LA LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, Feb'75

[Ambercat]

I was thinking about this young man after reading about him yesterday and there were a few questions that came to mind --

Is it possible he was instead of 16 or 17, he was 18 or 19 and taken some psychology courses at a university? When I was in college, I took some psychology classes, but I don't remember studying Emile Durkheim. Another reason I thought that he could be a college student (in his first year) was the line in his suicide note about --

What frustrated me most in the last year was that I had built no ties to family or friends. There was nothing of lasting worth and value.

Perhaps someone had told him that things would be better for him socially at college and it was not?

I would like to have a better description of the person. It's frustrating that there is a description of what he was wearing, yet not of what he looked like/vital statistics? I think I said this before.

I would also like more details about the bed sheet. Was the sheet that he hung himself the type that is used in a hotel/motel or the type from a home?

I really don't think he was from the area -- I think that, since he seems very concerned about word of his suicide getting back to his family, he doesn't have ties to the area.

 

[Marilynilpa]

I have wondered about the age, also. His note didn't sound like it was written by the average 16-17 year old. In his note he mentioned he should never marry and have children, and I suppose that is something a 16-17 year old male might think about.

I really hadn't thought much about the bedsheet, I figured he'd either brought it with him as part of his carefully thought out suicide, or perhaps just snatched it off a clothes line along the way.

I agree that he is probably not from the area, or he would have been identified in all likelihood. He could have been from anywhere, really, based on the little we know about him.

 

[Penny Lane]

Is it possible, since he wore no shoes and had a bedsheet, that perhaps he escaped from a psychiatric hospital or home of some sort? I know in some cases when a patient is in a psychiatric ward they have anything that may be used to hurt themselves or others removed, including personal items. Are there any places suchas these around that area? Or maybe even a halfway house of some sort.

 

[Ambercat]

Is it possible, since he wore no shoes and had a bedsheet, that perhaps he escaped from a psychiatric hospital or home of some sort? I know in some cases when a patient is in a psychiatric ward they have anything that may be used to hurt themselves or others removed, including personal items. Are there any places suchas these around that area? Or maybe even a halfway house of some sort.

It seems like if that was the case, they would be able to find out who he was rather quickly (IMO).

 

[Marilynilpa]

Is it possible, since he wore no shoes and had a bedsheet, that perhaps he escaped from a psychiatric hospital or home of some sort? I know in some cases when a patient is in a psychiatric ward they have anything that may be used to hurt themselves or others removed, including personal items. Are there any places suchas these around that area? Or maybe even a halfway house of some sort.

I agree with Ambercat, I think psychiatric hospitals, halfway houses, even homeless shelters were probably checked at the time in an effort to identify this young man.

But I am curious about what happened to his shoes:waitasec:

 

[pjclover]

I agree with Ambercat, I think psychiatric hospitals, halfway houses, even homeless shelters were probably checked at the time in an effort to identify this young man.

But I am curious about what happened to his shoes:waitasec:

Gah, the shoes! That has always bothered me, and I remember hearing that his feet weren't in a condition that would make someone think he'd walked a long distance. Could be wrong about that one.

I first read about this case years ago and like most of us here it really stuck with me. Such a strange set of circumstances, and such an eloquent and haunting final goodbye letter. I was always struck by the fact that this young man obviously cared for his parents in whatever way he knew how - he acknowledged that they were good parents and that whatever demons he struggled with weren't his fault. And yet, at the same time, he chooses not to bring closure to the mystery of who he is, and in turn bring that same closure to his parents. He feels that they're better off not knowing for sure what happened to him, which leads me to think that he was someone prone to wanderlust and frequently gone for periods of time and his absence wouldn't make them immediately seek his whereabouts. That also makes me believe he is older than estimated.

Anyway, nothing new to add, but I keep checking this thread to see everyone's thoughts. I worry that as time goes on, the parents of this young man may no longer be living and matching him may be extremely difficult.

 

[CarlK90245]

I was speaking with Helen Bouzon this morning on a different matter, but while I had her on the phone, I took the opportunity to ask her about this case.

