Identified! AZ - Coconino Co., WhtMale UP9781, 35-66, bore holes in skull, Nov'11 - Name withheld

OkieGranny

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Well, this one's a little bit different:

jUizpBC.png


Found on Good Enough Ridge in the Coconino National Forest, about 30 miles east of Camp Verde, maybe 100 miles NNE of Phoenix. Estimated height 72 inches.

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/cr...cle_6db137d8-0ca7-11e4-8ee3-001a4bcf887a.html

The two holes in the skull were suspicious to county detectives. But the edges were too smooth, too precise. They weren’t jagged like those produced by bullets. And they were correct.

A Flagstaff neurosurgeon confirmed that the two holes in the skull were made to relieve pressure on the brain while the man was still alive... The procedure is called “trepanation.” “The person had some kind of medical condition that would cause swelling of the brain,” Sumner said.

The bones had been exposed to the elements for somewhere between six to 18 months. The spine had a slight curvature that might have been noticed by people when they saw the man in life.

From his NamUs listing: https://identifyus.org/en/cases/9781

Chiari 1 malformation with a C1 laminectomy and 2 surgical bore holes (right older than left). Right bore hole has bone remodeling, which incorporated a hemoclip into the margin of the hole. Numerous hemoclips were observed on radiograph (use of hemoclips are not common in either Chiari 1 decompression surgery or surgical bore holes for a shunt placement). The decedent is edentulous. Many of the vertebrae exhibit pitting with osteophytic activity.

Appears to have had 2 surgeries to place VP shunts in skull. The burr hole from the surgery on the right side was done some time before the surgery and burr hole on the left side. Chiari 1 malformation decompression with a C1 laminectomy.

Ruled out:

James Dixon 1978 Arizona
Robert Friesen 1947 Arizona
Joseph Griffith 1971 Arizona
Bronson Guillen 1978 Arizona
Michael Tapley 1956 Arizona
 
Maybe someone with hydrocephalus? My college roommates son had to have a shunt put in when he was six months old and they told her then that it might need to be replaced when he got older.
 
Links that mentions trepanation:http://shortwhitecoats.com/2012/top-ten-most-disgusting-medical-therapies
*****WARNING***** The above link contains ****GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS****not for the faint of heart and definitely not while you are eating!!! Scroll down the page to see trepanation discussion/history. The article says it can be used in "emergency situations", but people who practice alternative health may also have the surgery.

http://chronicsorethroats.blogspot.com/2010/12/trepanation.html

http://voices.yahoo.com/could-trepanation-viable-treatment-dementia-12554162.html?cat=5
 
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hofflander_todd.html

Todd Hofflander
Missing since 9/27/2010
Height 6'1
Age 39
Cranial surgery
Back surgery
Was hiking Hells Canyon to Snake River in Idaho when he disappeared.
Was wearing a green tshirt with white lettering when last seen
Experienced hiker

Long way from where he was last known to be...But the cranial surgery and back surgery are a good fit...ditto with height


Classito
 
A long shot in many ways, but Robert Rithaler? http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/rithaler_robert.html https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/7849/0/ (No DNA, no dentals).

Missing from Kentucky, but height is waaay off from the estimate (Rithaler is 5'6", but as the remains are a skull I'm unsure about how accurate the height estimate might be). Substantial brain surgery, back issues. Also, it may have been Chiari malformations that he suffered from, because according to some reports he is prone to seizures, and Chiari patients can be prone to seizures as well. He's been legally declared deceased.

However, he did NOT have a dental plate - but his front teeth were capped, if that influences anything? Greying hair. Absolutely no idea how or why he would be in Arizona. Here is a thread about him: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Butch-quot-Rithaler-Jr-46-Newport-18-May-2010


This UID had such substantial brain surgery that I think it is unlikely to not be mentioned in a missing persons report, so maybe he was never reported missing? Then again, I've read lots of cases where pretty important details were left off in reports (like really identifiable tattoos, etc).
 
To correct my previous post, I was wrong, they didn't collect just the skull, but a skeleton as well, making the height estimate more reliable. Makes Robert Rithaler even less likely, as he also had bowed legs which would be noticeable on a skeleton almost certainly...
 
Concerning bore holes. In the 70's my sister was in a car accident in which her neck was broken. The surgery could not be performed immediately so bore holes were drilled and a weight contraption attached.
 
Updated Namus link: Unidentified Person Case

No new ruleouts. Old list:

James Dixon 1978 Arizona
Robert Friesen 1947 Arizona
Joseph Griffith 1971 Arizona
Bronson Guillen 1978 Arizona
Michael Tapley 1956 Arizona

I think this is new information:

Accessories Near the Body
Child's jacket found in area

Clothing Near the Body

dark blue short sleeve t-shirt with a white lettered logo of "Intercollegiate Studies Institute" on the back and "Teenpact"? on the front with the profile of 3 faces and a star. The size of the shirt cannot be discerned.

Photo of the shirts:

https://www.namus.gov/api/CaseSets/NamUs/UnidentifiedPersons/Cases/9781/Images/32786/Thumbnail

https://www.namus.gov/api/CaseSets/NamUs/UnidentifiedPersons/Cases/9781/Images/32791/Original
 
TeenPact:

TeenPact Leadership Schools

TeenPact is designed to help students understand the political process, value their liberty, and engage the culture. Through our hands-on and practical teaching, TeenPact students learn how to embrace their call as the next generation of leaders, find encouragement among like-minded peers, and develop the skills to engage the culture.


You are never too young to be a leader–will you answer the call?

Intercollegiate Studies Institute:

Intercollegiate Studies Institute: Educating for Liberty


So did LE contact these organizations???
 
I presume they must have. Seems like an odd couple of shirts for a middle-aged guy to be wearing. Would have have been an instructor?

or brought a group to a program/workshop?

First I'd heard of either organization -- how many participants were there prior to this gentleman's passing?

Cranial surgery is uncommon.
 

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