Identified! Oh - Eastlake, Whtmale 454umoh, 70, Alias 'jnchandler Iii', Jul'02 - Robert Ivan Nichols

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Well, I'm one who believes this guy could actually be the Zodiac Killer. He (being Nichols) was known to have been very shy and protected his alone time. I have known very shy people who really become alive and animated when doing or seeing something they really enjoy. He could have come out of his 'shell' and killed. He'd been in the war and had seen some very violent things. I think he was very capable of killing after he'd seen so much of it.

I also think he was a closet gay. Back then no one would admit to it. Well, hardly anyone. There is nothing wrong with being gay if that is what you are, but he may have thought his family would disown him if he were. He tried the family thing and just couldn't do it apparently. He went to California where anything and everyone was acceptable.

As for the penny he sent his son - the thought crossed my mind that it could have been a very valuable one and he wanted him to have it. I will never believe he left his son in order to evade child support.

As for stealing that young boys identity; I believe he was running from something with that something being murders.

I'm not an expert of anything. In stating 'I believe' such and such, I am meaning it is just my opinion and thoughts. I followed this case several years ago very avidly until the posts slowed down and another big case came along. I'd almost forgotten about it.

I'm glad his son knows what happened to his Dad and doesn't worry too much about the 'why' of things. He also should have gotten any money his Dad left, IMO.
 
dotr said:
Some good photos at link.
A look at Robert Ivan Nichols, who lived as Joseph Newton Chandler III - News-Herald
i-k5pPrWG-XL.jpg

A newspaper article on Robert Ivan Nichols. (Andrew Cass - The News-Herald)
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His life all the way from his military time to his end is so sad. Reading the letter available here (in a previous post) to his mom, reflecting his caring about her arthritis, and then seeing this article about the horrific experience he had in the Navy during WWII.... I am one of the unfortunate ones who looked at the pictures of the tiny efficiency apartment where he lived his last years, and where he killed himself. Such a lonely life.

I was hoping this could be the great solution to the Zodiac, or even what happened to Dan Cooper. I think it’s honorable he got the Purple Heart, and trauma like the kind he experienced may have been the likely reason he had to get away. He may have been afraid of what he would do if he didn’t.
 
Force Ten said:
It certainly seems symbolic. I'm assuming he figured the son would know what it meant. Perhaps it's what Nichols thought of himself - worthless. I couldn't see him telling his son that he was worthless. That would be cruel. Although, he did completely abandon all of them.

Nichols had been with the father for some years after coming home from the war. Unless he never, ever discussed it, the family members have to have some insight about what happened? Did he not interact at all with his children? And his wife would "understand" why he left? Huh?
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Idk, on the other hand, he could have just sent him a penny. Like when my aunt used to send us $1 bills. I think it’s more likely than not that he was suffering from mental illness (perhaps PTSD?) and his actions may not be rational or easily explained.
 
His case almost exactly mirrors Lori Ruff's case. Except she married after the new identity, was much younger when she committed suicide, and most of Nichols family had died before his true identity was revealed. Both stole the identity of a deceased child, both seemingly had mysterious reasons to leave their former lives (possible motives: Nichols- war PTSD; Ruff- struggling with parents divorce), and both were paranoid of their past coming back to haunt them.
 
aThousandYearsWide said:
Divorcing his wife then telling her she will know why in due time makes me wonder if his reason was because he was gay. Maybe he himself never fully accepted it. I personally think he was running from himself. Much like Lori Ruff not really having a reason to obtain a new identity.
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In this previously posted link, a private injury of sorts is mentioned.
If what was stated about a hospital visit is true, then instead of a possibly gay angle, one might wonder if feminine items were located in the home.complete speculation, imo.
5 Reasons Robert Nichols Could be the Zodiac Killer and 5 Reasons He Probably Isn’t ⋆ Hush-Hush
 
New video interview with his son Philip:
His father, born Robert Ivan Nichols, left his family behind in 1964. Even before that, Philip said, the man had been difficult to read and more difficult to reach.

"He didn't interact with us kids," he said.

