CA CA - Hillsborough, WhtMale UP9940, 20-30, Taurus .38 revolver, Jan'81

NamUs link: https://identifyus.org/en/cases/9940

NamUs UP # 9940
ME/C Case Number: 81-00108
20 to 30 year old, White Male
Date found: January 30, 1981
Location Found: In a canyon 150 yards north of 2536 Butternut Drive, Hillsborough, California, 94010 - San Mateo County

Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 20-30 years
Race: White
Sex: Male
Weight (pounds): Cannot Estimate
Height (inches): 76, Estimated

Body Condition
Partial skeletal remains: One or more limbs not recovered. Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only.
Probable year of death: 1970 to 1976
Estimated postmortem interval: Years

Clothing and Accessories
Clothing with body: Green sweater/sweatshirt with "Patterson's Sausalito" on front with small emblem. Blue/brown plaid pants with 34 inch waist and 33 inch inseam.
Footwear: Size 13 boots with 3/4 tops with side zippers. Light tread on the heels and "Tufgum" imprinted on the soles.
Other items found with body: Ruster, Taurus .38 caliber revolver; serial #066259 recovered from underneath approximately one (1) inch of leaf and soil mulch.

Circumstances
Partial skeletal remains found by children in a canyon approximately 150 yards north of 2536 Butternut Drive in Hillsborough. Unregistered, Taurus .38 caliber revolver located nearby with one spent round casing and 5 live rounds.

Identifiers
Fingerprints: Skeletal remains - no fingerprints available.
Dental: Available and in NamUs
DNA: No DNA sample taken at time of final disposition.

Hillsborough, CA is one of the wealthiest communities in the U.S. From Wikipedia:

Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hillsborough is one of the wealthiest communities in America and has the highest income of places in the United States with populations of at least 10,000. It is located 17 miles (27 km) south of San Francisco on the San Francisco Peninsula, bordered by Burlingame to the north, San Mateo to the east, Highlands-Baywood Park to the south, and Interstate 280 to the west. The population was 10,825 at the 2010 census. The town is served by Hillsborough City School District. Hillsborough's landscape is dominated by large homes; the city enforces a 2,500-square-foot (230 m2) minimum house size and minimum lot size of 0.5 acres (2,000 m2) to preserve exclusivity. As a result, there are no apartments, condominiums or townhouses in the city limits; however, it is not unusual for the homes along the eastern edge of Hillsborough to face condominiums in neighboring Burlingame, sharing the ZIP code 94010.

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The UID was found in a canyon. The terrain seems not uncommon in Hillsborough which is very wooded and hilly. Again, from Wikipedia:

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16 km2), all of it land. The area's hilly topography and lack of use of a grid layout for roads make navigation by outsiders notoriously difficult. The area of Crystal Springs Road is one of the most difficult to navigate.

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A satellite view from Google Maps of the general location the UID was found in shows how dense the trees and vegetation are: http://goo.gl/maps/f1xUX.

Sausalito, the town mentioned on the UID's sweatshirt, is also an affluent residential community known for being at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge (hence a tourist destination) and also for having an enclave of artists and wealthy residents.

Sausalito to Hillsborough using the most direct route across the Golden Gate Bridge is about a 40 to 50 minute drive / 25 to 30 miles depending on which freeway is used: http://goo.gl/maps/52T0E.

I didn't find any results for "Patterson's Sausalito," but there was a bar there called "Patterson's Bar". It looks like it was converted to an Italian restaurant and renamed in the last decade.

Thoughts on Peter Joseph Bonick?

Websleuths thread: CA Peter Joseph Bonick (17) - San Mateo CA, 1970 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/bonick_peter.html
DoeNetwork: http://doenetwork.org/cases/1675dmca.html

From DoeNetwork profile:



Peter Joseph Bonick
Missing since February 22, 1970 from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• Date Of Birth: February 6, 1953
• Age at Time of Disappearance: 17 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 6'0"; 175 lbs.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Sandy hair; blue eyes. One shoulder blade is larger and/or higher than the other shoulder blade due to Idiopathic Scoliosis.
• Dentals: Available. Chipped upper front tooth.
• Fingerprints: Available
• AKA: Pete

Circumstances of Disappearance
Bonick was last seen in the morning hours at his residence in the vicinity of the 2000 block of Ginnever Street in San Mateo, California on February 22, 1970.

He was later seen hitchhiking on SR-92 to Half Moon Bay, California. He has never been heard from again.

