WA WA - Spokane - WhtMale 40-60 - UP483 - Known as 'Slow Harold' - Jul'81

[Springrain]

Sorry if there's a thread already, couldn't find one!

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  [*]The victim was discovered on July 14, 1981 in Spokane County, Washington
  [*]Skeletal Remains

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Vital Statistics

• 
  [*]Estimated age: 40 - 60 years old
  [*]Approximate Height and Weight: 5'8"; 150 lbs.
  [*]Distinguishing Characteristics: Short, light brown, graying hair.
  [*]Dentals: No teeth
  [*]Clothing: A long wool type overcoat with large front pockets, a black leather coat with the letters "KLENE" hand written in ink on the interior label, a J.C. Penney shirt size listed as "Tall XL", a pair of lace up boots that were mid calf high. This man carried a small coin bag that closed with a metal clasp at the top.
  [*]Fingerprints: Not available
  [*]Other: This person was thought to be a transient that may have used the nickname "Slow Harold".

 

[Alfie]

is this from doenetwork or namus?

 

[the_missing]

It's from Doenet: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/570umwa.html

 

[Jessica6980]

I googled Harold Klene, and two from Ancestry popped up. Both from Minnesota, one was approx 20 years old during the 1940 census, the other was 7. So in 1981 the first would have been 61 and the other 48, both within the age range. I'm sure they would have checked this out back then though, right?
Edit to clarify: I mean check out the possibility that Klene was the last name of the decedent and try to find possible family to question about missing relatives. It's not like it was Smith or Johnson. Obviously they couldn't just google it.

 

[Vaden]

I googled Harold Klene, and two from Ancestry popped up. Both from Minnesota, one was approx 20 years old during the 1940 census, the other was 7. So in 1981 the first would have been 61 and the other 48, both within the age range. I'm sure they would have checked this out back then though, right?
Edit to clarify: I mean check out the possibility that Klene was the last name of the decedent and try to find possible family to question about missing relatives. It's not like it was Smith or Johnson. Obviously they couldn't just google it.

I've been going through the Spokane medical examiners website looking at all there J. Does. That's how I stumbled upon this, googling Harold Klene.

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

FWIW "slow" used to be a polite way to refer to someone being mentally challenged.

 

[ghostINshell]

On the doe network page there is a pic of the tag jantzen. I looked it up and there is a swim clothing brand from Portland, Oregon that has been around since the 1910s. So I guess he was also wearing some swim clothing too that doe network is not saying????

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[ghostINshell]

I guess there actually was a DIFFERENT brand called Jantzen that sells coats back in the day

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[YaYa_521]

Maybe Horace is a match to Slow Howard Doe? Below is his pic which appears to be of a much younger Horace (imo).

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

NamUs #MP7138
Horace Jack Prescott Jr
Missing - November 15, 1976
Male, White
Missing Age. 49 Years
Current Age92 Years
First Name. Horace
Middle Name. Jack
Last Name. Prescott Jr
Nickname/Alias. Jack
Sex. Male
Height. 5' 9" (69 Inches)
Weight. 145 lbs
Hair. Brown
Eyes. Brown
Location. Seattle, Washington 98117. King County

Circumstances of Disappearance
Prescott suffered from mental problems with a tendency to wander.
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Horace Jack went missing (possibly wandered away) in 1976. This is 4-5 years prior to "Slow Harold's" skeletal remains discovery. He would have been 53-54 years old in 1980. The time span and his wandering could have landed him in Spokane at any point prior to his death (assuming these are his remains). There are 16 comparisons listed on his NamUs profile. His physical description is spot on considering 3-4 years passed between DOC and date found.

UID's NamUs profile lists 3 rule outs none of which is Horace.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

There is also a bit more info describing his personal belongings.

Circumstances of Recovery
This body found in a known hobo camp in the City of Spokane. Apparent transient. Several transients staying in the same area stated that they had known this man and that he had gone by the name of "Slow Harold". The decedent was edentulus and fingerprints were unobtainable. Manner of death was homicide due to skull fracture. Body was partially skeletlonized. The head was partially severed from the body. A clothing label had the name or work "KLENE" in permanent ink written on it. There were also 2 items of clothing that had what appear to be dry cleaining labels inside of them. The label shows a name of "Troy Linen Company" and a numer of N-1805-75-1. We contacted several compainies with similar or same company name and were unable to locate any useful records that might lead to an identification for this man.

 

[Ark]

Been looking in to this one a bit as i feel it's annoying solvable.

May be a red herring but the "Troy Linen Company" operated out of Fort Wayne, Indiana - Delphi Citizen Newspaper Archives | Mar 03, 1966, p. 3 or at least they did in 1966.

My best guess so far with this one is Harold Melching: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Doesnt fit with the "Slow" part, but we don't really know what slow might mean in this sense. Harold was a wanted fugitive who was dismissed from the air force (Harold William Melching). It said he was last stationed in California, but there was a base in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where the Troy Linen Company operated (Might be reaching here, and I'm aware there might be more than one such company, but it's the only one i found with the exact name.)

If I was a wanted fugitive and wanted to disappear, becoming transient would be a definite possibility.

There is no mention of the tattoo on the remains, but the body sounds well decomposed by the time so may not have been present.

Anyway, just some thoughts I wanted to get out there.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Been looking in to this one a bit as i feel it's annoying solvable.

