IA IA - Decorah, WhtMale Skeletal 2UMIA, 30-40, in barn, Mar'86

chaddylex

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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2umia.html

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2620

Iowa 2 86.jpgIowa 86.jpg





•The victim was discovered on March 31, 1986 near Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa.
•Cause of death: Unknown; possibly from exposure to the elements.
•Estimated date of death: April 1985
•Skeletal remains



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Vital Statistics

•Estimated age: 33-36 years old
•Approximate Height and Weight: 5'6"- 5'9"; 145-160 pounds.
•Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair; medium build.
•Clothing: Plaid white, tan, black, pile-lined jacket, medium white, tan, short sleeve terry cloth shirt, blue corduroy pants with 33" waist, black socks, extra-large blue windbreaker and brown shoes. The pictures show the clothing the individual was wearing.
•Dentals: Available
•DNA: Not Available


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Case History
The victim was located between hay bales on a farm near Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa on March 31, 1986.
The individual may have been traveling from Ohio to California.
He had a one dollar bill, pink blanket and a match book in his possession
 
I sent in a possible match to the above UID yesterday.. I still haven't heard back yet.

Not much info on this guy, wish we had a picture.
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/18951/0/

Below is some of the email I sent to the Administors handling the cases at NamUs.

The UP age is a little higher (lists 33-36) Michael was 27 when he went missing but I match a few others where the age was slightly off

Michael is listed as being 5’9, the UP is said to have been between 5’6 – 5’9 and the weight is close

Michael’s NamUs page said that he May have been in Dubuque,IA, on the day he went missing. The UP was found in Winneshiek County, Iowa. (about 100+ miles between the two) The UP was thought to have died in April 1985, Michael went missing in May of 1985. I saw too many things that were close, I didn’t want to pass it up!

Both Michael’s and the UP’s dental tab say they have dentals available.
 
I just got an email back, they are looking into it!! Hopefully it will be an easy ruleout/match since the UP and Michael both have dentals available.
 
Wonder what makes them speculate he may have been in transit from Ohio to California.
 
something about the matchbook?

I thought I read an explanation somewhere awhile back on why they thought he was maybe from Ohio & on his way to California, but I have had no luck finding any information on it.
 
I'm wondering because they seem pretty specific about the time of death. Imagine that means they asked the farmer when it started smelling bad in his barn. Also imagine that he figured it was probably a raccoon or something that had died in there.

Exposure to the elements seems reasonable, in that the hay bales would have trapped some heat around the body. It's just that a person in extremis might have sought help, unless there was a reason not to, such as being on the lam or being suicidal. It's a pretty strange place to be, if you're passing from Ohio to California, not really very close to a major artery.

Daytime temperatures, beginning April 11, 1985, were significantly higher for a couple weeks stretch, judging from the info from LaCrosse than usually they would be at that time of year. I'm thinking our UID might have been in that barn for a substantial portion of the winter prior to their guesstimated time of death, though why he would have been traveling in colder weather with spring/fall layering is an open question. Maybe he was abandoned in the area, not unlike the Clinton, WI, John Doe from 1994. Seems odd that if he were traveling long-distance he wouldn't have had at least a gym bag with other items, instead of just a pink blanket, the contents of his pockets, and the clothes he was wearing. Size 33 waist from someone of his height argues that he wasn't exactly starving prior to going missing.

So, again, it would be nice to have more info on why they believe he might have been traveling from Ohio to California. Otherwise, I'd be more inclined to look for someone from WI, MN, IL or IA who had a warrant out for his arrest/wanted for questioning/trouble at home. Why your missing person who may have been seen in Davenport may have been in Davenport is yet another question.
 
What about Ronald LeRoy Zellmer: http://doenetwork.org/cases/54dmia.html

Age is a little under and a terrible picture too which doesn't help.

Scrambled Eggs,

While the circumstances of Ronald Zellmer's disapperance are saying that LE thinks he jumped from the Veteran's Memorial Bridge because his car was found there with the car still running, maybe something else happened?

The UID estimated date of death is April 1985 and that is when Ronald was last seem.

The only person on the rule out list for this UID is Michael Limesand. The man I turned into Emily Craig.

