Identified! IN - Lake Village, 'Brad' 1384UMIN, Eyler victim, Oct'83 - John Ingram Brandenburg, Jr.

[Cubby]

I searched and didn't find a thread already started. Normally I would not start a single thread for two Does, but neither are listed at Doe Network, and only one is listed at Namus, so starting here with the thread for both. Perhaps we can later seperate into two threads.

Newton County coroner is reopening a cold case.

Newton County Coroner Scott McCord speaks with emotion about two sets of unidentified skeletal remains he inherited in early 2009, shortly after taking office.

They're the bodies of two young men, possibly from southern Indiana, who were brutally stabbed. Mushroom hunters found them on abandoned farm property near Sumava Resorts on Oct. 18, 1983.
For McCord, whose goal is to have the bodies identified by the end of this year, the endeavor has become personal. He's even given them temporary names -- Adam and Brad.
"They need to be home," McCord said. "Somebody is missing a brother or a son. Family perhaps didn't know where to look."
The unidentified men were victims of Larry Eyler, a Crawfordsville native who confessed to murdering nearly two dozen young men in the Midwest in the early 1980s.

<snip>

McCord's undertaking began in January 2009 when, as the newly elected coroner, he asked Newton County officials for a formal office. Before, files were kept by the coroner or stored at the sheriff's department.

"I go in, and the office is just filled with past cases," McCord said. "I come across two banker boxes, and inside are the skeletal remains of victims three and four."

"... I found an Indiana State Police case number with them, and called to have it checked out. That linked them to Larry Eyler." Those victims were among four bodies found buried in shallow graves in northern Newton County on Oct. 19, 1983, near Indiana 10 and the Kankakee River. All of them were stabbed multiple times

much more at link:

http://www.jconline.com/article/20100227/NEWS03/2270324


Lets give this Newton County Coroner a WS hand here in helping him solve these two unidentified cases. It really sounds like he is starting from scratch based on the above article, and I am sure he will appreciate any and all help he can get!

 

[Cubby]

From the article posted in first link, about "Adam"

"Larry, in his confession, said 'Adam' was picked up in mid-July 1983 near Terre Haute," McCord said. "He said he picked up a black male in his late teens or early 20s ... who was hitchhiking."


https://identifyus.org/cases/full_report/6011

Status Unidentified Case number56-09-Adam83
NCIC number
Date found October 18, 1983 at 12:00 AM
Date created October 08, 2009 at 04:58 PM
Date last modified December 08, 2009 at 08:46 AM
Date QA reviewed October 09, 2009 at 05:12 AM




Demographics

Estimated age Adult - Pre 20 Minimum age 17 years Maximum age 19 years
Race Black/African American Ethnicity
Sex Male
Weight (lbs)180,
Estimated Height (inch)72, Estimated



more at link.

 

[Cubby]

There is nothing on Namus yet for Brad doe. Adam doe is the only John Doe listed from Indiana with the October 18, 1983 date.

What I can gather on Brad Doe from the article posted in the first link:

Less information is known about the second victim, whom McCord calls "Brad." Cook and Pless were able to determine that he was a white male, about 180 pounds. McCord estimated his height between 5-foot-11 and 6-foot-1.
He's waiting on Project EDAN to complete Brad's forensic sketch. Both are being done at no charge to the coroner's office, McCord said.

 

[Cubby]

Also from the article linked in the first post:

According to information McCord has gathered, Eyler would take victims from southern Indiana and bury them in northern Indiana -- and vice versa -- to avoid detection.

Lake Village Indiana is in NW Indiana, and appears to be about 20-25 miles south of Gary Indiana and very close to the Illinois/Indiana state line.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&s...ew=map&geocode=FX-1cwIdvKPJ-g&split=0&iwloc=A

 

[Cymro]

I'll throw one out here for "Brad."

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3493dmin.html

Carl J Holland, age 23, missing October 1983.

He's a little too old, a little too thin and a little too tall to match - but he's not way off on any of them. He was missing from SE Indiana and the Doe was found in the NW corner of Indiana, so matches the MO perfectly.

He did have a vehicle, which was found abandoned 15 miles north of home. They seem to have an idea of what happened because he is believed to have been killed and dumped in Ohio, where he was last seen.

 

[Cubby]

I saw him Cymro. He was found closer to the IN/Ohio border. I don't know if Eyler ventured to western Indiana. It seems he was closer to the IL/IN border, but I still haven't read all I need to about Eyler. Some of his victims were found outside of IN so it is not impossible......

