MI MI - Little Lake Harbor, WhtMale 94UMMI, 23-30, Scoliosis-Rod in Left Femur, Oct'87

[hoppyfrog]

The Doe Network:
Case File 94UMMI

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/94ummi.html

Unidentified White Male Located on October 24, 1987, 0.2 miles south of Lake Superior and 1.2 miles WSW of Little Lake Harbor near the Blue hiking trail. In Chippewa county, Whitefish Township, Michigan.
Cause of death: No evidence was noted on the remains that indicated cause or manner of death.
<LI>The victim has been deceased since January 1987 to September 1987.



Vital Statistics

• Estimated age: 23 - 30 years old (born between 1957 and 1964).
• Approximate Height and Weight: 5'8" - 6'0"
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Reddish brown, short, recently cut hair and a short mustache. He had a possible scar or lump or discoloration on his left cheek. Possibly due to an accident, the left side of his face was fractured and depressed. The left femur displayed a healed fracture which had been treated with a metal rod implant. The injury probably occurred when the individual was an adult. He had moderate scoliosis (spinal curvature) and may have walked with a limp.
• Dentals: The condition of his teeth were good.
• Clothing: The clothing suggests moderate to warm temperatures.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
D/Sgt. Robin Sexton at MSP St. Ignace
906-643-8383


I highlighted the sentence about the metal rod implant in the left femur. My question is this: would a metal rod such as that have a serial number or other identifying mark that could be traced back to a manufacturer and then to a particular hospital and patient? I would think that manufacturers, hospitals and doctors would want to track such things in case of a recall of a medical device.

Thanks,

Hoppy

[Paradise]

You bring up a good question. I can see your point about it being kept track of due to recalls but on the other hand, it was only a rod, it wasn't a hip or knee replacement. I'll try to check into it further.

[hoppyfrog]

Originally Posted by Paradise

You bring up a good question. I can see your point about it being kept track of due to recalls but on the other hand, it was only a rod, it wasn't a hip or knee replacement. I'll try to check into it further.

Thanks for your help. And I see your point that it wasn't a joint replacement or a pacemaker. Still, even metal rods could be mis-manufactured and you'd think for liability reasons the manufacturer would want to notify everyone who received one.

Remember the case in the news last week where tainted dog food had to be recalled? They put identifying marks on bags of dog food, so I hope they'd do the same for medical devices!

Hoppy

[PonderingThings]

It is my understanding that there is a move on to put a serial number on ALL products that are incorporated into someone's body. Even the smallest screw will have an identifying code.

Problem is currently not all components have that identifier. Some who do refer back only to a lot number, not an individual patient who got the component. Yes, it would be possible to trace shipments BUT in some cases the products are shipped in purchases that last quite a while, or are then shipped to a wide variety of offices/hospitals (depending on the product), so tracking it to an individual becomes too difficult.

Imagine a specific tire that only fits on one car. Lets use, for example purposes only, a 2005 Honda Accord. These cars are sold all over.

So lets say its a recall and somehow there is an identifying batch number. You know that these tires were sold with the cars that were shipped only to New York State. Because of the sheer number of cars, that were sold in New York State, even for that short time period, the possibility of running down all the owners, and all the people that the car switched title to, would be extremely difficult.... not impossible... but difficult.

In the case of a medical product, it might have been shipped to multiple States... therefore, impossible to trace backwards... but perhaps possible to confirm once a potential match to the victim is identified.

Make sense?

[hoppyfrog]

Originally Posted by Paradise

You bring up a good question. I can see your point about it being kept track of due to recalls but on the other hand, it was only a rod, it wasn't a hip or knee replacement. I'll try to check into it further.

Have you found out anything yet?

Thanks,

Hoppy

[gatetrekker44]

the composition of the rod maybe a clue to id'ing the victim. Each company has a specific "formula" of metals in specific %'s that are unique to a manufacturer. A metallurgical analysis could very well lead to the manufacturer, and then to the time frame when the rod was created and sold.

Something in the overall description makes me wonder if this person may have been in the military at one time? Has anyone checked that possible source of info?

[hoppyfrog]

Originally Posted by gatetrekker44

Something in the overall description makes me wonder if this person may have been in the military at one time? Has anyone checked that possible source of info?

What makes you think military?

