NV NV - Las Vegas, WhtMale 45-60, UP9009, hanged from billboard, poss from Europe, Jan'97

Also, I dropped down on the StreetView and looked at the billboards (I am a bit mixed up on the location). They look difficult to climb, needing a ladder to get to the rungs on the trunk of the
structure. I am not sure which one he was found on, or if I am in the wrong place, or if the original one is even still there. Again, an odd way to commit suicide. He likely risked falling
before he even made it to the top of the sign.

More than likely, the sign has been changed numerous times. They change them frequently in Vegas.
 
I was looking through a Canadian missing persons website (http://www.canadasmissing.ca/index-eng.htm) with a different unidentified person in mind and noticed Theodore John Piekarz (aka Tadeusz Jan Piekarz) who was reported missing from Canada. https://secure.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/missing-disparus/case-dossier.jsf?case=2006020499&id=1


showImage


While the website is somewhat confusing about the date Theodore was last seen (May 1, 1975; 1978; and October 1986), there are many things about him that remind me of this UID, beyond the fact that both men are about same height and weight and have the same hair color (brown) and similar eye color (Theodore Piekarz eye color is listed as brown, the unidentified man’s eye color is hazel with a brownish cast). Both men have had their appendix surgically removed. Theodore Piekarz would be about 47 years old in January 1997 and he reportedly suffers from mental health issues, including suicidal tendencies.

Despite searching for hours, I could only find one missing persons website for Theodore (Canada's Missing). Unfortunately, I was unable to determine if Mr. Piekarz is from Poland originally or if he is a Canadian of Polish decent. If he was originally from Poland and he attended school there prior to immigrating to Canada, this would be consistent with the suicide note. He was last seen at the Kirkland Lake Train Station in October 1986, this would be consistent with the statement in the unidentified man’s note that he had not spoken to any of his family in over 10 years. I guess those are some pretty big IFs.
 
I noticed missing Canadian Paul David Garcia who I thought had a similar look to this UID. The timing of his disappearance is a bit off (the Doe Network says Paul Garcia hasn't been heard from since Spring 1997, yet he wasn't reported missing until 2003, so maybe it is not exact and from memory(?)).

PaulDGarcia.jpg
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/183dmbc.html

For some reason, I can't seem to find Paul Garcia on the Canada's Missing website (http://www.canadasmissing.ca/index-eng.htm)
 
This may be sort of a long shot because of the distance involved (but LE did think he may have come from Europe) --
EMariott1.jpg

Esuberanzio Mariotti, who disappeared from Bassiano, Italy on November 27, 1996.
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1849dmita.html

Task is not that man is very very unlikely ; would something have to also turn out to customs of the airports american...Why to go in United States in order to commit suicide? This note is important: had not spoken to any of his family in over 10 years, then the man disappeared 10 years before? Mariotti missing from Italy three months before.
 
Task is not that man is very very unlikely ; would something have to also turn out to customs of the airports american...Why to go in United States in order to commit suicide? This note is important: had not spoken to any of his family in over 10 years, then the man disappeared 10 years before? Mariotti missing from Italy three months before.

At the time of the post, I saw a resemblance between John Doe and Esuberanzio Mariotti yet I really don't know that much about Mr. Mariotti or the circumstances of his disappearance, so my bringing him up was just due to a physical resemblance, that both men wear glasses, and there is something about the man in Las Vegas that causes the coroner there to believe he is from Europe.

It's my understanding that the decedent did not want to identified and the change of jurisdiction (especially if no one knew where he was) would definitely put up more barriers to him being IDed. Yes, he would have to at least get to an airport in North American and get through customs and immigration, that is the where it seems like [if the part about him being from Europe is true] there should be some sort of paper trail (although, at this point, I'm not sure if immigration records/enforcement was as consistent and robust as I then believed, which is really a whole different issue).

