AZ AZ - Donald Shelenberger, 35, Pima County, 3 July 1994

justthinkin

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I'm going to go out on a limb here. I believe I know who Benjaman Kyle truly is. And the odd thing is that this missing person's name and face have already appeared here within these threads. Ben may have Powell relations several generations back, but I believe Benjaman is Donald Kenneth Shellenberger though the name was misspelled as Shelenberger.

He is the same height as Benjaman, though listed at much thinner 160lbs. when he disappeared in 1994 at age 35, and after making arrangements with a friend to hike Mount Lemmon near Tucson. Shellenberger was listed as being 5'11" and having blue eyes and brown hair. Mr. Kyle and Donald Shelenberger have a strong resemblance, and neither is listed as having any tattoos.

I found a Dr. Jeffry John Shellenberger in Tucson, whom I believe may be Benjaman's younger brother. I also believe he has a younger sister in Colorado Springs, CO by the name of Susie Shellenberger, an evangelist and author of 40 books. These are accomplished people in their fields which would fit in well with Benjaman being educated and articulate. I found the possible Colorado connection very interesting.

With the extra weight Ben was carrying was lost, I thought he looked younger, and if indeed he is a match for Donald Shellenberger, he would be 54 today. That age seems to fit since he's shed a few pounds.

Am encluding photos of Shelenberger, Kyle, Dr. Jeff Shellenburger and Susie Shellenberger. Sorry, I do not know how to make them all the same size.

I spoke with Detective Crehan at Pima County Sheriff's Dept. today. Mr. Shelenberger was reported missing by the friend he was scheduled to go hiking with; however, Shellenberger never showed up. A search and rescue mission was carried out on Mount Lemmon with no results.
 

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Hi Julessleuther,

Yes, I know what you mean, but I'm thinking it's the angle of the photo shot of Shellenberger. The photo of Benjaman that got me going on this is the one of him with the full dark beard leaning back. Because it's a different angle his nose looks more like that of Shellenberger's. And if Benjaman was leaning back even more, I think his nose would look like that of Shellenberger's.

I'll eat my hat if Susie Shellenberger isn't Benjaman Kyle's sister. They look so similar, enough to be fraternal twins if she was the same age. Natch, she's a younger person. That she lives in Colorado Springs could be the Colorado connection Benjaman remembers.

Thanks for looking!
 
I'm going to go out on a limb here. I believe I know who Benjaman Kyle truly is. And the odd thing is that this missing person's name and face have already appeared here within these threads. Ben may have Powell relations several generations back, but I believe Benjaman is Donald Kenneth Shellenberger though the name was misspelled as Shelenberger.

He is the same height as Benjaman, though listed at much thinner 160lbs. when he disappeared in 1994 at age 35, and after making arrangements with a friend to hike Mount Lemmon near Tucson. Shellenberger was listed as being 5'11" and having blue eyes and brown hair. Mr. Kyle and Donald Shelenberger have a strong resemblance, and neither is listed as having any tattoos.

I found a Dr. Jeffry John Shellenberger in Tucson, whom I believe may be Benjaman's younger brother. I also believe he has a younger sister in Colorado Springs, CO by the name of Susie Shellenberger, an evangelist and author of 40 books. These are accomplished people in their fields which would fit in well with Benjaman being educated and articulate. I found the possible Colorado connection very interesting.

With the extra weight Ben was carrying was lost, I thought he looked younger, and if indeed he is a match for Donald Shellenberger, he would be 54 today. That age seems to fit since he's shed a few pounds.

Am encluding photos of Shelenberger, Kyle, Dr. Jeff Shellenburger and Susie Shellenberger. Sorry, I do not know how to make them all the same size.

I spoke with Detective Crehan at Pima County Sheriff's Dept. today. Mr. Shelenberger was reported missing by the friend he was scheduled to go hiking with; however, Shellenberger never showed up. A search and rescue mission was carried out on Mount Lemmon with no results.

