FL FL - Kenneth Gautier, 20, Ruskin, 1 May 1975

[madamx]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4881dmfl.html
Kenneth Lee Gautier

Name: Kenneth Lee Gautier
Case Classification: Missing

Missing Since: May 1, 1975 (NamUs lists June 1975)
Location Last Seen: Ruskin, Hillsborough County, Florida

Physical Description
Date of Birth: April 8, 1955
Age: 20 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown, shoulder-length and wavy.
Eye Color: Brown or hazel.

Distinguishing Marks/Features: His right hand was disfigured from a fireworks accident - his right index and middle fingers are missing (NamUs lists right index and ring fingers). He has multiple scars around his right hand. He had a broken back from a car accident.
Identifiers

Dentals: Not available
Fingerprints: Available (NamUs lists as not available)
DNA: Samples submitted - Tests not complete
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance
Kenneth Lee Gautier, also known as Kenny or Lee, was staying in an apartment near relatives. The relatives hadn't heard from him in a couple weeks and went to his apartment. He was not there and has not been seen nor heard from again.
At the time of his disappearance, he was driving a green Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
He was officially reported missing in April 2016.

 

[madamx]

 

[Alleykins]

Fingerprints and DNA are both listed as available for Kenneth in NamUs, so it seems his DN page may be outdated. I didn't know about the VW, though. I wonder if that was ever found.
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/33291/0/

 

[Alleykins]

I submitted Kenneth as a match for this set of remains, found in 1990 in FL.
Everything matches, except for mentioning his missing digits, however, there is scarring on the right hand and wondering if that detail was specifically omitted? Both have fingerprints available. It's a long shot but worth an inquiry, IMHO
https://www.identifyus.org/en/cases/6168

This was the reply I got from NamUs: [FONT=&amp]Thank you, It is likely not a match, but I will look into further to see if we can post an exclusion or not[/FONT]
Doesn't really sound like they will even take a look, not sure why.
Looking at the physical description of the UP it reads (BBM):

old 20cm scar on medial aspect of the right upper thigh; old 15 cm scar on the anterior aspect of the right forearm; old 5cm scar on the dorsal aspect of the right forearm and another one on the dorsal aspect at the base of the thumb and 3cm long and linear old scars on the dorsal aspect of each finger of the right hand on metatarsal phalangeal joint

The description reads metatarsal, which are foot bones, instead of metacarpals (finger bones), when the description clearly states hand.
I think this potential match would be worth looking into because there's something amiss with the report. It's frustrating to have to pass someone else's smell test in order for a comparison to be made. It sounds like they're just going to rule him out and not even look. That's just my take on things, anyway

 

[madamx]

I agree with you its very frustrating to say the least...

This was the reply I got from NamUs: [FONT=&]Thank you, It is likely not a match, but I will look into further to see if we can post an exclusion or not[/FONT]
Doesn't really sound like they will even take a look, not sure why.
Looking at the physical description of the UP it reads (BBM):
The description reads metatarsal, which are foot bones, instead of metacarpals (finger bones), when the description clearly states hand.
I think this potential match would be worth looking into because there's something amiss with the report. It's frustrating to have to pass someone else's smell test in order for a comparison to be made. It sounds like they're just going to rule him out and not even look. That's just my take on things, anyway

 

[madamx]

I know this might not be the right post to put this on but I found this guy that matches this John Doe below.. Michael James Gaughan.. he has a websleuths thread that has been started but it says closed and does not let me post a comparison.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...n-(17)-El-Paso-TX-1975&highlight=gaughan+1975
I have found a couple of other Threads started for missing people that are closed also and I don't know why?
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2025dmnm.html well he fits the stats too.

I'm frustrated as I haven't been able to find anything about Kenneth, apart from the links I posted above. Anyway, I found a UID I think might be a good match.

http://doenetwork.org/cases/1183umfl.html
Killed in FL in summer 1975. He had long hair like Kenneth, and I think there's a fair resemblance. Broward County is about 3 1/4 hours away from Ruskin. That isn't too bad of a distance. I wrote more about it on 1183UMFL's thread.

ETA: Side by side of Kenneth and UID.

 

[Alleykins]

I'm not sure if we can get a thread reopened, but I would contact a mod and ask, couldn't hurt.

 

[madamx]

do you happen to know why some get closed like that.. I have seen a couple already . I think its a shame since it does not give people a chance to post any possible matching john or jane does on the thread...

I'm not sure if we can get a thread reopened, but I would contact a mod and ask, couldn't hurt.

 

[Alleykins]

do you happen to know why some get closed like that.. I have seen a couple already . I think its a shame since it does not give people a chance to post any possible matching john or jane does on the thread...

I'm not sure why they get closed, but I noticed it, too and agree that it is a shame.

 

[Alleykins]

Bumping for Kenneth.
It's been almost a year, the match I submitted doesn't appear to have gone anywhere, Kenneth doesn't show up on the rule outs.
Not seeing him in Charley yet, either.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Kenneth Lee Gautier – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance
Gautier was last seen in Bradenton, Florida on June 26, 1975. He had left his family's Commack, New York home and traveled to Ruskin, Florida to visit an uncle.

At the time of his disappearance, he was living with a couple of young male roommates in Bradenton. He has never been heard from again. He was driving a green Karmann Ghia when he disappeared.

Gautier's family can't think of any reason why he would have wanted to walk out of his life. He spoke to his mother on the phone shortly before he disappeared and their conversation was normal.

He had talked about going on a tour through the western U.S. and at first his family thought he might have simply left to take the trip, but they reconsidered this theory after months and years passed without their having heard from him. His roommates said they had no idea what happened to him.

