Identified! OR - Ashland, WhtMale 1144UMOR, 1-2, in reservoir, Down Syndrome, Jul'63 - Stevie Crawford

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The Doe Network:
Case File 1144UMOR


Unidentified Male Child



  • The victim was discovered on July 11, 1963 in Jackson County, Oregon
  • Estimated Date of Death: after October 1962
Vital Statistics



  • Estimated age: 22-26 months old
  • Approximate Height and Weight: 32 1/2"; 19-30 lbs.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: Longish, light-brown hair.
  • Dentals: Eight upper and eight lower teeth.
  • Clothing: He wore a red, long-sleeved pullover shirt with thin white stripes, gray corduroy trousers with an elastic waist and a buckle for size adjustments, and a cloth diaper fastened with blue diaper pins and covered with plastic pants. The clothing likely was from J.C. Penney. also wore anklet socks and white walker or learner shoes known as "Jumping Jacks" that possibly had been bought at Noble's Shoes in downtown Medford.
  • DNA: Pending
Case History
The victim was located in the Kenne Creek Reservoir, along Highway 66 in the mountains east of Ashland. A man fishing in the area hooked what he thought was a blanket roll. But the bundle, a blanket and quilt wrapped with wire, contained a boy's body.
An autopsy performed the day after the body was found estimated that his death likely happened after October 1962. Winter's freezing temperatures could have helped preserve the body, but the medical examiner couldn't be sure. The condition of the body prevented him from determining a cause of death.
The child's footprints were taken with the help of the FBI, and deputies spent days with magnifying glasses comparing them with imprints taken of newborns at local hospitals around the time they estimated he had been born.
The body was wrapped in an aqua blanket and a handmade patchwork quilt that included lots of red, including red gingham squares. Two iron assayer's molds were wrapped in the quilt, apparently to weigh the body down. Thin brass wire and several loops of copper wire with a lead sheath and rubber insulation secured the bundle.
Reports indicated that both the molds, designed for refining and casting metal, and the telephone wire were once common, but already old and seldom used by the time the boy was found.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Jackson County Sheriffs Office
Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan
774-8333
You may remain anonymous when submitting information. Source Information:
The Mail Tribune

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1144umor.html
 
This reminds me of the boy in the box story. When I read this boy had longish hair and clothes from JC Penny.

The box the boy in the box was found in was a Jc Penny's Bassinet box.

There is a theory that the boy in the box might have been disguised as a boy and his hair shaved off prior to being disposed of. I need to go back and look at the year the boy in the box was found.

Would it have been UNUSUAL for a TODDLER BOY to have to have long hair in 1962-63?
 
My prayer is that the heartless soul that murdered this child be forgiven but spend eternity in Hell.
 
2 year-old Daniel Lee Moss disappeared from a family picnic in Hesperia, MI, on July 7th, 1963. The picnic took place at Vida Weaver Park, along the banks of the White River. His mother stated that she was tending to a minor wound on another of her children. When finished, she realized that little Daniel was gone.
A search was begun immediately. Over 300 volunteers combed the park and nearby areas but found nothing. Police divers checked the river, which was described as very shallow. Local mill ponds were drained, but all searches were in vain.
Two months later, a teacher in Hesperia stated to police that she had seen the toddler in town with a group of older children, about 15 minutes after the mother noticed him missing. This was about a block and half from the picnic area. LE believed the teacher's story as she was able to indentify his clothing, info which LE had not released to the public.

The last report I can find on Daniel is dated December 27th of '62, simply a recap of big news stories from the area. The report includes a picture of Daniel wearing a hooded sweater. His hair appears to be light brown in color, locks sticking out from under the hood indicating his hair was not closely-cropped.
 
With such a young child I would definitely wonder about a family member committing the crime and not reporting the child as missing.
 
2 year-old Daniel Lee Moss disappeared from a family picnic in Hesperia, MI, on July 7th, 1963. The picnic took place at Vida Weaver Park, along the banks of the White River. His mother stated that she was tending to a minor wound on another of her children. When finished, she realized that little Daniel was gone.

I just realized..That should read July 7th 1962, not 1963.
 
