NY NY - Youngstown, WhtMale 20-40, UP2141, Marvin the Martian tattoo, gold chain, 1 Reebok shoe, May'98

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The Doe Network:
Case File 1461UMNY

1461UMNY.jpg

Tattoo

Unidentified White Male
  • The victim was discovered on May 25, 1998 in Lake Ontario, Erie County, New York

Vital Statistics


  • [*]Estimated age: 25-39 years old
    [*]Approximate Height and Weight: 5'6"; 227 lbs.
    [*]Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair; brown eyes. On his left upper chest is a colorful tattoo of "Marvin the Martian", a Looney Tunes cartoon charter. Uncircumcised.
    [*]Clothing: No clothing, but had on one Reebok shoe on. He also had a gold colored chain around his neck.
    [*]Dentals: Not available.
  • Fingerprints: Not available.
  • DNA: Not available.

Case History
The victim was found in Lake Ontario, about 4 miles north-northeast of the U.S. Coast Guard Station on May 25, 1998.
The body was spotted by a fisherman about 08:50 a.m., and he reported it to the U.S. Coast Guard at Youngstown.
Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
James McClure
Erie County Medical Examiner's Office
716-961-7591 / 716-438-3320
Email
--
Niagara County Sheriff's Office
716-439-9393

You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number:
0012-98

Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.
Source Information:
NamUs

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1461umny.html


 
The tattoo, although it's obvious Marvin the Martian, is quit unique....the colors are mixed up. The looney tunes figure had never a red "skirt" and a green shirt etc. It's the other way around.
 
This man was found in Lake Ontario, on the Canadian border. I looked through missing Canadians from that time period on the RCMP website and Ontario's Missing Adults site. Nothing was an obvious match, but one was interesting.

Jason Andre Russell, 25, missing in the winter of '97/'98 in Niagara Falls, Canada. Ontario's website says he was seen at the casino in Niagara Falls, CA on the evening of 12/4/97, but then says he was later seen by a friend "several weeks" later, also in Niagara Falls. The casino is a 3 min drive to the Rainbow Bridge into Niagara Falls, NY, and about a 30 min drive to the Youngstown Coast Guard station where the body was reported. He is listed as having dark hair and eyes, 5'10", 194 lbs. He is confusingly listed as black by the RCMP website but Caucasian by the Ontario site, and of course, there are no photos. I can find no references to his existence online outside of those two reports. My guess is he is actually black and taller and thinner than our UID, but the proximity was worth a look.

Steven Vincent Mylan was another intriguing one, confirmed to have crossed the Rainbow Bridge in February 1998, car found abandoned in AZ four months later. But again, probably too tall and slim to be this UID, and also doesn't seem to fit the circumstances. This guy looks like he hadn't been in the water too long.
 
Just another try. Canada's Missing | Case details

On February 16, 1998, Steven Mylan was last seen at his family residence in Mississauga Ontario. It is believed that Steven might have been headed to New York, and or, Arizona State in the United States of America.

No tattoo mentioned. I think they would have noticed the prevous broken arm I guess, but they have nothing on this John Doe, so who knows.....
 
Marvin the Martian

This iconic Warner Bro.’s cartoon character has long been a staple of childhood nostalgia, and upon reaching adulthood it’s only natural to revisit that which we once embraced so many years ago. Upon closer inspection, however, Marvin carries quite a powerful statement.

Soft-spoken and deathly quiet, Marvin is the most capable of Loony Tunes foes due to his whip-smart intelligence, speed, and overall competence.

“Silent but deadly” could very well be his motto, and characters who dare to underestimate him pay dearly for it.

Perhaps you too are soft-spoken and unassuming, a man who keeps to himself and his business. And yet like Marvin, woe to those who overstep your boundaries and mistake your silence for submission. For you and Marvin share a common motto, that may be standard but far from an exaggeration: “Don’t tread on me.”

40 Marvin The Martian Tattoo Designs For Men - Cartoon Ink Ideas
 
I stretched the search in Namus as far as possible.....and came up with nobody who could fit to my satisfaction.

Some somewhat far fetched possibilities...

Frederick Leo Riggs.....but he had scars on an ankle and hip and no tattoo mentioned. Also the story....how would somebody from KY end up in Erie, NY???? Stats fit 5'6, 180 lbs (could have taken on weight), he had a gold chain (but also a gold watch)...age fits approx, he would have been 40 in 1998, brown eyes, brown hair, Caucasian, I really don't know.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Another one is Anthony Macaluso, Caucasian, 20 years when missing in 1987, so he would have been 32 when this John Doe was found. He is missing from Brooklyn, NY, what fits somehow more in "the story". 5'6, 185 lbs, brown hair, brown eyes. No tattoo mentioned, no chain, a pinky ring is mentioned, scar on abdomen, not mentioned with our John Doe.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

This is the search list. I hope this works....
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) It doesn't work....sorry....
 
