NV NV - Las Vegas, WhtMale 40-55, UP394, suicide in desert, clothes, Nov'70

[Ambercat]

Speaking of people dressed in clothing that could be associated with golf, I noticed that there was another UID in Clark County, NV who was found the year before this gentleman (March 2, 1969) who was found wearing a Maroon pull-over golf sweater ("Tony Lema" label; size L).

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/392

He is described as being a White male between 40 and 70 with brown hair.

 

[webrocket]

the UID'd DNA is done, still no DNA for Hollingsworth. I personally don't think he's been ruled out yet.

 

[Sleuthster]

Suicides used metal wire around their neck??:waitasec: Hmmm.

Sounds more like a hit to me.

Why would you commit suicide in the manner that the mafia used to kill betrayers?

and...why would you bother to put wire/metal around your neck if you're going to cut your wrists too? Seems like double kill. BTW, how do you strangle yourself with wire? I doubt you can.

 

[Ambercat]

and...why would you bother to put wire/metal around your neck if you're going to cut your wrists too? Seems like double kill. BTW, how do you strangle yourself with wire? I doubt you can.

I could imagine someone slashing their wrists, then if that wasn't "working" fast enough, then trying to hang himself. I know [personally] of someone who, when she learned that she had inoperable cancer, sadly did something like that, but that was in her own home -- I'm not sure about going out to the middle of [what looks like] nowhere and doing that. That is where I am having my doubts.

Someone could strangle themselves with wire, for example an unidentified man found in McGill, White Pine County, NV reportedly --

Passersby on motorcycles observed decedent hanging from a rafter in an abandoned building. White Pine Sheriff's Office personnel notified of this death. Decedent had hanged himself using bailing wire. The body was in a state of moderate/severe decomposition.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/7451

But he still needs something to attach the wire to. There was no mention of that, nor the sharp object he used on his wrists being found in the lot. That is what is giving me pause.

 

[Lostindetroit]

They say in the report, apparent suicide. What makes it so apparent? I'm with you guys, the strange location, the wire on the neck, the lack of mention of a nearby weapon. Which he would of only had the strength to drop, not throw out of sight after sliting his own wrists. Plus the practice of mob hits and "Casino Justice" this is very fishy and to me screams homicide and a body dump in a "Away" location. If I was gonna commit suicide I would not go there to do it. That's just not right...

 

[notamisfit]

Not sold on this being a hit. Seems needlessly overcomplicated for such (wiseguys have done pretty well with the whole "pistol behind the ear" thing and don't mix it up a lot except for torture). Not to mention, if he was in any way associated with Caifano or any of the other Outfit guys on the strip, FBI and Vegas PD would have photos on him.

Suicide seems plausible to me. If he hung himself with baling wire, he may have bound his wrists with it too (and then it fell off due to decomp and got blown away/carried off by animals/whatever). It cuts pretty far into my hands hauling around hay bales, can't imagine what muscle spasms during suffocation would do.

Almost cliche for a Vegas UID, but what about out-of-town gambler? Blows his money, wife thinks he's flown the coop rather than shuffled off the mortal coil, doesn't file a report or anything.

 

[nerosleuth]

It's frustrating searching these old cases, because you can't go back and get more info, nor ask questions of the LE officers who investigated. Wish we could see the actual police reports about this guy. Wish we could find any reason to get it reopened

Does the public library in Las Vegas have any Las Vegas newspaper articles from 1970 on microfilm? You may be able to get some info from old newspaper articles.

Newspaper articles from that era were known to print an awful lot of details regarding a crime scene.

 

[MadeaBecBec]

Here is the original report on the Clark County, NV website: http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/Depts/coroner/unidentified/Pages/uni_details.aspx?uni_id=1
NO PHOTOS, but does explain the condition of the body and describes a religious necklace found with the John Doe;

small religious metal on a chain- metal had a red plastic cover over a sunburst and dove- inscription "Come Holy Spirit, enlighten me" made in France with a cross

 

[rainwater]

Bumping. Sounds more like a mob hit than "suicide". It wasn't until about 1976 that organized crime began leaving Vegas, supposedly.

Links: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/...QR2dGlkA1lIUzAwM18x?qid=20110420195838AA6dnfr

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/peopleevents/p_syndicate.html

 

[Sleuthster]

I still get the feeling it was a mob hit.

