Resolved WA - Tacoma, Skeletal Remains Above Schuster Pwy, May 2018 - Name withheld

[Gardener1850]

Human remains found in wooded area above Schuster Parkway

Human remains were found Wednesday in a wooded area below Stadium High School and above Schuster Parkway in Tacoma.

The body's advanced state of decomposition made an immediate determination of gender, age and race impossible, said Tacoma Police spokeswoman Shelbie Boyd.

Human remains found in wooded area of Tacoma

Tacoma Police spokeswoman Shelbie Boyd says police received a call about the remains and had to use a ladder to reach the site which was heavily covered by blackberry vines.

She says there was no obvious sign of the cause of death.

The body was to be transported to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office.

 

[msphilosopher]

The remains were found only 5-10 min drive from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a well known landmark.

I did a quick search on missing people near this area. Adam and James both had cars that were found abandoned either on or very near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Giovanna was last seen at her home which is 5-10min from the remains location but in the opposite direction from TNB.

Adam Cajiuat Posadas, Male, Asian
Missing Person Case

James William Schmidt, Male, White / Caucasian
Missing Person Case

Giovanna Katie Tyler, Female, Native American / Alaskan Native
Missing Person Case

 

[Springrain]

Wow, I'm super close to Tacoma and haven't heard about this...

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Nancy Moyer or, are the remains more recent?

 

[KaaBoom]

Police investigators had to use a ladder to reach the site which was heavily covered by blackberry vines and approximately 25 feet above the sidewalk along Schuster Parkway.

I think it has to have been a homeless person who was camping there or someone who was climbing up the hill, and maybe fell. Because no one would drag a body 25 feet up a steep embankment, and there is no place to park or even stop a car nearby.

 

[iulia]

NamUs page for this UID
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Sex Unsure
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 50

Circumstances of Recovery
Found on hillside at the 100 Block of Schuster Parkway in Tacoma. Possible transient.

Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues

Accessories Keyring with vehicle key fob, Isuzu key, and other key.

Clothing Reddish in color tee shirt worn by decedent.
Blue jeans worn by the body. Arizona brand with "16 Jrs. Plus +" on tag.

 

[Legally Bland]

NamUs page for this UID
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Sex Unsure
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 50

Circumstances of Recovery
Found on hillside at the 100 Block of Schuster Parkway in Tacoma. Possible transient.

Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues

Accessories Keyring with vehicle key fob, Isuzu key, and other key.

Clothing Reddish in color tee shirt worn by decedent.
Blue jeans worn by the body. Arizona brand with "16 Jrs. Plus +" on tag.

I'm not familiar with US clothing sizes. Does junior 16+ say anything about sex/build etc?

 

[Gardener1850]

I'm not familiar with US clothing sizes. Does junior 16+ say anything about sex/build etc?

I'm American and I wasn't sure what that means. While it's been ages since I had to buy Juniors clothing, that is an unusual size in my opinion. Juniors clothes are marketed for pre-teens to young twenty-somethings. They run bigger than kids sizes but smaller than women's clothing sizes. And the ones I have seen have always been sized by odd numbers only: Sizes: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 & 15.

Since I've never seen this I did some googling and found, apparently Juniors plus sizes (in even numbers) is now a thing in the US. Who knew? Here's a link that gives a size chart that might help (scroll halfway down the page): Before You Shop: Junior Plus Size vs. Woman’s Plus Size

According to that a 16 JP is a 35 inch waist and a 45 inch hip. So she was likely a curvy person but not as curvy as someone wearing a women's 16 plus size, which is 3-5 inches bigger, depending on the brand. If I'm understanding the sizing chart right this person would be a size 10 or 12 in regular women's clothing, which is just on the cusp of plus sizes. To put it all into perspective, the average US woman's size is 16 (as of 2016): What’s ‘average’? Size 16 is the new normal for US women

So she may have been on the curvy/bigger side (likely not a super thin woman anyway) but was still smaller than the average American woman. MOO.

 

[Legally Bland]

I'm American and I wasn't sure what that means. While it's been ages since I had to buy Juniors clothing, that is an unusual size in my opinion. Juniors clothes are marketed for pre-teens to young twenty-somethings. They run bigger than kids sizes but smaller than women's clothing sizes. And the ones I have seen have always been sized by odd numbers only: Sizes: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 & 15.

