Resolved NJ - Franklin, Skeletal Remains UP10717, 18-99, at Consolata Missionaries, Sep'12 - n/a

I'm going to go out on a major limb here.

last month a skull of an African American male was found on the property of

Consolata Missionaries
2301 Route 27
Franklin, New Jersey

they estimated the skull had been there about 2 yrs. the skull had all of 2 teeth left:

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/11151

In Sept 2012, a right tibia and a right patella were found on the property of

Consolata Missionaries
2301 Route 27
Franklin, New Jersey


they estimated the bones had been there about 2 yrs. based on what little they found, they are uncertain as to race and age and give a rough estimate of 5'5" as the height.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/10717

I am going to venture a guess that the skull and the leg bones belong to the same person! this means we are looking for an African American male age 40 or higher.

I'm going to take a wild guess that the remains are those of Arthur Wakefield, Jr., then age 66 who was last seen leaving his home in North Brunswick, NJ by bicycle on August 5, 2006.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/15121/4/

the picture appears to be taken in a custodial setting so Mr. Wakefield could have been living on the streets for a while before perishing (assuming of course he is one in the same as the remains). Mr. Wakefield was listed as being 5'9" but they are basing the height of the UID with the tibia and patella solely on those bones.

I just went to google maps and this is even closer than I thought. the property of Consolata Missionaries is on the west side of Route 27, Franklin Township, Somerset County. the other side of Route 27 is North Brunswick, Middlesex County.

I don't usually make phone calls but on this one I did. too much going on here. correct race, age bracket and geography made it too tempting to pass up.

I called the contact listed in Namus. a man took a message and the contact called me back. when I advised that I had a missing person who seemed to match, she advised me to call the Franklin Township Police Dept which is running the investigation. I got the # for the investigations dept and got a voice mail for the secretary. I left a message and so far no call back.

I would add that the UID had only 2 teeth. Wakefield is noted to have had dentures. how complete a set, I do not know. so we are still in the ballpark dentally speaking.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/wakefield_arthur.html

I got a call from the detective assigned to this case. very nice guy. I told him that I look at these sites and saw this possible match and passed the info onto him. he had never heard of Namus and I gave him the website info. he had no idea who had even input his skull and the other leg bones they found last year.

he asked about the contact info for Wakefield, which I gave him. he said he was going to call the North Brunswick PD and ask them what they knew about Wakefield as he was curious to know where in town he had last lived. he confirmed that North Brunswick is right across 27 from the missionaries property where the skull was found.

he was very appreciative for the head's up (no pun intended).

First thoughts on looking at this case: Rt 27 there is pretty much two lanes and has narrow to non-existent shoulders. On top of that, it's barely lit. It really is a death trap for bikers. Any biker, including Arthur Wakefield, could easily have been hit and knocked a little ways into the fields surrounding the mission, but exactly how far into the property were these remains found? Was a bicycle found there at any time in the last two years (I wouldn't expect one to be found, if there were any usable parts it would be taken, there's a thriving bike stealing/chop shop gang in New Brunswick)?

Second thought: Consolata Mission rents its enormous 'lawns' to farmers so, for much of the year, it is growing corn. Corn would hide a body if it was the right season, or it would show a clear trail where someone was hit and knocked into the field. With the body broken up the way described in the OP, I'm thinking it has been plowed through several times. No doubt this would show on examination, but I'm not certain that we have the complete information on that. I'd like to think that the farmer doing the plowing would notice a skeleton among the corn stubble in his path, so that brings up the possibility that the deceased was initially in a shallow grave.

Fortunately, dentures should survive two years and would probably miss being plowed and harrowed; unfortunately I don't think anyone is going to do a search for the dentures that would confirm this was Arthur.

Is there any information on where in the field the remains were found?

I don't know about anyone killing a man for his bicycle. New Brunswick has its crime problems but North Brunswick is pretty quiet.

I never heard back from the detective. I probably should call him but I figure he called the North Brunswick police already and who knows what they found out. keep in mind he had no idea who set up the Namus page so theoretically, the local police could have cleared this up without notifying anyone else.

also when I called the listed contact person she referred me to the local police.

After searching NJ unidentifieds on namus, seeing those two entries for Somerset County, I checked here to see if anyone else had noticed that...
Good find Webrocket!
I'm assuming you haven't heard anything further?

nothing yet. I'm not that keen on making phone calls (although I did on this one). since the detective did not know who put up the Namus page for this UID, I'm not sure how it would be updated with a match or a rule out.

Strangely enough, the first link I posted with the skull and two teeth is not accessible. The second link is and the MP page for Wakefield is still up and running.

Can anyone access further to find out what happened to case # 11151?