The note is definitely important; I'm not sure if the unidentified man was being 100% honest in the note (some people tend to lie in order to facilitate a particular outcome). Even if John Doe isn't honest in the note, if a copy was available we might be able to have a better idea where the man was from by certain features of the note -- primarily are any letters repeatedly confused for another and are there phrases that may sound awkward in English but are often used in another? Also, we may be able to get clues from the man's handwriting itself.
 
On the circumstances of the disappearance of Esuberanzio Mariotti I do not know to say you more; on the Italian site of the transmission of Chi l'ha visto? not other is written that the date of disappeared with the place but nothing other; I am Italian I know the transmission even if to the age well I was much little one; probably to the age they will have only made to see the relative card to the case live and launch an appeal and enough.
 
I say he was not homeless, or a a blue collar worker. May have worked in an office, administration in a casino, or was on vacation. I dont know that someone would travel to LV specifically to hang himself from a sign so he was from there or on vacation and lost the house as they say IMO. I would guess the first (being from LV) with all the pens.

Quoting an old post but I concur with these observations. I think he was a local and the suicide note was garbage or mostly garbage. Maybe he was on a losing streak and ran up a debt he couldn't cope with. I lived in Las Vegas in the sports betting scene for 24 years from 1984 to 2008. Everybody in that realm carried pens. Likewise the poker guys carried pens. If you are going to succeed in that town it is all about the math and not the subjectivity. There wasn't one day in 24 years that I didn't have pens in my pocket and a Casio Data Bank watch on my wrist. That watch had a calculator. I wore it out. I remember going to Big 5 Sporting Goods on Maryland Parkway to replace my original Casio watch with an identical after the first one wore out. Someone later in this thread said his watch looked like it might have a calculator on it.

It's just too bad these details and especially that morgue photo weren't passed around the local group of gamblers at the time it happened. Somebody might have recognized him. So many guys come and go in that environment. They can be prominent in the casinos for months or a year and then disappear. Nobody pays much attention because it is so frequent and normal. In mid January 1997 we were too busy with the NFL playoffs and early conference college basketball season to know about a local nearby suicide. I was there living not far east on Koval Lane and never heard of this case until tonight. There are indeed countless guys in gambling circles who have separated from their family and are considered the oddball or black sheep of the family. Primarily they simply have different priorities and the remainder of the family can't rationalize it. The detached guys often consider it a badge of honor. Some of them always kidded me because I remained close to my family and would return at Christmas and during summer.

Based on the morgue photo I believe he is on the younger end of that 45-60 age bracket, and perhaps somewhat younger than the 45. The town can age you. My first thought was that he looked facially somewhat like Ted Binion, who was the victim in an infamous case the following year.

The location where this happened is bizarre. That's what jumped out at me immediately. Here is a Google Maps view of where it happened:

Google Maps

That's it. The details says north of Spring Mountain and west of Industrial Road. That is the intersection you are looking at. Spring Mountain elevates over the I-15 freeway going west. Industrial Road was renamed Sammy Davis Jr. Drive a few years ago, to link the Rat Pack once again. There is an intersection where Davis, Martin and Sinatra roads connect. Perhaps the details of this case should be changed to indicate Sammy Davis Jr. Drive and not Industrial Road. Otherwise it is not going to show up on modern maps.

Once I read billboard at that intersection I knew it could mean only one thing...a tall billboard aimed at cars heading west on Spring Mountain Road. There is zero reason for a low billboard there aimed at surface streets. You aren't reaching anyone. As Steve Wynn once bemoaned, "There is a reason it is called Industrial Road." Indeed. I almost feel bad for Sammy Davis. Locals use that road as quicker alternative to the Strip or I-15. But you don't advertise there. In 1997 there was quite a bit of foot traffic on Industrial Road about a quarter mile further north. The Stardust was there and in full swing. There was a post office on Industrial Road in that area. There was a Budget Suites Motel. There was a popular gym across the Stardust back parking lot on Industrial Road. But once you move south to this location it was vastly different.

