Identified! AL - Bessemer, Body Found in Well - Nov'13 - John Harris

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/11/woman_who_found_human_remains.html

"BESSEMER, Alabama - Authorities on Tuesday lowered themselves into a 21-foot well and removed what is believed to human remains discovered over the weekend.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office was on the scene of 808 Bell Street in Bessemer about 9 a.m., as well as Bessemer police and firefighters. By noon, they had collected and brought up the bones of the skeleton, said Deputy Coroner Bill Yates. It is too soon, he said, to know any details such as the sex, race or manner of death.

The bones were discovered Saturday. Jacqueline Kimble said her father, who has lived in the home for about a year, was going to repair the water line to his washing machine. As part of the repair, they had to go underneath to access some lines. "We hadn't had any reason to be under there before,'' said Kimble, who lives across the street. "My sister's boyfriend is the one that actually discovered it. He said, 'Your dad has a well under his house.'''

Not likely, but Sherry Ann Milton disappeared not far from this location.

This article says "he" So they must think it's a male http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/11/woman_who_found_human_remains.html

Sleuthster said:

This article says "he" So they must think it's a male http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/11/woman_who_found_human_remains.html

Click to expand...

Noticed that too but they also said too early to tell sex at the beginning. Freudian slip perhaps based on clothes found maybe.

This is not a nice part of B'ham. Lot of possibilities probably.

From a different article:
"Kimble ... believes the bones belong to a man because there were men's work pants and men's underwear still on the bones when she found them."
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/24011767/crews-search-site-where-bones-were-found-in-bessemer-well

Police are researching Jefferson County records to learn as much as possible about the history of the house above the well. It has had multiple occupants in the 83 years since it was built. Jacqueline Kimble's dad, Jackie Roberts, has rented it for only a year. Before that it was vacant for a while.

"The family that owns the home plans to fill up the well. At another home the family owns, Kimble's residence, there is a similar well. Crews plan to examine that well to see if it also holds remains."

Kimble lives across the street from her dad.

I lived in a different section of Bessemer in the early '80s. Like Birmingham (30 miles east), it's a combination of safe neighborhoods and crime-filled areas.

I have found a very, very obscure mention of a cabinet maker 'going missing' in 2012, although that's more likely to be just an unreliable workman. Although as he wasn't finished, maybe he hadn't been paid, so that would be strange.....
The workman's pants make me think this poor person went missing while working, so probably during the day. And he didn't work for a big firm employed to do work at the home, or his disappearance would have been noticed.

I can't help feeling the name of the person who did this may well be on a property record somewhere. Or the owner may have a record of a tenant who just 'upped and left' one day - or so he thought.

Or somewhere, a painter/plasterer/carpenter etc may have been reported missing from Bessemer or a town nearby, but probably years ago. Anyone know how long the current resident lived there, as anyone who went missing during the period she has lived there can safely be excluded, I should think?

'The cabinet builder has gone missing' (12th box down at the bottom)
http://www.homeadvisor.com/c.Cabinets.Bessemer.AL.-12009.html

The only Bessemer missing man I found was found and people charged. Anyone found any other likely missing persons?

zwiebel,

Jacqueline Kimble, who discovered the clothed bones, doesn't live in the house. Her dad, Jackie Roberts, lives there. Kimble lives across the street from him. Mr. Roberts has lived in the house "about a year".

The police are researching owners but that may lead nowhere because prior to Mr. Robert's renting the house it had been "vacant for a while."

Having lived through the nightmare called house-building twice, I don't suspect foul play. If the homeowners had said the cabinet maker did excellent work but disappeared mid-project, I would be worried about him. But since they complained about shoddy work--I translate "gone missing" to mean "doesn't return my calls." It sounds like a fly-by-night operation that moved on to a new town and a new crop of remodeling victims. YMMV.

Identified as John Harris, a former resident of the home who was last seen in late December 1998. No cause of death is listed yet.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/12/man_whose_remains_found_in_bes.html

May John Rest in Peace.

'This is considered a death case'

??????????

http://www.alabamas13.com/story/24136421/human-remains-identified-as-man-missing-since-90s

Rest in peace John. My condolences to his poor mom who has waited so long for him to be found. I hope police can discover what happened to him.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/12/bones_found_in_bessemer_well_t.html

a little different news. this is crazy!! i want to know how it happened and what happened in the mean time?