[Paradise]

I didn't forget about you. I was trying to get in touch with someone from a hip replacement/problem forum I belong to. Hopefully I'll hear back by tomorrow. I'll let you know as soon as I hear something.

[hoppyfrog]

Originally Posted by Paradise

I didn't forget about you. I was trying to get in touch with someone from a hip replacement/problem forum I belong to. Hopefully I'll hear back by tomorrow. I'll let you know as soon as I hear something.

Thanks! I really appreciate it.

Hoppy

[Paradise]

Ok so far everyone on the totallyhip.org forum thinks that there should be some sort of identifying mark or number on the metal rod. I'm going to e-mail the area director on doenetwork to see if this was ever checked into. I've also e-mailed a retired orthopedic surgeon who sometimes posts on totally hip to see what he has to say.

[gatetrekker44]

I don't know exactly what makes me think military-I guess the fact that:
the age, the short hair and mustache, the teeth in good condition, and the fact that the leg fracture was repaired with a rod, but the injury to the face
was not well-repaired. That kind of goes with the military mentality of "fix 'em up well enough to serve", but the facial injury wasn't dealt with.

Just something about the description made me think of a military member who may have recently gotten out on a medical discharge-wonder if the authorities that have jurisdiction checked VA hospital records in the area?

[Paradise]

I can't believe it but I got an e-mail from the orthopaedic surgeon this morning! What he said was pretty much what I was thinking, but there is some small possibility that he could be ID'd through this. I'm still waiting to hear back from the Michigan area director on doe. I know she's a busy lady.

Hello, Kristen
Thank you for your question
1) I cannot connect to the above webpage, the message says that "The bandwidth of the page server is exceeded".
2) You speak about "a metal rod" inserted in a femur - a metallic device in use since 1940's, produced in millions of exemplars by very many manufacturers, many of them no longer on the market. 20 years (1987-2006) is a very long time period in the development of orthopaedic devices.

Moreover, it is not clear if you have the extracted rod (nail) available, or if you have only x-ray pictures, or only know hearsay way that the person had this device once.
Don't forget that it is usual to remove the intramedullary nail after some 1 -2 years, especially if is causing problems, when the fracture healed.
The only way to know if a metal rod had a serial number etched is to look at the rod. Big manufacturers are etching serial numbers on its femoral rods today, but to know if they did it in the 1980's, you should ask them. And very probably many of the manufacturers disappeared from the market since then.

The easiest way to know is to look at the intramedullary nail (your name "metal rod") directly.

If there is such number you may then proceed further.
You may then take a photography and ask the manufacturers of orthopaedic device if they manufactured this type of the femoral intramedullary nail, and when you find the right manufacturer you may ask to know the local dealer. The local dealer would know the hospitals to whom he sold this individual nail .
Then it all depend on the hospital and surgeon if they annotate the serial numbers of the nails in the patients journals.
I very much doubt that one did that in the 1980´s, whereas it is a standard practice today.

Moreover, the dealers changed, the patient journals may disappear (they do it although they theoretically should not) etc.
It must be a nice detective work to locate a person from an orthopaedic device, and unless you are not writing a mystery novel I think that the probability of success is not big.
But if you wish, go on. If you will succeed, please, let me know - it is an interesting theme.
Best wishes
Valdemar Surin, MD, PhD

[hoppyfrog]

Originally Posted by gatetrekker44

I don't know exactly what makes me think military-I guess the fact that:
the age, the short hair and mustache, the teeth in good condition, and the fact that the leg fracture was repaired with a rod, but the injury to the face
was not well-repaired. That kind of goes with the military mentality of "fix 'em up well enough to serve", but the facial injury wasn't dealt with.

Just something about the description made me think of a military member who may have recently gotten out on a medical discharge-wonder if the authorities that have jurisdiction checked VA hospital records in the area?

I see what you mean. I wonder if there are any VA hospitals in the area.

Hoppy

[hoppyfrog]

Originally Posted by Paradise

I can't believe it but I got an e-mail from the orthopaedic surgeon this morning! What he said was pretty much what I was thinking, but there is some small possibility that he could be ID'd through this. I'm still waiting to hear back from the Michigan area director on doe. I know she's a busy lady.

Thanks for the follow-up. When you hear from the Michigan area director on doe, let us know.

