UNSOLVED FL - Islamorada, WhtMale 20's, from Castalia OH, surname Moody or Mooney, c 1973

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Kat

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This unidentified male was reportedly in his 20's when he was killed near a gas station in Islamorada FL while riding a bike.

He had worked at the gas station as a mechanic's helper.

He didn't have a driver's license or any other official identification, and because no relatives were located, the owners of the gas station buried him.
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His first name is believed to have possibly been: James or Eugene.

His surname is believed to have possibly been: Moody or Moony.

He apparently claimed to be the son of a Preacher from the Castalia area of Erie County OH and had run away from home. He reportedly had siblings and family in Nothern OH.

LE is looking to contact his family members in order to positively ID him and inform his family.

call Ohio Missing Persons Unit at (800) 325-5604.
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http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/p...find-family-of-cold-case-victim.html?nav=5005
 
I did some Ohio searching in our Missing! forum for the 70s and before and didn't get any matches.
 
The Ohio Secretary of State's office, Other Business Filings section has a list of databases for certain occupations that have to register in Ohio, including clergy. The clergy database extends back only to 1976. The State has records prior to that, but they are not online. I found several ministers under the names Moody or Mooney, but none in Castalia. The closest I found was in Vermillion, which is on the Eastern border of Erie County. Note that is someone that is in ministry there currently, and has been since the late 70's. Could they have been in Castalia before? Possibly. I can try to call the SOS office on Monday and see what they can tell me. Although I would imagine this would be a route that the investigators would have tried themselves, right?
 
Here's a map of Erie County to help while sleuthing.

250px-Map_of_Erie_County_Ohio_With_Municipal_and_Township_Labels.PNG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...y_Ohio_With_Municipal_and_Township_Labels.PNG
 
Irish_Eyes said:
The Ohio Secretary of State's office, Other Business Filings section has a list of databases for certain occupations that have to register in Ohio, including clergy. The clergy database extends back only to 1976. The State has records prior to that, but they are not online. I found several ministers under the names Moody or Mooney, but none in Castalia. The closest I found was in Vermillion, which is on the Eastern border of Erie County. Note that is someone that is in ministry there currently, and has been since the late 70's. Could they have been in Castalia before? Possibly. I can try to call the SOS office on Monday and see what they can tell me. Although I would imagine this would be a route that the investigators would have tried themselves, right?
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Don't ever assume. It might not have crossed their minds.

I found some Moody's in Huron, which isn't far from Castalia either.

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/huron/obituary/2011/oct/27/bernice-f-moody-feb-10-1932-oct-23-2011
 
Classmates doesn't have any 1960's era yearbooks from Margaretta High School in Castalia. Neither do Ancestry.com or e-yearbooks.com
 
Kimster said:
Don't ever assume. It might not have crossed their minds.

I found some Moody's in Huron, which isn't far from Castalia either.

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/huron/obituary/2011/oct/27/bernice-f-moody-feb-10-1932-oct-23-2011
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I found the same BF Moody (listed in the above linked obituary) in Ancestry.com, along with an address as of 1993. There are several other Moody's listed at the same address.

I also found a MJ Moody who was living in Sandusky OH around 1993. The same MJ Moody (with the same DOB) was listed as living in Davidsonville, MD around 1994.
 
Oh, Carl. I guess that means I will have to drive out there to the Castalia area library. I'll call first and make sure they are available. I love this area, and it's only about an hour east of me, so that's no big deal. I just have to find a day where I can clear an afternoon AND find a babysitter. I don't think my very vocal and very curious 21 month old would be any help in this task.
 
Irish_Eyes said:
Oh, Carl. I guess that means I will have to drive out there to the Castalia area library. I'll call first and make sure they are available. I love this area, and it's only about an hour east of me, so that's no big deal. I just have to find a day where I can clear an afternoon AND find a babysitter. I don't think my very vocal and very curious 21 month old would be any help in this task.
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You're amazing! Best of luck.
 
Thanks for posting this. This article was written as if LE doesn't know which year the fatal accident happened. Unless the public records were destroyed in a natural disaster, why wouldn't there be an exact date for the accident? Where is this young man's tombstone, which would give a date of death? Hospital record, which might give more physical characteristics? Was he working under the table as the mechanic's helper, thus he never gave his employer his SSN? Is the mechanic's name known and is he still alive, for if so, he could no doubt shed some light on the conversations the two must have had while they worked on cars. At some point they must have discussed whether the runaway had attended a trade school or learned how to fix cars from a friend or family member. The mechanic paid for his burial, but did he keep his belongings as well? Where was this guy actually staying and what happened to whatever possessions he kept there? How long had he been working for the mechanic?

ETA: One usually doesn't "run away" in one's twenties, so he may have left Ohio as a teenager in the late 1960s.
 
If his body was not found right away they might not have been sure if he died in 1972 or 1973.

Moony or Moody probably means that the witness is not sure which but what's the story with his first name being either "James or Eugene"? Those names are not a lot alike that you would be likely to confuse them. Did he use both names?
 
I was thinking he might have gone by "Jim" or "Gene" and it wasn't certain if one or both of those were his first or middle names. Just an idea.
 
Bumping, because this should have been an easy case I would think...

I don't see a NamUs page for him though? Maybe they thought it was "solved" because they vaguely knew his name.
 
Irish_Eyes said:
Oh, Carl. I guess that means I will have to drive out there to the Castalia area library. I'll call first and make sure they are available. I love this area, and it's only about an hour east of me, so that's no big deal. I just have to find a day where I can clear an afternoon AND find a babysitter. I don't think my very vocal and very curious 21 month old would be any help in this task.
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@Irish_Eyes did you ever see any more in the media on this one? Still doesn't seem to be in Namus, perhaps he was ID?
 
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