I think this man may have been identified. That 'Permission Error' message comes up when a missing person is found or a UID is identified.

I find it hard to believe they had TWO different bodies on that property.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP10717
Unsure, Uncertain
Date Body FoundSeptember 17, 2012
Location FoundFranklin Township, New Jersey
Estimated Age Range18-99 Years
Height5' 5"(65 inches) , Estimated
WeightCannot Estimate

TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundSeptember 17, 2012
NamUs Case CreatedOctober 27, 2012
ME/C QA ReviewedOctober 28, 2012
Location Found Map
LocationFranklin Township, New Jersey 08873
CountySomerset County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)40.27.20 N, 74.31.13 W

Circumstances of Recovery
Four human bones found in wooded area behind parking lot of Consolata Missionaries.

Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains
Head not recovered
Torso not recovered
One or more limbs not recovered
One or both hands not recovered

Condition of Remains -Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Clothing -None. -On the Body
Clothing -Found approx 140 ft from human remains (40.27.0 N, 74.31.30 W) Shirt with "MART hosp H Keeping Mitchell" -Near the Body


I found this MART at Stony Brook and a MART hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. If I had to bet, this item is associated with the NY hospital. Moo

MART: Fact Sheet | Stony Brook Cancer Center
MART: Fact Sheet
The Medical and Research Translation (MART) building is a transformative model for cancer research and treatment, providing an ideal environment for researchers and doctors to collaborate, investigate and innovate in developing breakthrough cancer medicines, treatments and cures. The eight-story, 240,000-square-foot MART is located on Stony Brook University’s East Campus, home of Stony Brook Medicine, adjacent to Stony Brook University Hospital.
#

Moo- Both of the following potential matches are missing way beyond the 2-year est. PMI of these remains. Therefore, I assume the bones are older than 2 years, or the MPs survived until at least 2010ish, or these remain don't belong to either person below. Still i thought it important to point out them as potentials. Both have the Mitchell surname.

Roberta Mitchell went missing from Camden, NJ. Her height is a match to the est height of these partial remains. No other glaring associations to this UID. moo
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Missing Person / NamUs #MP52436
Roberta Mitchell, Female,
Black / African American
Date of Last ContactSeptember 2, 2000
Missing FromCamden, New Jersey
Missing Age31 Years
Current Age50 Years
Height5' 5" (65 Inches)
Weight140 lbs
Circumstances of Disappearance
Last seen by family on or about 9/02/2000.


#

Kevin Mitchell was living and working in NY, NY. I wonder if he had any employment or patient connection to MART? Circumstances show he could have visited relatives in NJ. His height though is at least 3" taller then est for these remains.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
No photo.
Kevin Montez Mitchell, Male,
Black / African American
Date of Last ContactJanuary 10, 1988
Missing FromNew York, New York
Missing Age31 Years
Current Age63 Years
Height5' 8" - 6' 1" (68 - 73 Inches)
Weight150 lbs
Circumstances of Disappearance
Report originally taken as a "courtesy report" for New York City, NY where MP was working and living. MP also possibly visiting family in KY and/or NJ when last seen.

I did a little speculating here and came up with somewhat of a potential match. I'll need help getting to any potential nitty gritty details. Also, I think I've got all the locations correct but double check me, pls. This may all lead to nothing but here I go.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
UID - No facial photo/No exclusions
Located Sept 2012
2 year est PMI
Originally Male now uncertain sex
Originally black now uncertain race
Adult-aged skull w/ 2 teeth
Roughly est. height 5 '5"
Located on Consolata Missionaries property (Franklin, NJ)
"Mitchell" shirt tagged MART Hospital (Stony Brook, NY)



The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Ronald Howard Wilkins -
Disappeared Jan 2009
W/M/Adult
Appears to have dental issues possibly including tooth loss (imho)
Height matches
Blades, DE to Franklin, NJ a little over 3 hours
Last seen walking along RR tracks


John Doe was found in a wooded area behind a parking lot. If Ronald left willingly in 2009 it's possible he might have made his way to NJ. Could Ronald have been working the on the fields (this most likely was investigated) or placed there by the perp? It could also be that maybe he was homeless and was receiving (probably investigated) or attempting to get aid or care from the Missionary so he hung out in the area immediately before he died a natural death? The shirt might be one he picked up from a thrift store or a shelter along his journey. It could also have come from the murderer (if foul play) or if Ronald ever received treatment at MART Hospital for cancer or some other terminal illness.

Again, I know this is a long shot but I'm not finding much else given the time, location, and circumstances surrounding this case.

All three NamUs profiles in the OP have permission errors. Perhaps he/she was finally identified.