NY NY - Carlos Diaz, 32, Bronx, 23 December 1986

[MadMcGoo]

Oh MadMcGoo nice blog on Carlos!

Thank you!!

 

[MadMcGoo]

@madamx Now the mention of the bridge is bothering me. I waited to read the transcription of her interview until right before I completed my post. So the detail was fresh on my mind, I hadn’t seen it mentioned anywhere else. I tried joining the FB group in order to reach out to his family, but I’ve yet to be added. Which is fine, for my intents and purposes I had what I needed. It would be nice to clear a few things up though IMO.

I hadn’t thought about him needing a shovel but I’m certain he would have. Unless “taking her to bury” doesn’t mean what it implies rather he was taking her body from his sister’s house to some place else? I’ve never been in NYC long enough to find out what one does with a dead pet. Walking a couple of blocks and digging a hole doesn’t seem like something you’d see there everyday, ya know? Then again, I’m speaking mostly as a tourist so it’s entirely possible. The more I think about it, the less it makes sense. It’s hard to imagine what happened to him.

 

[madamx]

I just found this and I think the bridge maybe they are talking about is the one that goes over the Metro North Train Tracks..

you have to scroll down on the article and you can see photos. So with that in mind I don’t think he walked 30 mins to the Bridge by the water.


What's Next for This Abandoned South Bronx Rail Line?


I grew up here in the city 1980s and you bury animals/pets in the backyard or In Abandoned lots there were many at that time or by train tracks. At least that is where I have known people to bury them . So when I noticed the bridge over the train tracks at E 165 st I assumed that has to be the place .

 

[MadMcGoo]

I just found this and I think the bridge maybe they are talking about is the one that goes over the Metro North Train Tracks..

you have to scroll down on the article and you can see photos. So with that in mind I don’t think he walked 30 mins to the Bridge by the water.


What's Next for This Abandoned South Bronx Rail Line?


I grew up here in the city 1980s and you bury animals/pets in the backyard or In Abandoned lots there were many at that time or by train tracks. At least that is where I have known people to bury them . So when I noticed the bridge over the train tracks at E 165 st I assumed that has to be the place .

Oh yah! I see it! Then he wouldn’t have had that far to walk, and I see more places for him to bury her. I primarily stayed with friends in the UWS and didn’t go much further than Central Park or the Hudson, so coming from a small town with nothing but dirt and open spaces, it was a bit of a culture shock for me. LOL. I’m glad you both know more about the area and could better find more or less where his sister was talking about. thank you!

Now I wonder how Susie ended up there but Carlos didn’t or if he went there to her or with her. And how his brother knew where to look. If he did become confused and wander off, any idea where he probably would have gone in that case? Or which direction.

I don’t get the sense that one day he just decided to walk out and go live some place else without ever contacting his family again. I think he must have either been disoriented or met with foul play. I wonder how extensive his brother’s search for him that day was. If he were to have fallen or been pushed into one of the 3 (?) rivers there, is one more likely to carry his body to any particular place?

 

[JSolt1210]

I just found this and I think the bridge maybe they are talking about is the one that goes over the Metro North Train Tracks..

you have to scroll down on the article and you can see photos. So with that in mind I don’t think he walked 30 mins to the Bridge by the water.


What's Next for This Abandoned South Bronx Rail Line?


I grew up here in the city 1980s and you bury animals/pets in the backyard or In Abandoned lots there were many at that time or by train tracks. At least that is where I have known people to bury them . So when I noticed the bridge over the train tracks at E 165 st I assumed that has to be the place .

OMG you're right! I had totally forgotten about Metro North, but that makes so much more sense!

Metro North is a railway system that goes underground, but is not covered completely in most areas outside of Manhattan, as you can see here. Because this system is usually for commutes outside of NYC, I rarely take it, but from what I remember, there are no turnstiles as in the subway since tickets are checked on the train itself, so anyone can walk onto the semi-underground platforms, and under a street bridge if there is one.

