FL FL - Stephen Wolfe, 32, Miami, July 1981

[Kimster]

If you guys have a thread for this gentlemen, let us know so the mods can merge to the appropriate location. :tyou:

It wasn't until 29 years later, this past September, that the Wolfe family finally found out Stephen's fate.

He had been shot to death sometime in the early '80s, his body dumped in North Miami.

The word came through a national DNA database for unidentified remains and missing persons, which matched Stephen's DNA with that submitted by his siblings.

``After so long, it's just a strange feeling,'' said Jerrold Wolfe, 65, of Westwood, Mass. ``In one respect, it's that famous word `closure' on a situation. We get his body, and we'll bury him with our parents.''<snipped>


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/26/1989502/dna-solves-mystery-from-81.html#ixzz19I4uO0LR

 

[CarlK90245]

Here's the DoeNet casefile.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1253umfl.html

I don't see any threads for this UID, I'll put the DoeNet text here, so that it will be available after the case-file is closed.

The Doe Network:
Case File 1253UMFL

Left: Reconstruction of Victim by Detective Norma Dieppa - Right: Stephen Wolfe

White Male - IDENTIFIED as Stephen Wolfe

* The victim was discovered on April 5, 1984 in North Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida
* Estimated Date of Death: Up to two years prior
* Complete Skeletal Remains

Vital Statistics

* Estimated age: 30-40 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0"
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Deformed lumbar vertebrae.
* Dentals: Available. The teeth showed the man was a smoker. He had good quality dental work, but it appeared to have been done in another country, possibly in Latin America.
* Clothing: Adidas (Rod Laver) style, white and green sneakers, size 8-9. White metal, liquid quartz Hamilton watch. Found near his body were two strips of strapping tape, a rusted belt buckle, and a yellow lighter that read, ``Gas is like sex -- you never get enough.''
* DNA: Available

Case History
The victim was located in a shallow grave amid thick mangroves in a field at NE 30 Avenue & Sunny Isle Boulevard, next to Oleta River State Park, by workers who were bulldozing the area.
North Miami detectives worked for years to track down the identity of the skeleton, trying to trace sneakers and a watch found with the body and checking with missing persons reports.

 

[webrocket]

I love when we have the opportunity to compare a missing person to an actual UID as it gives us the chance to see how accurate the information in the MP's profile was.

I tried to find a missing person page for Wolfe but either it did not exist or it might be gone now. However, the article is filled with details and it says that Wolfe was last seen in July 1981. The body was found in April 1984.

According to the Doe Network profile for the UID, he was between 30-40 (which was accurate) but that the remains were there "up to 2 years". He was dead almost three years. I usually use overly generous search criteria when looking for matches precisely since the estimates provided are just educated guesses.

btw, I'd love to know the deal with the teeth, i.e. did he ever go to Latin America for dental work. that was an oddity there.

 

[Cymro]

Reconstruction looks pretty good - hair and the huge mustache are out of course but that's not surprising after three years. Nose is actually pretty good, eyebrows are even further apart on Stephen than on the recon (but it'd be very brave to pull them as far out as Stephen's are).

As stated above, it'd be good to know about the dentals - and even more if the height given was accurate. 5'0" is extremely short, although not so much with severe deformity to the dorsal spine.

RIP Stephen.

 

[Richard]

Although Stephen Wolfe's body was eventually found and identified, his death remains unsolved. The fact that he was buried in a shallow grave would indicate that this was a homicide.

 

[PayrollNerd]

It’s interesting that they could identify him with DNA but not announce anything about testing any other found items. The perp wouldn’t have been so careful about not leaving DNA evidence back then.

 

[PayrollNerd]

DNA identifies remains of man missing from Miami Beach since 1981

In 1981, he moved out of his Boston apartment, dropped off his belongings at his brother's house and moved to Miami for good. He had ideas of opening a business or finding work.

The brothers, who were very close growing up, talked every few weeks. So when Stephen's calls suddenly stopped, Jerrold instinctively knew something was wrong.

He called the hotel where his brother was staying. "He had checked out with no forwarding address," he said.

And so the search began. Jerrold visited the motel and bars where his brother was a regular. People remembered seeing him, but could provide little else in the way of leads. "He drank too much," Jerrold said. "That was one of his problems. Recreational drugs was another."

Jerrold also brought along a letter his brother sent. The short note included a set of keys to his car, which he had left parked at the airport when he left, and instructions to get the car if he told him to. "I don't know if I'll be in town soon or not, as of now. Steve," the letter finished.

The envelope, with four 15-cent stamps and a Miami postmark, held one clue: a return address on East Oakmont Drive in Northwest Miami-Dade.

Twice, Jerrold showed up at that address looking for his brother. He knocked on the door but never got an answer.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Detectives continue to follow leads, but no arrest has been made.
Man Missing Since 1981 Identified Through DNA Match With Siblings

 

[PayrollNerd]

I don't find any updates online regarding his murder. If it took a bulldozer to unearth his remains, it was homicide. Who had access to the type of equipment used to dig that big of a hole?