Emily Van Tassel, a 16-year-old white female from Chicago, Illinois, disappeared on June 1, 1892. She was employed at a confectionery shop located at 1151 Milwaukee Avenue, known as Wilde's, which was situated near H.H. Holmes's glass bending factory. According to her mother, Emily had met with Holmes on four occasions, the first being a family outing for ice cream.
The proprietor of the candy store, Frank Wilde, was suspected to be an alias used by Holmes or his associate Benjamin Pitezel. This connection raised suspicions about Holmes's involvement in Emily's disappearance. In his 1896 confession, Holmes mentioned a victim resembling Emily, though he referred to her by various aliases, including Anna Van Tassaud and Rossine Van Jassand.
Following Holmes's confession, authorities excavated a portion of the basement of the store on April 17, 1896, in search of evidence. However, no human remains were discovered during this investigation. Despite the lack of physical evidence, Emily's mother maintained that her daughter was missing, and as late as 1897, Emily's name appeared on a list of suspected victims used by Chief Badenoch to justify certain investigative actions.
While some reports suggested that Emily Van Tassel was still alive in 1896, these claims lacked substantiation, and her disappearance remains unresolved. The case of Emily Van Tassel exemplifies the challenges faced by investigators in distinguishing between confirmed and suspected victims of H.H. Holmes, whose crimes were often shrouded in aliases and conflicting accounts.
