CA CA - Angelo 'Nick' Gatti, 21, Newport Beach, 13 July 1974

[Ambercat]

Angelo Nicola Gatti Jr.
Missing White Male
​

Angelo Gatti has been missing since July 13, 1974 from Newport Beach, Orange County, California.
The Doe Network classifies Angelo as missing; the Charley Project classifies him as lost/injured missing; the state of California lists Angelo as a Voluntary Missing Adult
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/517dmca.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/gatti_angelo.html
http://dojapp.doj.ca.gov/missing/detail.asp?FCN=3739221300043

Date of Birth: September 19, 1952
Age at Time of Disappearance: 21 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2"; 120 lbs.
He has reddish brown hair and blue eyes. He also has a mole on his chest located by the navel.
He was wearing a white t-shirt, cutoff corduroy pants, white Yamaha jacket, and tan work boots.
Angelo had a .22 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver and a sleeping bag.
Dentals: Available
His nickname is “Nick.”

Angelo “Nick” Gatti was last seen July 13, 1974 at 19:00 in Newport Beach, CA. He had been driven to the San Juan Hot Springs area off of the Ortega Highway by family members and dropped off. He is an avid hiker and enjoys living in the wilderness. He planned to live off of the land in the Cleveland National Forest.

According to the Gatti family, Nick was in a depressed mood and was overly concerned with the environment. They believed that he would only be camping for a couple of weeks but after not contacting anyone for several months they became concerned and decided to report him missing.

In 1996, Lorenza Munoz of The Los Angeles Times wrote an article about Nick Gatti’s disappearance and his family’s search for him. http://articles.latimes.com/1996-02-22/news/mn-38844_1_angelo-gatti

Sadly, his father, Angelo Gatti Sr. passed away on March 9, 2011 not knowing what happened to his son.

 

[Ambercat]

I have wondered if the "Angel" listing on the list found in Randy Kraft's car when he was arrested was a reference to Angelo Gatti.

When Randy Kraft was sentenced, the LA Times reported

After Kraft's statement proclaiming his innocence, the judge chided him about the "death list." McCartin said he had received letters from parents in Corona del Mar and from Iowa seeking information about whether their sons may have been on Kraft's list.

"You might give some thought in your waning moments to helping those people out," the judge advised Kraft.

http://articles.latimes.com/1989-11-30/news/mn-458_1_serial-killer/4

I think the family from Corona del Mar is Angelo "Nick" Gatti's family.

I also thought that an unidentified young man with similar height, weight, and hair coloring found in Trubaco Canyon (not far from where Nick's dad dropped him off) might be Angelo Gatti, but the discrepancies in time of death are too far off.
http://www.ocgov.com/ocgov/Sheriff-Coroner%20-%20Sandra%20Hutchens/Commands%20and%20Divisions/Professional%20Services%20Command/Coroner/Unidentified%20Dead/John%20DOES/96-07901-MU
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/190umca.html

 

[Ambercat]

It has been 37 years this month since Angelo "Nick" Gatti went missing. Hopefully, he will be found soon.

 

[Ambercat]

Angelo is now in NamUs.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14850/12

I noticed that his missing persons report wasn't filed until August 22, 1977, but his DNA is in CODIS. I wonder how accurate July 13, 1974 is as the date he was last known to be alive because he sounds like a UID found near Baker, CA https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2486, but if the dates are accurate, this is not possible.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Angelo is now in NamUs.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14850/12

I noticed that his missing persons report wasn't filed until August 22, 1977, but his DNA is in CODIS. I wonder how accurate July 13, 1974 is as the date he was last known to be alive because he sounds like a UID found near Baker, CA https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2486, but if the dates are accurate, this is not possible.

He was dropped off by his father on July 13, 1974, but it was several months before he was reported missing by his family. He had intended to hike, camp and live off the land for a while, so his family wasn't concerned right away when he failed to make contact with them.

He may have been seen alive after July 13, 1974, but that date is the last confirmed date he was alive.

 

[Ambercat]

There are some photos/more information about the area Nick was planning to camp in on Wikipedia.

San Juan Creek - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It looks quite rugged for being so close to urban areas of Orange County.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Per a 1996 LA Times article, his family believed he could have been a victim of serial killers William Bonin or Randy Kraft (police felt that between the two, Kraft was the more likely). His father stated as well that Nick did not bring identification, social security card, wallet, or watch on the trip, and that Nick told them he had no interest in living a life like theirs (mortgage, marriage, kids).

Angelo Gatti 1996 (1/2) - Newspapers.com
Angelo Gatti 1996 - Newspapers.com

My best guess would be an accidental death or suicide.

 

[Ontheriver]

Per a 1996 LA Times article, his family believed he could have been a victim of serial killers William Bonin or Randy Kraft (police felt that between the two, Kraft was the more likely). His father stated as well that Nick did not bring identification, social security card, wallet, or watch on the trip, and that Nick told them he had no interest in living a life like theirs (mortgage, marriage, kids).

Angelo Gatti 1996 (1/2) - Newspapers.com
Angelo Gatti 1996 - Newspapers.com

My best guess would be an accidental death or suicide.

Yes, could of been an accident or suicide (he was depressed at the time). But I can't help wonder if Angelo wasn't the Angel on Kraft's list. Kraft dumped the body of his first victim Wayne Dukette along Ortega Highway.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Such a sad case. I hope he passed as peacefully as possible in his beloved nature.

 

[Cimatico]

Enhanced image from source http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/images/AGatti.jpg

 

[Savemecastiel]

Following

 

[Iameven]

It’s unreal that this case has not had closure after so many years.

His parents wrote a letter to the Santa Ana Register published on 12th January 1977 seeking assistance. Their letter was published from the “Trouble Shooter” column, which was like a “Dear Abby” help columnist. They ask for anyone with information to call them as they are heartsick.

The parents also state that authorities told them that their son was of age and free will, so maybe they were discouraged from filing the missing persons report.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping up. A few UIDs were mentioned upthread, but does he have any officially ruled-out?
Angelo's NamUs Profile: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Diane Redfern]

There are some things in this case that made me reject the hypothesis of suicide. I know he had a weapon, but it's said Nick had a spirited conversation with his parents, he was talking about his style of life, that implies he was thinking about the future. Being depressed or sad doesn't mean he was about to commit suicide. And he appeared to be on good terms with his family, if that was the case, why not leaving a note?
I also wonder about Kraft's scorecard and the note Angel... however, it appears Angel was killed in 1971 (at least the note is among 1971 crimes), so I'm not sure.