 

[CarlK90245]

I still get the feeling it was a mob hit.

That used to be how they dealt with people caught cheating in the casinos.

 

[Redux]

Here is the original report on the Clark County, NV website: http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/Depts/coroner/unidentified/Pages/uni_details.aspx?uni_id=1
NO PHOTOS, but does explain the condition of the body and describes a religious necklace found with the John Doe;

Just wanted to clarify that this is a different UID than the one referenced in the OP. This decedent was found 3/2/69 (and is the one referenced in Ambercat's #41 post).

 

[rainwater]

Nowadays, Nevada casinos use the infamous "black book" instead:

http://gaming.nv.gov/index.aspx?page=72

 

[Sleuthster]

Nowadays, Nevada casinos use the infamous "black book" instead:

http://gaming.nv.gov/index.aspx?page=72

or they're more discreet lol

 

[rainwater]

6 ft. 3 in is pretty tall-someone has to remember such a tall man.

 

[Ambercat]

Does the public library in Las Vegas have any Las Vegas newspaper articles from 1970 on microfilm? You may be able to get some info from old newspaper articles.

Newspaper articles from that era were known to print an awful lot of details regarding a crime scene.

The Long Beach Public Library recently added the Las Vegas Sun to the newspapers available in their newspaper archive. Unfortunately, the dates available seem somewhat sporadic -- for 1970, only January to July is available and then picks up again in July 1975 until the end of 1977. So far, I haven't been able to find information about any of the Clark County, NV UIDs from that time period (I'm still looking for information about NamUs UP # 392 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/392 who seems to be the only UID that was found in the dates covered (all of 1969 is available)).

I did find out that in 1967 and 1968 the Stardust Country Club held the Tony Lema Memorial Golf Tournament. After the second one in 1968, the tournament was held in Naples, FL. The Stardust Country Club has been renamed the Las Vegas National Golf Club. http://www.lasvegasnational.com/-history

 

[madamx]

I think he probably had a button down shirt but lost it along the way. It was customary of men in that era to wear an under shirt (a white tshirt or a wife beater shirt under their button down shirt)

I'm not finding green suede shoes anywhere...just that they were hush puppies. I'm looking back on 1970 garb (vintage sites). I've found a few hush puppies...either slip on's or the lace up oxford type. What I'm interested in is that he had on slacks, a jacket, but a white T-shirt on underneath. All that I am seeing is that most guys would have at least worn a dress shirt plus or minus a tie underneath a "green checkered long sleeve jacket." The other thing I am noticing is that some "green checkered jackets" are of the quilted and lined variety...more rustic. I wonder which it was.

I was pondering if he was a pilot.

 

[madamx]

sadly this link no longer works

Here is the original report on the Clark County, NV website: http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/Depts/coroner/unidentified/Pages/uni_details.aspx?uni_id=1
NO PHOTOS, but does explain the condition of the body and describes a religious necklace found with the John Doe;

 

[madamx]

I don't think this guy was ever reported missing

 

[MelmothTheLost]

They say in the report, apparent suicide. What makes it so apparent? I'm with you guys, the strange location, the wire on the neck, the lack of mention of a nearby weapon. Which he would of only had the strength to drop, not throw out of sight after sliting his own wrists.

I agree, this sounds very dodgy. Manual self-strangulation is virtually impossible to pull off and it doesn't sound as though there were trees there that would have borne his weight if he'd hanged himself (and I suspect it would have been mentioned if he had done that). Without more detailed information, about the only way I can see this being suicide would be if the wire was a garotte, but garotting is invariably done from the back so he would have needed to be able to insert a peg or stick at the back and be able to turn that to tighten the garotte. However that would have required some strength to do as the wire became tighter and surely if a garotte was used that would have been worth mentioning.

And the cutting of the wrists - was that the usual cut across (which apparently rarely works) or the more effective diagonal deep cuts up the forearm which sever the arteries?

As far as I can see, he wouldn't have been able to tighten a garotte if his wrists had been cut effectively, and he probably wouldnt have been able to cut his wrists effectively if he had tightened the garotte to the point where he was losing consciousness.

What exactly did he die of?

I do wonder if he was strangled, manually or with the wire ligature, and the body dressed up to make it look like suicide. If this was a mob hit, could LE have been bribed to pass it off as suicide?