Since I've never seen this I did some googling and found, apparently Juniors plus sizes (in even numbers) is now a thing in the US. Who knew? Here's a link that gives a size chart that might help (scroll halfway down the page): Before You Shop: Junior Plus Size vs. Woman’s Plus Size

According to that a 16 JP is a 35 inch waist and a 45 inch hip. So she was likely a curvy person but not as curvy as someone wearing a women's 16 plus size, which is 3-5 inches bigger, depending on the brand. If I'm understanding the sizing chart right this person would be a size 10 or 12 in regular women's clothing, which is just on the cusp of plus sizes. To put it all into perspective, the average US woman's size is 16 (as of 2016): What’s ‘average’? Size 16 is the new normal for US women

So she may have been on the curvy/bigger side (likely not a super thin woman anyway) but was still smaller than the average American woman. MOO.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

 

[RememberingRyan]

Has Kimberly Mericle been excluded? She went missing in Oregon in March 2017 - her abandoned Isuzu was found in southern OR after she disappeared. She was struggling with meth addiction and trying to get clean, at the time - she could have gone transient and managed to make her way to Tacoma. Her height and weight would probably make her smaller than the size found with the remains, but might be worth checking given that people sometimes take what they can get for clothing.

OR - OR - Kimberly Mericle, 46, Williams, 2 March 2017

Kimberly Ann Mericle – The Charley Project

 

[ChuckMaureen]

NamUs page for this UID
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Sex Unsure
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 50

Circumstances of Recovery
Found on hillside at the 100 Block of Schuster Parkway in Tacoma. Possible transient.

Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues

Accessories Keyring with vehicle key fob, Isuzu key, and other key.

Clothing Reddish in color tee shirt worn by decedent.
Blue jeans worn by the body. Arizona brand with "16 Jrs. Plus +" on tag.

Maybe?
Arizona Jean Company Jeans | Jrs Plus Size 16 Arizona Denim P202 | Poshmark

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Nancy Moyer? The discovery location of the remains is less than 50 miles from Tenino, WA where Nancy used to live.

 

[sasha17]

Nancy Moyer? The discovery location of the remains is less than 50 miles from Tenino, WA where Nancy used to live.

Hmm, just based on the pants size of juniors 16, it seems like these pants would be significantly too large for Nancy. According to her Charley Project page, Nancy is 4'11" to 5'0" and between 105 and 120 pounds. I am approximately the same measurements (just a little bit taller) and pants size juniors 16 would be WAAAY too big for me. JMO.

 

[Penny4YourThoughts]

Hmm, just based on the pants size of juniors 16, it seems like these pants would be significantly too large for Nancy. According to her Charley Project page, Nancy is 4'11" to 5'0" and between 105 and 120 pounds. I am approximately the same measurements (just a little bit taller) and pants size juniors 16 would be WAAAY too big for me. JMO.

@ChuckMaureen my thoughts echo @sasha17 unless NM were redressed so glad you brought up. It's a known area for transients, which could make for clever dump spot esp if more rural. Hope. These remains are ID'd soon!

 

[Gardener1850]

Human remains recovered last year from a hillside above downtown Tacoma belong to a 40-year-old man.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office this week was able to identify the man and determine that he died from heroin poisoning. His next of kin has been notified.

It can often be difficult to identify a decomposed body. In this case, medical examiners were able to use DNA to figure out who the man was.

Read more here: DNA used to identify human remains found on hill above downtown Tacoma

 

[YaYa_521]

Human remains recovered last year from a hillside above downtown Tacoma belong to a 40-year-old man.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office this week was able to identify the man and determine that he died from heroin poisoning. His next of kin has been notified.

It can often be difficult to identify a decomposed body. In this case, medical examiners were able to use DNA to figure out who the man was.

Read more here: DNA used to identify human remains found on hill above downtown Tacoma

Are these the same remains as the ones located in May 2018? The news story linked say "His remains were found Feb. 11, 2018, on a hill near North Schuster Parkway and South Fourth Street." BBM

Human remains found on hill above downtown Tacoma
FEBRUARY 12, 2018 10:54 AM, UPDATED JUNE 25, 2019 01:50 PM
Human remains were discovered Sunday on a hillside above downtown Tacoma, police said.

A resident out walking Sunday spotted the remains just before 4 p.m. and called police.

Detectives determined that they were human remains but were unable to recover them before it got dark Sunday. Officers guarded the area overnight and recovered the remains Monday morning from the hill near North Schuster Parkway and South Fourth Street.