Also, when Adam and Brad were found, there were 4 victims found at the same location. Two were identified, these two remain unidentified.

I wonder if this coroner would be willing to give us some additional information which might help lining up potential matches while he is awaiting DNA and the sketches. Based on the article, I think he would. It's not like they have an open investigation that any info might harm the investigation. They know who the killer was, and they know the killer is now deceased.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

May I please ask?Were they both african american?I found this as possible matches.I will look more.I'm sure they probably saw this.I did not put the whole article.I can't get the link to work.I believe there is a thread here on them if someone can find it and put it on.



30 Years Later -- 5 Teens Still Missing
Community Remembers Boys Who Vanished



NEW YORK -- Thirty years ago, five teenage boys vanished after playing basketball in Newark, N.J. They were never heard from again.

Their remains were never found, Social Security numbers never used -- and no arrests have ever been made. But the community has never forgotten its tragic loss.

Melvin Pittman, 17, Randy Johnson, 16, Ernest Taylor, 17, Alvin Turner, 16, and Michael McDowell, 16, who have become known as "The Clinton Avenue Five," vanished Aug. 20, 1978. Wednesday marks the 30th anniversary of their disappearance.


The case, which is New Jersey's oldest cold case, remains open. But after 30 years without any solid leads, it's unclear what, if anything, is left to find.

And although most of the boys' family members are dead, the community remembers.

An annual memorial service is held at Clinton Avenue Presbyterian Church. On Sunday, the Rev. Alfred Johnson led an 11 a.m. service at the church on 16th Street.

News 4 New York talked to family members of one of the missing boys. Stay tuned for the broadcast Sunday night.

Facts Of The Case

The teens were last seen entering the pickup truck of a man who reportedly offered them summer part-time work -- and they were never seen again. Police questioned the contractor, Lee Anthony Evans, and cleared him of suspicion after he passed polygraph tests.

Several days after the boys disappeared, one of their mothers got a phone call from a man who said he would tell her where the boys were for $750. Police traced the call to a payphone at Union Station in Washington, D.C., but by the time they arrived, whoever had made the call apparently had fled.

The investigation has taken detectives all over the country.

Detectives checked military records, religious cults, the bodies from Jim Jones' 1978 mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, according to Reuters, and the victims of Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who was executed for the rape and murder of 33 boys and men -- to no avail.

In 1996, police followed a lead from a psychic who had previously helped detectives find the body of a missing boy in a drainpipe. The psychic had a vision the boys' burned remains were buried in a five-acre field near Newark International Airport. Searchers came up empty-handed.


http://www.wnbc.com/news/17213231/detail.html

Picture of the boys

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/suzannec4444/5teensmissing.jpg

 

[Cymro]

Suzanne,

One was African-American, the other was Caucasian. Both were approximately 6'0" and 180 lbs - fairly average build for an athletic young man.

"Adam," the African-American was claimed to have been picked up near Terre Haute, In, in July 1983. It isn't expressly stated but I would imagine that the remains found were consistent with a date of death within six months.

For Adam to be one of the five missing black teens, he would have had to make his way from NJ to Indiana, stay alive for five years, become separated from the four others, and be murdered by a serial killer. Even the youngest of those men would be just outside the upper age range (although not by enough to rule them out definitively).

My personal opinion is that when Adam went missing, either no report was made, or racial prejudice and/or a general lack of interest in missing teens came into play and the police either refused to take a report or closed the case prematurely.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Suzanne,

One was African-American, the other was Caucasian. Both were approximately 6'0" and 180 lbs - fairly average build for an athletic young man.

"Adam," the African-American was claimed to have been picked up near Terre Haute, In, in July 1983. It isn't expressly stated but I would imagine that the remains found were consistent with a date of death within six months.

For Adam to be one of the five missing black teens, he would have had to make his way from NJ to Indiana, stay alive for five years, become separated from the four others, and be murdered by a serial killer. Even the youngest of those men would be just outside the upper age range (although not by enough to rule them out definitively).

My personal opinion is that when Adam went missing, either no report was made, or racial prejudice and/or a general lack of interest in missing teens came into play and the police either refused to take a report or closed the case prematurely.

Thank you.I didn't know if they were all african american or the race of all 4 victims found.I was just thinking maybe if these boys had run away.I'll keep looking.