What Philip knew of his father he knew largely from observation. Robert was a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient who sometimes exhibited "unusual behavior" his son believed was connected to his wartime experiences. He worked at General Electric before his abrupt departure, and Philip said he was an inventive builder who created a handmade kayak and, at one point, a home-brew machine gun.
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Son of man who stole dead boy's identity: 'My brothers and I had always wished he had found peace'
 
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aThousandYearsWide said:
His case almost exactly mirrors Lori Ruff's case. Except she married after the new identity, was much younger when she committed suicide, and most of Nichols family had died before his true identity was revealed. Both stole the identity of a deceased child, both seemingly had mysterious reasons to leave their former lives (possible motives: Nichols- war PTSD; Ruff- struggling with parents divorce), and both were paranoid of their past coming back to haunt them.
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Your right. The more I think about it, and Lori's case, there are a great deal of similarities. It could just be a matter that like Lori, he simply chose to walk away from his life. There may not be this grandiose web of connections and in the end perhaps this was a lonely, weary and paranoid man facing the toils of geriatric years.
 
http://crimefeed.com/2018/06/is-id-...ected-to-the-1989-ohio-murder-of-10-year-old/
Does anyone know why authorities are investigating him in Amy's case other than being in general area? I have wondered about him and pedophile crimes, but after his son stated he generally never got close to him and his brothers and that everything he knew about his dad he observed from a distance (I can add source if needed), I started to doubt it. Although, he could have kept his distance because he couldn't trust himself with his own children which is a sick thought to process! If this is the case I wonder if he had molested a young niece/nephew/neighbor and he left shortly after fearing it will surface hence the "you'll know in due time". The reason I wondered if he was a pedophile in the first place was his awkwardness and anti-social behavior toward adults. A person like that I would assume would feel more comfortable socially with children.
 
Owutatangledweb said:
One of the stated reasons in the article I believe, was the similarity of the age regesssion to the sketch in Amy's case. The sketch looks like just about everybody.
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I found my answer in this article.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/fox8.c...ve-any-connection-to-amy-mihaljevic-case/amp/

"But Chief Mark Spaetzel stresses that police are doing this only in the ordinary course of their work and that, right now, they have no information that ties that man to Amy's case."

Looks like they are simply ruling him out as a suspect.
 
I have lots I want to understand in the case, particularly timeline. The most obvious point on the timeline is when RIN decided to leave his family in 1964. I was looking through the missing people cases in Indiana and Kentucky and this one caught my eye:

Frank Kay Conlon
Missing since Summer of 1964 from Brown County, Indiana.
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

    • Date Of Birth: March 1906
    • Age at Time of Disappearance: 58 years old
    • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'9"-5'11"; 160-180 lbs.
    • Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; hazel eyes. Thin build. Glasses.
    • Marks, Scars: Scar on one of the webs of his hand. He had no tattoos and no other distinct markings.
    • Dentals: Full set of dentures

Circumstances of Disappearance
Conlon may have been taken from his house in Brown County, Indiana by force, and taken to another location within the state where it is believed he was killed. There has been no hits on his social security number or IRS since that time.
He was a former MP for the Army in Camp Atterbury, IN and his last employment was at the Allison Plant Division for General Motors in Indianapolis, IN.
The police report has been lost over the years.

The above is from here:
The Doe Network: Case File 2010DMIN

Is there any chance Nichols had bumped into him over the years? The army base is in Brown County and Conlon also disappeared from Brown County. It not that far from New Albany. perhaps 85 miles or so.

I know it's a long shot, but thought it worth mentioning.
 
Here is my timeline/notes for this case

Robert Ivan Nichols

Born: Sep 12 1926 in New Albany Indiana (right across river from Louisville KY). Grew up in house at 1823 Center St.

High School: New Albany.

Signed up for WWII 1944. Was based out of San Francisco.

Served on minelayer in the Pacific. May 3, 1945 ship bombed and most of crewmates were killed. Given Purple Heart.

Went back to New Albany IN. Family says he burned his military uniforms.

Dec. 21, 1945 the real Joe Chandler, 8 years old at the time, was killed in car accident with his parents (Joseph Newton Chandler Jr - a district mgr for Buick - & Ellen Kaaber Chandler), in Texas. The family were on their way from Tulsa to Weatherford Texas to visit RIN jr's parents for Christmas.