I think Richard Henry Opato is a good candidate for this UID. He is Canadian and is not listed in NamUs or on the Canadian section of Doe Network.

From his RCMP missing profile:
Name: Richard Henry Opato
DOB: 1961 (36 when missing)
Last seen: 20-April-1998
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 196 lbs (but also listed as "heavy set")
Hair/Eyes: Brown / blue
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Besides height and weight matches, I think the most promising aspect of Opato's profile is the description of his tattoo. The tattoo is located on his chest and is reportedly "a Star Wars character." Also please note the gold chain he wears around his neck in the picture below.

showImage
 
I think Richard Henry Opato is a good candidate for this UID. He is Canadian and is not listed in NamUs or on the Canadian section of Doe Network.

From his RCMP missing profile:
Name: Richard Henry Opato
DOB: 1961 (36 when missing)
Last seen: 20-April-1998
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 196 lbs (but also listed as "heavy set")
Hair/Eyes: Brown / blue
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Besides height and weight matches, I think the most promising aspect of Opato's profile is the description of his tattoo. The tattoo is located on his chest and is reportedly "a Star Wars character." Also please note the gold chain he wears around his neck in the picture below.

showImage
I agree! Definitely worth submitting. Whomever reported him might not have actually been familiar with Star Wars / Looney Toons, or could have only remembered that it was an alien and guessed. Sounds like a spot on match aside from the minor character confusion and a possible error with eye color reporting.
 
I agree! Definitely worth submitting. Whomever reported him might not have actually been familiar with Star Wars / Looney Toons, or could have only remembered that it was an alien and guessed. Sounds like a spot on match aside from the minor character confusion and a possible error with eye color reporting.

Thank you for the second pair of eyes. I share your thoughts about the tattoo; I think it would be very reasonable to assume the reporting party--particularly an older relative--may have easily conflated "Star Wars" with anything "scifi".

In terms of eye color, I think there's some wiggle room considering how long he might have been in the water. I'm also not clear on how the lake currents work, but the Greater Toronto Area seems a good place to start with this UID.

I'll fill out the Doe Network form, but if there's anyone with a more direct line to the Ontario RCMP, don't hesitate to report.
 
I think Richard Henry Opato is a good candidate for this UID. He is Canadian and is not listed in NamUs or on the Canadian section of Doe Network.

From his RCMP missing profile:
Name: Richard Henry Opato
DOB: 1961 (36 when missing)
Last seen: 20-April-1998
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 196 lbs (but also listed as "heavy set")
Hair/Eyes: Brown / blue
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Besides height and weight matches, I think the most promising aspect of Opato's profile is the description of his tattoo. The tattoo is located on his chest and is reportedly "a Star Wars character." Also please note the gold chain he wears around his neck in the picture below.

showImage

I think it's promising. Don't know about the eye-color changes after death, laying in water. IIRR it has a lot to do with the eyes exposed to the air, so being faced up or faced down in the water. Somewhere on WS I wrote about it, but I can't find it immediately. I wouldn't worry to much about the tattoo. I have seen some weird descriptions of tattoos and later on, when the pictures are published, you get a totally different impression. Like "oh, that is what the meant with the description".
 

1461UMNY - Unidentified Male

1461UMNY.jpg

"Marvin the Martian" tattoo on left upper chest

Date of Discovery: May 25, 1998
Location of Discovery: Youngstown, Niagara County, New York
Estimated Date of Death: 1995-1998
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Cause of Death: Unknown


Physical Description

Estimated Age: 20-40 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 227 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: "Marvin the Martian" tattoo on left upper chest


Identifiers

Dentals: Not available
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Not available


Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: Black sock and black Reebok sneaker on left foot.
Jewelry: Gold colored chain around neck.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown


Circumstances of Discovery

The victim was found in Lake Ontario, about 4 miles north-northeast of the U.S. Coast Guard Station on May 25, 1998.

The body was spotted by a fisherman about 08:50 a.m., and he reported it to the U.S. Coast Guard at Youngstown.


Investigating Agency(s)

Agency Name: Niagara County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: (716) 438-3393
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 98-CR-5-1

NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: UP2141


Information Source(s)

NamUs
 

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