She says that so far, they have not been able to find any record of this case, or whether it was ever resolved. But she still has an assistant looking into it.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Thanks for the update, I've been keeping in touch with the woman who is researching this. The records were originally kept in Plaquemines Parish, which was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. It's possible no records exist; however, it is known that this young man was buried as a John Doe, so he was not identified.

As soon as I hear anything, I'll update you. CarlK90245, please do the same

 

[Marilynilpa]

He is not on any of the missing persons sites to my knowledge. I have never been able to obtain a description of him. Now that FACES Lab is involved, maybe they can get the answers from Plaquemines Parish that I couldn't get.

I wish I could obtain a copy of the flyer generated in an effort to identify this young man.

It is a distinct handicap trying to identify a missing person when you have no idea of hair color, height, weight, etc.:banghead:

I'm planning a follow-up call to FACES Lab on Monday to see what steps they've taken to date.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Today was a good news/bad news day regarding the Belle Chasse suicide.

FACES Lab is unable to find any record of this young man. Without any records of his existence (other than newspaper articles), they are unable to enter him into their database or into NamUs. They also are unable to tell whether he was ever identified.

I'm disappointed but not surprised.

On to good news - I was able to obtain a description of this young man. I am going to try to link the newspaper article here

:https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...afe&zw&sig=AHIEtbSy5u3UbXZjerck2WebvAU5eeWZbQ

If that link doesn't work, here is the description:

Brown hair
Brown eyes
White
Found in Alliance at 11:30 p.m. (2/14/75)
6'0, 160 pounds
Believed to be 16-17 years old
Yellow shirt with maroon figures
Brown belt
Blue pants

That's a lot to go on, and I can thank a great librarian in Louisiana for her assistance in obtaining this information.

 

[Marilynilpa]

I found this article about this boy that I don't think I've posted here before:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...a8wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1PoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3499,5595134

ETA: sorry, this was posted a while back by someone else, but I'll leave it here for those who missed it.

 

[CarlK90245]

I wonder if it would help to know that he was buried in one of the three cemeteries in Gretna. (Four according to Google Earth, but two are marked on the same location).

 

[Marilynilpa]

I thought about that, too, but wanted to see if I could figure out which cemetery he's in.

Even if I do locate him, it probably still won't be enough because there is no official police report or any other document that would confirm that John Doe and the suicide teen are one and the same.

I used to have a membership to Ancestry.com and they had links to various cemeteries. Unfortunately, I haven't renewed my membership. If anyone reading this post is able to look into this, it would be great.

If not, I think I can access this at the library, and I'm going there on Saturday so I could look it up then.

 

[mikkismom]

Checked the cemeteries in Gretna, LA in findagrave. Looked through all (5-6) for year 1975. Most persons listed who died in 1975 were born in the late 1800s. None that would match our UID. I know findagrave doesn't have everything but thought I would let you know that it has been checked.

OT - I realize that I have the same avi as Marilyn - I just like this picture because that is how I feel most of the time.

HTH

 

[tamd59]

I am from this area and I remember when this happened. Alliance is in Plaquemines Parish (county) and Gretna is Jefferson Parish so I don't know if the Plaquemines Coroner would have sent the body out of the parish for burial. Most of the people who worked this case have passed away but I will see what I can find out about where unclaimed bodies were sent in those days. Lots of old records were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.
By the way I am a librarian in Louisiana, too!!

 

[Marilynilpa]

I am from this area and I remember when this happened. Alliance is in Plaquemines Parish (county) and Gretna is Jefferson Parish so I don't know if the Plaquemines Coroner would have sent the body out of the parish for burial. Most of the people who worked this case have passed away but I will see what I can find out about where unclaimed bodies were sent in those days. Lots of old records were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.
By the way I am a librarian in Louisiana, too!!

Bless you! I have often said how librarians are my "secret weapons" when it comes to research. You guys are wonderful.

The newspaper article says this poor John Doe was buried in a Gretna cemetery, but I don't know if that is correct.

Unfortunately, it appears John Doe's records were lost along the way, most likely during Katrina.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Checked the cemeteries in Gretna, LA in findagrave. Looked through all (5-6) for year 1975. Most persons listed who died in 1975 were born in the late 1800s. None that would match our UID. I know findagrave doesn't have everything but thought I would let you know that it has been checked.