Hoppy

[mtrooper]

Unidentified Caucasian Male

Chippewa county, Whitefish Township, Michigan
# Located October 24, 1987
# No evidence indicating cause or manner of death.
# This individual has been deceased since January 1987 to September 1987

Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 23 - 30 years old -- born between 1957 and 1964

Approximate Height : 5'8" - 6'0"

Distinguishing Characteristics: Reddish brown, short, recently cut hair and a short mustache. The remains displayed a number of pathological lesions, some of which may have been related to a single incident. The left femur displayed a healed rotational fracture which had been treated with a metal rod implant. Alignment was good and the trauma might not have caused later problems. The injury probably occurred when the individual was an adult. Possibly related to the same accident were injuries to the left side of the face and nose. The left cheek bone and orbit displayed comminuted fractures. The left side of the face was depressed posteriorly and the left cheek bone displayed a mass of exostosis (bony growth). The bridge of the nose displayed severe fractures. Possibly the injury to the tooth occurred at the same time the left side of the face was injured. The spinal column displayed a moderate amount of scoliosis. A possible old fracture was noted on the right clavicle. This individual possibly walked with a limp.

Dentals: Teeth were in good condition. The dental treatment and care of the individual suggested that he was neither indigent nor a vagrant. The treatment had been rather thorough and there were no serious pathologies that had gone untreated. Nor was there more than a moderate amount of accumulated tartar. The left central maxillary incisor was capped with a composite and displayed a root canal.

Clothing: The clothing suggests moderate to warm temperatures.

Circumstances
This individual was located north of Newberry. The exact location was 0.2 miles south of Lake Superior and 1.2 miles WSW of Little Lake Harbor near the Blue hiking trail. Chippewa county Whitefish Township.

Investigating Agency

Michigan State Police: St. Ignace Post
D/Sgt. Robin Sexton
906-643-8383
Agency Case Number: 82-1102-87

Source: Michigan State Police

[mtrooper]

Possible match?


Endangered Missing Adult

If you believe you have any information regarding this case that will be helpful in this investigation please contact:
Miami Township Police Department at (513) 248-3721

Name: Ronald Allen Vonderheide
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Alias / Nickname: Ron
Date of Birth: 1964-01-23
Date Missing: 1987-05-05
From City/State: Cincinnati, OH
Missing From (Country): USA
Age at Time of Disappearance: 23
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 70 inches
Weight: 160 to 185 pounds
Hair Color: Lt. Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Complexion: Light
Identifying Characteristics: Quarter size scar on back of upper left arm, quarter size scar on back, bullet lodged in back in ribs, missing crown on upper front tooth, previously fractured ankle.
Clothing: T-shirt, shorts, athletic shoes.
Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Ronald was last seen at approximately 9:00am at his residence in the vicinity if of the 6200 block of Cambridge Ave. in Cincinnati, OH.
Investigative Agency: Miami Township Police Department
Phone: (513) 248-3721
Investigative Case #: 06-5493
NCIC #: M-865873838

http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/ga...hp?A200604060S

[mtrooper]

Here is the link for john doe:

http://www.michigandoes.com/UID/Chippewa1.html

[mtrooper]

Ok the looks are strikingly similar but really gets me is the injures. I spoke with the mother she confirmed that when her son was 16 he was hit while he was riding his moped and there was a lot of damage done to the left side of his body. Let me know what you think.

[distracted 1976]

Looks good to me mtrooper. Hope you call it in, you never know!

[Spurser]

What about that bullet Ronald has lodged in the back of his ribs? I don't see that being mentioned for the John Doe.

[not_my_kids]

Looks very good to me.
I'd submit it, or contact them for a rule out list. Is he on NAMUS?

[mtrooper]

No he is not on namus. I am not sure about the bullet, I am wondering if they think that it might be part of his death, so they are not releasing it. I am not sure, the MSP are really weird about releasing info. I submitted it this evening, the detective is off tomorrow so maybe I will hear from him on Thursday. I did speak with the mother and she also mentioned the tooth. I am very interested to see what they say. I am wondering if they have run DNA on him, or if they will have to dig him up.

[mtrooper]

There is not much more info on either of them but here is another link,

http://z13.invisionfree.com/Porchlig...pic=8502&st=0&

[JoeDean]

The shape of their nose and jawline is very similiar. Good work, looks like a very close match

[kitbits]

looks pretty darn close to me...I was thinking about the bullet, as well, but perhaps you're right that they may not want that info out there.
wtg!