MN MN - Albert Lea, I-90, WhtMale 40-55, UP13731, garnet/ruby ring, clothes, coins 1965-1992, Apr'15

Damarna

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My apologies if this is a duplicate thread

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/cr...-death-investigated-near-albert-lea/25417705/

Deputies located the remains near a fence along the south side of I-90. Based on a preliminary assessment they appear to those of a male who has likely been there for a number of years. The remains will be taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office to determine possible cause and manner of death.

http://www.albertleatribune.com/2015/04/bca-searching-area-along-i-90/

A preliminary assessment indicates the remains are believed to be those of a male, according to Freeborn County Sheriff Kurt Freitag. They appear to have been there for at least a couple of years.

The remains were found near a fence along the south side of eastbound Interstate 90, about a half mile east of Minnesota Highway 13. They were about 50 feet from the road.
 
How sad. I have an odd feeling he might be a hitchhiker who didn't fare too well in winter weather : (
 
This photo is from the link above. Picture of the ring found.

7013176c07af04b04a359c43e154f2a6.jpg
 
From the link already posted, the man was wearing Mario de Gerard shoes.

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3760258.shtml?cat=1

The shoe company Mario de Gerard filed for a trademark registration in 1990 and cancelled it in 1997. So that might narrow down the timeframe. My husband probably still has shoes around from the '90s but doesn't wear them out and about. However an older gentleman might, as I've seen his uncle wear some seriously stylish shoes that I'm sure are from the '70s.

http://www.trademarkia.com/mobile/trademark_detail.aspx?sid=74059353
 
If this was a hitchhiker or someone else passing through, it might be difficult to determine from where they were coming. I-90 and I-35 both pass through/near Albert Lea, along with state highways 13, 65, and 69...
 
As far as the shoes.... I was just at a local Goodwill and saw 3 pairs of Mario De Gerard shoes. The person working there said they are fairly common donation.
 
Skeletal remains found along I-90 near Albert Lea offer few clues

The body, wrapped in a painter’s tarp-like material, was tucked into the trees and brush along a fence near Interstate 90 in southeast Minnesota. The man’s identity is a mystery.

The first phase of an autopsy hasn’t revealed any details into how the man may have died, although a ring and a pair of shoes may offer some clues.

...

Earl said what was left remaining of the body “was only bones.”

However, he said the examiners will be able to pinpoint the nationality and age of the man as well as the timeframe of the death.

“That will be helpful,” said Earl, who already has received calls from people who lost a loved one as far back as the 1980s and are still looking for answers.
 
Wrapped in a painter's tarp....so my thoughts of this being a hitchhiker might not be right...

An earlier article said there was a gas station just a little bit up the road, so they didn't think it would be a transient.
 
Wrapped in a painter's tarp....so my thoughts of this being a hitchhiker might not be right...

I wonder if the painters tarp was as deteriorated as the rest of the clothing
 
I used to drive through Albert Lea on I-35, so this case was interesting to me.

A bit more on the Mario de Gerard shoes:

That brand of shoe hasn't been made for quite awhile and the surviving ones on eBay / Etsy and the brand appears to have produced a lot of dress leather shoes -- I see a lot of oxfords, as well as the occasional boot and moccasin. These are very nice leather shoes and were made in the US and Brazil.

The brand Mario de Gerard was actually owned by the Melville corporation, which also produced Thom McAn shoes. Mario de Gerard appears likely to have been a specialty line produced for department stores and Thom McAn outlets, probably as a 'high-end' shoe. By the 1980s, however, Melville was starting to shut down their shoe factories and Thom McAn stores to focus on other items in their portfolio, namely CVS Pharmacy. They had divested Thom McAn (the business that started Melville corp) by 1996, which was bought by Sears, who continues to produce Thom McAn shoes for Sears and Kmart stores.

The last time they registered the trademark was in 1990 -- and by 1992 Melville would shut down almost half the Thom McAn outlets in the country, reducing them to only 380 stores nationwide. The expiration in 1997 corresponds with its sale to Sears, so I would guess at the very latest the shoes were still being sold in 1995 or 1996. My gut says that they may have discontinued the Mario line earlier than that (perhaps the 1980s?), but kept the trademark as a part of their portfolio as they prepared to sell off the shoe division.

***

Sorry for the very long corporate history, but I thought it was important to get an idea about what kind of shoes these were --

They have video from one of the local news stations that shoes where his body was discovered -- he was only a half mile from a gas station and 50 feet from the road. The fence he was found on had heavy overgrowth that they had to cut through to find the rest of his remains. There was a couple inches of soil build up so I'd guess he'd been there for quite awhile.

The deceased appears to have a flashy sense of style with a pair of nice leather shoes and a pinky / class ring. The style of shoe indicates to me that he wasn't someone who regularly hitchhiked -- the shoes just wouldn't be practical for that. Albert Lea and the surrounding areas are farm country where his clothing probably would've stood out.

He was found on the south side of the I-90 shortly after the intersection of I-90 and Hwy 13 -- If he were travelling in a car then he may have started out in St. Paul, taken Highway 13 to Albert Lea, and then headed east towards Chicago.

Also of random note is that there is a low-level federal prison in Waseca, less than an hour away. It had been a men's prison from 1995-2007, and then converted to a women's prison in 2008.

Links:
Video of the area where the deceased was found

History of Thom McAn shoes -- manufacturer of Mario De Gerard shoes
 
This photo is from the link above. Picture of the ring found.

7013176c07af04b04a359c43e154f2a6.jpg

"It looks to me like a cushion-cut garnet, simulated, which means it's man-made," said Georgia Wentzel, a salesperson at Fisher's. Wentzel said it doesn't appear to be a class ring and isn't likely to have been purchased in the last few years.

"It's a gent's fashion design. It was popular probably more so in the 50's, 60's, and 70's more so than now," Wentzel said. "I would say it's somewhat passe, however you could still purchase something [like it], however it isn't something that would probably be real popular now."

http://www.kaaltv.com/article/stories/S3761537.shtml?cat=10219
 
Minnesota human remains draw interest from North Iowa police

Other police departments, including in North Iowa, are following the case on the chance the remains could be someone missing from their jurisdictions.

...

Hampton Police Chief Robert Schaefer said his department has reached out to Freeborn deputies to see if the remains could be that of Ethan Kazmerzak

Kazmerzak, 22, was last seen Sept. 15, 2013, in Hampton.

Officials aren't sure if could be Kazmerzak, because the initial description of the remains doesn't quite match with the missing Hampton man, Schaefer said.

...

Sheriff's deputies in Winnebago County also are following the Minnesota investigation in case its connected to the disappearance of Brian Blachut in 1993... Although there's a chance the remains could be Blachut, Winnebago County sheriff's investigators think it is most likely his remains have already been found...

...

Some of the older cases are most likely not connected, because human remains don't last very long out in the elements, he said.

"(Monday's find) is fairly intact within an area, so it's really probably not going to be someone who was missing for more than a couple years,” he said.
 
About the ring, I wonder if it's someone with a January birthday? Or July and instead of a ruby decided to go inexpensive with a garnet.
 
Most of the similar rings I've found on Etsy are described as Art Deco, from the 1920's and 1930's, or reproductions. This is the closest one I've found: https://www.etsy.com/listing/208183392/10k-solid-yellow-gold-garnet-art-deco?ref=market

This kind of ring is popular with the goth/punk crowd and also with the fantasy and role-playing crowd. It's always been popular with men because it's a masculine color and also its traditional meaning involves money and power.

It's the state mineral of Connecticut and I think also New York.
 

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