 

[CarlK90245]

Charley lists only two Black males aged 15 to 19 whose DLC was between 01-Aug-81 and 01-Aug-83. Neither of them look like really strong possibles for Adam Doe.


William Christopher Delk
Physical descriptors are about right but there is a full-year lag between DLC and estimated date of death, and the geography is a stretch. Pretty difficult to concoct a scenario where he is hitchhiking in Terre Haute a year after he disappeared.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/delk_william.html

Charles Hall III
The geography is not bad, but there is a year and a half lag with circumstances suggestive of a sudden involuntary disappearance, as opposed to someone who would wander for a 1 1/2 years.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hall_charles.html

If you stretch out the time-line to five years before estimated date of death, all you get in addition to the above two are the Newark 5.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I saw him Cymro. He was found closer to the IN/Ohio border. I don't know if Eyler ventured to western Indiana. It seems he was closer to the IL/IN border, but I still haven't read all I need to about Eyler. Some of his victims were found outside of IN so it is not impossible......

Also, when Adam and Brad were found, there were 4 victims found at the same location. Two were identified, these two remain unidentified.

I wonder if this coroner would be willing to give us some additional information which might help lining up potential matches while he is awaiting DNA and the sketches. Based on the article, I think he would. It's not like they have an open investigation that any info might harm the investigation. They know who the killer was, and they know the killer is now deceased.

Who were the two that were Identified?african american?white?where were they from?what was their occupation?Did all 4 found die around the same time?

 

[Ms Suzanne]

This is what I got on one of the sites on this serial killer.Were these the 4 found?

Quote from article

October 18 yielded four bodies in Newton County, dumped together at an abandoned farm; one victim had been decapitated, and all had their pants pulled down, indicating sexual motives in the slayings. Another "John Doe" was recovered on December 5, near Effingham, Illinois, and the body-count jumped again, two days later, when Richard Wayne and an unidentified male were found dead near Indianapolis.


Very sick guy.I hope he got the death penalty.It's very sad.

 

[not_my_kids]

May I ask, was Eyler generally honest in his confessions? Can we trust his word at all of where he said he picked them up, or is it just as likely that they could have come from anywhere?

 

[Cubby]

Who were the two that were Identified?african american?white?where were they from?what was their occupation?Did all 4 found die around the same time?

I don't know who the other are who were identified. I think that is a very good question. If they were all buried around the same time they were possibly buried at the same time, or around the same time. However, the article said they were found on an abandoned barn/farm so who knows how long the barn/farm was abandoned. If for a long time, Eyler could have used the same spot at different times if it was isolated enough he knew he wouldn't get caught disposing of the bodies.

 

[Cubby]

May I ask, was Eyler generally honest in his confessions? Can we trust his word at all of where he said he picked them up, or is it just as likely that they could have come from anywhere?

I think so. IIRC, there were quite a few articles. Some came up with pornographic photos so I can't link them. (why they were attached to those kind of pics I don't know......) His atty is pretty well known. there are quite a few articles about her, and from what I read I think he was honest about the confessions. IIRC, the confessions were to negotiate a plea sparing him the death penalty. Because there were various jurisdictions involved, all had to agree and one, from Illinois - Cook Cty iirc, did not agree.

Yes, while I think he was honest with where he picked them up, that doesn't mean they couldn't have already hitched from just about anywhere and picked up in southern indiana.

 

[Cubby]

This is what I got on one of the sites on this serial killer.Were these the 4 found?

Quote from article

October 18 yielded four bodies in Newton County, dumped together at an abandoned farm; one victim had been decapitated, and all had their pants pulled down, indicating sexual motives in the slayings. Another "John Doe" was recovered on December 5, near Effingham, Illinois, and the body-count jumped again, two days later, when Richard Wayne and an unidentified male were found dead near Indianapolis.


Very sick guy.I hope he got the death penalty.It's very sad.

Yes, he was very sick. He died from complications of aids awhile ago, IIRC 94 maybe, but it was some time ago.

 

[Cubby]

Charley lists only two Black males aged 15 to 19 whose DLC was between 01-Aug-81 and 01-Aug-83. Neither of them look like really strong possibles for Adam Doe.