In mid-April 1981, someone calling himself "Lee Gautier" called Gautier's parents collect at their New York home at 4:30 p.m. "Lee Gautier" was the name Gautier's family called him. His mother answered the phone and agreed to accept the charges, but the caller hung up before they could be connected. The call was traced to a pay phone in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Almost a month later, Gautier's parents got another call from a person claiming to be "Lee Gautier", and again the caller hung up before they could be connected. This call was traced to the cellblock in the Orange County Jail in Orlando, Florida. There was no inmate in the jail listed under the name of Lee Gautier or Kenneth Lee Gautier, and the jail staff were unable to determine who placed the call.

In response to the calls, Gautier's brother flew to Florida, searched for Gautier among Daytona Beach's transient population, and put up posters asking him to call home.

One witness thought she recognized Gautier from photographs; she said she'd seen a man who looked like him shooting pool in a local bar. The man she'd seen was missing fingers from his right hand, like Gautier.

However, Gautier's brother's search was ultimately fruitless, and the person or persons who called his parents in 1981 has never been identified.

Gautier's case remains unsolved; there's been no confirmed sign of his whereabouts since 1975.

 

[ekardh]

In mid-April 1981, someone calling himself "Lee Gautier" called Gautier's parents collect at their New York home at 4:30 p.m. "Lee Gautier" was the name Gautier's family called him. His mother answered the phone and agreed to accept the charges, but the caller hung up before they could be connected. The call was traced to a pay phone in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Almost a month later, Gautier's parents got another call from a person claiming to be "Lee Gautier", and again the caller hung up before they could be connected. This call was traced to the cellblock in the Orange County Jail in Orlando, Florida. There was no inmate in the jail listed under the name of Lee Gautier or Kenneth Lee Gautier, and the jail staff were unable to determine who placed the call. .

What do people make of these phonecalls? Do you think they were legit?

I suppose Kenneth might have been using a false name, which is why the jail couldn't trace the call to him?

 

[PayrollNerd]

This is confusing or maybe it's just not been updated since his family got involved in 2016, provided DNA and gave more info.

In post #21, the Doe Network claims he was last seen in Ruskin, FL and had an apartment there. Did he move out of the place with the roommates and go live in Ruskin? Maybe he lived in Ruskin first, then moved to Bradenton?

In post #31, The Charley Project claims he was living with roommates in Bradenton, FL but traveled to Ruskin to visit an uncle. Had he recently moved in with roommates in Bradenton?

Which is accurate?

 

[MadMcGoo]

Something tells me they once be moved away from NY and to FL, his parents (or anyone for that matter) may not have known his exact whereabouts or he who he was living with the entire time. Just that he was in FL and had stayed in those places.

Although, to be honest, I tend to believe Charley Project over any other site when in comes to details. I’ve found very few errors or disputable facts in her case summaries. That’s my experience and opinion though.

I’m always curious when families receive phone calls allegedly from the missing person after their disappearance. In this case, the person calling is obviously still in Florida, knows the parents’ phone number, and used the name they referred to him as. If not him, could the uncle or one of the roommates have called? I hope they cross referenced jail records to the names of his known associates then. Not to say it was one of them, but you just never know. He could have been alive and well at the time. I just think with the passage of this much time, the chances are slim that he still is, unfortunately.

 

[ekardh]

I hope they cross referenced jail records to the names of his known associates then. Not to say it was one of them, but you just never know. He could have been alive and well at the time. I just think with the passage of this much time, the chances are slim that he still is, unfortunately.

You're right. You'd expect the investigators to do their due diligence on that sort of thing.

I lean towards the phonecalls being genuine. For whatever reason he wasn't up to speaking to his family but he wanted to "check in" all the same. After that? The longer time went on, the harder it was to reach out to them. Who knows what sort of lifestyle he fell into. He might have met with foul play since then but I'm uncertain his initial disappearing act was suspicious. All speculative, of course.

 

[ekardh]

As an addendum, I would question why a suspect would wait six years before contacting the parents? Surely they would've done this early on in order to avoid arousing suspicion?

 

[ekardh]

When Gautier's brother flew to Florida after the phonecalls, I wonder if he showed Kenneth's photo to the Orange County Jail? That's one of the first things I would've done.

I'm guessing not, as it would have been mentioned.

 

[redabby]

Interesting case with the phone calls. I think they are probably genuine too. The only reason for someone else to ring would be for some sort of monetary gain or to toy with the family, but as the person hung up I don't feel either plus the six year gap. I feel he was alive but not in a good place and couldn't face them and then time or other circumstances went by.
He could well still be alive out there somewhere.

 

[ekardh]

Kenneth Lee Gautier - marijuana arrest Tampa Bay Times May 21, 1975 - Newspapers.com

Possibly unrelated but there's a newspaper report here of a "Kenneth L Gautier" who was arrested for possessing weed and "contributing to delinquency of a minor".
The age and location both check out. It would appear to be before he went missing. Not sure it has any relevance to this disappearance but interesting.

 

[redabby]

Kenneth Lee Gautier - marijuana arrest Tampa Bay Times May 21, 1975 - Newspapers.com

Possibly unrelated but there's a newspaper report here of a "Kenneth L Gautier" who was arrested for possessing weed and "contributing to delinquency of a minor".
The age and location both check out. It would appear to be before he went missing. Not sure it has any relevance to this disappearance but interesting.

It may be an unrelated but is very coincidental and could well be the start of the tiny ball that snowballed into his disappearance. A very good catch finding that report anyway.