VA - Grateful Dead Fan - Unidentified male, 26 June 1995 - #2

[buffetoflies]

This is not the same David Bonham

I figured, thought I'd point it out though.

Have you tried looking for him in the Social Security Death Index?

Can you give us a few more details about what he was interested in when you knew him?

 

[JasonW]

I wish I had more.

We were both just a couple of young kids living under the shelter of half built houses on construction sites. His dad, Jesse lived on the site as well.

One day, while the Grateful Dead were in Vegas he ran into who he said was his sister who was following the dead. I met her but don't remember her at all. He decided to leave the construction site and go with her.

Although we were very close, we unfortunately didn't share much personal information so I don't know a birthday, social, exact age, anything really.

I can tell you that we did hitchhike anywhere that we were going regardless of if it was to the 7-11 that was 4 miles away or 400 miles to CA to 'score'.

I don't remember if he had any tattoo's. I can say that it would be unlikely for him to have a new Dead shirt or tickets for that matter unless someone used them to barter with.

It would also be unlikely that paraphernalia would not be among the items in his pockets.

There are many things that suggest to me that this is not Dave, however there are two people that I know that met Dave back then and both, upon seeing the picture, immediately asked "Is that Dave?". Neither knowing the circumstances of Grateful Doe.


One of the most compelling reasons to me, is that no one has claimed this guy as missing or recognized him through the numerous TV airings.
This fits Dave perfectly as everyone he has ever known has been homeless or drifting. Friends would disappear for months or years all the time and then show back up. Not only would we ever report someone missing (just because WE don't know where they are, doesn't mean that THEY don't), but very few in these crowds would ever speak to a police officer for any reason. Also, in this way of life, people disappear often.

I am lucky enough that I was arrested while still young and placed in a rehab center where I was able to attend school. Although I was able to escape this life, after not having television my entire life as a youth, I can tell you first hand that it's something you need to grow up with to fully appreciate. Though I do quite well for myself today, I still don't own one & can't understand the appeal that draws people to the idiocracy that is portrayed on TV.

In short, I doubt that any of his friends have seen this programming.

Congratulations to anyone that made it through that novel of a post. I hope I have given some of you a glimpse into the lives of our misguided youth and perhaps a better understanding of the possible reason why this Doe's friends and family have not claimed him.

If you have any further questions, I'll be watching the forum. I'll try to keep it shorter next time.

 

[Penny_Lane]

The case breaks my heart. I am new to WS but this is one case that caught my eye quickly. I wish someone would remember this guy! Maybe a break will come soon! I pray answers are found soon!

 

[foryourwine]

Welcome to Websleuths, Penny Lane! This case also breaks my heart. It seems to me that he was never reported missing, and his family knows what happened but didn't claim his body for whatever reason.

 

[Penny_Lane]

Thanks Foryourwine! Something about the pics we have of him just break my heart. I just keep thinking if I were his mother/sister/aunt..whatever I would want to know what had happened to him. Just makes me wonder why no one is looking for him or reported him missing! Hopefully answers will come soon!

 

[reasypeasy]

The height is off by an inch or two but everything else looks like this Daniel Sheppard should be looked at to be this young man. What do you all think?

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1466dmsau.html


Daniel Nicholas Sheppard
Missing since January 1, 1995 from Adelaide, South Australia
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

• Age at Time of Disappearance: 19 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 165 cms (5'5"); slim build.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Blonde hair; blue eyes. Fair complexion.
• Clothing: Blue jeans, a maroon denim shirt and black shoes.

I've only just started reading about the Grateful Dead Fan, and I don't know whether the possibility of it being Daniel has been ruled out yet later on in the threads.

I am 40 and live in Adelaide. My partner had met Daniel two or three times in the early 90s. I had him look at the reconstructions, and he doesn't think it is Daniel. He says the reconstructions look a little like Daniel in places, but in general they aren't anywhere near enough like him for him to wonder if it is Daniel.

When my partner met Daniel it was through friends who brought Daniel and another streetkid around to my partner's house. My partner's assessment of him at the time was "world's littlest and most annoying streetkid". My partner discouraged the mutual friend from doing this again.

At one of the times Daniel was brought around to my partner's home, my partner was playing some Led Zeppelin music and Daniel's friend was quite scathing about it and Daniel agreed with him. My partner got the distinct impression that they thought if music wasn't recent then it wasn't worth anything. Of course people change remarkably over very few years in their teens, so maybe he picked up a fondness for the Grateful Dead.

By the time he went missing, Daniel was apparently well settled into the sort of lifestyle that comes from living on the dole and smoking a lot of dope in Adelaide. According to all I've heard, much of the concern the police hold for him seems to come from him not having touched money that was in his bank account and not having contacted Centrelink to make sure his welfare payments kept coming. For someone who was getting paid every forteen days and then smoking it up regular as clockwork, leaving any substantial amount of money just sitting in an account would be unlikely.

