CA CA - Oxnard, WhtMale UP9187, 18-30, carnival worker, aka 'Brad Bodie', Apr'74

[Balthazar]

madamx, while I don't think the carny guy is a match for Mitch for several reasons, it never hurts to submit them as a possible match just in case. It is better to get him ruled out so we can move forward without wondering if something was missed.

 

[madamx]

madamx, while I don't think the carny guy is a match for Mitch for several reasons, it never hurts to submit them as a possible match just in case. It is better to get him ruled out so we can move forward without wondering if something was missed.

Yeah Balthazar I think your right, Iam starting to thing maybe not and have a good point.

 

[Balthazar]

madamX, The main reason I think the carny guy is probably not Mitch is due to how hairy the carny guy is - lots of beard, lots of sideburns and Mitch didn't look that hairy yet - for some guys that doesn't happen until their late 20's or even 30's. I also think Mitch's eyebrows are thicker towards the bridge of his nose. Still, I think having the carny guy ruled out for sure makes the most sense. I've seen matches occur where I would never have thought they were the same person.

 

[madamx]

I had not thought about the hairy beard and sideburns. I can totally see what your talking about.
I was more focused on his hair and how the part is not exactly in the middle and how the both have the slight wave on the right toward the part. How they both have their glasses half way. How the ears are large and stick out a bit. And it had looked like Mitch had some hair on his chin but it could be a shadow. But you are totally right about the hair growth and age of a guy. Thank you for posting that and pointing that out to me I really appreciate that. I was so fixated on the other factors.! And the tattoo of the girl w the long dark hair also made me Think it could be him.

 

[StarrChance]

Found the following obit that mentions this woman was predeceased by her son James A Chastain Jr. Do we know if this might the same James A chastain? Do we know if he has been accounted for or assumed deceased.

Ellouise Chastain Obituary - Auburn, CA

In Memory of
Ellouise Lorraine Chastain
June 9, 1927 - March 14, 2015
Obituary

Ellouise Lorraine (Stecker) Chastain age 87 was born in Tacoma Wa. 6/9/1927 and passed away in Auburn Ca. 3/14/2015. She joined the love of her life James A. Chastain Sr., who passed away 18 months ago. They were married 69 wonderful years.
She was preceded in death by her 2 sons James A. Chastain Jr. and Richard L. Chastain.
She is survived by her daughter Nadine J. Hubbard, son-in-law Gary H. Hubbard, her brothers Jack and Chris Stecker and sister Judy Hight.
Her legacy lives on with her grandchildren Dionne M. King, Joshua R. Snavely and Ericka L. Lugar and her Great grandchildren Nicholas J. King, Brandon W. King, Nolan T. Snavely, Kayla R. Snavely, Robert R. Lugar, and Harlynn J. Lugar. Ellouise will be missed dearly. As she would say..."SEE YOU IN THE FUNNY PAPERS".

I'm going to do a little more research and see if there is anything out there about this gentleman

Looks like this would make it a rule out

Name: James Alexander Chastain Jr
Birth Date: 23 Nov 1945
Death Date: 19 Oct 2003
Cemetery: Tahoma National Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: Kent, King County, Washington, United States of America
Has Bio?: N
Father: James A. Chastain
Mother: Ellouise Lorraine Chastain
URL: https://www.findagrave.com/mem...

 

[carbuff]

Updated Namus link: Unidentified Person Case

One ruleout, Michael Burnett of Butte, CA

No additional exclusions. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Melt71]

Looks like this would make it a rule out
Name: James Alexander Chastain Jr
Birth Date: 23 Nov 1945
Death Date: 19 Oct 2003
Cemetery: Tahoma National Cemetery

Or … maybe he tombstoned an identity (when you steal the identity of a deceased person). However I think that's unlikely as I believe the most popular way to tombstone is to take on the ID of a child who died very young, and before paper records were fully computerised. Then you use the identity away from the area the child died in, so noone recognises the name. All of these measures reduce the likelihood of being detected.
Long story short, if the UID had a tombstone identity then perhaps he had a connection to Tahoma, or had at the very least spent time there.

 

[Nate_Bro]

Looks like he might have been picking the names from the papers. The name Brad L Bodie appeared in the Press-Courier (Oxnard) paper 6 months before he was found in September 1973 (in Oxnard). The other name, James Allen Chastain appears in a few places, but interestingly a man with that name was married in Montgomery Alabama also in September 1973, and I assume that marraiges were printed in the papers in those days? I wonder if this gives a direction of travel.. Was it a travelling carnival ? Anyone know the details on it?