Thanks for your work-when you spoke with Detective Crehan, did he let you know if there were fingerprints, dental records or DNA on file for Mr. Shellenberger? Tattoos, scars, distinguishing marks, charecteristics etc??

TIA
 
I am going to move the work Justthinkin did into this sub-forum...
 
I'd also like to know what the link is between these different Shellenbergers (other than the name).

It appears from searching for Donald that there are at least four or five Donald Shellenbergers, of different ages and with different middle names, out on the web... Zabasearch reports 70 people by that name and even allowing for the tendency to multiple count there must be at least 20 and probably closer to 50 in the US.

In addition Susie's surname could be her married name which means that any similarity in looks would have no biological basis. Plus, as she is a minister, it makes it much less likely that, if she were related to BK, he would be from a Catholic background - which is one thing he seems quite sure of.

I'm not saying that this can't be him, just that while there are not Shellenbergers on every street, the name might be more common than it first appears - which means that we probably just need to focus on the one missing person rather than any familial similarities unless there is evidence to that effect.
 
Cymro, you offer some valid points. I did recently read that amnesia victims' memories are not all that relaiable. Not that they deliberately lie, but that they see something or read something and latch onto it, and then incorporate it as a memory, albeit a false one. Is it any wonder if a person doesn't know who they are that they try to latch on to something to help center them in their quest for their own identity.

Many young people want to know who they are, and where they fit in. So it is with amnesia victims. I can't begrudge an amnesia victim creating memories out of desperation. Some of what Mr. Kyle remembers may be spot on, and some of it not. We won't truly know until he has his identity back. In light of that, I don't think we can afford to dismiss anything that doesn't fit with what Mr. Kyle thinks he remembers.

I went looking for possible relations of Mr. Shelenberger in Tucson, the city where he went missing from. I also looked in Indiana and Colorado because those are places Mr. Kyle remembers. There are numerous photos of Susie Shellenberger on the web, and IMO, there is just no denying she looks like Benjaman. She is associated with the Church of the Nazarene. And IIRC, so is the doctor in Tucson, Dr. Jeffery Shellenberger. There was an elder Shellenberger, a Dr. Elmer Shellenberger associated with the Southern Nazarene Univ. in Oklahoma. I have no idea if he is related to the other two I mentioned, but I think it's a good possibility.

If you want to dismiss my search methods that's fine, but you forget, we're all trying to identify Mr. Kyle. Each of us brings something different to the table, and each of us has something different to offer. I just do the best I can to contribute. I wasn't looking for Donald Shelenberger in an online phone directory. I think most missing persons wouldn't be listed in a directory. So it's likely the missing Donald Shelenberger from Tucson, AZ won't be found in a directory.
 
Justthinkin - I am absolutely not dismissing your search methods and it would not be fine for me to do so. What I am asking for is to see evidence (and I would expect to give evidence for anything I put forward) of a link between people whom we introduce into the investigation.

I also agree that we can't afford to dismiss anything - but we probably do need to take some things as read and then, if they don't pan out or if evidence emerges that contradicts them, we need to take the opposite tack.

If there are numerous Shellenbergers associated with one, relatively small church, I would say that the odds are good that they are related, by birth or by marriage at least. What we now need to do is substantiate a link between them and the missing person - genealogy can help here. If that is the case then we know that there is a good chance that Jeffrey was erudite and well educated like his siblings or relatives, and also that DNA will be available. If there is no relationship then neither of those things is excluded but we can move forward with the investigation via another route, focusing more on LE than any other likely efforts to reunite a family.

I am absolutely not trying to tell you what to do but, as you say, trying to offer my assistance and by raising my concerns I hope to focus the search and identify whether information is useful or (most likely, no matter how promising it seems at first) yet another blind alley. That's not a comment on the quality of the research or the thinking that has brought it up - I'm trying to assist in the sifting process that will eventually bring out the nugget of truth that we are all looking for.
 
Thanks for your work-when you spoke with Detective Crehan, did he let you know if there were fingerprints, dental records or DNA on file for Mr. Shellenberger? Tattoos, scars, distinguishing marks, charecteristics etc??

TIA

Hi believe09, Hmmm. I thought I'd posted an answer to this earlier, but I was in a rush to get to a doc appt. so evidently the computer ate my homework. I spoke with the detective this morning. She hasn't really gotten into the file as their files from 1994 aren't computerized, and so hasn't looked at the evidence. I gather there are some things she's not saying, but she seemed encouraged by what I shared with her which is the same as what I've shared here.
 
Just thinkin--Thank you for your research. IMO, I do not think anyone here is dismissing your search methods, we are all working with very little information, so searching needs to be "outside the box" if we are going to find answers. Some of the people I have posted are alittle "out there" but until we have solid information, everyone (within certain perimeters) is a potential link.

As Believe mentioned, when you spoke to LE, do they have any other identifying scars, tattoos etc for Mr. Shelenberger that would point more to BK? Has Dna been submitted? So LE is saying he never showed up at the hiking location to meet his friend? Was he married? What is the last point of contact anyone had with him? Had he had previous injuries that would verify with BK's scars? Do they have any other photos of him that you can post?

I understand what you are saying about memories, but BK seems to have very specific memories; certain restaurants in Denver area, different concession stands at the Indiana fair, that I think it is fair to say that he had to have at least visited these places at some point in his life. If we can tie those memories with someone valid, as well as tie together the known scars that BK has on his body with a valid missing person, we will be closer to finding his identity.

I did a quick ancestry search yesterday and did not find anything tying him to Indiana or Colorado (other than his sister Susie), but will research this more for you tonight if you do not have an ancestry account. I will also research if there is a Powell/Shelenberger connection for you if you'd like too, just say the word!


How did you find out about Donald? Other than the Pima county sheriffs link that I posted above, I do not see him listed on any missing persons boards. Do you know why LE does not have him listed?


Cymro, you offer some valid points. I did recently read that amnesia victims' memories are not all that relaiable. Not that they deliberately lie, but that they see something or read something and latch onto it, and then incorporate it as a memory, albeit a false one. Is it any wonder if a person doesn't know who they are that they try to latch on to something to help center them in their quest for their own identity.

Many young people want to know who they are, and where they fit in. So it is with amnesia victims. I can't begrudge an amnesia victim creating memories out of desperation. Some of what Mr. Kyle remembers may be spot on, and some of it not. We won't truly know until he has his identity back. In light of that, I don't think we can afford to dismiss anything that doesn't fit with what Mr. Kyle thinks he remembers.

I went looking for possible relations of Mr. Shelenberger in Tucson, the city where he went missing from. I also looked in Indiana and Colorado because those are places Mr. Kyle remembers. There are numerous photos of Susie Shellenberger on the web, and IMO, there is just no denying she looks like Benjaman. She is associated with the Church of the Nazarene. And IIRC, so is the doctor in Tucson, Dr. Jeffery Shellenberger. There was an elder Shellenberger, a Dr. Elmer Shellenberger associated with the Southern Nazarene Univ. in Oklahoma. I have no idea if he is related to the other two I mentioned, but I think it's a good possibility.

If you want to dismiss my search methods that's fine, but you forget, we're all trying to identify Mr. Kyle. Each of us brings something different to the table, and each of us has something different to offer. I just do the best I can to contribute. I wasn't looking for Donald Shelenberger in an online phone directory. I think most missing persons wouldn't be listed in a directory. So it's likely the missing Donald Shelenberger from Tucson, AZ won't be found in a directory.
 
Has she had a chance to look at photos of BK and see his info yet? Just to be certain, is the correct spelling of his name with one L or two in the last name?
Hi believe09, Hmmm. I thought I'd posted an answer to this earlier, but I was in a rush to get to a doc appt. so evidently the computer ate my homework. I spoke with the detective this morning. She hasn't really gotten into the file as their files from 1994 aren't computerized, and so hasn't looked at the evidence. I gather there are some things she's not saying, but she seemed encouraged by what I shared with her which is the same as what I've shared here.
 
