CA CA - Long Beach, WhtMale UP8840, 20-35, hanged, alias 'Daniel Reed', Jun'74

Here's one of two 1974 Long Beach UID cases that were just added to NamUs today. I had not heard of either of these cases, as they weren't listed in DoeNet.

The circumstances of this one are quite strange, so I decided to put it up despite that I don't have any possibles.

NamUs UP Case 8840 https://identifyus.org/cases/8840

Unidentified White Male
* Found June 18, 1974 at 541 W. 5th St. in Long Beach CA

Vital Statistics
* Estimated age: 20 to 35 years old
* Height: 6 feet 2 inches (74")
* Weight: 184 lbs.
* Hair Color: Brown
* Eye Color: Hazel
* Clothing/Jewelry: 1 white metal band

* Dentals: Not Available
* DNA: Not Available
* Fingerprints: On file with with FBI and CA DOJ. Negative search results

Case History
the decedent was found hanging from a guard rail in a basement storage area of an apartment complex. The decedent had been moving furniture out of an apt. unit, told his "brother" that he was hungary and went to make a sandwich. The "brother" went to look for him and found him hanging from the guard rail. Originally decedent had name of "Daniel Reed" however this proved to be a false name. "Brother" was a " James Reed" most likely another false name.

It is probably coincidence, but this guy was found three weeks after Shoreline Drive Jane Doe. (Both in Long Beach)

CA CA - Long Beach - Wht/HispFem - Peach Scrubs and Fake Fur Coat - May'74 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community


Both were wearing rings. His was described as a "band", suggesting that it was a wedding ring. She was wearing a diamond engagement ring, yet it appears that neither were reported missing by their significant others.

Also:
I find it strange that his "brother" wasn't able to tell LE who he was. I am guessing that by the time LE figured out that both the UID and the "brother" were using fake names, the "brother" disappeared.

CarlK90245 said:

It is probably coincidence, but this guy was found three weeks after Shoreline Drive Jane Doe. (Both in Long Beach)

CA CA - Long Beach - Wht/HispFem - Peach Scrubs and Fake Fur Coat - May'74 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community


Both were wearing rings. His was described as a "band", suggesting that it was a wedding ring. She was wearing a diamond engagement ring, yet it appears that neither were reported missing by their significant others.

Also:
I find it strange that his "brother" wasn't able to tell LE who he was. I am guessing that by the time LE figured out that both the UID and the "brother" were using fake names, the "brother" disappeared.

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I looked up 541 W 5th St and I was surprised to see how close it is to Shoreline Dr and Linden Ave – about 1.44 miles according to Yahoo Maps (the estimated time to drive from one to the other is 6 minutes. If it was late at night/early morning and not many people on the road, it is likely less). I wonder if the apartment building is still there.

I wonder if LE ever interviewed the apartment management about the decedent. It would be interesting to know who the apartment was rented to (one of the "Reed brothers," a couple, in someone else's name?) and if they were leaving with notice.

541 W 5th St, Long Beach 90802 is a 12 unit "Garden/Low-Rise" apartment building built in 1928.

On December 7, 1971, the Los Angeles Times reported

An auto accident near Gonzales in Northern California claimed the lives of two Long Beach boys. Enos and Daniel Reed, both 14

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I wonder if this is where he got the name or if he knew the two deceased youths.
This is a link to the article, but unfortunately you have to pay a fee to read it.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/601932692.html?dids=601932692:601932692&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Dec+07%2C+1971&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Vandalism+Closes+School+in+Bakersfield&pqatl=google

I also found articles about the son of James Reed of Long Beach, Paul Reed, becoming engaged in 1974 to a woman, Sandra Barnes. They got married in 1975. Reed is a pretty common last name, so it is probably a coincidence.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ii9LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jSMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3261,3967956&dq=james-reed+long-beach&hl=en
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NnZLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FyQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2341,8394057&dq=james-reed+long-beach&hl=en

Carl, wouldn't LE have taken postmortem photos or does hanging make a difference in the victim's appearance to such a degree that they are unrecognizable? I've heard things about hanging victims but don't know if everything people say is truth or exaggeration. I wish they had a sketch or something.

JeannieC said:

Carl, wouldn't LE have taken postmortem photos or does hanging make a difference in the victim's appearance to such a degree that they are unrecognizable? I've heard things about hanging victims but don't know if everything people say is truth or exaggeration. I wish they had a sketch or something.

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There is a California state law prohibiting the publication of postmortem photos by state agencies, though some jurisdictions (e.g., San Bernadino County) sometimes publish them anyway. This law was passed a couple of years ago, and resulted in the L.A. County Coroner's Office to take the photos down off their Website.

That doesn't keep them from doing facial reconstructions, though.

I think this is an obituary for the same Daniel C. Reed (the date of death is the same). Holton and Sons Mortuary was retained (if that is the right word) for services.
http://newspaperarchive.com/press-telegram/1974-06-20/page-50?tag=long+beach+daniel+reed&rtserp=articles/long-beach?psi=14&pci=7&py=1967&pey=1980&pep=daniel-reed&psb=relavance
I wonder when they realized that Daniel Reed was an alias?