Nobody walks in that area. Then or now. That is a standout variable. The guy really went out of his way to find a spot where there wouldn't be foot traffic to spoil his plan. That's another reason I think he had local knowledge. I walked a ton in Las Vegas. But after realizing where this happened I could think of only twice in 24 years I walked to that area. Both times my car was being serviced and I walked from the Stardust back to the post office then down Industrial Road to the Treasure Island hotel and casino. That is the closest casino to this spot. It is just a few hundred yards east on Spring Mountain. At the time this happened, Treasure Island was a young casino and a major player in center strip along with its sister casino Mirage alongside. The Bellagio wouldn't open and steal action until late 1998.

Mirage and Treasure Island were booming with gamblers and specifically poker players and sports bettors. That's why it's too bad law enforcement didn't bother to pass around this case and that morgue photo among local gamblers. If that had happened I would have known about it.

I think they were overly mesmerized by the suicide note and didn't consider other possibilities.
 
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I will never be able to look into a suicidal person's mind, but the place and way he chose to end his life feels somehow over the top. Things that come to mind...he was a businessman, or posed as a businessman, making him look more trustworthy. Own critical note; if his clothes were a disguise, why die in it? Maybe a con artist, constantly traveling to stay away from the law. High roller, lost everything, fed up with his addiction? Or a combination of the both, maybe he was a card counter. To obvious? I'm not sure about the European angle, the story...could be but also could be one of his final scams. Why would you leave a note anyway....
 
I assume they have checked Richard Wayne Guarro. I see the name mentioned in relation to other Las Vegas cases but not this one. Tonight I was bored so I looked at Namus for really the first time ever, checking the names of missing persons from Las Vegas. I was hoping I wouldn't recognize any name. I was partially through the list and saw this listing of a guy who visited town and stayed on the Strip in November 1996. The family has not heard from him subsequently. I immediately realized that date was only two months prior to this suicide by hanging. Probably coincidental but I know from living there for 24 years that 2-3 months is standard for guys really getting depressed, after moving to town amidst great optimism of making it as a gambler:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) (warning, postmortem photo)

He has three ruleouts:

First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA

James Bradford 1942 Arizona
Kenneth Klopfenstein 1952 Washington
Adolfo Ortega-Hussong 1957 California

Guarro sounds quite possible; there's not much to go on, but what there is fits. One possible point of matching: the UID has "Tiny 1/2 inch scar over the body of the right brachioradialis." The brachiocoradialis is the muscle that runs from elbow to base of the thumb, and could match Guarro's "scar right hand."
 
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Guarro is a bit taller than John Doe. I suppose it is possible that whoever reported him missing could have been wrong about his height, though.

It is a slight discrepancy, but usually +/- 2 or 3 inches is considered close enough. As you say, memories are often imprecise. And if they got Guarro's height from his driver's license--well, people do tend to round up.
 
Richard Del Rounsaville went missing from Tulsa, OK in January 1996. His NamUs profile lists his age as 37, but states in the circumstances he was 43 when he disappeared. His height is shown as five to six feet but his Charley Project profile shows a height of 5'10"- 6'0", which would be right in line with JD. Both profiles show Richard weighed 200#, which is about 25# more than JD. Richard had brown hair and green eyes. There are no scars, marks, or tattoos described on his profiles. Although he had a history of mental illness Richard apparently functioned independently enough to live on his own. According to his CP profile, "At the time of his disappearance, he was living near the hospital, but planned to move into his own apartment".

JD's claim in the suicide note that "He had lived in many different countries and had been educated in Europe" left me debating this potential match until I came across Richard's father's obituary. I found the excerpt below interesting and wondered whether Richard may have been referring to these life experiences:

As a family during the years they were growing up they were fortunate to travel to many places, lived on the Island of Guam for 2 years, and lived in many states. They highly praised their dad for providing them the opportunity to experience the many places they lived and for the adventures traveling abroad.

