Identified! MO - Troy, WhtMale 40-80, UP5012, GSW, Bill Blass suit & coat, Jun'84 - Jack Langeneckert

New Posts

T

tifflee

Active Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
576
Reaction score
149
This UID was recently updated in Doe Network: "Age changed from 20-49 to 40-80, height range changed from 5'11"-6'1" to 6'0"-6'2", DNA pending."

The UID's clothing and accessories caught my eye - it seems this person was well-dressed. He was found with a gunshot to the back of the head.

Unidentified Male
Doe Network: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2601ummo.html
NamUs: https://identifyus.org/en/cases/5012

Case File: 2601UMMO / NamUs UP # 5012 / ME/C Case Number: 0684
  • Date of Discovery: June 11, 1984
  • Location of Discovery: Troy, Lincoln County, Missouri
  • Estimated Date of Death: 1983-1984 (within 6 months)
  • State of Remains: Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton
  • Cause of Death: Homicide by gunshot wound to the back of the head

Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate

  • Estimated Age: 40-80 years old
  • Race: White
  • Gender: Male
  • Height: 6'0" to 6'2"
  • Weight: 150-180 lbs.
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Eye Color: Unknown
  • Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
  • Dentals: Available.
  • Fingerprints: Not available.
  • DNA: Sample available - Not yet submitted.

Clothing & Personal Items
  • Clothing: Black and gray herringbone style Bill Blass by P.B.M suit with red pinstripes (estimated at a value of $250-$500 at the time of death), white Arrow dress shirt, white undershirt, heavy black or very dark blue cashmere Boyd's pea coat (estimated value of $300 at the time of death), gray/light blue striped tie tied in a Windsor knot, black Oxford slip-on shoes (size 10 1/2 D), brown dress socks, and orange and gray male Brut bikini-cut briefs.
    • Per NamUs: "Bill Blass" black cashmere Pea Coat; "Bill Blass" gray suit with red pinstripes (back pockets of the suit were pulled out); white on white Arrow shirt; brown dress socks; black slip-on shoes size 10.5D; black belt; org/gray bikini brief underwear; gray/blue tie tied in in Windsor knot
  • Jewelry: Unknown
    • Per NamUs: "Black comb and gold money clip"
  • Additional Personal Items: Comb, black belt, handkerchief, four empty cellophane wrappers of Brach's candy - peppermint flavor, and one bottle of nasal spray (no label).
    • Per NamUs: "black comb; white handkerchief (in front pocket); 4 cellophane candy wrappers in his pocket"

Case History
The victim's skeletal remains were discovered in an outbuilding, described as a pumphouse, on the Flynn Farm off of Highway F, approximately 5 miles east of Highway 61. The victim was laying against the west wall of the well house, next to a water tank. The latch/lock was broken on the well house.

Rule-Outs in NamUs
First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Randolph Sedlack 1960 Virginia
 
Missing person Robert T. Schmidt, missing from Kansas City, MO, seemed interesting as he was last seen in his office and his car was found outside his office building (which would explain the suit and clothing), but his last seen date is 12/26/1984 - so six months after this UID was located. If it were 1983, that would fit the UID's estimated date of death range. I haven't been able to find too much on Robert T. Schmidt otherwise.
 
40-80 seems like a huge age range, and is definitely an age range in which many significant changes occur to the skeleton, teeth, and etc. I wonder why it isn't narrowed down more, and what they might have found that made them change their estimation from 29-40 to 40-80 to begin with.

He was, indeed, a pretty sharp dresser. To me, that means he was probably at least young enough to still be working, or at least attending social/business functions that'd require formal, expensive clothing.

This is not a man nobody would know or remember. This is a man who had a public image to maintain.
 
Thoughts on Rex Lee Douglas?

