OH OH - Ronald Tammen, 19, Oxford, 19 April 1953

[Marilynilpa]

Janice Pennington (formerly of the Price Is Right tv game show) married husband Fritz Stammberger in 1974. A year later, he went a solo mountain climbing expedition in Pakistan and was never seen or heard from again. His body was never found. Through the years, she thought that he was still alive and with the help of her new husband (long after Stammberger), they found in 1992 that he actually died fighting the Russians in Afghanistan. They also found out he was helping building bases for the CIA in that region. Pennington and her current husband believed he was a spy for the CIA, although that the agency did not confirm or deny it, but stated that any information given would jeopardize their intelligence operations. It was after that Pennington wrote the book about his disappearance and death in the book, Husband, Lover, Spy." So yes, it's possible that anyone with family and a spouse can disappear without notice while in the CIA.

Oh, I'm sure an adult can disappear without notice while in the CIA. But I don't believe the CIA would require such a sacrifice from a newly-recruited college student. JMO.

 

[Marilynilpa]

I wonder why the coroner waited so long to come forward with the blood test info?

In 1973, the Butler County Coroner revealed that Tammen had visited his office, seeking a blood test, five months to the day before his disappearance. The Coroner claimed that, in his 35 years of practice, Ronald Tammen was the only person to visit his office with such a request.

http://www.miamialum.org/s/916/interior-3-col.aspx?pgid=417&gid=1

 

[Stella]

A few things I'm not clear on-how do we know Tammen heard a suspicious noise outside his room, he had to have told someone but who? I thought the Butler County coroner came forward with his info within days or months after Tammen disappeared.

 

[liz b.]

Oh, I'm sure an adult can disappear without notice while in the CIA. But I don't believe the CIA would require such a sacrifice from a newly-recruited college student. JMO.

This was a different place,almost a different country back then...the Cold War was very real ...especially in the view of CIA...

 

[Kodiak]

New web and print flyers for Ron Tammen, Jr.

 

[ilovemew]

Wow! I should be in bed but I can't stop googling about this case. Fascinating reading, too bad the links to the photos are no longer valid.

 

[MaryLiz]

It says in the article below that his sister Marcia contacted an organization in Philadelphia to look into Ron's case. It's probably the Vidocq Society. The article is from 2011. I wonder if anything ever came of that.

I keep going back to the blood test in this case. It just seems strange to go to a doctor out of the blue, especially a county coroner, and request a blood test. I've always had paternity in the back of my mind for a possible reason for the blood test. The article below mentions a few possible reasons for getting the blood test. "Tammen could have had his blood typed in 1953 for a number of reasons including an expected surgery, paternity reasons, if he was applying for something maybe a marriage license – or planning to donate blood." (BBM).

However, Richard pointed out in a post from 3/28/2012, post #96 on page 4 of this thread, that back then, paternity could not be established with a blood test, only disproved. So many baffling questions in this case.


http://www.miamistudent.net/news/tr...mystery-58-years-later-1.2188695#.UuVDZzYo6LA

 

[dogperson]

Without DNA they couldn't prove paternity, but it's possible a girl he had dated came forward and claimed he was the father of a baby, although you'd think that would maybe have been known by someone close to him, at least after he disappeared. The girl would surely have been looking for him if she was trying to get child support.

What other reasons could he have been needing to determine his blood type? Don't they type your blood for you when you give blood? I don't think they just take your word for it, do they, because that could cost the life of a person who received blood inaccurately typed. I suppose it isn't possible he was trying to determine his own paternity?

 

[Stella]

Without DNA they couldn't prove paternity, but it's possible a girl he had dated came forward and claimed he was the father of a baby, although you'd think that would maybe have been known by someone close to him, at least after he disappeared. The girl would surely have been looking for him if she was trying to get child support.

What other reasons could he have been needing to determine his blood type? Don't they type your blood for you when you give blood? I don't think they just take your word for it, do they, because that could cost the life of a person who received blood inaccurately typed. I suppose it isn't possible he was trying to determine his own paternity?

That last idea is a good one except for the fact that Tammen was the spitting image of his dad. Check it out on the documentary on YT, his dad is interviewed in depth.