If Daniel as he was at the time he went missing were to have ended up in America apparently free and at liberty and attending concerts with zero drugs in his system a few months later, that would have to involve both major personal change on his part and assistance from another person to get to America in the first place.

It all seems a bit far-fetched. Most of us here think he was killed by being thrown into the Port River by someone who took offense at something he said or did that New Year's Eve.

But it might be worth getting the police here to check the DNA. It is one of the higher profile disappearances around here, they might be willing to check on a longshot.

 

[reasypeasy]

Okay, I've gone and looked up a links for Daniel.

These are the findings of the coroners court into his disappearance.
http://www.courts.sa.gov.au/courts/coroner/findings/findings_2005/sheppard.finding.htm

Apparently he was working as a labourer and actually living with his mother at the time, which indicates he was probably more socially stable than he was when my partner met him. That makes it more likely he would come off drugs and try to start a new life somewhere, but less likely he would do so without telling his mother and twin brother.

 

[Astrogirl]

I have been reading these boards for a few weeks and for some reason this case just grabs me. From the case file description it seems as though he was well cared for (ie perfect teeth), which leads me to believe someone, somewhere must be looking for and missing him. After reading through several posts on this thread, I do have a couple questions/comments about the case (forgive me if I am repeating anything, as I there are soo many posts I didn't get through them all):

1. I wonder about the theory that his family does know about his death and never claimed the body. If LE knew/suspected this, wouldn't they be able to find a way to ID him even without family member cooperation?

2. I am not familiar with exactly how far Washington DC is to Greensville, VA, but it would appear that it is at least several hours by car. Given that, I find it odd that there is no mention in the case file of any luggage in the van that belonged to Grateful Doe. If he was hitching back from the concert you would think he would have bags with him. I know that even when I go out of town for one night I bring a bag with me. So maybe he wasn't on his way home, but had already arrived home and lives close to that area and was only hitching a ride a short distance?

Anybody else wonder about the lack of luggage?

 

[DBinMA]

I don't think it's odd that he had no luggage. Traveling for bands and music is a whole different animal for some than traveling for other reasons. My friend and I follow a couple of bands and often leave for the weekend with no extra clothes. We only take what we can carry in our jeans pockets. If we drive we may take a bit more but not if we train or bus it.....

 

[mairi leigh]

Okay, I've gone and looked up a links for Daniel.

These are the findings of the coroners court into his disappearance.
http://www.courts.sa.gov.au/courts/coroner/findings/findings_2005/sheppard.finding.htm

Apparently he was working as a labourer and actually living with his mother at the time, which indicates he was probably more socially stable than he was when my partner met him. That makes it more likely he would come off drugs and try to start a new life somewhere, but less likely he would do so without telling his mother and twin brother.

Daniel Nicholas Sheppard's fingerprints have already been compared and have been excluded as a match for Grateful Dead Doe.

 

[Astrogirl]

DBinMA - Perhaps 'luggage' was the wrong word. I was thinking more along the lines of him having a backpack with a change of clothes. However, you make a good point as I am not much familiar with the culture of those who follow bands. It could be quite common to travel with just the clothes on your back.

Although I do wonder...It says he was wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt from the concert he attended. What happened to the shirt he was wearing before he changed into that one? Did he just throw it away once he acquire the concert t-shirt?

This case is so heart breaking. You would think with a phone number (how many UID's come with a phone number in their pocket!) that they would have been able to track down his identity.

 

[theforgotten]

I've been following Jason's story for a while. I was thinking today that maybe the reason that he hasn't been identified yet, is because there isn't anyone to do it. I guess it's possible that he grew up in foster care and didn't have any real family around. I know it may sound weird, but some people may not have family. I'm just trying to come up with reasons why we haven't figured out who he is yet.

 

[Astrogirl]

Yes, I am also quite baffled how they have not come up with his identity. A phone number of a friend in his pocket and his first name in the note (or at least what very likely appears to be his name). That seems like a fair amount of information for LE to go on to make an ID. I read in an earlier post that the note and the number didn't lead anywhere. Has anyone ever spoken with the LE on the case to find out how/why it came up as a dead end?

theforgotten - you could very well be on to something with the prospect of him not having a family, or being estranged from his family. People are probably less likely to file a missing persons report on a friend, as friends come and go from peoples lives more often. It is also not that uncommon for people to go long periods with out speaking to a friend and then reconnecting. Contact is a more regular thing with family (at least in my experience), unless you are estranged. Not hearing from a family member for weeks or months is much more alarming than that happening with a friend, especially if that friend likes to travel.

Also, perhaps if it was a friend who filed a missing persons report it fell through the cracks. Do LE treat a missing persons report filed by a friend differently than if a family member files the report?

 

[websurfer]

A FACEBOOK & MYSPACE PAGE for JASON X?
with all the known info about him including the note from his pocket/
his clothing etc?