Human remains found in wooded area above Schuster Parkway
This story is dated MAY 23, 2018 04:07 PM, UPDATED JUNE 07, 2019 02:02 PM

Human remains were found Wednesday in a wooded area below Stadium High School and above Schuster Parkway in Tacoma.
##

Were there remains found in this area in Feb. 2018 and May 2018 or are these errors in reporting or errors in Yaya's brain?

It's early yet (for me) and I'm kinda confused and lacking about 3 more cups of coffee beyond the 2 I've had already. My brain doesn't start cooperating until noon or so. Help!

 

[YaYa_521]

I'm American and I wasn't sure what that means. While it's been ages since I had to buy Juniors clothing, that is an unusual size in my opinion. Juniors clothes are marketed for pre-teens to young twenty-somethings. They run bigger than kids sizes but smaller than women's clothing sizes. And the ones I have seen have always been sized by odd numbers only: Sizes: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 & 15.

Since I've never seen this I did some googling and found, apparently Juniors plus sizes (in even numbers) is now a thing in the US. Who knew? Here's a link that gives a size chart that might help (scroll halfway down the page): Before You Shop: Junior Plus Size vs. Woman’s Plus Size

According to that a 16 JP is a 35 inch waist and a 45 inch hip. So she was likely a curvy person but not as curvy as someone wearing a women's 16 plus size, which is 3-5 inches bigger, depending on the brand. If I'm understanding the sizing chart right this person would be a size 10 or 12 in regular women's clothing, which is just on the cusp of plus sizes. To put it all into perspective, the average US woman's size is 16 (as of 2016): What’s ‘average’? Size 16 is the new normal for US women

So she may have been on the curvy/bigger side (likely not a super thin woman anyway) but was still smaller than the average American woman. MOO.

Gardener1850, you're amazing and very much appreciated! TY for always sharing your sleuthing results with us. 'Above and beyond' that's the nickname I'm giving you!

ETA- after reading your awesomely detailed post about these pant sizes I went on to read about the UID having been identified as a 40-yo male. Struck me as odd that he'd be wearing size 16 junior pants. Heroin addiction could have made him extremely tiny but junior size clothing?

 

[RememberingRyan]

Were there remains found in this area in Feb. 2018 and May 2018 or are these errors in reporting or errors in Yaya's brain?

It's early yet (for me) and I'm kinda confused and lacking about 3 more cups of coffee beyond the 2 I've had already. My brain doesn't start cooperating until noon or so. Help!

I agree, these appear to be different remains. I thought maybe NT had an error in their dates but Q13 had an article for February, as well. Decomposed body found on Tacoma hill

 

[Gardener1850]

Are these the same remains as the ones located in May 2018? The news story linked say "His remains were found Feb. 11, 2018, on a hill near North Schuster Parkway and South Fourth Street." BBM

Human remains found on hill above downtown Tacoma
FEBRUARY 12, 2018 10:54 AM, UPDATED JUNE 25, 2019 01:50 PM
Human remains were discovered Sunday on a hillside above downtown Tacoma, police said.

A resident out walking Sunday spotted the remains just before 4 p.m. and called police.

Detectives determined that they were human remains but were unable to recover them before it got dark Sunday. Officers guarded the area overnight and recovered the remains Monday morning from the hill near North Schuster Parkway and South Fourth Street.

Human remains found in wooded area above Schuster Parkway
This story is dated MAY 23, 2018 04:07 PM, UPDATED JUNE 07, 2019 02:02 PM

Human remains were found Wednesday in a wooded area below Stadium High School and above Schuster Parkway in Tacoma.
##

Were there remains found in this area in Feb. 2018 and May 2018 or are these errors in reporting or errors in Yaya's brain?

It's early yet (for me) and I'm kinda confused and lacking about 3 more cups of coffee beyond the 2 I've had already. My brain doesn't start cooperating until noon or so. Help!

Oh my gosh you are right Yaya! These must be separate cases. I just saw the street Schuster Parkway and 2018 and assumed they were the same without looking at the months that closely. So TWO people were found near Schuster Parkway less than a month apart. Disregard the above article about being identified as a man then...

 

[YaYa_521]

Just posting this here because lack of coffee = lack of memory (total brain function sometimes) and I'll forget to ask anyone later on after you folks have my confused brain straightened out again.

"IF" these are two separate cases of UID remains and one has been id'd as a 40-yo male, are there any 2017-2018 cases of two people going missing (perhaps male and female or adult male and youth/young adult person)? I'll start sniffing around even though I might have all my wires crossed and these are all the same remains.