LA LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, Feb'75

[LucyOso]

Did we ever see actual copies of the notes? It could be helpful to see the handwriting, cursive, etc.

 

[Sweetluv]

LucyOso..I agree about the handwriting. If they have the note or a photograph of it, maybe Bayard Cousin has a family member still alive who could verify the handwriting. Maybe there are samples out there of Cousins handwriting too.

 

[PrivateInspector007]

According to this site I found, they claim all evidence was destroyed during Katrina:
https://www.caseremains.com/post/belle-chasse-john-doe

Bayard Cousins's mother's obit they considered Bayard deceased:
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/naplesnews/obituary.aspx?n=marcia-cousins&pid=158396502

 

[ChatteringBirds]

What a shame if it turns out all evidence is lost, including photos of the notes.

I agree a family would have the right to withhold his name. The main issue I see is people continuing to spend time on either side of the case, if both the MP and UID cases aren't formally listed as solved.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

My apologies if my post was offensive in some way, perhaps I wasn't clear in what I was trying to communicate. I 100% agree that the goal is to find the missing and help name the unidentified and I share that passion with everyone else. What I was trying to say is that mission can (and sometimes is) accomplished without the searcher(s) knowing all of the answers.

Exactly. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Our UID male seemed "symbolic" in some things such as....hanging himself on valentines day and choosing a Persimmon tree..which by the way is a Diospryros Virginiana...
Diospryros meaning "fruit or wheat of gods" and Virginiana meaning "from Virginia." If you suspect Bayard Cousin, he was from Virginia.
I do wonder, his attire and mismatched socks with no shoes...carrying a bedsheet and a glass jar..one would think he would stand out if walking or traveling by bus. I assume no cars found abandoned in the area with keys left in it....
This then leads you to think he was more local...
Baffling in so many different ways!

Maybe it was because he was an “ecology activist” that he knew the scientific name for persimmon trees :
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

This somewhat reminds me of another case I followed here on websleuths. Then the niece of the UID joined us, and she was AMAZING. For example,
“Just wanted to give everyone an update.

The Forensic Anthropologist has returned from a lengthy leave of absence. We spoke with her earlier this week and 2 things:

1. They did have a blood type for the decedent of A. A is a rare blood type. She was curious what blood type my grandparents, mom and her twin were. We located medical records for my grandfather (Type A), my grandmother (Type A) & my mom and her identical twin sister (Type O). She said this very strong evidence that also confirms that this is my uncle. The percentage of people with Type A blood is only approx. 30% and to have both parents with Type A blood and the decedent also has Type A. Those are some interesting statistics. With parents who both have Type A blood: 9/10 will also inherit Type A while the other, slim chance would be to inherit Type O (like my mom and her identical twin).

2. She does have fingerprints for the decedent. She is hoping to lift a fingerprint off of the letter and/or envelope (maybe where Mark placed the stamp) that we have that references my dad's upcoming business trip and plans to meet for dinner. I expressed my doubt to her about all these years later whether his prints would still be in tact and after us family members have held and read it. She insisted that prints can remain for many years. We are hopeful that maybe even a partial will be obtained to compare. We will be mailing this off to them this week. Fingers crossed and prayers that this might lead us to an answer sooner rather than later.”
Found Deceased - WA - Mark Lawrence Ashland, 27, Seattle, 4 Sept 1981

“Update - I just received a phone call from the forensic pathologist from the Seattle medical examiner and they were able to lift 2 prints from the letter Mark sent my grandmother in 1981.

***She CONFIRMED they do match the prints of this John Doe***

Thank you everyone for following. We still can’t believe they were able to find these fingerprints.”
Found Deceased - WA - Mark Lawrence Ashland, 27, Seattle, 4 Sept 1981

“So here is the media release … Medical Examiner's Office identifies a man 35 years after his death in a Seattle Park – PUBLIC HEALTH INSIDER”
Found Deceased - WA - Mark Lawrence Ashland, 27, Seattle, 4 Sept 1981

 

[Baudelaire]

It's been 50 years, time is running out to find family who might be able to recognize the handwriting.

I'm going to try to look through yearbooks of Belle Chasse schools and cemetery records, I hope I can find a site for both.

 

[Baudelaire]

Bayard Cousins is noted as deceased on both his parents obituaries. He has a sister that still lives in Virginia Beach, VA. There is no obituary for Bayard in Newspapers online. There is no grave for him in Plaquemines Parrish, neither is there a grave for a John Doe.

However, I'm only halfway through the graveyards but the surname Cousins has not come up once. Not all the cemeteries are recorded fully.

The microfilm is with the LDS Genealogy Family History Centre. They have the actual microfilm which is waiting for digitization. So the same rule applies, you can visit the Centre and look at the microfilm.