And there is one over the Melrose Avenue station. Here's what it looks like from street level. And here is a site that shows three pages of pictures from around the station. You can see how it easy to just walk down—and in the late afternoon, there probably won't be many people there, as most people will be commuting home from the city, and also because of the coming holiday.

The Melrose Avenue station is just a 5-minute walk from Carlos' last known location, which explains why they were worried about him after half an hour.

Also, in regards to whether he would've needed a shovel to bury a dog etc., I can say that when I was younger, my dad had a parrot that died, and he took it to a nearby park to "bury" it. By that, he meant covering it with a rock lol. If Suzie was a small/medium-sized dog, Carlos could've planned to do the same thing, maybe hide her body behind the bare winter brush or even snowfall if there had been any. Maybe the family said "bury" as a euphemism, the way my father did.

The thing is, though, if this is where he went, I don't know now if he would've encountered trouble (like a shady drug deal, gang etc.) because although there would've been few people, I doubt the area was completely empty. Plus, anyone can see anything from a passing train that's slowing down to a stop. I wonder if the trauma of burying the dog caused him to have a memory lapse, and he then boarded a train. You can board them without a ticket, but when it's time to check tickets and you don't have one, they kick you off—and you can be kicked off anywhere in the system.

 

[madamx]

Jsolt1210 thank you for the links and photos to the station!!! Great Great!! yes they are long tracks and the station open you can walk on to it and wait for the train and get on for free.. Your right. sort of like the LIRR.

Omg too funny. We as kids in the early 1980s used to do that!!! and then get off at the town we got kicked out at hang out for a while explore and then come back home. I know one time we ended up in Pleasantville it was the furthest we ever got I don’t know how..We also used to ride the subways and get off at random stops Just because to explore And get on Staten Island Ferry and go to Staten Island too. Omg times were different! That is how I learned to get around. I think that is why I love old New York City cases so much.

Anyway ...So I’m wondering now if he ran into someone down there. OR if he got so upset and with his head trauma and all, it activated some type of PTS and he just wanted to get away.. being the holidays and maybe a lot of people would not take the death of an old dog to seriously .

I know how upsetting the death of your dog can be I had my girl for 15 years and was devastated .

Anyway it would be interesting to know if any of the metro north trains passed by at the time he had gone to bury Susy..
and also which way it went.. if it went towards the city or if it went upstate and if so maybe we can follow it and see if there is a John Doe up there somewhere?? Maybe he got off a stop and just could never find his way back?

I wonder how cold it was and if he had warm jacket or anything like that..

 

[madamx]

Oh yah! I see it! Then he wouldn’t have had that far to walk, and I see more places for him to bury her. I primarily stayed with friends in the UWS and didn’t go much further than Central Park or the Hudson, so coming from a small town with nothing but dirt and open spaces, it was a bit of a culture shock for me. LOL. I’m glad you both know more about the area and could better find more or less where his sister was talking about. thank you!

Now I wonder how Susie ended up there but Carlos didn’t or if he went there to her or with her. And how his brother knew where to look. If he did become confused and wander off, any idea where he probably would have gone in that case? Or which direction.

I don’t get the sense that one day he just decided to walk out and go live some place else without ever contacting his family again. I think he must have either been disoriented or met with foul play. I wonder how extensive his brother’s search for him that day was. If he were to have fallen or been pushed into one of the 3 (?) rivers there, is one more likely to carry his body to any particular place?

Yeah I was wondering myself how extensive was the search that Carlos brother did? And if anyone else went out looking from the family gathering or just his brother?

 

[madamx]

I found the transit map for that line that goes through Melrose.. I looked at it and got a little overwhelmed it branches out to upstate and CT
MNR Map

 

[JSolt1210]

I found the transit map for that line that goes through Melrose.. I looked at it and got a little overwhelmed it branches out to upstate and CT
MNR Map

From what I've been able to find, the New Haven CT line does not stop at Melrose (also on Wikipedia). So that eliminates one branch.

