FL FL - James Norris, 24, Inglis, 4 Oct 1974

This missing man has been suggested as a possible match to a John Doe murdered in South Carolina in 1976... See Websleuths discussion on separate thread.


James Berkeley Norris II
Missing since October 4, 1974 from Miami or Inglis, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: November 19, 1949
Age at Time of Disappearance: 24 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 6'0", 165 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Hispanic/White male. Dark brown, collar length hair; hazel eyes. He has broad shoulders, is muscular and lean.
Marks, Scars: Small scar in the middle of his upper lip, directly under the nose.
Dentals: Not available
Fingerprints/DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Norris disappeared on a trip to Florida in 1974 under suspicious circumstances. He left his home in San Francisco on October 3rd, 1974 with $12,000 cash and a plan to purchase Columbian marijuana from one of several contacts in Florida. He arrived at Miami International Airport early the morning of the 4th.

His family received a postcard (depicting a minor attraction in Winter Park, Florida) postmarked October 4th, 1974 in Inglis, Florida. Inglis is about 6-1/2 hours northwest of Miami on the Gulf of Mexico in Levy County, Florida. His family never heard from him again and the individuals he was meeting in Florida denied having had any contact with him once he arrived in Miami.

He was not carrying any identification and he used the name "Richard Gunning" on the flight from San Francisco to Miami.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Fairfield Police Department (CA)
Detective Mel Ferro
707-428-7300
Agency Case Number: 03-3202
NCIC Number: M-163048935

Please refer to these numbers when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:

The Doe Network: Case File 886DMFL

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/886dmfl.html

Unfortunately Mr Norris was ruled out as the SC John Doe by Verna Moore, the coronor in Sumter County, SC.

James Berkeley Norris

http://dojapp.doj.ca.gov/missing/detail.asp?FCN=5590413100185
__________________
Age now: 59
Missing since 10-2-1974
Brown hair, Hazel eyes
6', 165 lbs

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/n/norris_james.html
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/886dmfl.html
More pics of James Norris:
Appears went to Fl. in 1974 to buy marijuana. Used name Richard Gunning.
con: may have darker skin as states is bi racial, caucasian/hispanic..
has scar on mouth, under nose.

My vote: No

It has now been 35 years since this young man disappeared.

Heartfelt entry by his sister.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15622165

Bump

Next month will mark 36 years that James has been missing. Come home soon.

I didn't see a thread for this so unsure of the NamUs or DoeNet case numbers. Found the MSM article and wanted to add it here.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the identity of human remains found in Dixie County in 1976.

The remains were that of James Norris, a San Francisco man who was visiting Florida to buy marijuana. According to FDLE, Norris, went missing October 4, 1974, about two years before his body was found near the Taylor County line. He was 24-years-old when he died.

The case was re-opened in 2009 when FDLE decided to send the skeletal remains to the University of North Texas because of their reputation and ability to extract DNA. UNF was able to obtain a profile.


Read more: Update: FDLE identifies 35-year-old human remains | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com/article/...ifies-35-year-old-human-remains#ixzz1K5mkeW5n

I couldn't read full article from this link above since you need to pay it as subscribe for reading it.

KLCD620 said:

I couldn't read full article from this link above since you need to pay it as subscribe for reading it.

Click to expand...

That's weird, because I'm not a paid subscriber and found that article via google search. (and it was only 3 hours old when I posted it... :waitasec

Here is another article. hope this one works.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/article/201400/3/New-Remains-Identified-after-36-Years

FDLE Special Agent Mike Kennedy appeared with Dixie County Sheriff Dewey Hatcher, and FDLE Special Agent in Charge Don Ladner to announce that the remains of a man found near the Dixie/Taylor County line on Foley Timber property back in 1974 have been identified as 24 year old James Norris. The investigation appears to be centering around certain marijuana dealers and importers, "who may or may not be from Dixie County, but who may still have ties to the area," that were prevalent in Dixie County during that time period.

more at link

http://dcadvocate.net/index.php?blog=1

Dixie County Remains Identified after 36 Years: Man from California

It took more than three decades, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement finally knows the identity of the man found dead in 1976.

