GA GA - Atlanta, Wht Male UP633, 18-30, suicide in Omni Hotel lobby, Oct'76

[Nancy Drew RN]

NamUs: Unidentified Person Case

Unidentified White/Caucasian Male

Found October 5, 1976 at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta, GA

Body Condition: Not recognizable - Traumatic injuries

Estimated Year of Death: 1976

Post Mortem Interval: Minutes


Vital Statistics

Estimated Age: 18-30 (Adult Pre-30)

Height: 5'10" (measured)

Weight: 230 lbs (measured)

Hair Color: Brown, with some frontal receding

Eye Color: Brown

Scars and Marks: scar over posterior aspect of left triceps (arm)

Clothing & Accessories

Clothing: blue pullover golf style shirt with green alligator on left chest pocket, Lee brand blue jeans, tan windbreaker jacket with Saks Fifth Avenue label, brown belt with brass buckle, white socks with orange and black rings at the top (on the body)

Eyewear: Brown plastic frame reading glasses (on the body)

Footwear: White Adidas tennis shoes, size 10 (on the body)

Jewelry: White gold constellation chronometer, Tiffany and Company, Omega. (on the body)

Circumstances of Discovery

Jumped from height in hotel lobby. Appearance suggested Mediterranean background.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

I came across this case looking at local UIDs, and it seemed strange to me that he was never identified. He was found immediately (the circumstances could allow that the suicide was witnessed, even), although his face was apparently damaged in the fall. He was well-dressed, wearing Izod, Adidas, and a Tiffany watch. He would have probably been considered a bit heavy-set for the time and his estimated age. I assume he was not a guest or a local. MARTA was under construction in 1976--how did he get there, without leaving a vehicle behind? Presumably a cab? Why was he there? My guess is he came there to commit suicide, but why there?

The balding and reading glasses made me wonder if he's perhaps a bit older than the estimated age. The automatic leap with the "Mediterranean" description is that he was from outside the country, but nothing about his possessions particularly supports that.

I am unable to find any information on this case outside of the NamUs file. Suicides often aren't publicized, but it doesn't seem like there was ever any media push to identify him. I can't find any post-mortem photography or reconstructions.

 

[MicheleT]

Not being able to recognize the face/trauma to the face leads me to think he landed face first, which is weird. Most falls don't mess up the face. Did he go through glass in the fall - that might account for the unrecognizable face. . . His glasses were still on, he watched the ground get closer

IMO MOO

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Not being able to recognize the face/trauma to the face leads me to think he landed face first, which is weird. Most falls don't mess up the face. Did he go through glass in the fall - that might account for the unrecognizable face. . . His glasses were still on, he watched the ground get closer

IMO MOO

They described them as reading glasses--why would he be wearing them at all, except when reading? I wonder if they were just with the body, even though it lists them as being worn. Then again, broken glass from the glasses could certainly mess up his face.

The Omni Hotel is part of what is now CNN Center, which opened in 1987. Per Wikipedia:

"The CNN Center opened in 1976 as the Omni Complex, which was a development by Cousins Properties. The Omni Coliseum, an NBA and NHL arena directly connected to the Omni Complex, opened 3 years earlier, on October 14, 1972. The Omni Complex largely sat vacant until CNN moved its headquarters there in 1987 from its Midtown Atlanta site (old home of the Progressive Club on 1050 Techwood Drive and home to Turner Broadcasting System). The facility originally offered office space to various business tenants, as well as consulates over the years. The main floor featured an indoor ice skating rink, as well as a small number of restaurants and a Gold Mine video arcade. More famously, Sid and Marty Krofft built an indoor amusement park called The World of Sid and Marty Krofft, inspired by the creations of the popular children's television producers. The park was the first indoor theme park and opened in 1976, but closed within six months. The complex also featured a multi-screen movie theater. "
​

I'm intrigued that this happened during a very specific time in the complex's history, when the amusement park would have been open. I had assumed that he would've had to come specifically to be at the hotel and would have to have known that the hotel's design allowed for this type of suicide, but it sounds like there would be other attractions there. I'm also not sure if what they're describing as the hotel lobby isn't the atrium of the overall complex, which does currently feature multiple stories/balconies. There are now two hotel towers, of which the North Tower is much newer--the lobby of the original South Tower does not appear to be multi-story in photos.

The current atrium:
https://goo.gl/gjAkdN

Info about amusement park:
The World of Sid and Marty Krofft - Wikipedia

​

 

[glamourkitty1922]

Are we sure this is real, or the date of death accurate? I can't find any newspaper articles printed at the time nor is there any record in the Georga state bureau of investigations.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Are we sure this is real, or the date of death accurate? I can't find any newspaper articles printed at the time nor is there any record in the Georga state bureau of investigations.

