Identified! CA - Long Beach, WhtMale UP4400, 18-30, dismembered, in dumpster, Aug'79 Keith A Jackson

Milyandel

New Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
30
Reaction score
6
The crime library article about Kraft is here http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/kraft/1.html and an article about Kraft's scorecard, which I will refer to, is here http://articles.latimes.com/1988-10-02/local/me-4891_1_kraft-case-randy.

To start with the unidentified victims already connected to Randy Kraft, there were five of them at the time of the 1988 article, but Airplane Hill John Doe of the scorecard was identified as Kevin Clark Bailey in 1995 (http://articles.latimes.com/1995-03-04/local/me-38689_1_clark-bailey), which leaves us with four UIDs...

3. 76 John Doe, found in August 29, 1979. https://identifyus.org/cases/4400
 
I've been looking at these two cases on NamUs for some time --

ME/C Case # 197910802 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4401

ME/C Case # 7943501 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4400

Both of them were found on August 29, 1979. ME/C Case # 197910802 (NamUs UP # 4401) was found at 6280 E. 2ND ST, Long Beach, CA 90803. ME/C Case # 7943501 (NamUs UP # 4400) was found at Pacific Coast Highway and 2ND ST, Long Beach, CA 90803, which is the corner where 6280 E. 2ND ST is located. There used to be a 76 Gas Station at that address until a couple of years ago. Both 4400 and 4401 are described as being 72 inches tall with brown hair and their body condition is listed as not recognizable - partial remains with soft tissues. For a long time, I had just assumed that the listing were a duplicate of each other and this was John Doe "76" on Randy Kraft's list.

I noticed there are some big differences between the listings, such as one has a low identification potential (4400) and the other's identification potential is rated medium high (4401). They have different scars all together -- 4400 has a scar on his left knee and 4401 has a scar on his abdomen.

I am wondering now if these are actually two parts (sorry, I don't mean to be graphic) of the same man or two different men? It seems like if it was all the same person, he would only have one listing. I am trying to find newspaper articles about this person/these people, but so far haven't been able to. If this is two people, they would be one of the 2 in 1 listings?

Also, I heard back from Kern County and the UID found near Taft has never been identified.
 
This is a newspaper article(from the August 30, 1979 Orange County Register) about "John Doe 76," the unidentified man found in the trash dumpster at the Union 76 gas station that used to be at the corner of 2nd Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.

johndoe76_zps57d9e650.jpg


His NamUs pages --

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4400
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4401
 
Recently, I was looking through old copies of the Long Beach Press-Telegram for an article about Bell Boy when he was found. Although, I haven't been able to find any press coverage about him, I did find an article about https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4400, who was known at the time as "John Doe #299" and thought to be the "76" notation on Randy Kraft's list because he was found at the Union 76 gas station that used to be on the corner of 2nd St and Pacific Coast Hwy in Long Beach. I think he could also be the "LB Marina" because there are two marinas very close to the gas station (the Alamitos Bay Marina on the other side of the hotel and the Marina Pacifica condominiums and marina across 2nd St). There is a sketch of the UID that accompanies the article and some other information about the young man (such as his upper right tooth was chipped).
johndoe76_zps1d8c819a.jpg

This is a photo of the Edgewater Union 76 station (as it was known at the time). This photo appeared earlier in 1979 to accompany an article about gas prices (in case anyone was wondering how it looked at the time).
johndoe76edgeh2o_zpse484f876.jpg

The Alamitos Bay Marina (aka "Long Beach Marina" at the time is on the other side of the Hyatt House Hotel, which is now the SeaPort Marina Hotel).

While I am not really sure about the circumstances of his disappearance, if I can recall correctly, I think one of Larry Williams' front teeth was chipped (and he sort of looks like the sketch, IMO). I'm not really sure if it is possible that he ran away from home and later met with foul play, somehow the idea just doesn't sit right with me.
 
I've been looking at these two cases on NamUs for some time --

ME/C Case # 197910802 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4401

ME/C Case # 7943501 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4400

Both of them were found on August 29, 1979. ME/C Case # 197910802 (NamUs UP # 4401) was found at 6280 E. 2ND ST, Long Beach, CA 90803. ME/C Case # 7943501 (NamUs UP # 4400) was found at Pacific Coast Highway and 2ND ST, Long Beach, CA 90803, which is the corner where 6280 E. 2ND ST is located. There used to be a 76 Gas Station at that address until a couple of years ago. Both 4400 and 4401 are described as being 72 inches tall with brown hair and their body condition is listed as not recognizable - partial remains with soft tissues. For a long time, I had just assumed that the listing were a duplicate of each other and this was John Doe "76" on Randy Kraft's list.