Jan. 9, 1947 marries Laverne Korte. They had 3 sons. One named Phillip.

Worked at General Electric as a draftsman.

March 19, 1964: RIN told wife he was leaving and left 2 days later. Said she would know why in due course. They get divorced.

Handwritten letters, documentation and postmarks indicate that he resided in Dearborn Michigan in 1964 (was a draftsman in auto industry, but got laid off) (One media report says that Phil and his brothers visited their father in Dearborn, but weren’t allowed to stay at their father’s place), before settling in the San Francisco and Richmond CA areas in 1965, and possibly Los Angeles.

January 1965: Letter sent to parents at 1823 Center St, New Albany IN. Said he had received the photos of Phil that they had sent.

March 9, 1965: Postcard sent by RIN to parents, postmarked Stroud OK, indicating that heading out west.

March 20, 1965: Sent letter to parents saying he was in Richmond CA.

Later in March 1965: RIN sends envelope with penny to Phil. Postmarked Napa CA.

1976: Social security and IRS records indicate he worked using real name (Nichols) up to 1976. Don’t know where he worked though.

1978: Requested new birth certificate for “Joseph Newton Chandler III” from hospital in Buffalo NY, where JNC III was born. JNC was a Tulsa Oklahoma boy who had died in a car crash with his parents, back in 1945. Had the birth certificate sent to Rapid City South Dakota. LE there have found no record of RIN having lived there.

Sep 25, 1978: Walked into Social Security office in Rapid City SD. Handed them his “new” birth certificate and SSN under name of Joseph Newton Chandler III. Gave 2326 ½ Canyon Lake Dr, Rapid City, as his address.

Sept 1978: Immediately moved to Cleveland area and began to work under the name of Joseph Newton Chandler III.

Sep 1978 – July 2002. Lived and worked in Cleveland area until his death. By all accounts a very good worker as a draftsman/electrtronics engineer. Odd behavior though, bordering on OCD. Detail oriented and organized. Would occasionally go missing for a few weeks at a time. Worked for as a contract employee for CDI, where he was contracted out to different companies.

1982: Father dies. Obituary says RIN lives in California. (They likely presumed that because of last known location.)

Lived in Lake County (east of Cleveland) and Cleveland for a short time before moving to Eastlake area in 1985. Per rental application dated 10-22-85, RIN lived at 552 S. State, Painesville OH before moving to a studio at Knights Inn, 8370 Broadmoor in Mentor OH. Worked at CDI Corp in Euclid OH in a ‘technical’ job. Next of kin was identified as sister Mary R. Wilson , living at 1823 Center St, Columbus Ohio, with no phone number. (No such sister existed.) Worked for CDI. Earned approximately $37,000/yr. Paying $326 monthly rent. Drove a 1984 GMC S-15 pick-up truck.

1989: arrives at local hospital. [These details haven't been published in mainstream media. so I won't say any more about specifics.]

2000: Hospitalized for medical procedure. Tissue sample taken.

April 2002: Purchased gun he would later use to kill himself.

July 2002: Shot himself while living in Eastlake OH in apartment at 34844 Lakeshore Blvd Apt D., he had been in since 1986?. Had $82,000 in bank. Named colleague as executor. Did not leave suicide note. No fingerprints were found anywhere in the apartment.

2014: LE tests RIN’s tissue sample from 2002 hospital stay. DNA profile was uploaded to national databases. No positive results found.

2016: LE contacts Dr Colleen Fitzpatrick for assistance with forensic genealogy. Drs Fitzpatrick and Press determine that RIN’s surname was likely derivative of Nicholas.

Early 2018: Forensic genealogy results lead to ‘Robert Ivan Nichols’ from New Albany Indiana.

March 2018: US Marshall service locates RIN’s son who resided in Ohio. Obtained DNA from the son, which was given to Medical Examiner’s office.

Fingerprints were obtained from Navy records. Being checked.
 
It does give me thought to wonder if he was in contact with any of his military buddies over the years. Terry Rasmussen was in the Navy not long after discharging he went on his murder spree. Kind of interesting some of the places Nichols was known to have been are also on TR's known and possible list. All thou years apart....

Feed me Seymour .....
 
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