Here is Ronald's Charley Page. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/z/zellmer_ronald.html

here is a side by side of both the UID and Ronald


Iowa 86.jpgzellmer_ronald.jpg
 
While the circumstances of Ronald Zellmer's disapperance are saying that LE thinks he jumped from the Veteran's Memorial Bridge because his car was found there with the car still running, maybe something else happened?

View attachment 31246View attachment 31245

That's what I was wondering - maybe he lost his nerve and just wandered off/hitchhiked? Especially if he was in a depressed state.

Just wish there was a front on pic of him and that he didn't have his hand covering his jawline in that pic...
 
From KCRG-IOWA
Based on coroner's findings, investigators estimate the man died about a year before his body was found. Based on local residents' memories, it is possible the man may have drifted through the area on his way from Ohio to California.

"That was kind of a guess from people," Ashbacher said. "There had been a gentleman in the area that had made that statement."

The man was white, 33 to 36 years old, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 145 to 160 pounds, with brown hair and a medium build.
Locals had suggested the drifter was on his way to California...
 
Note: I only looked thru states east and southeast of iowa, and I only looked thru listings between 1983-85.

Wonder what lead to the listed age range to be so narrow.

This guys age is far below listed but height/weight and hair is right. He is mentally ill as well, so that could explain sleeping in the barn. Missing date is 2 years before estimated date of death.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3616dmmn.html

Benard Joseph Hudalla
Missing since March 5, 1983
Age at Disappearance: 21 yrs
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'9, 145 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair. Blue Eyes

or maybe this one: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2203dmmd.html

Samuel Norris Campbell
Missing since March 22, 1985
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'8"; 150 lbs.
Age at Time of Disappearance: 34 years old
He's a fan of flannel as well.

This one fits too: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1032dmny.html

Mark David Zeichner
Missing since June 15, 1984 from New York City, New York.
Age at Time of Disappearance: 34 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 6'0"; 180 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; brown eyes.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1399dmny.html

Richard Gerald Bayne
Missing since May 24, 1984 from Montrose, Westchester County, New York
Age at Time of Disappearance: 31 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'6"; 170 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair, balding; blue eyes.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4312dmfl.html
Lloyd Raymond Gilsdorf
Missing since July 29, 1984 from Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida
Age at Time of Disappearance: 31 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'6"; 160-165 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; blue eyes. Beard and mustache.
 
I was umming and ahhing about Samuel Norris Campbell the other day (also due to the flannel and brown shoe thing :p). Also he might have been carrying a backpack which indicates travelling.

Just wondering where the backpack (and glasses) would be though...
 
James Welter hits the time window, the height/weight, age and hair color. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/welter_james.html He got into a minor accident on New Year's Eve while on military leave in Southern Mississippi and was cited for DUI. He was supposed to report back to base on 1/6 and show in court on 1/15, but was reported AWOL on 1/8. He originally hails from IL.

He left behind his ID, wallet, checks, etc. Strangely, his car turned up later, the person who was discovered to have it claiming to have purchased it on a salvage title in March of '86, just a couple of months after James' disappearance, from 2 unknown men. Even more strangely, the NamUs file on James, in the circumstances section, seems to state that the purchaser was one of the arresting officers from the PD, and names him outright. Seems unlikely someone would bump a guy for his car then turn around and sell it to a cop, although it's also strange that the arresting officer wasn't more interested in establishing the IDs of the guys who sold him the vehicle, and strange that he didn't recognize it. But say that Jimmy overreacted in considering what his superiors were going to do to him as a result of the DUI and splits. He doesn't want to be IDed via his belongings. He's headed for Canada at a not-very-auspicious time of year, gets bogged down just outside of MN and seeks shelter.

Jimmy's DNA is in the system, Winnesheik John Doe's is not.
 
Just a thought. I wonder if the pink blanket had belonged to his daughter who had already died due to the weather over the winter. If he was a non-custodial father who was hiding out because he had taken his young daughter, the missing person report could be for her instead of him. It's not the most likely answer, but anything is possible. MOO
 
Bumping for this John Doe.
He really needs a DNA profile; investigators are going to be hard pressed to get dental records for MP's going so far back to make rule outs.
Of all the MP's listed back in 2013, only 2 have dental available, so those two would be automatically ruled out based on that biometric by now. The rest could still be contenders. As of today, there are only 2 listed rule outs:
Michael Limesand, as mentioned previously
Melvin Synder
 

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