I mirror flipped the image, looks even closer now.

 

[Baudelaire]

Yes, Bayard Cousins was submitted. Quoting a post from pass-thru in 2017, page 14 of this thread:



For all we know, LE in Virginia Beach may still think it's a strong possibility but simply can't do anything about it because the body and records in Louisiana can't be located. This case is in limbo, and probably stuck in limbo permanently until either (a) the grave is found, or (b) somebody comes forward confirming that the suicide note sounds exactly like their missing family member.

I think (a) is not likely, unless we contact graveyards which are still operational. (b) Mr and Mrs cousins are not and were not looking for their son. The last shot is his sister and that's above my pay grade. But she might be the only one left.

I understand now why inmyhumleopinion included the post from the other case. But I feel it's LE territory, we should ask whoever has the missing person's case to contact her.

 

[Baudelaire]

Scratch the cemetery search, he was buried in an unmarked grave near Gretna. The Woodlawn cemetery is there and McDonogville. Neither are fully recorded.

The suicide note was lost during Katrina when the file was lost. That leaves the sister making a visual confirmation, or locating the grave via the records which are in Salt Lake City, Utah..... Available for viewing in person.

This DU is not on doe network or any other database that I can find. So, we're left with descriptions given to the media at the time. Compared to Bayard its not exact. The sheriff did not mention any scar, for identification purposes I hope.

I hope I don't sound like a nag but again, nobody is looking for this boy and Bayard is 'found' nobody is looking for him either.

 

[PrivateInspector007]

Possibly they could take DNA from the sister and exhume the body and make comparisons. I found her several days ago too (no contact attempt) she is older so hopefully if anything is done, hopefully it gets done soon.
I find it kind of odd that in 2005 that detectives did not archive information into a computer data base. Sad so much information was lost due to negligence.

 

[carbuff]

Possibly they could take DNA from the sister and exhume the body and make comparisons. I found her several days ago too (no contact attempt) she is older so hopefully if anything is done, hopefully it gets done soon.
I find it kind of odd that in 2005 that detectives did not archive information into a computer data base. Sad so much information was lost due to negligence.

Entire computers were lost in Katrina. Heck, entire courthouses disappeared down to the foundations. It might not have been anybody's negligence.

 

[Sillybilly]

Please read The Rules everyone.

Publicly sleuthing family is not allowed, and WS does not condone members inserting themselves into an investigation.

 

[PrivateInspector007]

Back ups, clouds, etc. many options for saving data.

 

[Sweetluv]

Interestingly enough, this young man talks of disconnecting himself with family and friends yet is concerned and caring over his parents not knowing about his suicide. Such inter turmoil...so sad.
Also, I go back to his mismatched attire with no shoes carrying a glass jar and blanket/sheet.
If he hitchhiked or caught a bus, he would have stood out. No pen or pencil found, so he must have wrote the note prior.
Wonder if there was a motel or campground near by he could have walked from?

 

[Baudelaire]

Interestingly enough, this young man talks of disconnecting himself with family and friends yet is concerned and caring over his parents not knowing about his suicide. Such inter turmoil...so sad.
Also, I go back to his mismatched attire with no shoes carrying a glass jar and blanket/sheet.
If he hitchhiked or caught a bus, he would have stood out. No pen or pencil found, so he must have wrote the note prior.
Wonder if there was a motel or campground near by he could have walked from?

Yes there is, it was a private motel and was bought by Red Roof in the 1980's. It is possible he walked from this motel. But I believe the sheet would be missing too if the note is missing, 1970 is pre proper forensics, so I'm assuming that evidence was generally kept together unless there was a cause for separating bags such as blood on the sheet. Thus, since we are not privy to what LE knows about this case, we do not know if they could or could not trace the sheet back to the motel since the file is missing.

Bayard Cousins did appear in a yearbook for 1970 from a school in Virginia Beach.

Again I think the Lea dealing with Bayard Cousins should contact the sister and get her on board. I have no idea how to go about that.

 

[Baudelaire]

LEA, sorry

 

[Baudelaire]

COUSINS, ARTHUR thru COUSINS, BEATRICE it has a master death file, does not go through Google. However there is no Bayard Cousins death report.

 

[Baudelaire]

FamilySearch: Sign In

This is the site of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter day saints. I created a geological account now i can access their archive.

I looked through 4 reels today. I found this:

 

[Baudelaire]

The Woodlawn cemetery should have a plot nr that corresponds with one of those numbers.

Numerous people came to view him but not one Cousins or a link to Cousins. I very much hope this information is useful to someone, somewhere. I hope we trip over something somewhere because our boy deserves a name too.

It was an experience going through death records, each page is an entire life. Our boy has a page, I'm glad about that, it would be nice if he could have a name as well.