Identified! TN - Lenoir City, WhtMale, 51-60, UP1575, Med implant/medbracelet, dentures, Yank's Place shirt, Oct’85 - James Keith Nuchols

[MadMcGoo]

UNIDENTIFIED WHITE MALE


Date Body Found: September 29, 1985
Location Found: Lenoir City, Loudon County, Tennessee
Estimated Year of Death: 1985
Estimated PMI: 12-14 days
State of Remains: Skeletal
Estimated Age: Adult; 51-60
Estimated Height: 5' 7" (67 inches)
Weight: Cannot Estimate
Hair Color: Brown (top of head bald)
Eye Color: Unknown
Scar/mark: Scar on abdomen, scar on chest, staples on body (unknown location)
Distinguishing Characteristics: Medical Implants-Aorta.

Clothing
- Burgundy corduroy pants with "S JAMES" stenciled onto front right pocket
- White undershorts with "UT" emblem, "Wright" brand
- Brown long-sleeved plaid shirt, "Arrow" brand
- Undergarment, "Fruit of the Loom" waist 34-36 inches
- Black short-sleeved T-shirt with a motorcycle-like emblem on the back. The emblem says "Knoxville", "motor", "YANK"S PLACE", "CYCLES", "1807 N CHERRY ST." "TENNESSEE", and "This Bud's for You" (displayed within marijuana plant logo)
- Blue and green striped canvas belt, size 38
- Socks
- Black Florsheim slip-on shoes, size 11C
- Medical alert bracelet

Near the Body: A Newspaper with the date "September 19th, 1985"

Details: The victim was found along Buttermilk Road in Loudon County, TN. Buttermilk Pike, where the body was found, was a remotely rural area at the time. The man had been shot twice in the head. He may have been killed out of state and his body dumped in Loudon County.

Dentals: Removable Dentures, No teeth.
DNA: Available; CODIS

Investigating Agencies
Loudon County Sheriff's Office, Detective Jason Smith: (865) 986-4823
Loudon County E911, Jacob Blankenship: (865) 458-9081
Loudon County Medical Examiner’s Office (Bipinchandra Patel, ME)
University of Tennessee, Lee Jentz: (865) 974-4408

Agency Case Number: UT85-26F
NCIC Number: U-206304700

Sources
NamUs UP1575
The Doe Network 1475UMTN

0 Missing Person Exclusions

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I found an 1807 N CHERRY ST in Knoxville-seems to be a "Country Table Restaurant".

 

[Dylansmom08]

This would be so much more helpful if they had let us see a picture of the emblem on the shirt. I can't find anything about "Yanks Place" or motor cycle places in Knoxville that might fit this description we need to find a person from Knoxville area that might be knowledgeable in the area businesses around the 1980s.

 

[killarney rose]

Definitely don't think he was killed out of state and dumped there. More like he was killed in Knoxville and dumped out there as the area he was found is just west of Knoxville, about 5 miles. Interstate 75 runs right through lenior city , Knoxville is the next city.

 

[Dylansmom08]

Definitely don't think he was killed out of state and dumped there. More like he was killed in Knoxville and dumped out there as the area he was found is just west of Knoxville, about 5 miles. Interstate 75 runs right through lenior city , Knoxville is the next city.

I was thinking that same thing he most likely was from the Knoxville area and not further away so that should narrow down the search area.

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[meanmaryjean]

Aortic graft was not too common then (isn't now either but less so then). Staples had to be in his chest. Aneurysm repair is most likely as at his estimated age a pediatric graft procedure would not have been feasible.

 

[Baddux]

It would be helpful to know what the medical alert bracelet specified

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Per this article, Yank's Place was a bar that was located on Cherry Street in Knoxville in 1985. Not shocking info, but some confirmation at least. I did find an article from 1987 referencing it as a biker hangout. And per the final article, only 46 of the shirts were ever made.

1985 Lenoir City John Doe 1/2 - Newspapers.com

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Knoxville, Tennessee on May 12, 1992. 1985 Lenoir City John Doe 1/2

www.newspapers.com

1985 Lenoir City John Doe 2/2 - Newspapers.com

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Knoxville, Tennessee on May 12, 1992. 1985 Lenoir City John Doe 2/2

www.newspapers.com

Yank's Place 8/13/1986 - Newspapers.com

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Knoxville, Tennessee on Aug 13, 1986. Yank's Place 8/13/1986

www.newspapers.com

 

[Baddux]

The t-shirt had marijuana references. Hamarki Wellness is listed at this address. It appears they deal in marijuana derived products .

