IL IL - Chicago, very tall Male UP2735, 28-48, Oct '03

www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/2735?nav

Case Numbers
ME/C Case Number 010 OCT 03
Demographics
Sex Male
Race / Ethnicity White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 60
Estimated Age Range (Years) 28-48
Estimated Year of Death 2002-2003
Estimated PMI 1 Years
Height 6' 6"(78 inches) , Estimated
WeightCannot Estimate
Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body Found October 1, 2003
NamUs Case Created October 27, 2008
ME/C QA Reviewed October 28, 2008
Location Found Map
Location Chicago, Illinois 60656
County Cook County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped) 41.53.471N, 087.36.240W
Circumstances of Recovery The skeletal remains of an unknown male subject were recovered from under Navy Pier, at a location where cruise ships are docked. The remains are observed laid out on a rocky shoal or rip rap, which extends approximately five feet above the water level of Lake Michigan. This riprap surrounds the entire perimeter of the base of Navy Pier, where the pier foundation meets the waterline of Lake Michigan, and protrudes outward into the water approximately twenty feet before it submerges below the water line. The remains are observed prone on its back, with feet pointed in a southwest direction and the upper torso pointed in a northeast direction. It is clad in a heavy dark colored zippered sweatshirt, black, possibly denim pants, which were worn over red sweat pants. Tan colored work boots are observed with dark brown laces. The shoes and clothing appear to be in relatively good condition. A paging device is observed clipped to the left side of the pants on the waistband. There is a skull, which has become disarticulated from the torso of the remains and it is observed face down, near the shoulders. The lower jaw containing teeth has become unhinged from the skull, which also contains teeth. It appears to be completely skeletonized. The middle torso area of the remains is exposed and the rib cage is visible, as is the spinal column. Very little soft tissue is observed or present, and no internal organs are observed.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains All parts recovered
Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton
Clothing and Accessories
Maroon & Black colored sweater. Haines brand heavyweight red t-shirt with "Enjoy Coco-Cola," printed on it. A Cooray brand sportwear black colored cap with the word, COUNTY," printed on it. A black canvas jacket, black pants, ProsSpirit brand red color - On the Body
A Motorola brand "Bravo," pager on waistband of pants.

 

Wondering about 6'6" Yrael Leyva as a potential match, he was reported as missing 8 months earlier from California. I can see very little information on Yrael's case to either rule him in or out as maybe having moved on to Chicago. Yrael Leyva
This UID is listed as white/caucasion and Yrael is listed in California's MP site s Hispanic but in Namus as White-Cauc/Hispanic. Becuase of the uncertainty I'm throwing Yrael into the mix. Yrael was also known by multiple other identities so it is possible a MP report in Chicago (for example an employer who provided the pager) may not have been matched to an MP report in CA.

 

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Ronald Joseph Stobierski seems too soon but all his other stats match up.

 

His Doe Network page The Doe Network: Case File 973UMIL

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Not available

 

Richard Sanders (6 ft 6) missing from Texas
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

5356DMIL - Gary James Swanson

Gary Swanson, 6'8" (UID's 6'6" is an estimate) and missing from Illinois just a few months before this UID was discovered. He disappeared from 200mi away from Chicago (Aledo IL) but his car was found in Loran IL which is 135mi from Chicago. He had experienced a lot of stress prior to his disappearance and suffered PTSD. Could he have taken to public transport and ended up in Chicago?

 

What was the pager situation like back in 2002-2003? I know I had a cell phone by then but I also had a pager for work. My husband still had one too (medical field).

 

I know delivery drivers often used pagers too, as they couldn't always immediately answer the phone so numbers & delivery details would be paged to them.

 

Doe Network says he could be anywhere from 6'0" to 6'10". Saying as height estimates are notoriously inaccurate, especially with skeletal remains, it's probably best to start looking at people who aren't 6'6" exactly. I'll start searching soon, it's 1 AM here and I'm about to pass out at any moment now.

 

Man, they made a bunch of different Bravos. I can't narrow that part down. I don't remember 2002-2003 enough to remember if people were still using them except specific fields of work. Could he have been on call somewhere?

I'd imagine he passed in the winter or late fall. He's dressed for the cold. Whether or not it's Chicago cold I guess depends on who you are.

Hat is definitely Ouray brand, not Couray. It looks like they print lots of stuff on them, various brands and locations and whatnot. Sadly we can only see "County", but I bet that county once had a name before it.

 

If the baseball hat is a true baseball hat, then it could've been Kane County Cougars in Geneva, IL or Lake County Captains in Eastlake, OH along Lake Erie.
Door County, WI (popular destination site) also comes to mind since it's directly on Lake Michigan.

 

There's a Ouray County in Colorado. It's absolutely tiny, but a popular tourist area. Not sure if it's at all relevant, but I figured it's worth mentioning.

 

Interesting circumstances about his disappearance. Seem like he may have been on the run? Would explain the distance.
VANISHED: Richard Sanders

 

Here is another guy that might fit.
The Doe Network: Bliane Hector 4635DMNH

 

These all seem like good possibilities. Definitely a tall guy!

I don’t know why the pager stood out to me most. I was right out of high school around this time, living in a large metroplex, and I remember having a pager. They were a cheap alternative to a cell phone (which I couldn’t afford at the time) and could be found at just about any corner/convenience store. On the other hand, I know many people used them similarly to “burner phones” today... harder to trace and easy to replace.

That probably doesn’t help narrow it down, but I wanted to mention it since I’d been familiar with them around the time this UID was discovered.

 

I like Richard Sanders as a possible.
I've looked at the side view of the skull provided on Namus.
Seems to me, that they both share a rather flat face, short forehead, small nose, and noticeable protruding brow bone.
Nice find!

 

Is anyone able to post the existing Namus ruleout list?

 

4 Rule Outs:

Missing Person / NamUs # MP55794
Jerold Strege,
Male, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: October 1, 2002
State: WI
County: Fond du Lac

Missing Person / NamUs # MP7864
Ronald Stobierski,
Male, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: July 9, 2003
State: IL
County: Cook

Missing Person / NamUs # MP830
Gordon Page, Jr., Male, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: May 26, 1991
State: MI
County: Kent

Missing Person / NamUs # MP2999
Michael Allen,
Male, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact: May 30, 2001
State: KY
County: Floyd

 

Heights of the above four range from 6'1 to 6'8" so it does appear LE are following the DoeNetwork guide (6'0 - 6'10") versus Namus 6'6".

FYI Jerold Strege is now in Namus as MP 55794 instead of his earlier case number.

 

Thanks! I will send it in as a tip in the morning if i can.