 

[Nate_Bro]

I thought he kind of resembled this 28yo manic-depressive man that went missing early 1973 but he is a few inches taller. For what its worth, this John Doe looks older than 30yo to me.

Canada's Missing | Case details

 

[vspin]

I'm almost certain the following missing person and unidentified male are the same, and so I've submitted it to both police departments. I've added color to both the unidentified's photo and the missing person's photo, and set them side-by-side.

The unidentified male (Oxnard, CA, case# 74-5521): The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

The missing person is Martin Christopher Austin (Fairfield, CA, case# 74-1754): The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)



MY OPINIONS AND FACTS:

• Martin is within the age range of the unidentified.
  
• Both men are listed as White / Caucasian.
  
• Both men have hazel eyes similar in shape as well.
  
• Both men have a similar nose, including nostrils.
  
• Both men have similar eyebrows. Note that the unidentified male's photo was taken from a position facing slightly up his face, looking more up his nostrils, and his eyebrows are raised (looking at the wrinkles in his forehead), making his eyebrows seem spread further apart from his eyes, opposed to Martin's photo.
  
• Both men have similar lips. The unidentified's lips are closed, and the lighting on his upper lip makes his lip seem thin.
  
• At the time Martin went missing in 1974, he was described has having long, dark brown hair, and a full beard and mustache (dark brown), and in his 1972 photo, he had sideburns. This aligns with the unidentified's photo.
  
• The unidentified wears glasses, and has tattoos. It is not said whether or not Martin wore glasses, or had any tattoos.
  
• Martin is listed as being 40 lbs lighter, and 3 inches taller.
  
• The unidentified's photo may have been taken ~2 years after Martin's photo.
  
• There is no DNA on file for the unidentified.

TIMELINE:

03/15/1974 Missing person - Picked up his paycheck at Solano Community College in Fairfield, CA, and is never heard from again.

03/17/1974 Missing person - His vehicle is found abandoned in the parking lot of Linda Mar Shopping Center in Pacifica, CA.

03/25/1974 Unidentified person - Arrested by the Los Angeles Police for an undisclosed reason(s) without offering his true identity.

04/04/1974 Unidentified person - Dies, and the cause of death is unknown in Oxnard, CA.


WHAT I THINK MAY HAVE HAPPENED:

Martin Austin decides to put his current life behind for whatever reason. After getting his paycheck, he abandons his vehicle in Pacifica, CA which would help authorities locate him. Near the location of his abandoned vehicle a circus is taking place. At this time is when the circus main events typically occur (February or early March, according to wikipedia), and so Martin joins the circus (most likely planned ahead of time). The circus eventually moves to the Los Angeles area, and at this time, Martin is arrested for an undisclosed reason, careful to not reveal his true identity. On April 4, 1974, Martin dies in Oxnard, CA.

 

[vspin]

In addition to the reply above, I was able to locate a relative of Martin Christopher Austin on Facebook, and in her timeline was a picture of multiple family member of hers performing in a circus. Also, I forgot to mention that Martin and the unidentified have similar ears as well.

 

[vspin]

I spoke to Martin Christopher Austin's sister on FB, and she says that the unidentified is not her brother, but she did say she would send me photos of her brother for me to share. I'll put them up here, when I get them: CA - CA - Martin Christopher Austin, 20, Fairfield, 15 Mar 1974

 

[Grungster]

Leroy was using other people's identities. I have the autopsy and investigative report; he died from narcotics addiction. The note he had in his pocket regarded a request to have a birth certificate made for Brad Lee Bodie, who was alive and well and in the military. I'm not sure if I should link the reports.

 

[Grungster]

I highly doubt he used names based off of newspapers, he knew Brad's date of birth and the name of his parents.

 

[Grungster]

I bet he was a drifter, given his unkempt hair growth and he had been moving around a lot with the carnival, which indicated he had been used to it.

 

[radiogagas]

is his tattoo a gothic cross or an iron cross?

 

[carbuff]

is his tattoo a gothic cross or an iron cross?

Looks like a very crude iron cross

 

[radiogagas]

Looks like a very crude iron cross

View attachment 290085

I don't wanna like assume anything negative about them but he might have had ties to white supremacy group's

 

[carbuff]

I don't wanna like assume anything negative about them but he might have had ties to white supremacy group's

The association would have been less strong in 1974, but it's a possibility.

 

[ClaireNC]

Nothing to do with white supremacy in the 1970’s. It was more a symbol of rebellion. I had a necklace, they were considered “cool”.

Iron Cross
In the United States, however, the Iron Cross also became one of several Nazi-era symbols adopted by outlaw bikers, more to signify rebellion or to shock than for any white supremacist ideology