons? Not a bit.
Since all the people involved are long dead, the author bases his story on newspaper accounts and recently declassified FBI documents. You get the sense of a government agency growing rapidly, as they will if Congress finances them. Hoover comes across as a man who understands good investigative techniques, but who's hiring agents much faster than he can train them adequately. There were more newbies than there were seasoned agents to supervise them. And agents lacked the skills to deal with local and state police and wily reporters. In the case of Alice Parsons, it meant that opportunities to get vital evidence were lost.
This book suffers from repetition and indirection, but the story itself is so good it's worth over-looking them. At this distance, it's impossible to know the motivations of the people involved. Alice Parson's relatives acted exactly as one would expect them to. They wanted Alice's killer(s) punished and they didn't want them to profit from her death. They succeeded in one goal, but not the other.
William Parson's family is harder to figure out. They couldn't have been proud of their brother, who had accomplished nothing in life except marriage to a woman with prospects. They surely would have seen through his inconsistencies and it's unbelievable that they could have approved of Anna. Yet they went to extraordinary lengths to help him and their backing made all the difference.
The most interesting character of all is Anna, the quintessential enigmatic Russian. The author argues that her actions reflect an over-weaning desire to protect her son, but is that rational? She and her son had a comfortable home. The Parsons treated Roy like a son and had committed to paying for his education. Why rock the boat when it was so easy to accept Alice Parson's generosity? And if Anna WAS involved in Alice's disappearance, why didn't she wait until after the inheritance had been realized? Even for a tempestuous Slav, it seems like poor planning.
Hardest to understand of all was the government's reluctance to arrest anyone for Alice Parson's disappearance. I think most readers will have the same reaction I had - the evidence is there, make the arrest! Were laws or juries so much different then or was it a matter of the local, state, and federal agencies waiting for someone else to take responsibility and face the possibility of failure?
This book leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but it's a fascinating look at American life in the 1930's. The outcome is bizarre and puzzling. I'm not a fan of "true crime" books, but I was never tempted to stop reading this one.
Book blurbs tend to exaggerate. I read that Alice Parsons was the heiress to a "vast fortune" and wondered why the cover picture showed a modest farmhouse. In reality, the Parsons were struggling financially. She HAD inherited part of a Long Island estate from her uncle, but there was probate, other heirs, and the selling of the property to deal with before her inheritance was realized. Her uncle's property wasn't a "vast fortune," even during the Great Depression, although it would greatly improve their financial circumstances.
William Partons came from a family of hard-working, successful men, but he seemed content to live on his wife's small income. Their farm was purchased with a mortgage from her uncle and their home business was losing money. There were no children, which was a grief for Alice. William seemed satisfied with the company of their young Russian housekeeper and her schoolboy son.
I was interested in the account of Alice's childhood and the somewhat skimpier account of William's background. Even better was the complicated story of Anna Kupryanova, who was born in the Crimea and whose history included ex-husbands, imaginary husbands, lovers, immigration to England, and at least one deportation from Ellis Island because she lied on her U.S. immigration forms. Since Anna lied as easily as she breathed and almost as often, that's not surprising. Eventually, she got through immigration and she and her son "Roy" (whose parentage was never established) fetched up in Long Island, living with the Parsons on Long Meadow Farm.
On June 9, 1937, Alice Parsons disappeared. William claimed she'd driven him to catch a train to New York City. Roy claimed he saw Alice driving the car on his way to school. Anna claimed that a middle-aged couple came to the farm, took Alice off with them, and never returned.
Roy was the only one who stuck to his original story. Who's going to lean on a 10-year-old kid? William's stories changed daily and Anna's creativity astonished even experienced cops used to improbable tales and gross inconsistencies. Alice's brothers and aunt got involved and William's brothers and sisters chimed in with their versions and opinions.
The local police were first on the spot, then the state police arrived. The county District Attorney and his Assistant DA stuck their fingers in the pie, anxious to get their share of the publicity and credit. Kidnapping - a word coined after Charles Lindbergh's infant son was taken from his home in 1932 - was big business during the Great Depression and every one made headlines. Did people who were struggling to survive enjoy reading about the "rich" becoming victims?
The FBI was only two years old when Alice Parsons disappeared and J Edgar Hoover was fighting to establish his agency's superiority over local and state agencies. There were already power struggles between local and state police and between police and prosecutors. Now a new gang had entered the fray and the investigation of Alice Parson's disappearance became a complicated dance. Would the investigation have been more successful if the various agencies had worked together? Probably. Would it have made any difference to Alice Parsons? Not a bit.
Since all the people involved are long dead, the author bases his story on newspaper accounts and recently declassified FBI documents. You get the sense of a government agency growing rapidly, as they will if Congress finances them. Hoover comes across as a man who understands good investigative techniques, but who's hiring agents much faster than he can train them adequately. There were more newbies than there were seasoned agents to supervise them. And agents lacked the skills to deal with local and state police and wily reporters. In the case of Alice Parsons, it meant that opportunities to get vital evidence were lost.
This book suffers from repetition and indirection, but the story itself is so good it's worth over-looking them. At this distance, it's impossible to know the motivations of the people involved. Alice Parson's relatives acted exactly as one would expect them to. They wanted Alice's killer(s) punished and they didn't want them to profit from her death. They succeeded in one goal, but not the other.