I noticed there are some big differences between the listings, such as one has a low identification potential (4400) and the other's identification potential is rated medium high (4401). They have different scars all together -- 4400 has a scar on his left knee and 4401 has a scar on his abdomen.

Sorry to quote my own post, but I was looking for some information about Wilmington John Doe and I realized that originally (when John Doe 76 was listed as NamUs UPs# 4400 and 4401 there was mention of a scar on his abdomen, which somehow was no longer mentioned when both entries were combined. Like John Doe 76, Larry Dean Williams --

Larry has a chipped front tooth. He has a scar on his abdomen

Plus, I really think Larry looks like the Press Telegram sketch. I wonder if it is possible he ran away from home in 1975, but stayed around Long Beach?

5713

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/4559/14
 
I'm not sure why I have been seeing possible matches with escaped prisoners lately, but even though I came across him in NamUs, Ricky Olson escaped from a Florida prison where he was serving a 10 year sentence for robbery with a firearm in July 1975. In 1979, he would have been about 28 or 29 years old. Even though Ricky Olson's eyes are listed as blue and John Doe 76/NamUs #4400/2475UMCA's eyes are listed as brown, I see a resemblance between the two (hair color, height, and weight are consistent, Mr. Olson's age is at the higher end of John Doe's estimated age from 18 to 30).

rickyolson.jpeg2475UMCA_LARGE.jpg

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/28694/11

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4400
http://doenetwork.org/cases/2475umca.html

When John Doe 76 had two files at NamUs (4400 and 4401), a scar on his abdomen was noted (for whatever reason, the scar is no longer noted); Ricky Olson reportedly has a scar on his chest. It seems a bit strange [per NamUs] that Floridian authorities don't have Ricky Olson's fingerprints even though he escaped from prison.
 
This John Doe finally is in the NCMEC system (you can verify by checking the map here: ArcGIS Web Application). Hopefully we will get a suitable NCMEC reconstruction on them and possibly DNA extraction from the sock found in their body. This John Doe was found about a month after Kraft had moved into his last address at 824 Roswell Ave in Long Beach, around the summer of 1979. Perhaps they were amongst the set of polaroids found in Randy's car. It's very possible they were simply never reported missing.
 
1 missing person exclusion listed on his NamUs
MP1740 - Jay Pringle, 1977 Jackson OR
 
The new reconstruction reminds me a lot of Clay Foreman! He went missing from Missouri in May 1979. No details regarding the circumstances of his disappearance, but he fits the description. And his teeth are spot on, minus the chip on the front tooth. Which I suspect could have occurred after the photos of him were taken. I had to use a photo from 1974 to compare, because the newer ones didn’t show his teeth.

2564D29F-58F5-4C67-92F7-CB1D1BA8284B.jpeg

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 
I am very happy that we were able to get a reconstruction so soon from NCMEC! At least we won't have to rely on a decades old sketch anymore of this poor victim and can possibly start narrowing searches. I saw Unidentified Wiki had shared this case on their Facebook page, so more eyes and traction on this case, the better!
 
The new reconstruction reminds me a lot of Clay Foreman! He went missing from Missouri in May 1979. No details regarding the circumstances of his disappearance, but he fits the description. And his teeth are spot on, minus the chip on the front tooth. Which I suspect could have occurred after the photos of him were taken. I had to use a photo from 1974 to compare, because the newer ones didn’t show his teeth.

View attachment 262428

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Yeah, the nose size seems to look pretty similar and dates do match up. It would be pretty easy for someone to travel from Missouri to LA in just three months. I wonder if there is any information about a scar on Clay's left knee since John Doe had one, according to NamUs.
 
Last edited:
I've been looking at these two cases on NamUs for some time --

ME/C Case # 197910802 The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

ME/C Case # 7943501 The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Both of them were found on August 29, 1979. ME/C Case # 197910802 (NamUs UP # 4401) was found at 6280 E. 2ND ST, Long Beach, CA 90803. ME/C Case # 7943501 (NamUs UP # 4400) was found at Pacific Coast Highway and 2ND ST, Long Beach, CA 90803, which is the corner where 6280 E. 2ND ST is located. There used to be a 76 Gas Station at that address until a couple of years ago. Both 4400 and 4401 are described as being 72 inches tall with brown hair and their body condition is listed as not recognizable - partial remains with soft tissues. For a long time, I had just assumed that the listing were a duplicate of each other and this was John Doe "76" on Randy Kraft's list.