William Christopher Delk
Physical descriptors are about right but there is a full-year lag between DLC and estimated date of death, and the geography is a stretch. Pretty difficult to concoct a scenario where he is hitchhiking in Terre Haute a year after he disappeared.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/delk_william.html

Charles Hall III
The geography is not bad, but there is a year and a half lag with circumstances suggestive of a sudden involuntary disappearance, as opposed to someone who would wander for a 1 1/2 years.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hall_charles.html

If you stretch out the time-line to five years before estimated date of death, all you get in addition to the above two are the Newark 5.

Thanks CarlK. I am sure there are far more missing black men over a two year span in the early 80's. Sadly, it makes me wonder if it was simply difficult to get young black men reported missing back then. Especially if they were thought to be runaways? I don't mean to open a can of worms with that statement. It just struck me as odd, that only two are listed for that age range in that time period. It makes me wish if people had a missing son, brother, family member back then, they would try again. There are far too many unidentified black males out there, just too many.

As for hitchhiking a year later, maybe not. Maybe that was their means of transportation and they went where they thought they could find work.

 

[Cubby]

Kathleen Zellner worked on Eylers case.

http://www.kathleentzellner.com/zellner.html

from the above link:
2. Larry Eyler: Obtaining twenty-one confessions from Larry Eyler that allowed law enforcement to close all twenty-one murder cases in three states. A movie is being made by a major Hollywood producer on Zellner’s work in this case.


Yes, while the cases themselves may be closed, we know not all of his victims were identified.

I have no idea if this movie was ever completed.

 

[CarlK90245]

DoeNet just created a page on L Eyler victim Brad Doe, and included a sketch. Here is the link.

The Doe Network:
Case File 1384UMIN

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1384umin.html

Reconstruction of Victim

Unidentified White Male

* The victim was discovered on October 18, 1983 in Lake Village, Newton County, Indiana

Vital Statistics

* Estimated age: 18-28 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'11-6'1""; 160 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Home-made type tattoos found on the right forearm. One is of a cross with two "dots" above the horizontal. This tattoo is located on the palm side of the arm nearer to the wrist. A second tattoo of the same make is of a rectangle with dot. This tattoo is on the outer surface of the right arm.
* Clothing: Brown slacks with small buttons on the front, size 30"x30". Jockey type undershorts. Brown fleeced lined hiking type boots (leather) (ankle high), brown shoe laces through metal eyelets.
* Dentals: Available

Case History
Victim of Larry Eyler, a Crawfordsville native who confessed to murdering nearly two dozen young men in the Midwest in the early 1980s. He was dubbed the "Highway Killer" because of where most of his victims' bodies were found -- left in locations between Eyler's two residences in Terre Haute and Chicago. His path often followed U.S. 41 in Indiana and Interstate 57 in Illinois. Five victims have been found in Newton and Jasper counties, all linked to Eyler. Eyler would take victims from southern Indiana and bury them in northern Indiana -- and vice versa -- to avoid detection.

This victim had been drugged, bound and stabbed to death then buried in a shallow grave. Mushroom hunters found him on an abandoned farm property near Sumava Resorts on October 18, 1983, along with three others. Two of them were identified after families came forward, and dental records were matched.

Eyler, who was convicted of murder and other charges in Illinois and Indiana, died while in custody in Illinois of AIDS-related complications in 1994.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Newton County Coroners Office
219-414-3331
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number:
56-09-Brad83

Source Information:
NamUs
JC Online

 

[mortytbusybody]

I keep coming back to William Kermig Summers, Jr. for some reason:

http://www.ncis.navy.mil/app/uploads/person/pdf/74.pdf

Doe Network Link: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/412dmwa.html

The eyes, nose and cheekbones look very similar to me, though the chin is no where near as prominent as Brad Doe's. The hand-made tattoos seem like something a young guy in the Navy might have, and the cross tattoo would be fitting of a "very religious" man like William. The distance is pretty far, but I suppose if he was going to Canada as suspected he might have back-tracked home toward Alabama, which could conceivably take him through Indiana. The chin-line is the one thing that keeps throwing me off, though.

I also spotted Donald Douma: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1969dmon.html
I think it's the strong chin that drew me to him, but his cheekbones aren't as pronounced and the nose is a bit too small. Again, the distance is a factor, but it could be possible that as he was traveling west he took a detour south toward the States? (Honestly, though, the chin is the only thing that made Donald really stand out to me...too bad we don't have dentals yet for BD.)

I'm still new at this so your expert opinions are welcome. I'd love to see these young men find their names!