William Parson's family is harder to figure out. They couldn't have been proud of their brother, who had accomplished nothing in life except marriage to a woman with prospects. They surely would have seen through his inconsistencies and it's unbelievable that they could have approved of Anna. Yet they went to extraordinary lengths to help him and their backing made all the difference.
The most interesting character of all is Anna, the quintessential enigmatic Russian. The author argues that her actions reflect an over-weaning desire to protect her son, but is that rational? She and her son had a comfortable home. The Parsons treated Roy like a son and had committed to paying for his education. Why rock the boat when it was so easy to accept Alice Parson's generosity? And if Anna WAS involved in Alice's disappearance, why didn't she wait until after the inheritance had been realized? Even for a tempestuous Slav, it seems like poor planning.
Hardest to understand of all was the government's reluctance to arrest anyone for Alice Parson's disappearance. I think most readers will have the same reaction I had - the evidence is there, make the arrest! Were laws or juries so much different then or was it a matter of the local, state, and federal agencies waiting for someone else to take responsibility and face the possibility of failure?
This book leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but it's a fascinating look at American life in the 1930's. The outcome is bizarre and puzzling. I'm not a fan of "true crime" books, but I was never tempted to stop reading this one.
October 21, 2021
After going to a lecture concerned this unsolved mystery by the author of this book, I bought the book at the lecture to delve more into the disappearance of Alice Parsons. It was a good read concerning the disappearance of Alice Parsons in 1937 and was front page news for several months. The author reveals information from previously classified FBI documents and you will have to draw your own conclusions concerning what happened to Alice Parsons.
July 26, 2023
The writing and research that went into this book were done excellently. My issue is that the case, which is fascinating, has still not been resolved. The fact that it is still a mystery as to what happened to Alice Parsons or her body makes me sad and feeling unsettled. The prime suspects are no longer alive. Justice will never actually be served. This book leaves it to the reader to decide what they feel happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2021
This is an intriguing mystery that took place in my hometown, 85 years ago. It is interesting to hear about places that I know being mentioned in a murder mystery. Where is Anna Parson's body? Will it be found in a field or a wooded area nearby?
What is remarkable is that the FBI, lead by nonother than J. Edgar Hoover was involved and fumbled the case!
What is remarkable is that the FBI, lead by nonother than J. Edgar Hoover was involved and fumbled the case!
December 29, 2021
There were a bunch of blunders made by both local police and the FBI. But hindsight is 20/20.
I grew up around where this occurred, although not at the time LOL, and had never heard of Alice Parson. Was an interesting read and sad that there was never any closure. Reminder to self--- you do NOT need a housekeeper ;)
I grew up around where this occurred, although not at the time LOL, and had never heard of Alice Parson. Was an interesting read and sad that there was never any closure. Reminder to self--- you do NOT need a housekeeper ;)
July 8, 2024
I am very familiar with this area of Long Island, and had never heard of this bit of history. I would have liked to learn about it.
Hopefully I can find another book about this unsolved kidnapping that will hold my interest.
This book is among the most poorly written I’ve ever read. I’ve never read anything so impossibly boring.
Hopefully I can find another book about this unsolved kidnapping that will hold my interest.
This book is among the most poorly written I’ve ever read. I’ve never read anything so impossibly boring.
May 2, 2025
A well-written and detailed account of the investigation into the "kidnapping" of Alice Parsons. The description of the tactics used by the FBI were interesting from a historical angle. The author gives a well-thought-out summary that answers the remaining questions that I had concerning why no arrests were made.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2025
Audible's free True Crime collection is full of hidden gems like this heart-stopping investigation, in which an FBI agent plays mental chess against a murderous mastermind and...loses! Still, the excitement is worth it - we know who did what to who and why, but we can't find the body and nobody is punished. Couldn't put it down.
July 15, 2022
Interesting because of the time and setting, this story is told in a very factual, straightforward way. It pieces together the facts in a clear timeline and offers a few surprises. I would have preferred more commentary on the case, or the FBI's processes, but it was a good listen on audiobook.
January 2, 2023
From the title the reader would expect Parsons was a Gold Coast heiress, but she was far from it. The book is written as though it were a report that simply states facts, a style that feels repetitive and becomes boring over time.
May 6, 2024
Interesting Book
This a little sad since the truth was never revealed. The life that was snuffed out was already tragic, but the betrayal and possible brutal method of killing the victim makes it eve worse.
This a little sad since the truth was never revealed. The life that was snuffed out was already tragic, but the betrayal and possible brutal method of killing the victim makes it eve worse.
February 27, 2024
It will remain a cliffhanger
This was a pretty interesting book. There is a strong case against the suspects but it’s shocking that they were never arrested. It’s like they truly did get away with murder. The unresolved case is a bit unsatisfying, but it’s right there in the title, so I can’t be disappointed.
This was a pretty interesting book. There is a strong case against the suspects but it’s shocking that they were never arrested. It’s like they truly did get away with murder. The unresolved case is a bit unsatisfying, but it’s right there in the title, so I can’t be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews