RI RI - Block Island, WhtMale 21-26, UP12707, sweatshirt w/"MANHASSET DAY OF CHAMPIONS IX", Jan'92

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Migmuu

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Here's a recent addition to NamUs. His case looks solvable.

UP#12707
Discovered Jan. 11, 1992 in the Atlantic Ocean near Block Island, RI

Demographics
  • Age: 21 - 26 years old
  • Race: Caucasian
  • Height: 68 inches, estimated
  • Body conditions: Not recognizable - partial skeletal parts only

Circumstances
  • Location: Block Island, RI
  • Recovered by fishermen in the Atlantic Ocean just south of Block Island.

Physical/Medical
  • Curly, light brown body hair
  • The four ribs that were recovered showed evidence of healed fractures. The scapulae (shoulder bones) show evidence of stress or trauma.

Clothing
  • Small, Russell Athletic-brand hoodie. Shows a lacrosse stick with the words ''Manhasset Day of Champions IX''.
  • Dark-colored corduroy Lee Riders pants, size 29x32. United Garment Workers tag
  • Knit navy blue sleeve found inside the sleeve of a black hooded sweatshirt. Size small w/ zipper up the front.
  • Jumpsuit/coveralls size 42T. Made from dark, hand-woven fabric. Interlining is light-colored and the lining is red and quilted. Reinforced pockets in front and snaps at bottom of pant legs.

Identifiers
  • Fingerprints: Not available
  • Dentals: Not available
  • DNA: Sample available - not yet submitted
 
This is one of those ''No way this guy hasn't been checked before'' PMs, but I don't see him on the rule-out list so I'm posting him here anyway.

STEPHEN SULLIVAN
Disappeared Sep. 23, 1991 when his helicopter went down over Block Island. The helicopter was eventually found, but Sullivan's remains are still missing.

Age (28) is just two years off from the age estimate.
Race (Caucasian) matches.
Height (5'11) is three inches off, which isn't unreasonable considering the condition the remains were in.
Hair color (blonde) is consistent with the description of light brown body hair.
Timing (About 3 1/2 months between date LKA and the UP's date found) is consistent.
Location is perfect. UP was found on Block Island and Sullivan disappeared when his helicopter went down right over Block Island.
Circumstances line up. Not just the timing and location - I can see him getting a shoulder injury similar to the UP's when his helicopter went down.
 
Migmuu said:
This is one of those ''No way this guy hasn't been checked before'' PMs, but I don't see him on the rule-out list so I'm posting him here anyway.

STEPHEN SULLIVAN
Disappeared Sep. 23, 1991 when his helicopter went down over Block Island. The helicopter was eventually found, but Sullivan's remains are still missing.

Age (28) is just two years off from the age estimate.
Race (Caucasian) matches.
Height (5'11) is three inches off, which isn't unreasonable considering the condition the remains were in.
Hair color (blonde) is consistent with the description of light brown body hair.
Timing (About 3 1/2 months between date LKA and the UP's date found) is consistent.
Location is perfect. UP was found on Block Island and Sullivan disappeared when his helicopter went down right over Block Island.
Circumstances line up. Not just the timing and location - I can see him getting a shoulder injury similar to the UP's when his helicopter went down.
Click to expand...

Judging by the clothing found, I don't think this is him. The UID was found in a significant amount of clothing, lots of layers. Between that and the bowline found with him, I'm thinking he was crewing a boat and fell off. (either as a crew member, lobsterman or fisherman) Coveralls, cords, two shirts, etc

There's a lot of commercial fishing leaving from the Montauk, LI area that would go south of Block.
 
OK. Talked with someone about this and they agree and pointed out a few things I didn't consider and we came up with a few other things that lead us to believe he was a fisherman/lobsterman.

The snaps at the bottom of the coveralls point to a seaman, it would make it easier to put on and wear fishing boots.

The broken ribs and shoulder stress are common injuries for fishermen and lobstermen.

The bowlan knot (which I assume is a typo for a bowline knot) and rope, indicate he may have gotten caught in the bite (got his foot caught when throwing a pot, net or anchor overboard)

I have a sneaking suspicion this man is not listed as missing because while they don't have his body, his family knows what happened to him. People lost at sea off commercial fishing boats are rarely listed as missing persons. They search for a while and then eventually have a memorial without the body. I suspect the answer lies in news reports and coast guard records from the late 80s and early 90s.

