FL FL - Miami, WhtMale, 17-50, UP16388, in 55-gallon drum, black ankle-high boots w/ pointed toe, scar abdominal surgery, Oct '84 - Leonardo Ledon

[citizen_sleuth]

NamUs #UP16388

Demographics
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 17-50 (News reports say 20-45)
Estimated Year of Death: 1984
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'5" (65 inches), Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: October 22, 1984
NamUs Case Created: March 6, 2017
ME/C QA Reviewed: N/A
Location Found: Miami, Florida
County: Miami-Dade County
Circumstances of Recovery: The decedent was found inside of a 55-gallon drum, which was partially submerged in the Tamiami Canal.
Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown, possibly dark brown or black
Facial Hair Description: The decedent had very bold sideburns, often described as "Mutton Chop" or "Wolverine" sideburns. There are some hairs on the chin.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Physical Features: The decedent had a scar running vertically at the midline. The scar extends from the top of abdomen to the belly button. There is a 1 inch linear scar on the right side of the chest. Scar from abdominal surgery.

Clothing and Accessories
- Blue "Jordache" brand jeans, size 38 W, 32 L (On the Body)
- Light colored handkerchief with pattern (On the Body)
- Pair of dark mid-calf socks (On the Body)
- Light colored brief type underwear, brand "Hang Ten", size L (36-38) (On the Body)
- Dark leather belt, size 38 (On the Body)
- Pullover knit shirt with short sleeves, ribbed soft collar, and button V neck, light in color, brand "Fairmont", size L or Large (On the Body)
- Pair of black ankle high boots with pointed toes. The boots have a small heel, a zipper and a buckle. (On the Body)

News Coverage
"Police ask aid for body identity," Miami News, 1 November 1984, 5A.

The white male was between 20 and 45 years old with dark, possibly balding hair. He has a surgical scar on his abdomen and had received good quality dental work, police spokesman Doug Reese said.

"Body found inside drum in Dade canal still unidentified," Miami News, 12 November 1984, 5A.

 

[sorcoy14]

One exclusion (but excluded MP is listed twice).

 

[iulia]

His NamUs UP page has been removed. He was identified as Leonardo Ledon and is now listed in the Unclaimed database as UCP106228.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[PayrollNerd]

That's interesting that he is unclaimed but yet they were able to identify him. I don't see anything online for him, such as age, last known address, ethnic origin, etc. There has to be some family somewhere. I wonder if anyone is doing a family tree on Ancestry.

 

[iulia]

That's interesting that he is unclaimed but yet they were able to identify him. I don't see anything online for him, such as age, last known address, ethnic origin, etc. There has to be some family somewhere. I wonder if anyone is doing a family tree on Ancestry.

I too was surprised to see him as unclaimed. I’ve gotten so used to older cases being solved using forensic genealogy, but maybe his case was solved by other means. I remember reading a while back about new digital fingerprint technolog, so maybe this could be the case here..

 

[PatLaurel]

There's a single Leonardo Ledon on FamilySearch who was born May 25, 1949 and lived in Miami. This same LL (white male, according to court dockets) has 4 criminal cases from 1981 to 1983. I couldn't find anything on his name after 1983. Not even a newspaper article.
I did find a couple of Mariel passengers with the last name Ledon but no Leonardo. And, the few Ledons who died in Florida from 1980 to 1989, none had a relative named LL and most of them were from Cuba.
If this JD turns out to be Cuban, I suspect he will remain unclaimed for a long time. Fingers crossed I'm wrong! MOO JMO

I have a feeling this identification was a "deathbed confession". MOO JMO