But still... if he became disoriented and boarded a train, he could be anywhere Melrose to Wassaic, a range of about 80 miles. I doubt he boarded the NYC-bound side, because it's only two stops, and he would've heading into the city where there's more potential witnesses. But then again, since no missing persons report was filed, no one would've known to look for him.

I wonder if we should start looking for unidentified males in Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties (aka "upstate" NY to all of us who are from the city lol).

 

[madamx]

From what I've been able to find, the New Haven CT line does not stop at Melrose (also on Wikipedia). So that eliminates one branch.

But still... if he became disoriented and boarded a train, he could be anywhere Melrose to Wassaic, a range of about 80 miles. I doubt he boarded the NYC-bound side, because it's only two stops, and he would've heading into the city where there's more potential witnesses. But then again, since no missing persons report was filed, no one would've known to look for him.

I wonder if we should start looking for unidentified males in Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties (aka "upstate" NY to all of us who are from the city lol).

Oh thank you for that info.. I got overwhelmed ha!! really good to know CT is eliminated .. that helps some!
Great idea to start looking at all the (upstate John does).. I think early on in the thread I posted one but I don’t remember I need to backtrack. But yes off we go to look for Upstate John does!
Yes and if he did go down to the city your absolutely right nobody would be looking for him..

 

[madamx]

I have not found anywhere any mention of the clothing Carlos was wearing when he left. Has anyone seen anything on his clothing ?

 

[MadMcGoo]

You both are amazing!!! Great information! It’s so fascinating for me to look at all these maps and photos of NYC. Thank you!

I don’t feel he met with foul play. I think y’all are right in that he more likely was traumatized and/or stressed (emotionally and mentally) with Susie’s death combined with what I imagine, if anything like my own, was an overwhelming holiday family get-together.

Susie appears to be a more small-medium sized dog and hiding the bird under a rock at a nearby park was precisely what I was thinking with “went to bury her”. I didn’t have a good, non morbid, example to give though

So, upstate Does it is! And no, I have no found anywhere that tells what he was wearing. He didn’t take his identification with him is all I’ve seen. I do remember reading somewhere that he rode everywhere on a bicycle!

(this is precisely why I don’t blog more often LOL there’s always more info!) I don’t know how I missed adding this link (will now) but here’s the mention of the bike...

Carlos Diaz – Missing & Unidentified People

His family created a Myspace page: Help Find Carlos Diaz under the about me section, a family member wrote:

*I need your help to find A Brother/Uncle/Father and Son who has been missing. Carlos is the type of person who loved being outdoors with his family/friends and dog Susie., but most of all his daughter Lesa. Wherever he had to go he was always riding his bike. He took that bike everywhere. Laughter & fun was always his Motto. He’s the type of person that would bring a smile to your face if you were down & out. He is a fun & loving person to be with, but on December 23, 1986 the family dog (susie) died everything changed. Carlos said he would be right back because he was going to bury Susie. After he left is when we realized he did not take any identification with him. It was getting late and my other brother Nelson went to go looking for him and all he found was Susie (unburied) but not Carlos. My mother and sister went to the police station to file a missing persons report, they handed a detective a photo of Carlos and what happened and his response was that my brother wasn’t eligible for a missing person report. He had to be between the ages of very young to 16 and 50-60 yrs. of age. So anyone between those ages were considered to have taken off. They kept his photo. Calls were made there after, months went by and the responses were “We do not have anything new”. Carlos would of never left his family especially his daughter. We would like to put some closure to this, so if anyone has seen him. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ANY OF THE EMAILS BELOW, ALL EMAILS WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL… Nancy – ndfreneire@yahoo.com, Shannon – USAFORCEWIFE@YAHOO.COM

 

[MadMcGoo]

I wonder where Carlos was residing at that time. It was his sister’s house but did Carlos live their also? If not, why would he have left his ID behind? I presume he carried it on his person so it’s curious that his family noticed he didn’t take his ID with him, not after they realized he was missing, after he left the house. IMO

Now we know it was “getting late” and he may have been on a bicycle.