Just thinkin--Thank you for your research. IMO, I do not think anyone here is dismissing your search methods, we are all working with very little information, so searching needs to be "outside the box" if we are going to find answers. Some of the people I have posted are alittle "out there" but until we have solid information, everyone (within certain perimeters) is a potential link.

As Believe mentioned, when you spoke to LE, do they have any other identifying scars, tattoos etc for Mr. Shelenberger that would point more to BK? Has Dna been submitted? So LE is saying he never showed up at the hiking location to meet his friend? Was he married? What is the last point of contact anyone had with him? Had he had previous injuries that would verify with BK's scars? Do they have any other photos of him that you can post?

I understand what you are saying about memories, but BK seems to have very specific memories; certain restaurants in Denver area, different concession stands at the Indiana fair, that I think it is fair to say that he had to have at least visited these places at some point in his life. If we can tie those memories with someone valid, as well as tie together the known scars that BK has on his body with a valid missing person, we will be closer to finding his identity.

I did a quick ancestry search yesterday and did not find anything tying him to Indiana or Colorado (other than his sister Susie), but will research this more for you tonight if you do not have an ancestry account. I will also research if there is a Powell/Shelenberger connection for you if you'd like too, just say the word!


How did you find out about Donald? Other than the Pima county sheriffs link that I posted above, I do not see him listed on any missing persons boards. Do you know why LE does not have him listed?


Shelenberger is listed with the Charley Project, but I got his name from here at Websleuths when a bunch of people were being listed as possible matches for Benjaman. It just hadn't been followed up on, and I decided to look into Shellenberger because despite the nose, I thought the rest of his features looked like Benjaman's, plus I thought the angle of the photo shot might account for the nasal difference.

ITA Denver and Indiana, and his knowledge of restaurant equipment. There may also be places he's been that he doesn't have a clue he's been there, ya know?

I don't have an Ancestry account, so please do whatever searches you think may be pertinent.

As for what info they have over in AZ, I don't think the case had been looked at in a good while. Just guessing, I would say it's likely no dna work has been done. The detective hadn't gone & pulled the actual file, but she's interested in pursuing this now.
 
Has she had a chance to look at photos of BK and see his info yet? Just to be certain, is the correct spelling of his name with one L or two in the last name?

I really don't know. Shellenberger is far more common than Shelenberger. If it had been a relative who submitted the missing person's report then I would assume Shelenberger to be the correct spelling, but since it was a friend that did the submission, I guess it would depend on how well or how long they'd known each other. We females usually know how to spell our friends names, but with guys, I don't know if that would be as important to them.

The friend who submitted the report was the one who was supposed to go hiking with Shelenberger. They met the day before, and made arrangements to go, but then the next day, Shelenberger was a no show. Then the friend went over to check Shelenberger's residence, but he wasn't there either. A few days elapsed, and still no Shelenberger so the friend called LE.

Oh, I do not think Shelenberger was married. Think he lived alone, hence the friend reporting his absence.
 
Justthinkin - I am absolutely not dismissing your search methods and it would not be fine for me to do so. What I am asking for is to see evidence (and I would expect to give evidence for anything I put forward) of a link between people whom we introduce into the investigation.

I also agree that we can't afford to dismiss anything - but we probably do need to take some things as read and then, if they don't pan out or if evidence emerges that contradicts them, we need to take the opposite tack.

If there are numerous Shellenbergers associated with one, relatively small church, I would say that the odds are good that they are related, by birth or by marriage at least. What we now need to do is substantiate a link between them and the missing person - genealogy can help here. If that is the case then we know that there is a good chance that Jeffrey was erudite and well educated like his siblings or relatives, and also that DNA will be available. If there is no relationship then neither of those things is excluded but we can move forward with the investigation via another route, focusing more on LE than any other likely efforts to reunite a family.

I am absolutely not trying to tell you what to do but, as you say, trying to offer my assistance and by raising my concerns I hope to focus the search and identify whether information is useful or (most likely, no matter how promising it seems at first) yet another blind alley. That's not a comment on the quality of the research or the thinking that has brought it up - I'm trying to assist in the sifting process that will eventually bring out the nugget of truth that we are all looking for.