NamUs: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/13644/0
Colorado CBI Cold Case File: https://www.colorado.gov/apps/coldcase/casedetail.html?id=255
NAMPN: http://www.nampn.org/cases/douglas_rex.html
National Missing Person Directory: http://www.missingin.org/reg6962/rex_lee_douglas.htm

Per NAMPN profile (blue font text are my comments):

normal.jpg


Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
  • Missing Since: January 30, 1984 from Lyons, Boulder County, Colorado (within 6 months of UID's June 11, 1984 discovery and estimate of death)
  • Classification: Missing
  • Date Of Birth: December 12, 1922
  • Age: 60 (middle of revised 40-80 age estimate)
  • Height: 6'0" (within revised estimated height of 6'0" to 6'2")
  • Weight: 210 lbs. (over the estimated weight of 150 to 180 lbs.)
  • Hair Color: Graying brown; used Grecian Formula to cover gray. (UID's hair is brown - would an autopsy pick up on hair dye?)
  • Eye Color: Blue
  • Race: White (matches UID's profile)
  • Gender: Male
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: Wore reading glasses. Amputation of tip of middle finger, left hand. Small roundish scar on left shoulder. (None mentioned in profile)
  • Clothing: Dark navy blue buit, brown sweater vest, white shirt, red tie. (Were these the clothes from when he left on his trip or when he was last seen at the airport? If the former, since it was a multi-day trip, he probably brought a change of clothes like additional suits? UID wore a gray suit, gray/blue tie, and white shirt so the wardrobe type is not dissimilar or out of the question.)
  • Case Number: S90-11264
  • NCIC Number: M-448529483

Details of Disappearance
January 30, 1984, Rex Douglas was last known to be at St. Louis Lambert Airport. Mr. Douglas, a pastor at a local church, was to have flown to Denver, Colorado that day. Investigation revealed Mr. Douglas placed a suitcase in a locker at Lambert Airport, but never picked up a boarding pass and never boarded the flight to Denver, Colorado. Mr. Douglas had gone to Missouri to conduct a land transaction, which he completed. He also made a side-trip to Des Moines, Iowa on January 28, 1984 for unknown reasons. Mr. Douglas told his wife he might take a side-trip to Kansas City, Missouri to see the "big church" (Nazarene Headquarters). Apparently, Mr. Douglas made this trip as he flew from Kansas City to Des Moines, then back to St. Louis. However, no one reported seeing Mr. Douglas at Nazarene Headquarters.

St. Louis Lambert Airport is now apparently Lambert–St. Louis International Airport. Google Maps show it to be 42.3 miles and ~45 minutes from Troy, MO where the UID was found. Since he apparently flew from Kansas City, MO to Des Moines, IA, then back to St. Louis, MO, I mapped them and it looks like Troy, MO is on the way back to Des Moines, IA if one were to drive so it wouldn't be a completely out-of-the-way location given Mr. Douglas' travels. It's not stated if Mr. Douglas' land transaction was to buy or sell land - or something else, but if it were to sell land, maybe robbery was a motive? I also wonder what the Des Moines, IA trip was for and why no one saw him at the Nazarene Headquarters. It sounds like the old HQ was fairly large with three buildings so perhaps no one noticed him specifically: http://web.nazarene.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GMC_Home.

Per Namus, DNA status is: "Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete." No dental or fingerprints are listed as available. The UID has dental records available and DNA is in-progress.
 
June 1, 1984 news coverage on Rex Douglas' disappearance in The Fort Scott Tribune, ten days before the UID's discovery.
Douglas was reported missing Feb. 2 by his wife after he failed to arrive at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, on a flight from St. Louis. He had flown to Missouri on Jan. 25 on a round-trip ticket and told his wife he would return Feb. 2.

An investigation by Lyons police, the FBI, and a private investigator hired by the Lyons church indicated that Douglas criss-crossed Missouri and took a short trip to Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 28.

Why Douglas went to Des Moines, "we still don't know," said Lyons Police Chief Jill Babcock, who concedes that she is baffled by the case.

Records of Douglas' credit card receipts stopped Jan. 30. The trail suddenly went cold from that day.

"There's nothing new to report," said Ms. Babcock, who had spoken earlier this week with the FBI. "But we will continue to work the case. The FBI isn't actively pursuing it. There are absolutely no leads. Nothing. I just wish there were.
Click to expand...
Last Sunday, Gleesing read a letter to the congregation from Dave Yates, their private investigator. Yates wrote that he had exhausted all avenues in his search for Douglas.

