While the disappearance of Joan Risch is a well-known mystery, I just learned from the Dark Curiosities video entitled The Disappearance of Joan Risch that Joan was orphaned in a mysterious fire on the night of February 23rd, 1939.

Synopsis

Joan Risch was born Joan Bard on May 12th, 1930 to Harold and Josephine Bard.

1939 Account

The February 23rd, 1939, Lancaster New Era newspaper contained a brief article entitled 2 Die in Fire describing the death of Joan Risch’s parents.

The article said that two persons had died in a fire that had caused $25,000 damage. The victims were Harold S. Bard, 42, a World War I veteran; and his wife, Josephine Bard, 38.

The fire chief said that the cause of death was suffocation. The fire chief also said that Harold was found with a telephone in his hand, and that Josephine was found sitting in a chair in the living room.

No cause of the fire was determined (at least at the time this article was published).

1963 Account

The February 24th, 1963, Boston Globe newspaper contained an article entitled Fire Killed Joan’s Parents 24 Years Ago Last Week.

The information in this article largely comes from an Arthur C. Hamilton who was a member of the Mountain Lakes Call Fire Department from 1919 to 1939. The article states that Hamilton had resigned from the fire department shortly before the Bards were killed, but that he had spoken to many of the people who had fought the fire.

Hamilton said that Joan wasn’t home the night of the fire, but was staying with relatives.

The article says that Harold was found lying on the living room floor with the telephone in his hand. Josephine was found a few feet away on a chair. Both died from smoke inhalation. Neither was burned.

Hamilton then says,

One of the most unusual things about that fire was the dog they found. The Bards had a huge German police dog. And he used to bark whenever anyone went near the apartment. But after the smoke had cleared and firemen were poking through the ruins, they found the dog wrapped up in a blanket in the basement. It appeared that someone had put him to sleep before the fire started.

The article said that the dog had been strangely silent that night.

Questions

  • Arthur Hamilton’s account of the dog is second hand (i.e. he wasn’t one of the fire fighters – he just heard about it) and also recounted many years after – do you believe the fire happened as he described?
  • What does “it appeared that someone had put him (i.e. the dog) to sleep before the fire started” mean?
  • What really happened?

Links

Disappearance of Joan Risch Wikipedia entry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Joan_Risch

The Disappearance of Joan Risch youtube video

https://youtu.be/Vr7FMVCUP1A

2 Die in Fire, February 23rd, 1939, Lancaster New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67970312/joan-risch-2-die-in-fire/

Fire Killed Joan’s Parents 24 Years Ago Last Week, February 24th, 1963, The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts)

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67970583/joan-risch-fire-killed-parents/