 

[Archangel85]

Reading all 6 pages from this topic it still baffles me how someone could just dissapeared at night like that. The HIPPA rules did not exist on the 50's, did they looked at the doctor's notes? were the results ready the same day or did he picked them up at a later time? Did the witness saw the possible man walk away or did he dissapeared into the night?

There was a similar case in Puerto Rico: A 31 year old man dissapeared from his home and he was shirtless without his wallet and car because some guys went to his house and asked if he could come out.

 

[dogperson]

That last idea is a good one except for the fact that Tammen was the spitting image of his dad. Check it out on the documentary on YT, his dad is interviewed in depth.

I had missed seeing the documentary, guess that blows that idea out of the water! Thanks though, one less thing I have to wonder about.

 

[dogperson]

Okay, here's another thought. Suppose some girl came to him claiming he was the father of her baby. So he goes to get his blood typed. Maybe his blood type doesn't jive with the baby's blood type or something so he tells her he can't be the father. Suppose this girl's brother/dad/etc believes Tammen is the father and comes over to rough him up and make him take responsibility, but instead something goes wrong and he dies, the brother/dad hides the crime. Probably I'm grasping at straws here.

 

[MaryLiz]

Bumping for Ron, now just past the 61st anniversary of his disappearance.

 

[Kodiak]

Bumping for Ron, now just past the 61st anniversary of his disappearance.

Yes. Thought about him and the anniversary a few days ago. Anyone have any new info on the case?

Is the rumored book about the case still coming out? I think it was a female author who was, or did, attend Miami University.

 

[Pink Panther]

A great article about this case:

http://www.miamistudent.net/news/tr...mystery-58-years-later-1.2188695#.U1mgkKVkFFJ

ETA - I have been going nuts trying to find the article that mentioned he had a warrant out for a speeding ticket he got in March of 1953; just prior to his disappearance. Does anyone remember this or where I might have read it???

 

[Pink Panther]

Do we know what happened to the girlfriend at Indiana University? Why is it that she is never named? Was she questioned about any troubles they might have had? Did she help search for him? Did they even try to locate her?

 

[Pink Panther]

I'm going to go out on a limb here…Maybe he accidentally killed someone and type O blood was found at the scene? Maybe it was such a strange situation that he didn't feel that he could confide in his family and he feared the repercussions?

The reporter who followed this case for decades as well as many of his close friends and relatives could not initially believe that he would leave of his own accord but all seem to have come to that possible conclusion over time.

Maybe something terrible happened and he just couldn't find a way out of it?

 

[Kodiak]

A great article about this case:

http://www.miamistudent.net/news/tr...mystery-58-years-later-1.2188695#.U1mgkKVkFFJ

ETA - I have been going nuts trying to find the article that mentioned he had a warrant out for a speeding ticket he got in March of 1953; just prior to his disappearance. Does anyone remember this or where I might have read it???

Good article. I'm still sticking to the CIA theory!

Yeah, I remember there was something, too, stating how he got a speeding ticket the week prior he vanished. It was in one of the articles. And if my memory serves correctly, I remember seeing the actual ticket in a photo or article online. I remember seeing it from the actual photos of his dorm showing his bed, desk, and window.

 

[Kodiak]

Do we know what happened to the girlfriend at Indiana University? Why is it that she is never named? Was she questioned about any troubles they might have had? Did she help search for him? Did they even try to locate her?

I have not ever come across any further info on the girlfriend. Since the investigation was lackluster from the beginning, I wonder if the police back then even made any attempts to seek her out, if she, or the relationship even existed. No name of girl was even mentioned, nor was there info stating she was questioned.

 

[Kodiak]

I'm going to go out on a limb here…Maybe he accidentally killed someone and type O blood was found at the scene? Maybe it was such a strange situation that he didn't feel that he could confide in his family and he feared the repercussions?

The reporter who followed this case for decades as well as many of his close friends and relatives could not initially believe that he would leave of his own accord but all seem to have come to that possible conclusion over time.

Maybe something terrible happened and he just couldn't find a way out of it?

That, too, is very possible. But, if he did commit a crime, willingly or unwillingly, and type O blood was found, then the crime would have point to Tammen immediately. I just believe that he did leave on his own accord, desire, and choosing, and it was all planned and clandestine.