AZ AZ - George 'Jay' Vandermark, 52, Phoenix, 1 Aug 1976

[Kat]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3630dmaz.html

George Jay Vandermark
Missing since August 1, 1976 from Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
Classification: Endangered Missing



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Vital Statistics
•Date Of Birth: December 17, 1923
•Age at Time of Disappearance: 52 years old
•Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 64"; 190 lbs.
•Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Gray hair; brown eyes. Glasses with black plastic frames.
•Marks, Scars: Spotty burn scars on right elbow and right shoulders, hearing aids worn in both ears.
•AKA: Jay



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Circumstances of Disappearance
George was last seen in August or September of 1976, in the area of 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix, AZ. Vandermark oversaw the mob-run skim at the slots at the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas.
Foul play may be involved.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Phoenix Police Department
602-261-8042 ; 602-262-6141

Agency Case Number: 61503032

NCIC Number: M-965065704
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/v/vandermark_george.html

Charley project page for George has more info on circumstances.

George has been missing 34 years today.

 

[ctaylor]

I just saw something on a Frank Rosenthal's website. On googling Frank, his Wikipedia entry.... Frank Rosenthal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

....says he died in 2008 but was a "former Las Vegas casino executive and organised crime associate. The film Casino is loosely based on his life"

He had a Q&A section on the website (http://frankrosenthal.com/feature_story/index.php?id=61) and the following question and Frank's answer appears -

Q: Greetings Frank, Tell me why the authorities have seen fit to ban you, while a notorious slot cheat like George Jay Vandermark, and another casino skim master, Carl Thomas are not banned. A website lists the names of the banned, and they are not on the list. Are these two gentlemen dead? Also, when Allen Glick asked you to evaluate the Hacienda from top to bottom, what did you look for? And what were the priorities? Many thanks and best wishes, Sage. Max Henry

A: The "Black Book" is a instrument intended to enhance and further the careers of a few unqualified and incompetent political rodents. The former leader was a gaming control board member named "Little Mike Rumboltz." A two-bit lowdown junkie son of a *****. Due process of law is not part or parcel in the city of SIN! George Vandermark, was last seen in Iran. Carl Thomas, died as he ran off or got bumped from a cliff in his car.

This was written on Frank Rosenthal's website in 2002 yet no mention of Iran is made on NAMUS or Charley Project. Obviously that is just conjecture but it's something new, I guess.

 

[jpo74]

im going with organized crime hit too! it's too coincidental that his son was murdered soon after his disappearence.

 

[Coffee56]

George Jay Vandermark – The Charley Project

Lots of info out there on George.

 

[Atombudd]

https://www.phoenixmag.com/2020/04/30/the-maitre-d-mob-hit/
On the run with some $3 million in stolen mob cash, Vandermark fled to Mazatlán, Mexico. Less than a week later, his adult son in Las Vegas was found bludgeoned to death. Months later, Vandermark secretly slipped back across the border to hide out in Phoenix, checking into the Arizona Manor Hotel under an assumed name.

Which brings us back to our unfortunate mob target, Vaci, who before serving as the maître d’ at Ernesto’s Backstreet, “spent 20 years at the old Arizona Manor Hotel, a resort at 24th Street and Camelback,” The Arizona Republic reported. “The resort’s history included an unsolved bombing in August 1970 that injured six people [and] was identified by federal officials as a contact point in a nationwide sports-gambling probe that involved baseball pitching great Dizzy Dean.

“Besides his resort duties,” the Republic continued, “Vaci organized vacation junkets to Las Vegas.” He recognized Vandermark at the Arizona Manor and shared this information with his mob contacts.

Not long after, two Outfit hitmen checked into the Arizona Manor. “They paid Vandermark a visit and took him for a walk,” Calabrese Jr. writes. “After he was killed on the premises, his body was taken out in a wheelchair, driven to the desert and buried.”