I've tried to figure out the year of the lacrosse event to no avail, but I will keep trying.
 
necco said:
Judging by the clothing found, I don't think this is him. The UID was found in a significant amount of clothing, lots of layers. Between that and the bowline found with him, I'm thinking he was crewing a boat and fell off. (either as a crew member, lobsterman or fisherman) Coveralls, cords, two shirts, etc

There's a lot of commercial fishing leaving from the Montauk, LI area that would go south of Block.
Click to expand...

Quite a bit of commercial fishing leaves directly from Block Island as well, though something to the south seems more likely with the way the currents flow in that area. Also somebody lost from Block Island would be more likely to be recognized.

Lots of lobster, scallop, and calamari fishing from Port Judith and the other southern Rhode Island ports as well, but somebody lost from one of those boats would likely be found north of Block Island or on the southern shore of MA, maybe even out on Cape Cod.
Lots of commercial f
 
carbuff said:
Quite a bit of commercial fishing leaves directly from Block Island as well, though something to the south seems more likely with the way the currents flow in that area. Also somebody lost from Block Island would be more likely to be recognized.

Lots of lobster, scallop, and calamari fishing from Port Judith and the other southern Rhode Island ports as well, but somebody lost from one of those boats would likely be found north of Block Island or on the southern shore of MA, maybe even out on Cape Cod.
Lots of commercial f
Click to expand...

Yep, and out of Mystic/Stonington, CT as well. With the Long Island sweatshirt and being south of Block, though, my gut says the boat came out of the Montauk area.
 
Manhasset is in Long Island,NY. The High School does have a "Day of Champions" for Lacrosse. But strangely, they are only on Manhasset Day of Champions III. So how could it be Day of Champions IX on a shirt found in 1992? I donno. I do know however that Manhasset where the Class B Champions in 1988 and I would take a guess that the hoodie may have come from this. Seeing that they have his age 21-26 it is quite possible that he did attend Manhasset High School in 1988 when that championship game took place.

As for where he came from, he was found just south of Block Island in the Atlantic. Long Island is south of Block Island. Also, CT is very close as well as main land RI. He could have been on a boat out of one of these places as a commercial fisherman. Went overboard in a bad storm or ship went down also. I'll do some research on the missing males from these areas. It is possible though that he may not have been listed as missing and more as "lost at sea". Here in Florida, specifically Pinellas Co. they do list those lost at sea as missing but I'm not sure they do that everywhere.
 
Sleuthster said:
Manhasset is in Long Island,NY. The High School does have a "Day of Champions" for Lacrosse. But strangely, they are only on Manhasset Day of Champions III. So how could it be Day of Champions IX on a shirt found in 1992? I donno. I do know however that Manhasset where the Class B Champions in 1988 and I would take a guess that the hoodie may have come from this. Seeing that they have his age 21-26 it is quite possible that he did attend Manhasset High School in 1988 when that championship game took place.

As for where he came from, he was found just south of Block Island in the Atlantic. Long Island is south of Block Island. Also, CT is very close as well as main land RI. He could have been on a boat out of one of these places as a commercial fisherman. Went overboard in a bad storm or ship went down also. I'll do some research on the missing males from these areas. It is possible though that he may not have been listed as missing and more as "lost at sea". Here in Florida, specifically Pinellas Co. they do list those lost at sea as missing but I'm not sure they do that everywhere.
Click to expand...

That stumped me for a second, but I found a link indicating that Day of Champions III was part of a renewed Day of Champions and that there was another one previously that stopped.

Here we go: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2010/02/black-history-and-jim-brown-more-than.html

That link references a Day of Champions lacrosse event at Manhasset in 1983.
 
Huh. Late 1991 was when the "Perfect Storm" a.k.a. Halloween storm happened and the Andrea Gail went down with all aboard. But that was clear up by Newfoundland. The storm did move north to south, so it's possible somebody could have been pushed that far south, but not likely.

More likely was the National Guardsman lost in a helicopter crash off Long Island: http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AJ&pg=6189,8218796&dq=storm+new+england&hl=en (article continues on page 8)

The same article indicates there was a fisherman swept off a point in Narragansett RI, not far from Block Island.