Instead of seeing GRATEFUL DEAD FAN
they would see DO YOU KNOW JASON X?

so we should refer to him as JASON X.
thanks all somebody who is good at this kind of stuff please do that..I think he would get hits..and maybe CAROLINE O.
And the other CAROLINE who gave him the note or somebody elese would recognize him?:twocents:

 

[fmw63]

Yes, I am also quite baffled how they have not come up with his identity. A phone number of a friend in his pocket and his first name in the note (or at least what very likely appears to be his name). That seems like a fair amount of information for LE to go on to make an ID. I read in an earlier post that the note and the number didn't lead anywhere. Has anyone ever spoken with the LE on the case to find out how/why it came up as a dead end?

I almost did. Then work got in the way of spending much time here. :furious: Even with the note, there's still no evidence that he's Jason. If he is, someone else gave him the note other than the 2 Carolines ("Sorry, we had to go"). Maybe they gave it to him to give to Jason. So we could be looking for a friend of Jason's. Maybe the number and note didn't pan out because everyone's been looking for a missing Jason.

And the phone number - I think Jason and Caroline T. live in the same area, an area without multiple area codes, because she left a phone number for him without an area code.

And that's even if the note was from the concert...

But I still think the note and phone# are the best clues.

 

[theforgotten]

And the phone number - I think Jason and Caroline T. live in the same area, an area without multiple area codes, because she left a phone number for him without an area code.

And that's even if the note was from the concert...

But I still think the note and phone# are the best clues.

I agree with you, but maybe back in 1995, they didn't use an area codes in that area, but they do now. I went to high school in the yearly nineties and I remember my area not using area codes, but we do today.

I also agree that he may have been holding on to the note for one of his friends.

 

[Astrogirl]

fmw - Yes don't you just hate when work get's in the way This board is fascinating and addictive!

Anyways, back to the case....

fmw - I agree that the note and phone number are the best clues. And I think you are right again that Caroline T. must have known Jason would know her area code, or she would have included it.

It is possible that our Grateful Doe is not Jason but was merely delivering the message to Jason for the Carolines, but I don't think that uncertain piece of information should throw the case off track that badly. Even if Grateful Doe wasn't Jason, the Carolines would still recognize the note and know who they gave it to. They must have known Doe well enough to give him a note to pass along (I wouldn't give someone a note to pass along unless I knew them).

I still really want to know how the phone number could have lead nowhere! Was it disconnected? It just seems strange they couldn't find the Carolines from the number. I think knowing what road-blocked LE on the number would really shed some light on why he still hasn't been identified. Someone mentioned in an earlier post that maybe it was because the Carolines gave him a fake number. However, I just think the note seems too personal for that.

IMO I think doe is the Jason in the note and perhaps he and the Carolines were staying at the same Hostel (or he was staying at their place) during the concert and then the Carolines had to leave before Jason got back so they left him a note.

Going back to an earlier question I had - does anyone know more about LE protocol when someone is reported missing? Do they treat a missing persons report filed by a friend different than family? That would speak to some possible problems if he was estranged from his family and reported missing by a friend instead. Will they give out information to friends or is it like hospital records where they are reluctant to release anything to anyone who isn't direct family? Perhaps a situation such as this could have caused his missing persons report to fall through the cracks.

Also going back to an earlier post. It just seems strange that if LE suspected who he was, but family won't claim body that LE would find some way, with or without family cooperation, to ID him. Anyone know more about that process? Do they really just let cases sit open if a family refuses to claim the body?

 

[Spacemonkey1975]

I'm too lazy to go back and read old posts, but if I remember correctly LE thinks the family knows, not that they know who the family is necessarily.

 

[Spacemonkey1975]

Maybe you guys are right about focusing too much on the Grateful Dead aspect, maybe he was just along for the party, this was pretty common for the dead in 95. Maybe those who would know him and know he's missing (they assume runaway) had no idea he caught some Dead shows. The available info doesn't yell DEADHEAD to me, despite the shirt and ticket stubs.

 

[websurfer]

I almost did. Then work got in the way of spending much time here. :furious: Even with the note, there's still no evidence that he's Jason. If he is, someone else gave him the note other than the 2 Carolines ("Sorry, we had to go"). Maybe they gave it to him to give to Jason. So we could be looking for a friend of Jason's. Maybe the number and note didn't pan out because everyone's been looking for a missing Jason.

And the phone number - I think Jason and Caroline T. live in the same area, an area without multiple area codes, because she left a phone number for him without an area code.

And that's even if the note was from the concert...

But I still think the note and phone# are the best clues.

maybe he got the note to pass on to someone?
wHO IS THE FELLOW HE HITCHED A RIDE WITH?
I was also checking for brown haired little boys who may have gone missing.
He has brown eyes that is unusual for red heads.
Also he had that home made star tattoo.
no jewelry....no birthmarks?
He had very little to go on.
I searched in THE DOE NETWRORK for young men/males who may have gone missing....with the initial J or the middle name Jason...
even just looked at faces on there.
I also searched in THE CHARLEY PROJECT...
even going way back...
no hits:waitasec:
maybe he just was an unwanted child?