IF these are his remains, I wonder whether Richard's MI and his attempt to remain unidentified contributed to some of the other details he wrote about in the suicide note (see post #14 pasted below). His parents weren't deceased in 1997. His dad passed in 2018 and his mom may still be alive today, according to what I've seen online. I don't have any information to verify his claim that he was estranged from his family for 10 years prior to his death, but the fact that they reported him missing (according to his Doe Network profile) makes me believe he may not have been or he was but they had been checking up on him. I don't have enough information to show either way. In regards to the belongings he "destroyed or disposed of", perhaps he was referring to the things he owned when he left Tulsa. Again, I can't know that with the basic info that's been provided in his MP profiles. All together though, it gives me more reason to think Richard might be JD.

TBH, when comparing two of the three photos (shown below), I wasn't too impressed. Maybe it's because of the hair styles and hats or perhaps Richard may have been younger in those two pics. However, the resemblance b/w JD's PM pic and Richard's third photo (side-by-side comparison photo hidden under the spoiler) is striking, imo.

ETA - Richard's dentals and fingerprints are not available. His DNA is on file.

Hopefully you'll share your thoughts on this potential match. TIA

WARNING - GRAPHIC PHOTO
Richard-roundsaville
Richard-roundsaville.jpg

Original
Original


NV - NV - Las Vegas, WhtMale 45-60, UP9009, hanged from billboard, poss from Europe, Jan'97
SBM
Our records indicate that on January 19, 1997, the decedent was found west of Industrial Avenue, north of Spring Mountain, hanging from a billboard (within the structure). A suicide note was found. He had indicated that he did not want to be identified. He claimed both his parents were deceased, he had not spoken to any of his family in over 10 years and he had destroyed or disposed of all of his personal belongings and identification. He had lived in many different countries and had been educated in Europe. Notation from our since retired pathologist - "Review of the suicide note would indicate that he was not British. His use of the English language is not consistent with the conventional British education. He claims to have been born and educated in Europe but he does not specify which country/countries. He states that during the past 30 years, he has lived on three continents and worked in many cities. This is at least consistent with his age in his fifties." We sent his prints to BHS Homeland Security along with local and FBI nationwide AFIS and there were no matches.
 
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Richard Del Rounsaville went missing from Tulsa, OK in January 1996. His NamUs profile lists his age as 37, but states in the circumstances he was 43 when he disappeared. His height is shown as five to six feet but his Charley Project profile shows a height of 5'10"- 6'0", which would be right in line with JD. Both profiles show Richard weighed 200#, which is about 25# more than JD. Richard had brown hair and green eyes. There are no scars, marks, or tattoos described on his profiles. Although he had a history of mental illness Richard apparently functioned independently enough to live on his own. According to his CP profile, "At the time of his disappearance, he was living near the hospital, but planned to move into his own apartment".

JD's claim in the suicide note that "He had lived in many different countries and had been educated in Europe" left me debating this potential match until I came across Richard's father's obituary. I found the excerpt below interesting and wondered whether Richard may have been referring to these life experiences:

As a family during the years they were growing up they were fortunate to travel to many places, lived on the Island of Guam for 2 years, and lived in many states. They highly praised their dad for providing them the opportunity to experience the many places they lived and for the adventures traveling abroad.

IF these are his remains, I wonder whether Richard's MI and his attempt to remain unidentified contributed to some of the other details he wrote about in the suicide note (see post #14 pasted below). His parents weren't deceased in 1997. His dad passed in 2018 and his mom may still be alive today, according to what I've seen online. I don't have any information to verify his claim that he was estranged from his family for 10 years prior to his death, but the fact that they reported him missing (according to his Doe Network profile) makes me believe he may not have been or he was but they had been checking up on him. I don't have enough information to show either way. In regards to the belongings he "destroyed or disposed of", perhaps he was referring to the things he owned when he left Tulsa. Again, I can't know that with the basic info that's been provided in his MP profiles. All together though, it gives me more reason to think Richard might be JD.