 

[madamx]

I was looking at your blog Again and thank you it’s so helpful. I did noticed the photo of Carlos when he was a little kid looks about 3 years old with a dog and supposedly it’s Susie but then there is another dog and it says Susie in 1986.. but in 1986 Carlos was 32... Dors anyone know How old was Susie when she died? . for some reason I don’t think that is the same dog.. she would be like 28? That is pretty old.

Another thing I was thinking about is The head injury. did they say how or when it was caused or if he had any scars from the injury on head? It would be interesting to know a bit more about the head injury.

He had a daughter but there was no mention of a wife or girlfriend. And it said they were at his sisters for a gathering so where did he live? Was it near by? And if it wasn’t it might help with a direction he could of taken.

Those are just some things that I was wondering while I read over the blog again.

 

[madamx]

Omg MadMcGoo I just posted without reading your last post and you have similar questions!!!! Ha Great minds think alike!

 

[madamx]

I wonder where Carlos was residing at that time. It was his sister’s house but did Carlos live their also? If not, why would he have left his ID behind? I presume he carried it on his person so it’s curious that his family noticed he didn’t take his ID with him, not after they realized he was missing, after he left the house. IMO

Now we know it was “getting late” and he may have been on a bicycle.

yes good question like did he leave his wallet behind? Was it normal for him to leave his ID behind when he went out?


So many questions!

 

[madamx]

I know this is the opposite direction but I thought I would post it because if the stats and the remains were found with a winter jacket which iam assuming he would be wearing
Persons Deceased
Monmouth County
If you have any information about cases or the identification of individuals, please contact: The New Jersey State Police at 1-800-709-7090
Unidentified Deceased White Male
Case Information
The victim's skeletal remains were found on May 13, 1989 in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, NJ.

NIC # CASE #
U362882879 89-5954
Date Body Found Estimated Date of Death
May 13, 1989 Unknown
Biological Profile
Estimated Year of Birth 1944 - 1954
Sex Male
Race Caucasian
Height 5'8" - 5'11"
Weight 150 - 200 lbs.
Hair Brown
Eyes Unknown
Scars, Marks and Tattoos Unknown
Clothing The victim was found wearing a winter type blue jacket, a flannel red checkered "Omni Ltd" shirt, an orange and white bandana, and a sweatshirt.
Misc. Full x-rays are available for comparison.


New Jersey State Police - Unidentified Persons - Monmouth County

 

[MadMcGoo]

I also had the same questions about some of the photos! I hesitated in even including them since I wasn’t able to get a response from the family’s FB groups for him in regards to more details about the photos....I took the risk Which I’m now regretting. I also noticed that Carlos and his (I’m assuming) brother look an awful lot alike. Especially where they’re laying out in the yard...

This is all making far less sense to me

 

[MadMcGoo]

Another thing I was thinking about is The head injury. did they say how or when it was caused or if he had any scars from the injury on head? It would be interesting to know a bit more about the head injury.

About 2-3 years prior to his disappearance and he had been hit over the head...and it was serious enough that “they [his family] almost lost him”...

That’s as much detail as I’ve seen, but I’m curious too. Somehow, I don’t think a he was hit accidentally...IMO

 

[madamx]

I also had the same questions about some of the photos! I hesitated in even including them since I wasn’t able to get a response from the family’s FB groups for him in regards to more details about the photos....I took the risk Which I’m now regretting. I also noticed that Carlos and his (I’m assuming) brother look an awful lot alike. Especially where they’re laying out in the yard...

This is all making far less sense to me

Omg hahaha yeah don’t feel so bad I have been trying to make sense of a lot of things of things here also Hehehehe