 

[Pennysmom1]

Missing Person / NamUs #MP1108

View NamUs missing person case MP1108 for George Jay Vandermark missing from Phoenix, Arizona. Date of last contact: Aug 01, 1976. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

https://www.phoenix.gov/policesite/Documents/088030.pdf

3630DMAZ - George Jay Vandermark

George Jay Vandermark – The Charley Project

• 
  

Vandermark, circa 1976

• Missing Since 08/01/1976
• Missing From Phoenix, Arizona
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 12/17/1923 (100)
• Age 52 years old
• Height and Weight 6'2 - 6'4, 190 - 200 pounds
• 
  
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Vandermark wears eyeglasses with black plastic frames, and hearing aids in both ears. He has spot-type burn scars on his right elbow and right shoulder. He may go by his middle name, Jay.

Details of Disappearance​

Vandermark was last seen in August or September of 1976 in the area of 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix, Arizona. He has never been heard from again.

Prior to his disappearance, Vandermark was a supervisor of the slot machines at the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Authorities believe he was working for the Mafia, stealing coins from slot machines. The Nevada Gaming Commission uncovered the slot machine skimming in May 1976, but by then Vandermark had fled.

Authorities determined $7 million had been stolen over the years; Vandermark had apparently given $4 million to the Mafia and kept $3 million for himself.

Investigators tried to get in touch with Vandermark through his son, who lived in Las Vegas. The son said his father was in Mexico and would be in contact shortly. Vandermark's son was murdered a short time later and Vandermark never got in touch with police.

Foul play is suspected in Vandermark's disappearance. It is believed to be related to his organized crime activities.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Aug 2, 1996 Jay is mentioned in this article

Data released in Bolles’death - Tucson Citizen Morgue, Part 2 (1993-2009)

Data released in Bolles’death - Tucson Citizen Morgue, Part 2 (1993-2009)

tucsoncitizen.com

 

[Di Whatsherface]

Thanks @Pennysmom1

Don was my dad. People would be shocked over how corrupt AZ was. I did hear a lot of bad things about George.

 

[ProductiveOne]

Cases submitted to NamUs and all agencies involved.

George Jay Vandermark who fled with $3 million may be this unidentified man with a gunshot wound to the head. His wallet held a photograph of what is believe to be the unidentified man holding an infant child (possibly Vandermark's son Jeff).

According to the International Missing Persons Wiki on Fandom:

"George Vandermark was the slot machine supervisor at the Stardust Resort and Casino. During this time, he was involved in the skimming of over $7 million from the slot machines; he gave $4 million to the Chicago Outfit, whose Las Vegas operations were under the control of Anthony Spilotro AKA "Tony the Ant," and he kept the rest for himself. On May 18, 1976, the Nevada Gaming Control Board staged an impromptu raid on the casino and uncovered the elaborate scheme. During the raid, George fled the city to escape the authorities and the mob, who were angry that George kept the remaining $3 million."

https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/George_Vandermark

WHAT VISUALLY ALIGNS WELL

-Mouth, especially the lips!

-Cleft/dimpled chin.

-Eyes, nose, and hairstyle


QUESTIONABLES

-Did Vandermark have his teeth fixed? The unidentified did have "extensive dental work" done.

-Could the UID's color photo have been taken in the 50s or 60s?

-Do the UID's eyebrows align with older Vandermark's eyebrows?


IMPORTANT INFORMATION

-NamUs has Vandermark height incorrect. His height is 6'2-6'4.

-In Vandermark's photo, he's wearing hearing aids in both ears.

-Vandermark had a son named Jeff who was murdered in his apartment by blunt-force trauma to the head sometime after Vandermark fled. Could Jeff be the baby in the UIDs photo?

-Vandermark will not be the man found in the barrel at Lake Mead. The barrel would have been placed there in 1988 or later. See the post I made here: NV - NV - Multiple Sets of Human Remains Found in Lake Mead

-There is DNA available for Vandermark, however, according to The Doe Network, the UID's DNA Sample is available but not yet submitted.



George Jay Vandermark (NamUs #MP1108)
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/1108/


Kingston, NY Unidentified (NamUs #UP6018)
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)