May be a red herring but the "Troy Linen Company" operated out of Fort Wayne, Indiana - Delphi Citizen Newspaper Archives | Mar 03, 1966, p. 3 or at least they did in 1966.

My best guess so far with this one is Harold Melching: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Doesnt fit with the "Slow" part, but we don't really know what slow might mean in this sense. Harold was a wanted fugitive who was dismissed from the air force (Harold William Melching). It said he was last stationed in California, but there was a base in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where the Troy Linen Company operated (Might be reaching here, and I'm aware there might be more than one such company, but it's the only one i found with the exact name.)

If I was a wanted fugitive and wanted to disappear, becoming transient would be a definite possibility.

There is no mention of the tattoo on the remains, but the body sounds well decomposed by the time so may not have been present.

Anyway, just some thoughts I wanted to get out there.

This seems like a good possibility. Doesn’t seem to far fetched that the tattoo may not have been present. I think it’d be worth submitting (if he’s not already on the rule out list, which I can’t see at the moment)! Nice find.

 

[breachtones]

As pointed out earlier in this thread, the guy may have been mentally challenged due to the nickname of "Slow" Harold. And if that's true, maybe he misspelled his own name somehow. I've always thought it was some variation of Klene, maybe Kline, Klein, Kleinne etc.

Potential matches:
William Elmer Chism - The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
James L. Lampman - The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Joseph Hunyadi - The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Slow Harold needs a sketch at least.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

"Slow Harold" on The Doe Network:

570UMWA

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Found in the weeds along a railroad embankment located at Trent and Erie Street.

Adult Caucasian male. This male was 5 feet 8 inches in height and weighed approximately 150 pounds. He had short light brown graying hair. This person was thought to be a transient that may have used the nickname "Slow Harold". Clothing worn: a long wool type overcoat with large front pockets, a black leather coat with the letters "KLENE" hand written in ink on the interior label, a J.C. Penney shirt size listed as "Tall XL", a pair of lace up boots that were mid calf high. This man carried a small coin bag that closed with a metal clasp at the top. This man had no teeth. Fingerprints were unobtainable.

Medical Examiner - Unidentified Bodies and Missing Persons

 

[citizen_sleuth]

NamUs #UP483

Demographics​

Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 60
Estimated Age Range (Years): 40-60
Estimated Year of Death: 1981
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'8" (68 inches), measured
Weight: 150 lbs, estimated

Circumstances​

Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: July 14, 1981
NamUs Case Created: June 29, 2007
ME/C QA Reviewed: N/A
Location Found: Spokane, Washington 99202
County: Spokane County
Circumstances of Recovery: This body found in a known hobo camp in the City of Spokane. Apparent transient. Several transients staying in the same area stated that they had known this man and that he had gone by the name of "Slow Harold". The decedent was edentulus and fingerprints were unobtainable. Manner of death was homicide due to skull fracture. Body was partially skeletlonized. The head was partially severed from the body. A clothing label had the name or work "KLENE" in permanent ink written on it. There were also 2 items of clothing that had what appear to be dry cleaining labels inside of them. The label shows a name of "Troy Linen Company" and a numer of N-1805-75-1. We contacted several compainies with similar or same company name and were unable to locate any useful records that might lead to an identification for this man.
Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

Physical Description​

Hair Color: Brown
Head Hair Description: light brown and somewhat grey, and cut short
Distinctive Physical Features: N/A

Clothing and Accessories​

- A coat is mentioned but not described in autopsy report (On the Body)
- Coin purse (Near the Body)

 

[citizen_sleuth]

It seems "Big Mac" was (is?) a brand of work clothes sold at JCPenney. It's been around for a very long time––the first newspaper ad I could find was from 1924––and is also sold secondhand.

I suspect the "Troy Linen Company" coat is from Troy National Linen Company, which appears to have been based in Twin Falls, ID based on a job ad for a millwright placed in the Times-News in 1974. It seems like the company went out of business in the late 1970s, as no job ads appear in the paper after 1976.

Jantzen is a swimwear brand based in Portland, OR which is still in business.

 

[Lwieckowicz]

I saw this on ancestry

 

[Puzzleworth]

I saw this on ancestry

"Born about 1918" would put him just above the upper limit of the age group, but that's been wrong before. (Especially considering the skeletonization, lack of teeth, and skull fracture) I think you should send this in.

 

[heartanium]

Looks like this guy is connected to another murder victim named "Fast Eddie", real name Edward Phillip Lizotte, who was killed on May 26, 1981. His killers, William Gerald Daly and John Durward Rayburn, plead guilty to first degree manslaughter and were sentenced with up to 10 years in prison.

15 July 1981, Spokane Chronicle, pg 5


15 July 1981, The Spokeman-Review, pg 11


16 July 1981, The Spokeman-Review, pg 10

 

[heartanium]

More on Fast Eddie, William Gerald Daly, and John Durward Rayburn

7 Aug 1981, Spokane Chronicle, pg 5


30 Aug 1981, Spokane Chronicle, pg 3


1 October 1981, The Spokeman-Review, pg 3


After this stint in prison, John Rayburn took part in the murder of a man named Neal J. Racca in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He was sentenced with up to 15 years for that death. He died in 2005.

William Gerald Daly died in 1981, I think when he was at the Washington State Penitentiary.