TN TN - James Butler, 39, Kingsport, 16 Aug 1995

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The Doe Network:
Case File 1200DMTN

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1200dmtn.html

James Daniel Butler
Missing since August 16, 1995 from Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Classification: Endangered Missing


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Vital Statistics

•Date Of Birth: June 9, 1956
•Age at Time of Disappearance: 39 years old
•Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 61 inches; 120 lbs.
•Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Black, graying hair; blue eyes.
•Identifying Characteristics: Declared legally blind. Very unusual bone structure and muscle pattern, small in stature with very large hands and joints, similar to dwarf syndrome.
•Clothing: T-shirt, jeans, athletic shoes (color unknown).
•AKA: Danny


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Circumstances of Disappearance
Last seen in the area of the Durwood Court Apartments. His girlfriend reported that he was last seen getting into a vehicle with strangers to get a ride to a bus to Johnson City, TN.


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Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Kingsport City Police Department
423-246-9111

Agency Case Number:
9524668

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/butler_james_daniel.html

http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301054W

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/100/5/
NamUs Profile:
Dental: NA
DNA: NA
Fingerprints: NA

James has been missing 15 years today. Come home soon.
 

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K.P.D. Seeks New Information in 1995 Missing Person Case
October 24, 2013
http://kingsportpdblog.com/2013/10/24/kpd-e-press-release-k-p-d-seeks-new-information-in-1995-missing-person-case/

Kingsport Police ask for help solving cold case
Oct 24 2013
http://www.wcyb.com/news/authorities-ask-for-help-solving-cold-case/22621622
Public Information Officer Tom Patton says they recently lost touch with Butler's only known relative and hope other family members can help them close the case.
 
James Daniel Butler – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance:
Butler was last seen in the vicinity of Durwood Court Apartments in Kingsport, Tennessee on August 16, 1995. His girlfriend told authorities that Butler entered a vehicle with unidentified persons for a ride to a bus station during the day. Butler was apparently not familiar with the car's occupants. His girlfriend said that he planned to take a bus to Johnson City, Tennessee at the time. Butler has never been heard from again.
 
K.P.D. Seeks New Information in 1995 Missing Person Case
October 24, 2013
KPD e-Press Release: K.P.D. Seeks New Information in 1995 Missing Person Case

According to this link, his girlfriend last saw him on August 7 but didn't report him until six days later? That might be suspicious.

Then again, she stated that he was on his way from Kingsport to Johnson City, TN—just 30 minutes away—in order to find work. Since August 7 was a Monday that year, maybe she thought he'd stay in Johnson City through the work week and return on the weekend. When he didn't return, she reported him missing on Sunday the 13th.

James Daniel Butler – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance:
Butler was last seen in the vicinity of Durwood Court Apartments in Kingsport, Tennessee on August 16, 1995. His girlfriend told authorities that Butler entered a vehicle with unidentified persons for a ride to a bus station during the day. Butler was apparently not familiar with the car's occupants. His girlfriend said that he planned to take a bus to Johnson City, Tennessee at the time. Butler has never been heard from again.

Here are two slight discrepancies:

According to the CP, the girlfriend saw James get into a car with people he didn't know, in order to hitch a ride to the bus station during the day. But the Kingsport PD Blog states she last saw him get directly on the bus at 9 p.m. in the evening.

According to the CP, James was 5'1" and 120 lbs., whereas the police blog states he was 5'5" and 165 lbs. I can understand the height difference could be a result of his "unusual bone structure and muscle patterns," but the weight?

With all this, I feel like either the girlfriend's story is suspicious, or maybe he did meet with foul play at the hands of human traffickers—targeting him because they saw him in the area "typically holding a sign that read 'Will Work for Food.'"
 
@JSolt1210
Thanks for commenting on this case. It's a sad one.
"Will work for food" and taking a bus to seek work and then disappears :(.

I hope LE was able to get back in touch with a relative.

Height/weight discrepencies do seem to happen in missing person's cases. Maybe there is more than one source of information (reported approximate height/weight versus what's confirmed later by medical records?)
If there is a discrepency in when/where he was last seen, I do wonder about that. But it could be a vague report (maybe something like, "left at 9:00 pm for a bus,") was misinterpreted somewhere along the way? JMO.
 

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