I was able to access the article about the car accident that killed a Daniel Reed and, his brother, Enos. It is from December 7, 1971 under headline "Southland" --

An auto accident near Gonzales in Northern California claimed the life of two Long Beach boys. Enos and Daniel Reed, both 14, were killed when an automobile driven by their mother, Mrs. Beatric Gunn, 34, went out of control and crashed into a power pole. Mrs. Gunn and a daughter, Deborah Reed, 16, were injured.

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Enos is sort of an unusual name. I wonder if he went by James, by any chance?

Somehow, I am going to guess that they didn't, but I think it might be helpful to ask Beatric Gunn and Deborah Reed if they know this UID.

This case made me think of Peter Bonick, who went missing from San Mateo 4 years earlier. He would have been 21 in 1974, and his height was within 2 inches and his weight within 10 lbs (in 1970). He disappeared with a friend, Richard Lampson (also somewhat fits this Doe), who is also still missing. They were last seen hitchiking.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/19678/26

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lamson_richard.html

FiveFelines said:

This case made me think of Peter Bonick, who went missing from San Mateo 4 years earlier. He would have been 21 in 1974, and his height was within 2 inches and his weight within 10 lbs (in 1970). He disappeared with a friend, Richard Lampson (also somewhat fits this Doe), who is also still missing. They were last seen hitchiking.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/19678/26

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lamson_richard.html

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I guess Peter Bonick is a possibility, I never really thought about him as being this UID. I vaguely recall he had an issue with his back or shoulders or something like that -- I wonder if it would have showed at autopsy if it was him?

I wish that I knew whether or not the UID was using Daniel Reed's identification when he was alive. If he was, I think that it is possible that they (the UID and the man who identified himself as his brother, James Reed) were acquainted with the two brothers who died in the auto accident or at least their family.

I was looking through the Long Beach City Directory for 1969 (this is the last year that they have it available) on the Long Beach Public Library Website http://www.lbpl.org/history/default.asp. I couldn’t find a Beatric Gunn, but she could have still been married to Mr. Reed, the father of her [at least] three children. There is a Bernice Gunn, who was married to Joseph Gunn who is listed as being the Dean at the Institute of Lifetime Learning (Joseph); they were living at 105 Atlantic Ave Apt 10 in 1969.

There was also a Bernice Reed who lived at 548 W 3rd St. in Long Beach. No employer or husband is noted for her. This is roughly two blocks over from where the UID hung himself five years later.

Beatric might be a typo for Beatrice or Beatrix, Bernice seems like a bit of a stretch. I did find a Beatrice M. Reid who was married to Oswald N. Reid (retired) who lived at 226 E. 65th St. It’s also possible that the Reed-Gunn family didn’t live in Long Beach in 1969 or Beatric Gunn was married to someone else at this time and had a different surname.

541 W. 5th St. is listed in the directory as the La Linda Apartments. It sounded like one or both of the brothers was moving out of an apartment there, but which one isn’t listed in NamUs. None of the dozen residents (11 + 1 vacancy) had the surname Reed in 1969.

I think I might be headed in the wrong direction as far as Bernice goes. I just checked the California Death Index and learned that Beatrice J. Gunn passed away on June 3, 1972 in Los Angeles County at age 34. She was probably the boys mom. I'm not sure if it is ok for me to post this here, but I really believe that the UID was acquainted with the family somehow. http://vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ca/death/search.cgi

Re: news story, I believe they got name and sex wrong. Name does begin with E. From Ancestry:

California, Death Index, 1940-1997
DEATH, BURIAL, CEMETERY & OBITUARIES
NAME: Daniel T Reed
BIRTH: 5 Feb 1958 - Texas
DEATH: 6 Dec 1971 - Monterey

California, Death Index, 1940-1997
DEATH, BURIAL, CEMETERY & OBITUARIES
NAME: Eunice Y Reed
BIRTH: 27 Jan 1957 - Texas
DEATH: 6 Dec 1971 - Monterey

branwynbreeze said:

Re: news story, I believe they got name and sex wrong. Name does begin with E. From Ancestry:

California, Death Index, 1940-1997
DEATH, BURIAL, CEMETERY & OBITUARIES
NAME: Daniel T Reed
BIRTH: 5 Feb 1958 - Texas
DEATH: 6 Dec 1971 - Monterey

California, Death Index, 1940-1997
DEATH, BURIAL, CEMETERY & OBITUARIES
NAME: Eunice Y Reed
BIRTH: 27 Jan 1957 - Texas
DEATH: 6 Dec 1971 - Monterey

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Uhh Oh...If the two kids that died in the auto accident were a boy and a girl instead of two boys that really messes up my theory that "James and Daniel Reed" were somehow acquainted with the family and were using the brothers' identities after they died. Maybe the two Daniel Reeds were just a coincidence.

I think I've seen men named Eunice before. Sure enough, the name is given to both genders:
http://www.nameplayground.com/Eunice

Does anyone know if postmortem photos of "Daniel Reed" were ever available?

I wonder if Perry Corlew has ever been compared to "Daniel Reed?" There physical characteristics sound similar, yet I don't think that there is a postmortem photo or at least a sketch, so it is difficult to tell.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/9147/12

Martin Austin was recently added to namus, and matches the demographics.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/32025/4 Maybe he did leave voluntarily only to end up as this uid.

Bumping case up...