Lost in January 1991 off Cape May: http://articles.dailypress.com/1991...at-coast-guard-s-5th-district-two-coast-guard

I can't find descriptions for any of them, though I would be surprised if the obviously lost at sea weren't already checked.
 
necco said:
Yep, and out of Mystic/Stonington, CT as well. With the Long Island sweatshirt and being south of Block, though, my gut says the boat came out of the Montauk area.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that seems most likely. Though if he's from Long Island, he could have been working out of any of the other area ports, as well.
 
I just looked and classmates only has Manhasset 1980 and 1986. I'll look at those but there is also another school called St. Mary's that has more years and is in Manhasset. I'll have to google and see if they play lacrosse too in the championships.
 
carbuff said:
Huh. Late 1991 was when the "Perfect Storm" a.k.a. Halloween storm happened and the Andrea Gail went down with all aboard. But that was clear up by Newfoundland. The storm did move north to south, so it's possible somebody could have been pushed that far south, but not likely.

More likely was the National Guardsman lost in a helicopter crash off Long Island: http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AJ&pg=6189,8218796&dq=storm+new+england&hl=en (article continues on page 8)

The same article indicates there was a fisherman swept off a point in Narragansett RI, not far from Block Island.

Lost in January 1991 off Cape May: http://articles.dailypress.com/1991...at-coast-guard-s-5th-district-two-coast-guard

I can't find descriptions for any of them, though I would be surprised if the obviously lost at sea weren't already checked.
Click to expand...

Yep, I looked into the Perfect Storm, too, Sleuthster. :) CT/Long Island/Rhode Island did feel the effects of the storm and we did have some decent seas, despite the storm being centered offshore from us.

I doubt it was anyone who went overboard in Long Island Sound, what happens in Long Island Sound, tends to stay in Long Island Sound, the narrow end between CT and LI is treacherous and is referred to by mariners as "The Race" due to the tides hauling through. A body MAYBE could end up in Block Island Sound, but I doubt it would end up south of Block Island.

The missing National Guardsman was a rescue swimmer (pararescue jumper). He'd have been in uniform, so we can rule him out. Nothing about the clothing is military and especially not for a PJ.

(FYI: I grew up in the area, so that's why I know some of this stuff)
 
carbuff said:
Yeah, that seems most likely. Though if he's from Long Island, he could have been working out of any of the other area ports, as well.
Click to expand...

Yep, Orient Point, etc, sorry, when I say "Montauk area" I basically mean the alligator mouth (or, as normal people call it, the forks) part of Long Island in it's entirety. I should have been more specific.

OT: Go ahead and look. You'll never not be able to see Long Island as an alligator again. Sorry about that. :)
 
Good point about the clothing. I'll go ahead and post his info anyway because he deserves to be remembered.

The National Guard Helicopter went down about 60 miles south of Westhampton Beach, which would put it roughly the same distance south and maybe a little west of Block Island.

The lost man's name is Tech. Sgt. Arden R. Smith of Shirley, L.I. The search was called off after two and a half weeks and a memorial service held for him: http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/n...o-guardsman-who-was-swallowed-by-the-sea.html

Here's a Coast Guard blog post remembering the incident 20 years later: http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2011/10/the-perfect-storm-20-years-later/

Article from this day in aviation, includes a photo of Smith: http://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/arden-rick-smith/ This article gives the location as 90 miles south of Montauk Point.



And a touching article by his widow telling how two of their daughters are now in the same National Guard unit their father served in: https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/specialop...smgr/success_stories/marianne_smith-stahl.pdf

Different story about the daughters: http://www.27east.com/news/article....rry-on-legacy-of-father-lost-in-Perfect-Storm
Another photo of Sgt. Smith: http://www.27east.com/photo-gallery/article.cfm/144009#161
 
O/T: Hot damn, you're right, it does look like an alligator (I'm just up in MA, BTW. Mr. Carbuff and I were out on Block Island two weeks ago.
 
If he was wearing it over several layers of clothing he might have needed or preferred a larger size.

If it was an emergency, he might have grabbed somebody else's warm coverall because it was closer.
 
Here's on from the alphabetical list. He went missing at sea off of Mass in June 1991 but I can't find anything but a find a grave for him either
Mominee, Richard A.#1991 Jun 28
--
Vessel
VRD12p133


--
ae 37, married,
b.Southbridge,res.Rutland,MA,
s/oAlphonse&Pearl, mech.
Family,age,status
N
Cenotaph? Y/N
U
Trading/Fishing/Unknown
drownind in ocean, bur.MemorialPark,Paxton,MA (VietnamVet)
 
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