I believe it's real. Suicides often aren't publicized, but you would think that an unidentified body would be.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

I believe it's real. Suicides often aren't publicized, but you would think that an unidentified body would be.

A well off unknown dead man? This would have made the news. This was a bad time economy wise in America, so businessmen probably committed suicide. It's not often that one would be unknown and the information suppressed by the press.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

I was able to find an article behind a pay wall from the Atlanta Journal Constitution from the following day (10/6/76). The circumstances are a bit different than described in NamUs.

"The victim apparently died after dropping 15 floors down the guest elevator shaft. <snipped by me> There was no concrete reason late Tuesday night to believe that the death was not a suicide, Bolton said, although police were curious that the man carried no wallet. And, they said, they were not certain how he got into the elevator shaft."

 

[glamourkitty1922]

I was able to find an article behind a pay wall from the Atlanta Journal Constitution from the following day (10/6/76). The circumstances are a bit different than described in NamUs.

"The victim apparently died after dropping 15 floors down the guest elevator shaft. <snipped by me> There was no concrete reason late Tuesday night to believe that the death was not a suicide, Bolton said, although police were curious that the man carried no wallet. And, they said, they were not certain how he got into the elevator shaft."

That is interesting. I bet he was identified since there is no record of him. Namus has the Atlanta Police Dept handling the case, but there is no record of it at the site. It seems unidentified remains are more commonly handled by the sheriff and the GBI. However, going through all the unidentified remains at both sites, there is no record of him. There are no case numbers on Namus on him.
How did he get into the shaft? Are they police saying it's suicide to protect the hotel from a wrongful death lawsuit? Do you have Bolton's full name and title?

 

[carbuff]

Izod Lacoste shirts weren't as widely popular in 1976 as they were later. Kind of pricey for the general public.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

That is interesting. I bet he was identified since there is no record of him. Namus has the Atlanta Police Dept handling the case, but there is no record of it at the site. It seems unidentified remains are more commonly handled by the sheriff and the GBI. However, going through all the unidentified remains at both sites, there is no record of him. There are no case numbers on Namus on him.
How did he get into the shaft? Are they police saying it's suicide to protect the hotel from a wrongful death lawsuit? Do you have Bolton's full name and title?

In the article, he is referred to as "homicide Sgt. H.L. Bolton." The investigating agency in the article is referred to only as "police," although I would assume that Atlanta (APD) would be the jurisdiction, and they are listed as the investigating agency in NamUs. Googling H.L. Bolton, he is referenced in a 1987 article as an Atlanta homicide detective. It's certainly possible that this man was identified, although I don't know why someone would then go about creating a NamUs entry for him in 2007. Could be interesting that homicide was the one investigating the death, but possibly that was/is just the protocol when suicide isn't 100% certain.

I have to say, that is an odd way to commit suicide to me. I believe there were other accessible balconies and bridges nearby where one could accomplish this more easily. Also, I shudder to think how he was discovered. It does also potentially explain why his face was not recognizable, if he were crushed by an elevator car or cable, for example. Could he have been trying to get out of a stalled elevator or fallen through open elevator doors? It's all very strange.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

In the article, he is referred to as "homicide Sgt. H.L. Bolton." The investigating agency in the article is referred to only as "police," although I would assume that Atlanta (APD) would be the jurisdiction, and they are listed as the investigating agency in NamUs. Googling H.L. Bolton, he is referenced in a 1987 article as an Atlanta homicide detective. It's certainly possible that this man was identified, although I don't know why someone would then go about creating a NamUs entry for him in 2007. Could be interesting that homicide was the one investigating the death, but possibly that was/is just the protocol when suicide isn't 100% certain.

I have to say, that is an odd way to commit suicide to me. I believe there were other accessible balconies and bridges nearby where one could accomplish this more easily. Also, I shudder to think how he was discovered. It does also potentially explain why his face was not recognizable, if he were crushed by an elevator car or cable, for example. Could he have been trying to get out of a stalled elevator or fallen through open elevator doors? It's all very strange.

I know what you mean. There have been at other elevator falling deaths, so why is this one not an accident? Accident or homicide I can understand, but suicide? Be careful googling this though, I got faced with a horrific bloody elevator picture from the cruise ship Ecstasy. I used to love elevators. And cruise ships.

 

[Alfie]

Izod Lacoste shirts weren't as widely popular in 1976 as they were later. Kind of pricey for the general public.