I noticed there are some big differences between the listings, such as one has a low identification potential (4400) and the other's identification potential is rated medium high (4401). They have different scars all together -- 4400 has a scar on his left knee and 4401 has a scar on his abdomen.

I am wondering now if these are actually two parts (sorry, I don't mean to be graphic) of the same man or two different men? It seems like if it was all the same person, he would only have one listing. I am trying to find newspaper articles about this person/these people, but so far haven't been able to. If this is two people, they would be one of the 2 in 1 listings?

Also, I heard back from Kern County and the UID found near Taft has never been identified.

4401's NamUs is down (I remember checking this a while ago before I made an account and it was still down then, so either they have been identified or they were a duplicate of the previous case). ME/C Case # 197910802 (NamUs UP # 4401), as you say, has the case ME/C case number as Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner though, so maybe it's the same person and they have a scar on the leg AND the abdomen? I have yet to see any reference to an abdomen scar though (just the leg scar). If Long Beach John Doe 1979 had such a feature though, that would make Clay Foreman even more of a possible match, given he had a scar/birthmark on his stomach.
 
4401's NamUs is down (I remember checking this a while ago before I made an account and it was still down then, so either they have been identified or they were a duplicate of the previous case). ME/C Case # 197910802 (NamUs UP # 4401), as you say, has the case ME/C case number as Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner though, so maybe it's the same person and they have a scar on the leg AND the abdomen? I have yet to see any reference to an abdomen scar though (just the leg scar). If Long Beach John Doe 1979 had such a feature though, that would make Clay Foreman even more of a possible match, given he had a scar/birthmark on his stomach.
Interesting. I’ve not seen mention (in news articles) of two separate sets of remains found, but maybe the confusion came due to the dismemberment and multiple bags being found. I haven’t followed the two NamUs cases individually, but from what I read upthread, both NamUs cases used to have different ME/C numbers and different scars/marks from one another. As of now, there’s no mention of a scar on the leg, only the following: Scar/mark - 1.5" scar on right lower abdomen.

I saw this same thing happen with one or more of Dean Corll’s victims. So many sets of remains located within close proximity of each other, and there was certainly some confusion. I just don’t know of any other reason there’d be two separate case numbers unless they initially thought a torso and leg belonged to two separate individuals. Thus, one would have an abdomen scar and one a leg scar. Maybe it took them awhile to determine they belonged to the same person? Although, you’d think the earlier newspaper articles would then mention two people being found.

I don’t know. If this is in fact two people, that might change things a lot.
 
Is there someplace (reliable) I can see Kraft’s scorecard before and after victims were identified? A comprehensive list. A lot of links posted here are broken. I want to see how each one was linked to his “nicknames”. For example, this John Doe was linked to his notation “76”. TIA!
 
Interesting. I’ve not seen mention (in news articles) of two separate sets of remains found, but maybe the confusion came due to the dismemberment and multiple bags being found. I haven’t followed the two NamUs cases individually, but from what I read upthread, both NamUs cases used to have different ME/C numbers and different scars/marks from one another. As of now, there’s no mention of a scar on the leg, only the following: Scar/mark - 1.5" scar on right lower abdomen.

I saw this same thing happen with one or more of Dean Corll’s victims. So many sets of remains located within close proximity of each other, and there was certainly some confusion. I just don’t know of any other reason there’d be two separate case numbers unless they initially thought a torso and leg belonged to two separate individuals. Thus, one would have an abdomen scar and one a leg scar. Maybe it took them awhile to determine they belonged to the same person? Although, you’d think the earlier newspaper articles would then mention two people being found.

I don’t know. If this is in fact two people, that might change things a lot.

Doe Network mentions the scar on the left knee only, and NamUs mentions the lower abdomen scar only, which is interesting. The NamUs page was created more than six years before Doe Network page, but seems like it is more up to date (it includes the new reconstruction now too). Plus Doe Network says the DNA for this Doe is available, which seems to contradict what the LA Coroner told me before, so I would tend to lean on the side of trusting NamUs more.

Frankly, I think it is just initial agency confusion about possibly discovering two different people behind the gas station. If it was two bodies being dumped, Kraft's scorecard would probably refer to '76' with a 2 number instead. All of that makes me think it is only one person.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
178
Guests online
2,263
Total visitors
2,441

Forum statistics

Threads
589,972
Messages
17,928,539
Members
228,027
Latest member
Sarahlm8627
Back
Top