The bones were re looked at and it has been determined that the child had a high possibility of having down syndrome ( due to shape of skull) and was between the age of 18-24 mon. old.

Betty
 
I was doing research for another case and came across this posting on cyberpages.com

robert g fleck jr. 02/09/1961or1962 washington state missing since 1965 or 1966 trying to find my brother, he was about three years old last time any one saw him,he was born in north seattle he has blonde hair blue eyes . between 1965 and 66 my mom and dad picked my brother up from my aunts in california to bring him home to seattle. When they arrived home without him they said he was adopted out. Their are no adoption records.Cant even find birth records. If anyone knows anthing about my brother Robert Gordon Fleck Jr. please contact me via my email at babycakes36@webtv.net Thank You, Pamela Fleck/Bushman City: ephrata Email: babycakes36@webtv.net Entry #2207 added on May 16, 2001

I realize the poster states the boy went missing in 65 or 66, but, what if it was earlier than what they remembered? And how much of a coincidence that he was last seen in the state of Washington? Especially since the poster was told the parents were traveling to Californial to retrieve the boy?
 
The bones were re looked at and it has been determined that the child had a high possibility of having down syndrome ( due to shape of skull) and was between the age of 18-24 mon. old.

Betty

Thanks Betty!

Maybe that could be why he died...

Would it have been UNUSUAL for a TODDLER BOY to have to have long hair in 1962-63?

I was going to ask my Grandma and Grandpa that since they had kids at that time (My dad and my mom's younger brother were actually born in 1963, plus my dad had older siblings)
 
From my research of asking around many mothers even in the 60's hated to cut off baby curls that would never return so often times first hair cuts were delayed, at least among my family and circle of friends.

Of course I barely had any hair until I was about 2, so I was always assumed a boy unless I had a dress on.
 
Yes I remember my little brother having long hair and looking like a girl. We use to dress him like a girl


The det. working my brothers case had called and talked to Det. working this case and we wanted to see if there was a chance the child could of have been older. They gave me the name of the det. and I wanted to call him tommorow because I wanted to ask them if the child had downs and was est. at 18-24 mon. How did they measure for age because as I know 1st hand children wth downs do not grow at a noral rate a downs child at 30 pds to me is more likley to be at age 3 than 2. My son had MDS and he will be 3 in oct. and he weighs 26pds and is 34" tall. My grandaughter is 2 and she is 32" and 29pds. see what I mean. I will let you know what I find.

Betty
 
At first glance, I'd say this is a case of the caretakers (be they his parents, other relatives or foster parents, etc) being responsible for the boy's death. With no cause of death being listed, it is difficult to speculate on what may have happened. Perhaps it was an accident, perhaps a caretaker couldn't deal with raising a child with special needs (Seifsister mentions that they determined there was a high probability of the child having Downs Syndrome) and intentionally caused his death.

I will second an above post that mentions the Boy In The Box. That was probably the first true "cold" case I came upon. This case reminds me of it very much.
 
I think this poor little boy died of something else and the parent(s) put him in the Reservoir. Maybe they couldn't afford to bury him or there was an accident and who ever it was got scared. The mother could have been young and afraid of what might happen to her if there was an accident.
 
Children who go unclaimed just breaks my heart. This boy seemed well cared for -- he was wearing nice clothes and shoes. He was wrapped almost lovingly in a patchwork quilt. Who put him in the creek? How did he die? Why wasn't he given a proper burial?
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1144umor.html


I also found this recent update. Looks like they are reopening the case.
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/NEWS/808030322

If they could get a reconstruction, so we could see his little face, maybe that would help.
 
What a sad story. I hope the new evidence will help identify this poor baby.

I really wonder why more research wasn't done about the woman who thought he was the child she'd been fostering?
 
So sad to watch that little cofffin being exhumed :(

I would say that the Mother put him there.

As i stated on the Caylee threads from the missing /exploited children center they say that mothers bury their child in a womb like state in either water / blanket / bag etc

He may have died of natural causes or from something she did. It doesn't sound like there was any outward signs of trauma like blunt

They might have been poor and she put him in his best clothes and spruced him up , or something terribly tragic happened ? by the mother ? the father ? another sibling ? and the mother wanted to protect whoever
 

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