I appreciate your post. Can't tell the tone of posts at times so thanks. I totally understand what you are saying. I just don't have the answers yet, and that is what I'm looking for the connection if it exists. It's not uncommon for people to submit based on photographs. Sometimes it pans out, more often it doesn't. I don't think the Dr. in AZ looks all that much like BK, but Susie Shellenberger sure does. There's just something about the eyes of these 4 that told me to get this checked out. First, I think we need to hear back from the detective. She could come back, and say it's a no go. I gave her BK's height, weight, approx. age, hair color, eye color, scars. I have to wait for her response to that info.

I suspect if there's any dna to get it hasn't been done yet. I did ask specifically.
 
The Charlie post:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/shelenberger_donald.html


Oh--so we are not certain that Donald is related to the Susie Shellenberger? Ok! I have been searching for him with two L's on ancestry. Let me try with one L.



I really don't know. Shellenberger is far more common than Shelenberger. If it had been a relative who submitted the missing person's report then I would assume Shelenberger to be the correct spelling, but since it was a friend that did the submission, I guess it would depend on how well or how long they'd known each other. We females usually know how to spell our friends names, but with guys, I don't know if that would be as important to them.

The friend who submitted the report was the one who was supposed to go hiking with Shelenberger. They met the day before, and made arrangements to go, but then the next day, Shelenberger was a no show. Then the friend went over to check Shelenberger's residence, but he wasn't there either. A few days elapsed, and still no Shelenberger so the friend called LE.

Oh, I do not think Shelenberger was married. Think he lived alone, hence the friend reporting his absence.
 
Already finding some things now that I checked with one L. His spelling is DEFINITELY one L, at least according to his own telephone listings and address. It is curious because I am still not finding anything other than the address listings for him on ancestry. I did find other Shelenbergers from TX, NC, and FL. I did find a Donald Shellenbarger with the same birth year, but it does not appear to be the same person because the middle name is different. The Indiana link appears to be Shellenbargers with an A. That person was born in 1938 however, and this Donald K Shelenberger was born in 1958. It appears that the majority of Shelenbergers with one L are primarily from PA. There are some Shelenbergers in OK. I need alittle more info (parents names, birth place etc) because I cannot find a birth certificate.


FWIW--I did find the birth info for Susie Shellenberger, and she was born in Pomona, CA in Sep 1956. She lived in Oklahoma in the early 70's through possibly 90's, and Colorado Springs by 1993-94. (I found yearbook info for her in Oklahoma, and address info for OK and CO. )
 
.
Already finding some things now that I checked with one L. His spelling is DEFINITELY one L, at least according to his own telephone listings and address. It is curious because I am still not finding anything other than the address listings for him on ancestry. I did find other Shelenbergers from TX, NC, and FL. I did find a Donald Shellenbarger with the same birth year, but it does not appear to be the same person because the middle name is different. The Indiana link appears to be Shellenbargers with an A. That person was born in 1938 however, and this Donald K Shelenberger was born in 1958. It appears that the majority of Shelenbergers with one L are primarily from PA. There are some Shelenbergers in OK. I need alittle more info (parents names, birth place etc) because I cannot find a birth certificate.


FWIW--I did find the birth info for Susie Shellenberger, and she was born in Pomona, CA in Sep 1956. She lived in Oklahoma in the early 70's through possibly 90's, and Colorado Springs by 1993-94. (I found yearbook info for her in Oklahoma, and address info for OK and CO. )

Ok, help me out, Julessleuther. I'm fairly new to this tracking down evidence. Where are you finding an address for
Donald K. Shelenberger and a phone number? I looked via some of the free sites, but found zip. He wouldn't have had an address since 1994
The DKS you found was from Pima County, AZ?

