NC NC - John Masse, 26, Greensboro, 16 March 1984

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Kat

Kat

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While looking for updates on missing persons. I stumbled across the following article.

September 11, 2010 4:55 PM (no updates posted at this time).

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/years-36848-bodies-cases.html

At the bottom of the article is a list of people who are missing. Interestingly, only one has been entered into a missing person data base that I can find (I posted the link to her missing thread already).

Snipped:

* John Prange Masse. Then 26 years old, Masse, a cost analyst at Burlington Industries, was last seen leaving a party in Greensboro on March 16, 1984. He never arrived at his home, 333 Rosemont St., in Gibsonville, and nobody ever found him or his 1979 Toyota hatchback. He was reported missing to the Alamance County Sheriff's Department March 24, 1984, by people he worked with. He was declared legally dead years ago at his family’s request.

Several years ago, investigators received information that Masse’s body might have be in some woods off University Drive near Burlington. A search and an all-night dig failed to turn up any remains, Alamance County Sheriff’s spokesman Randy Jones said Friday.
Click to expand...

I can't find John listed on Doe Network.

I can't find John listed on Charley Project.

I can't find John listed in NamUs.

One archived article:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AJ&pg=6986,3927809&dq=john-prange-masse&hl=en

Dated 25 AUG 1984.

No picture at link. I will make pages for the others when I sign back on.
 
Hi, John Masse is my uncle and I just came across this. I was hoping you could give me more information on what was in that Times article you had posted. The link no longer works.
Also if you have been able to come across any more information on his case I would love to hear about it.
 
RebMasse, would you be able to provide a photo and other information about John Prange Masse to add to this website and the Doe Network? There is very little information on him and his disappearance, only basic. This may help in the search. I read in a newspaper article from 1984 that he was 5 feet 11 inches tall, 160 lbs. with sandy brown hair. A photo of John and the car would also help. I just think that a complete profile is better. His is sparse. PS My sister is very good friends with your Aunt Lisa, so I've known about John's case since it happened. There were very few resources back in 1984 for missing persons. I would be happy to make the updates for you.
 
I checked the Milwaukee Journal article from August 25, 1984 again and John Prange Masse had green eyes. He was wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans the night he disappeared. The police suspected foul play at the time. He was driving a 1979 yellow Toyota Corolla hatchback which has never been found. John was a 1975 graduate of Xavier Catholic High School and was the class Salutatorian. John had an engineering degree, a good job at Burlington Industries, was a very reliable person with a closeknit family and would not have voluntarily disappeared.
 
Did you ever hear back from John's niece, Mary? It sure would be nice to get him listed with some more information.

Looking at his likely route from Greensboro to Gibsonville on Google Maps, it doesn't seem that he'd have gone by too many bodies of water.

If he were a forensic accountant, and said something to someone at that party, it might suggest a motive for his going missing, but it's hard to imagine a "cost-control analyst" link that might. It's also unlikely that he was a victim of chop-shoppers, given he was driving a yellow Corolla hatchback, 5 or 6 years old. I'm probably thinking about that because of the young man who went missing from the same county the next year, after he'd turned in some plates he found, though that hardly seems sufficient provocation to get disappeared.

I'm sure it's true that his family is close-knit, but they really ought to follow up.
 
My sister knows the family well. John would never go missing. They talked to people at the dinner party. The police suspected foul play. I haven't seen a reply from his niece. The parents spent a lot of money hiring private investigators, etc. Years later they had him declared dead, but I think it would be good to bring his remains home. His mom is still alive along with many siblings. It's too bad there were so few resources back then for missing persons.
 
I was able to find a a photo of John Masse in the 1979 Purdue University yearbook.

attachment.php
 

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  • 1979 Purdue MasseJohnPrange.jpg
    1979 Purdue MasseJohnPrange.jpg
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very interesting case. sadly, it hasn't gotten a lot of attention.

No evidence (that Im aware of) has come to light in the 30+ years that would indicate he lived an 'at risk' lifestyle or was involved in seedy activities.

I'm puzzled by the car. It is hard enough to hide a body...but a car? Next to impossible. It suggests to me that if he did meet with foul play, it was well planned. It wasn't random or a crime of opportunity.

i'm familiar with the area. I can't think of any body of water between Greensboro and Gibsonville that he may have accidently driven into.
 
It is also my understanding that Masse had a history of giving rides to hitchhikers
 
Maybe this is of little significance, but Masse at the time had a gf who lived in France. He had recently taken a leave of absence from his job and spent time in France.
 
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