At the time, Izod and Lactose were seperate entities. Lastly, they were. Late '70s was the beginning of the peak for the lactose shirts. My dad had so many of them back then.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

I found this newspaper article from Googling the detective's name. There doesn't seem to be any follow up so I still lean towards the man being identified. The police gave different clothing and watch indentifications.
Clipping from The Atlanta Constitution - Newspapers.com

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

I found this newspaper article from Googling the detective's name. There doesn't seem to be any follow up so I still lean towards the man being identified. The police gave different clothing and watch indentifications.
Clipping from The Atlanta Constitution - Newspapers.com

That is the article I found as well. The watch is listed as an Omega in both NamUs and the article, as well as the Saks jacket. I would consider a Lacoste shirt to be "expensive" as well. NamUs includes more information, but I wouldn't say they contradict each other.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

He died falling down an elevator shaft, elevator deaths are very rare but less than 2 months later, Dec 11 1976, two young men fall down an elevator shaft in Chicago. One died. I wonder if they both had the same model elevators and there was a design flaw?

 

[madamx]

This is really interesting

Clothing & Accessories

Clothing: blue pullover golf style shirt with green alligator on left chest pocket, Lee brand blue jeans, tan windbreaker jacket with Saks Fifth Avenue label, brown belt with brass buckle, white socks with orange and black rings at the top (on the body)

Eyewear: Brown plastic frame reading glasses (on the body)

Footwear: White Adidas tennis shoes, size 10 (on the body)

Jewelry: White gold constellation chronometer, Tiffany and Company, Omega. (on the body)
————————————————

To me From the outfit he sounds like he was a B Boy into Hip Hop. That was the look in NYC. I remember seeing that look around 1979 in my neighborhood. But 1976 that is just the beginnings of Hip Hop.

The look was
Lee’s w the crease ironed down the middle of each leg sometimes the crease was actually sewed onto the pants by someone’s mom

Addidas ( with the thick laces)

Brass belt buckles with an emblem or a rectangle with letters your name or tag.

The Izod button w the collar shirts

And the wind breakers jackets in whatever color your shirt and pants were.

The plastic glasses almost sound like the Cazal glasses ( think RUN DMC)

I wonder if the guy was from NY and into Hip Hop or a Drug Dealer his jewelry is expensive. Just thoughts.

 

[Diavola]

199oUMGA

Dentals: Not available.
Fingerprints: Available at one time, but not available in the current case file.
DNA: Not available.

Circumstances:
The victim jumped from a height in the hotel lobby of the Omni Hotel on 100 Techwood. A fingerprint comparison was negative at the time.

No reconstruction, no dentals, no DNA, fignerprints seemingly lost...

 

[carbuff]

This is really interesting

Clothing & Accessories

Clothing: blue pullover golf style shirt with green alligator on left chest pocket, Lee brand blue jeans, tan windbreaker jacket with Saks Fifth Avenue label, brown belt with brass buckle, white socks with orange and black rings at the top (on the body)

Eyewear: Brown plastic frame reading glasses (on the body)

Footwear: White Adidas tennis shoes, size 10 (on the body)

Jewelry: White gold constellation chronometer, Tiffany and Company, Omega. (on the body)
————————————————

To me From the outfit he sounds like he was a B Boy into Hip Hop. That was the look in NYC. I remember seeing that look around 1979 in my neighborhood. But 1976 that is just the beginnings of Hip Hop.

The look was
Lee’s w the crease ironed down the middle of each leg sometimes the crease was actually sewed onto the pants by someone’s mom

Addidas ( with the thick laces)

Brass belt buckles with an emblem or a rectangle with letters your name or tag.

The Izod button w the collar shirts

And the wind breakers jackets in whatever color your shirt and pants were.

The plastic glasses almost sound like the Cazal glasses ( think RUN DMC)

I wonder if the guy was from NY and into Hip Hop or a Drug Dealer his jewelry is expensive. Just thoughts.

That's an interesting thought. Did you look in NY/NJ/CT missing to see if there are any likely candidates?

Nothing new in his Namus: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Irrelevant aside: the logo is a crocodile, not an alligator. The line originated with René Lacoste, a star French tennis player from the 1920's whose nickname was Crocodile. He embroidered the animal on his blazers and other gear as a personal emblem, which then expanded to a full clothing line. (The Story Behind the Lacoste Crocodile Shirt | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine)

 

[madamx]

NY - -NY- Michael James DeMaria, 28, Manhattan,October 14, 1976

This is the only NYC guy I found that fits the stats.. but his last contact date is off by 10 days.