OT - I realize that I have the same avi as Marilyn - I just like this picture because that is how I feel most of the time.

HTH

Thanks for looking into this.

I love our avatar, because it's how I feel most of the time too!

 

[pjclover]

Does anyone else get the feeling that this is another one of those cases where maybe the parents of this young man know/suspect that this was him and were content just to let it be? The reason I ask is because after reading the article posted about his burial and thinking about the parents of 300 missing young men coming forward to see if this was their son, it strikes me that it would be difficult for someone looking for a young man around that age at that time not to have been connected to this story.

There must have been a considerable effort to match missing persons with this young man, and there must have been a decent amount of information reported in the local area for so many families to have come forward. Was there something in the note that the parents recognized as being a message from their son? Something in the description of his clothing? Maybe they knew enough to accept that this was their son and wanted to honor his last wishes of anonymity.


However, there are two significant things that I think would have made it possible for a match not to have occurred, even if a family was actively searching:

1. The age is so off that a family looking for their son wouldn't have considered the Belle Chasse Doe a match. I know next to nothing about how age of a decedent is determined, aside from what Google just told me. What is the margin of error? Two years? Five years? More? If a family hadn't heard from their son who was 22 or 23 years old I can see this case not crossing their radar.

2. The location is so far from where people assumed he would be that they didn't hear about the case. A college kid from a family in Oregon says he'll be spending some time with friends in California and isn't heard from again. Parents don't see the AP article, LE on the West Coast doesn't hear about it, and the chance is missed.

And then there is the possibility that he was never reported missing. Maybe someone who traveled, who dropped out from time to time. This one just doesn't sit as well with me. Young man, well educated, presumably well cared for (although we don't know the specifics on that, do we?) suddenly stops calling home or visiting and the parents he clearly cares about don't report it? No one misses him? I can't accept that one. He references the fact that Mom and Dad should be allowed to carry on hope about their "missing" son and not know he was dead. He's telling us that his disappearance will be noticed, at least by them.

 

[fearless]

I ran across this today while doing more research on the Belle Chasse suicide. I thought it was kind of nice.

http://jumbooster.blogspot.com/2012/05/embracing-eternity-becoming-true-friend.html

It looks as though this young man remained unidentified and was buried as a John Doe.

I am in Canada can't open blog!!!!!!

It will be good if any of people, cops who find young man can remember how he looks like. I am sure that picture like that can't be forgotten and compare it with Perry. but my impression is that young man who kill him self wasn't Parry. He was thoughtful, he carefully wrote notes, he afraid what he'll become, cause he expected his sickness will progress.....

Perry was impulsive, making decisions in moment......

Thanks and sorry if I am wrong.....
Whole story breaks my heart..

 

[Marilynilpa]

pjclover, thanks for your post. You brought up some good ideas.

I have always wondered if the 16-17 age is accurate. The newspaper articles I've read say he "appeared" to be 16-17 years old. I don't know how long he had been hanging before he was found or what condition his face was in, but I doubt he looked much like he did when he was alive. I think he could have been older, maybe early 20's.

I have a missing person in mind who may be this young man. He was 23 years old when his family last saw him. It is unknown if he is missing willingly or if he was a victim of homicide. He was spending time alone living off the land, and may well have decided to hitchhike cross country. There are other factors that lead me to think he could be this John Doe, but without the police file and/or the burial location of John Doe, there is absolutely no way to make a connection.

Regarding age, if I had a son in his 20's who was missing and I read about the suicide of a 16-17 year old unidentified boy, I'd look into it in spite of the age difference, especially if the description was similar.

On the other hand, if I read the story and that same 20-something son was supposedly hitchhiking across country (remember this is 1975, such things were common!), I'd have no reason to connect the story to him.

I'm sorry, I know that isn't worded that well. I hope I got my point across!

Your suggestion that the parents of John Doe knew or suspected he was their son, but decided to leave the matter alone, is one I hadn't thought about. Maybe they would do this to honor his wishes, or maybe they didn't want the notoriety (shame?) associated with their son's suicide. It's hard to imagine a parent not claiming their child under any circumstances, but everyone is different in their reactions.