[snip]

His remains were found in northern Dixie County in April 1976. At the time, investigators determined the body was that of a male who had been dead for about two years.

The FDLE held onto the remains. In 2009, its cold case team sent a sample of the remains to a lab for a DNA profile, then cross-referenced missing persons cases to determine that Norris was a possible match.

Norris' mother had given a DNA sample to authorities in California in case his body was ever found, and using that, the lab was able to positively identify the remains as those of Norris.

More: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/article/201400/3/New-Remains-Identified-after-36-Years

THank you for the update.

http://www.whokilledjamesnorris.com/site/Home.html
http://www.whokilledjamesnorris.com/site/The_Discovery.html
http://www.crimestopperscitrus.com/crimeoftheweek.aspx

This info caught my eye ..I lived in this area during this time creepy


Next, Agent Kennedy arranged to have the reference sample from CA DOJ sent to UNT for comparison. The results came back a match; the Dixie County John Doe finally had a name, James. It was the end of 2010.

Meanwhile 2,200 miles northwest of FDLE headquarters in Tallahassee I was sitting across my kitchen table from Tony DeTomasi, a detective from the City of Fairfield (California) Police Department. The first thing he said to me was, “I guess you’re wondering why I asked to come by your house instead of speaking to you on the phone.” I shrugged and looked at him blankly. What he said next remains something of a blur - “murder victim,” “skeletal remains discovered in 1976,” “six billion to one DNA match,” “no doubt about it.” As hard as it is for me to remember in detail what DeTomasi said to me, I recall my reaction with complete clarity: I didn’t believe a word of it. I asked some questions and he gave me more details, then slowly I started to allow it to sink in. The search was over. I went from disbelief to shock to grief to anger to relief to panic, all in a matter of minutes. When the tears came they were not only for Jimmy but for my mother and father who both died without knowing what happened to their beloved son.

From April 2014:

http://spacecoastdaily.com/2014/04/fdle-facebook-bolo-details-1974-cold-case/

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement posted a Facebook post notification asking for information that could help investigators learn more about the murder of James Norris, a man who flew to Florida from California with a bundle of money seeking to buy high-quality marijuana, but who instead found death.

With news of a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in that homicide, FDLE agents and county deputies put up posters in stores all over Florida, with hopes of learning what happened to Norris on or about that fateful day, October 4, 1974.

Click to expand...

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhoKilledJamesNorris

Website: http://www.whokilledjamesnorris.com/site/Home.html

Does anyone happen to have a copy of the Facial Reconstruction that was done on the remains prior to his identification? I would like to use it for an episode of True Cold Case Files. I am doing an episode on this case in April.

I have posted an episode of True Cold Case Files on this case. You can find it below:


I also did an interview with Rosemary Norris-Southward, James' sister, on a new podcast that I've been working on. She was great to talk to and was super detailed about events during the missing persons case and bringing his remains home. There is a $10,000 reward leading up to an arrest in this case. The interview will go live at 9:45am PT (12:45PM ET) and will be available for playback after. The interview is about an hour and a half. The interview can be found here:

FDLE looking for new leads in 1975 cold case murder



The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is looking for new leads in a cold case. Friday marks 45 years since the murder of a man in Dixie County named James Norris.

In 1974, the San Francisco resident came to Florida traveling under the name Richard Gunning. Investigators believe he was trying to buy marijuana in Dixie County when he went missing.

In 1976, a bulldozer dug up skeletal remains in which were not identified until DNA testing was done in 2011.

If you have any information contact the Dixie County Sheriff's Office or FDLE.

FDLE looking for new leads in 1975 cold case murder

FDLE solicits tips after cold case heats up

New leads in one of the oldest unsolved homicide investigations that spanned into local jurisdictions have state and county authorities wanting more information.

Detectives have been trying to solve the murder of 24-year-old Californian James Norris for 46 years, making it the one of the lengthiest cold cases for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).