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Shirley Coolen death by force case profile photo

Shirley Coolen

Case from Boston, MA dated May 26, 1951

Victim Details

Shirley Coolen

Female

White / Caucasian

Boston

MA

1951-05-26

24

Shirley

Coolen

07/17/2026

Case Description

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On the evening of May 26, 1951, 24-year-old white female Shirley Mae Coolen was last seen leaving her shift at the Bowdoin Hotel restaurant in Brunswick, Maine. She had arranged to meet her ex-husband, Guy Coolen, near the Pastime Theater on Park Row, hoping for a reconciliation. When she failed to return home, her family was not immediately alarmed, as Shirley, a single mother of a five-year-old daughter, often kept her own schedule.

Three days later, on May 29, a housekeeper discovered ...
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Links to Additional Sources (5)

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  • 156. Charles Terry, Shirley Coolen, and the Boston Strangler
  • Obituary for Shirley M. (Blair) Coolen | Waitt Funeral Home
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    Forum Posts (1)

    I remember reading about the tragic case of Shirley Mae Coolen, and I keep going back to the letter ... ...Read More
    10/31/2024
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