From Charley Project profile:

Two friends reported seeing him a month later at the Mayfair Market. He has never been heard from again. Peter was staying at a children's home and was on a weekend pass when he disappeared.

Peter's family believe he left with his friend, Rick Lamson, who disappeared in March of that year. It's unclear whether Lamson was also reported missing or if he was ever found. Few details are available in Peter's case.

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Comparisons
Age: Peter is three years younger than the listed range. 17 vs. 20-30.
Timeline: Peter disappeared in 1970 which fits the UID's estimated death interval of 1970 to 1976.
Height: Peter was reported to be 6 ft. while the UID is estimated to be 6 ft. 4 inches.
Location (via Google Maps)
Peter's last known location of (A) 2000 Ginnever Street, San Mateo, CA 94403 to the UID's found location (B) 2536 Butternut Drive, Hillsborough, CA vs. Peter's possible destination of (C) Half Moon Bay: http://goo.gl/maps/v5JFW.
San Mateo to Half Moon Bay goes through CA-92 W where Peter may have been seen hitchhiking. San Mateo to Hillsborough also goes through CA-92 W.


Additional information found:
Unvetted CNN iReport posted by someone claiming to be a sibling: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-544205.
Unvetted CNN iReport posted by someone claiming to have known Peter: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-542631.
This blog post says that Peter's case has been closed - perhaps he has never been compared against the UID? http://forthelost.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/peter-bonick-missing-forty-three-years/

The UID was missing quite a few teeth antemortem. Peter's MP report mentions a chipped front tooth but nothing about missing teeth. If Peter was alive for awhile after he was last seen, I guess it is possible he could have had all of those teeth removed. That seems kind of unlikely though.
Also, Peter had scoliosis which isn't mentioned with the UID. Since it was only partial remains, maybe the spine wasn't recovered.

Quick update: I didn't find this UID listed on the San Mateo County Unidentified Persons page (link here) so I emailed the Coroner's Office case manager contact listed on NamUs to see if Peter Bonick had ever been considered. Deputy Coroner Vogt replied that Mr. Bonick is one of the missing persons the office is comparing to this UID. Unfortunately the Coroner's Office is extremely busy which causes delays, but she will let me know what the disposition of the case is.

Lew Welch is a good possibility.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/welch_lewis.html

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2

I came across this missing person's profile which caught my eye for this UID.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/12439/1
http://www.srpd.org/beinformed/missing_persons.php
http://dojapp.doj.ca.gov/missing/detail.asp?FCN=3250224600146
http://doenetwork.org/cases/497dmca.html
http://www.nampn.org/cases/anderson_jorgen.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/anderson_jorgen.html

Jorgen Andersen was last seen in February 1980 in San Rafael, California (Marin County). He was suppose to meet his family in Jamaica for a holiday, but never boarded his flight at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). It sounds like he was having some issues with a warrant and/or parole violation.

San Rafael is about 15 minutes away from Sausalito (the location listed on the UID's sweatshirt). SFO is about 12 minutes from Hillsborough, California (where the UID was found).

His height is listed as 6' and 6'1" so shorter than what NamUs estimates from the UID's partial skeletal remains (6'4"). Also, NamUs estimates the UID died between 1970 and 1976 whereas Jorgen was last seen just under a year before the UID was located.

Dentals are listed as available for both.

“0 Missing Person Exclusions”


Date Body Found: January 30, 1981
Location Found: Hillsborough, California
Estimated Age: Adult - Pre 40; 20-30 years
Estimated Year of Death: 1970-1976
Height: 6 feet 4 inches
Weight: Cannot Estimate

Clothing: Green sweater/sweatshirt with "Patterson's Sausalito" on front with small emblem. Blue/brown plaid pants with 34 inch waist and 33 inch inseam.
Footwear: Size 13 boots with 3/4 tops with side zippers. Light tread on the heels and "Tufgum" imprinted on the soles.
Accessories: Ruster, Taurus .38 caliber revolver; serial #066259 recovered from underneath approximately one (1) inch of leaf and soil mulch.

Circumstances of Recovery: Partial skeletal remains found by children in a canyon approximately 150 yards north of 2536 Butternut Drive in Hillsborough. Unregistered, Taurus .38 caliber revolver located nearby with one spent round casing and 5 live rounds.

Bumping.
I wonder how close the gun was to his body. One spent round sound like a suicide.
Looking at the map it seems he was in a small wooded area surrounded by houses, but there's a huge park not too far. Unless at the time of his death it was less developed.