"He did everything he could have done," Gleesing said. "I think it proved to me that the FBI and the Lyons police did everything they could have done."
Click to expand...

Rex Douglas told his wife he would return February 2, yet placed a suitcase in the Lambert Airport locker on January 30. Did he decide to cut his trip short? If so, why not call his wife to let her know? Did he place the suitcase in a locker because he planned to do some more traveling in the area before his return date in three days? So many questions around this case and it sounds like the FBI, local police, and private investigator encountered just as many questions.
 
I think he very much fits the profile, much more so than most other people would...I don't know if an autopsy would figure out if someone's hair is dyed, but the fact that they think the UID could be as old as 80 could mean that they saw it.

I wonder if there's any information about what(if any) other clothing he took along on his trip.

If this UID isn't him, I know I remember reading about a UID on the Doe Network who was missing the tip of one of his fingers...I think it was one of his middle fingers, too...tomorrow, I will try to find the link.
 
Nice find Tifflee. Two things about the UID.

As for his clothes, did anyone else find the UID's underwear to be unusual when compared to the rest of his attire? Also per the Namus profile, they recovered the entirety of the skeleton. If that's the case then it is probably not Douglas with his fingertip gone. However, if they recovered 95% of the skeleton, they might have just checked the box as it was simpler than describing what bones were missing.

If you were inclined to submit Douglas, I would not let the fingertip dissuade you from doing so.
 
webrocket said:
Nice find Tifflee. Two things about the UID.

As for his clothes, did anyone else find the UID's underwear to be unusual when compared to the rest of his attire? Also per the Namus profile, they recovered the entirety of the skeleton. If that's the case then it is probably not Douglas with his fingertip gone. However, if they recovered 95% of the skeleton, they might have just checked the box as it was simpler than describing what bones were missing.

If you were inclined to submit Douglas, I would not let the fingertip dissuade you from doing so.
Click to expand...
Do you mean the bikini brief style of the underwear? I'm no expert, but here is a BuzzFeed list of 1970s male underwear ads: http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/22-1970s-mens-underwear-ads. It seems like there was a lot of color at the time, but maybe the style was unusual for older men?
 
I emailed the Coroner's Office contact for the UID and heard back a few hours later that she will look into it and provide an update. I appreciate the quick response!

I found this Missouri State Highway Patrol listing for the UID: https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/M...gPersonsJuvenileUnit/Documents/U644769605.pdf.

There are a few discrepancies in the clothes, but nothing that helps narrow things down since we don't know if the clothes listed for Rex Douglas are from when he set out or when he was last seen in the airport - or if he even changed clothes after he arrived at the airport since he wasn't suppose to fly home until three days later. The profile seems to have the previous description of the UID (not revised age range, height, etc.).
The body of a white male was found in a pump house on a farm that’s located north of Troy, Missouri on Highway F, five miles east of Highway 61. He had a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The victim was wearing a heavy type Pea Coat with a Herring Bone suit, a multi-colored shirt with a t-shirt underneath, brown socks, a green and white tie, a black leather belt that had a plain buckle, and black slip on shoes that were size 10 ½ D. Also found with the body was a black comb and a gold money clip. The victim had several fillings and dental records are available. Please contact the number below with any information.
Click to expand...
Discrepancies: Herringbone suit vs. pinstripe suit, multi-colored shirt vs. white Arrow dress shirt, and green and white tie vs. gray and light blue striped tie.

Also, a more recent media mention of the Rex Douglas disappearance.
Another missing person still on the books is the Rev. Rex L. Douglas, former pastor of the Old Stone Congregational Church in Lyons. His wife last heard from her then-61-year-old husband in January 1984. He had called her while on a business trip to Missouri, explaining that he would be spending a few days in Kansas City, but he never boarded a return flight to Denver.
Click to expand...
 
tifflee said:
Do you mean the bikini brief style of the underwear? I'm no expert, but here is a BuzzFeed list of 1970s male underwear ads: http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/22-1970s-mens-underwear-ads. It seems like there was a lot of color at the time, but maybe the style was unusual for older men?
Click to expand...

those underwear models were age 40or under. this guy was very conservatively dressed and was wearing orange and gray bikini underwear. odd.
 
tifflee said:
I emailed the Coroner's Office contact for the UID and heard back a few hours later that she will look into it and provide an update. I appreciate the quick response!