I'm not sure what the relation is between Shellenbergers and the Church of the Nazarene, but there are lots of them associated with that religion. The one I found in OK does not appear to be related to the others despite the same name, and same religion, except to say there must be some kind of connection as Shellenberger isn't all that common of a name.

How many different Shelenbergers (single L) are you finding in AZ?
 
The address was from 1993-94 and it is on ancestry. Peoplefinders.com and Intelius also list him.

Name:Donald K ShelenbergerAddress:1700 W Prince, Tucson, Arizona 85705-0501 (1993)
[Pob 44294, Tucson, Arizona 85733-0201 (1993)]
[5770 E 10th St #18, Tucson, Arizona 85711]

Name:Donald ShelenbergerAddress:4301 E 29Th StCity:TucsonState:ArizonaZip Code:85711Phone Number:602-750-1320Residence Years:1993 1994


Just to be clear--he definitely spells his name Shelenberger--these are public listings for him, so is most likely not related to the Shellenberger group.
.

Ok, help me out, Julessleuther. I'm fairly new to this tracking down evidence. Where are you finding an address for
Donald K. Shelenberger and a phone number? I looked via some of the free sites, but found zip. He wouldn't have had an address since 1994
The DKS you found was from Pima County, AZ?

I'm not sure what the relation is between Shellenbergers and the Church of the Nazarene, but there are lots of them associated with that religion. The one I found in OK does not appear to be related to the others despite the same name, and same religion, except to say there must be some kind of connection as Shellenberger isn't all that common of a name.

How many different Shelenbergers (single L) are you finding in AZ?
 
Julessleuther, you're using the fee based portion of Intelius and Peoplefinders right? Because it will only tell me there are 3 Don Shelenbergers in AZ, but won't give the particulars unless I pay the fee.

Also listed is a Mark Shelenberger, in Globe, AZ, but when I do a web search for a person with that name in Globe, AZ all sites refer to him as Mark Shellenberger.

Is there anyway to trace DK Shelenberger by his birthdate only through Ancestry?

See what you can find in the line of Cyrus Shellenberger listed in 1910 and 1920 on the US census for Pima County. Can you update that to the next couple of generations? I looked this guy up, but can't remember if he and his wife had any children listed. It seems like at least one of those years they were the only 2 in the household.




The address was from 1993-94 and it is on ancestry. Peoplefinders.com and Intelius also list him.

Name:Donald K ShelenbergerAddress:1700 W Prince, Tucson, Arizona 85705-0501 (1993)
[Pob 44294, Tucson, Arizona 85733-0201 (1993)]
[5770 E 10th St #18, Tucson, Arizona 85711]

Name:Donald ShelenbergerAddress:4301 E 29Th StCity:TucsonState:ArizonaZip Code:85711Phone Number:602-750-1320Residence Years:1993 1994


Just to be clear--he definitely spells his name Shelenberger--these are public listings for him, so is most likely not related to the Shellenberger group.
 
The above address info is from ancestry. There is a Mark Shellenberger (with two L's) in Globe, AZ. It appears that he was born in Feb 1951, but I found birth info from a Mark A from Nov 1953 in NC--don't know if it is the same guy. There are several other Shellenbergers in AZ from the late 1800's to present. without knowing Donald's parents names, we have no way of knowing if they are related. (Since there is no birth information listed) Please, please ask LE for parent info when you talk to them, or any 1st generation family info, and then I would be happy to research further. We really need to find out from LE if he spelled his name with one L or two; I did find a listing for a D. D. Shellenberger (two L's) with a birthdate of Nov 1956 (the Charley Project lists Donalds as 1958--as Donald K), so I do not know if a relation or not. There are several Shellenbergers in Mesa, Peoria, amd Tucson. I also found a listing for a Donald Shellenberger with the right birth year living in PA in 1975-1990. There is also a Donald K Shellenberger Sr. living in PA as of 1993. Father? WHo knows. There are just so many Donald Shellenbergers with two L's, I really need more info to narrow it down. Talk to LE.

Ok--edit: The D. D. Shellenberger in Tucson is a David. Do not know if related to Donald, as the spelling is different.
 

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