TBH, when comparing two of the three photos (shown below), I wasn't too impressed. Maybe it's because of the hair styles and hats or perhaps Richard may have been younger in those two pics. However, the resemblance b/w JD's PM pic and Richard's third photo (side-by-side comparison photo hidden under the spoiler) is striking, imo.

ETA - Richard's dentals and fingerprints are not available. His DNA is on file.

Hopefully you'll share your thoughts on this potential match. TIA

WARNING - GRAPHIC PHOTO
Richard-roundsaville
Richard-roundsaville.jpg

Original
Original


NV - NV - Las Vegas, WhtMale 45-60, UP9009, hanged from billboard, poss from Europe, Jan'97
SBM
Our records indicate that on January 19, 1997, the decedent was found west of Industrial Avenue, north of Spring Mountain, hanging from a billboard (within the structure). A suicide note was found. He had indicated that he did not want to be identified. He claimed both his parents were deceased, he had not spoken to any of his family in over 10 years and he had destroyed or disposed of all of his personal belongings and identification. He had lived in many different countries and had been educated in Europe. Notation from our since retired pathologist - "Review of the suicide note would indicate that he was not British. His use of the English language is not consistent with the conventional British education. He claims to have been born and educated in Europe but he does not specify which country/countries. He states that during the past 30 years, he has lived on three continents and worked in many cities. This is at least consistent with his age in his fifties." We sent his prints to BHS Homeland Security along with local and FBI nationwide AFIS and there were no matches.

I think it's an interesting line of thoughts and good sleuthing, although I have doubts about this John Doe being Richard Roundsaville. Off course I don't know. Looking at the pictures he might have a different nose, more bulbous, but a nose tends to bend down when the blood flow stops. I think this UID has a background story like Richard's. Child of diplomats, army staff, maybe he went to international schools or just parents fond of traveling? If educated in Europe imo it would mean for longer periods of time....so no vacation. Are you going to submit him?
 
I think it's an interesting line of thoughts and good sleuthing, although I have doubts about this John Doe being Richard Roundsaville. Off course I don't know. Looking at the pictures he might have a different nose, more bulbous, but a nose tends to bend down when the blood flow stops. I think this UID has a background story like Richard's. Child of diplomats, army staff, maybe he went to international schools or just parents fond of traveling? If educated in Europe imo it would mean for longer periods of time....so no vacation. Are you going to submit him?
I'm still contemplating but am thinking I should. I'd hate to waste investigators' time and resources if this isn't a match, but we can't know until they do a comparison. Both have DNA on file so it seems like it should be a relatively simple task (says me...who knows barely anything about DNA comparisons :p).

I'm with you on the pics and the nose. As I stated before, I don't see a strong resemblance b/w Richard and JD in two of Richard's pics. I see more similarities in the third photo w/ shorter hair. I'm keeping in mind too the quality of the photos, the angle of JD's PM pic and his manner of death (does hanging distort facial features?), which, when combined, could throw off what I see and don't see, I suppose. :confused:

Thanks for replying. :)
 
I'm still contemplating but am thinking I should. I'd hate to waste investigators' time and resources if this isn't a match, but we can't know until they do a comparison. Both have DNA on file so it seems like it should be a relatively simple task (says me...who knows barely anything about DNA comparisons :p).

I'm with you on the pics and the nose. As I stated before, I don't see a strong resemblance b/w Richard and JD in two of Richard's pics. I see more similarities in the third photo w/ shorter hair. I'm keeping in mind too the quality of the photos, the angle of JD's PM pic and his manner of death (does hanging distort facial features?), which, when combined, could throw off what I see and don't see, I suppose. :confused:

Thanks for replying. :)
That one photo and the other details certainly seem like the best match so far. I think you should go ahead and submit.
 

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