I found this Missouri State Highway Patrol listing for the UID: https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/M...gPersonsJuvenileUnit/Documents/U644769605.pdf.

There are a few discrepancies in the clothes, but nothing that helps narrow things down since we don't know if the clothes listed for Rex Douglas are from when he set out or when he was last seen in the airport - or if he even changed clothes after he arrived at the airport since he wasn't suppose to fly home until three days later. The profile seems to have the previous description of the UID (not revised age range, height, etc.).

Discrepancies: Herringbone suit vs. pinstripe suit, multi-colored shirt vs. white Arrow dress shirt, and green and white tie vs. gray and light blue striped tie.

Also, a more recent media mention of the Rex Douglas disappearance.
Click to expand...

I hope she'll look into it as quickly as she replied.

I'll bet Douglas was lured into something shady(well, he probably wouldn't have known it was shady) while on his trip, and the outcome was his murder(maybe he threatened to expose something he saw?). The suitcase might have been placed in the locker because he felt uneasy about having it with him in these people's presence.
 
Happy to be updating because it means I got a quick reply. It looks like the Coroner's Office contact must have forwarded my email as I was contacted by the KS & MO area director for the Doe Network. The area director was really nice and recommended I submit my match via the Doe Network site. I just finished doing that - pretty easy process overall since I already had my notes here. I'm pretty happy that all the interactions so far have been professional and nice!
 
tifflee said:
Do you mean the bikini brief style of the underwear? I'm no expert, but here is a BuzzFeed list of 1970s male underwear ads: http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/22-1970s-mens-underwear-ads. It seems like there was a lot of color at the time, but maybe the style was unusual for older men?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I really want to admit it, but I've seen guys that age wearing that type of underwear. Seriously. In the early 2000's, but I figured that it would be just as likely back in the "disco years" or just afterward.
 
Some men find bikini underwear more comfortable and others like the less bulky line under clothing. In 1984 there were probably more young men than older ones who preferred bikini underwear, but men of all ages tried it. My memory is that it tended to appeal to men who were no longer young but wanted to be thought of as young and trendy. It went with things like sports cars and having a much younger mistress.

Hm. Wonder if he was dressed up for an assignation and her husband/boyfriend came home?
 
I didn't have a chance to post this earlier, but I heard back from the Doe Network week before last that the DNA comparison showed there is no match to Rex Douglas. NamUs for the UID has also been updated under rule-outs.

A positive development is that this exercise did result in the exhumation of the UID for DNA samples so those are now available for future comparisons. Thanks for everyone's encouragement and help!
 
Rex Douglas looked like a great match and I was kind of expecting it to be him.

I agree with Carbuff who said maybe he was on an assignation with someone. It could have been with a woman or a man, actually. A jealous husband may have killed him or, if he were in a relationship with another man, an altercation may have taken place and the man shot him. Something similar happened near my hometown not long ago, but the shooting victim survived and the shooter was arrested for attempted murder.

My husband wears tighter underwear with dress slacks than he does with jeans because he says, well, they hold things "in place" better under looser clothing, but he does not wear bikini-style colorful briefs like the UID had on. So that's a thought, the UID typically wore tighter briefs under looser pants, though that won't explain his penchant for very bright and distinctive underwear. Maybe the UID was dressed for a business meeting or was on a business trip and intended to meet a sexual partner in the evening and so wore the sexy underwear for his rendezvous.

I'm thinking this man was from out of town and that's why he hasn't been identified, like maybe he made a side trip to the area while on a business trip. Or he told his wife at home he was going on a business trip to some other city or state when actually he was going to Troy, MO, and that is why his family is not looking for him in MO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 229 more.
Total: 4,084 (members: 230, guests: 3,854)

Online statistics

Members online
230
Guests online
3,854
Total visitors
4,084
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,651
Messages
17,956,971
Members
228,576
Latest member
Pandamom76
Back
Top