Our Story – Hamarki Wellness

hamarkiwellness.com

 

[Puzzleworth]

The t-shirt had marijuana references. Hamarki Wellness is listed at this address. It appears they deal in marijuana derived products .

Our Story – Hamarki Wellness

hamarkiwellness.com

That business is a very recent development and sells CBD/hemp products for athletes, not marijuana like the shirt is referring to. It's an interesting coincidence though.

 

[Baddux]

That business is a very recent development and sells CBD/hemp products for athletes, not marijuana like the shirt is referring to. It's an interesting coincidence though.

yeah, it was just a interesting

 

[dotr]

June 8 2023

Who am I? 10 cold cases TBI hopes new DNA initiative will solve

Recently, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that the unidentified remains of 10 people who were at the center of cold cases had been submitted for DNA testing through the TBI’s …

www.wate.com

''The TBI identified 14 cases total that were eligible for the initiative that started in 2022. The Tennessee General Assembly approved a one-time funding of $100,000 to fund the initiative, which the TBI said is specifically being used to identify skeletal remains of victims in cold cases through forensic genetic genealogy testing. Remains from 10 of those individuals have been submitted to Othram Inc., a private lab based in Woodlands, Texas to conduct DNA extraction and sequencing.''

''Loudon County – 1985​

A white man, approximately 51-60 years old, was found in Loudon County on October 1, 1985, according to the TBI.

According to NamUs, the man may have been found a few days earlier on September 29, but he was found along a roadside in Lenoir City. While NamUs does not list how long the man had been dead, when he was found, he was not recognizable. His profile says he had brown hair but was bold on the top of his head, and that he was an estimated 5’7″ tall. He also had a scar on his abdomen and a scar on his chest, the profile said.

A sketch of what the man found in Loudon County on October 1, 1985 may have looked like. (NamUs)
When his body was found, the man was wearing a size 38 blue and green striped canvas belt burgundy corduroy pants with S. James stenciled onto the front right pocket, a brand name “Wright” and “Arrow” brand brown, long-sleeved plaid shirt, a black short sleeved t-shirt with a motorcycle like emblem on the back. NamUs says the emblem said “Knoxville”, “motor”, “YANK” S PLACE”, “CYCLES”, “1807 N CHERRY ST.” “TENNESSEE”, and “This Bud’s for You” with a marijuana plant logo. There was a medical alert bracelet found on his body, and a size 11C pair of black Florsheim slip-on shoes was found near his body.''

''Notably, a newspaper dated September 19, 1985, was found near the body, which one could assume means the man could have been carrying the newspaper. While that cannot be ruled out because environmental factors strongly influence decomposition, NamUs said his body was either a near complete or complete skeleton, and a resource through Florida State University explains that a body would typically reach a stage with a similar description around 20 to 50 days after death.''

 

[MarziPanda]

This one feels so solvable. We know what bar he went to - only 46 of those shirts were made (unless he got it at a thrift store). We know what medical problems he had, the timeframe he was killed in, that he had a fairly rare surgery, that he was likely from Knoxville. There are so many clues and yet he's still unidentified. Othram will definitely get him his name back, though.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Identified as James Keith Nuchols! I grew up in the area; I think we're actually distantly related by marriage, based on his last name.

After 38 years, Blount County John Doe is Identified

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Teams with Othram to Identify 1985 Homicide Victim

dnasolves.com

Blount County Man Identified as Homicide Victim Found in Loudon County Nearly Four Decades Ago

LOUDON COUNTY – A man whose remains were found in 1985 in Loudon County has been identified as a result of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Unidentified Human Remains DNA Initiative. On Septem…

tbinewsroom.com

Investigators identify Blount County man nearly 4 decades after his body was found by kids riding bicycles

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — In September 1985, the body of a man was found by two kids riding their bicycles along Buttermilk Road off Interstate 40 in Lenoir City. Authorities at the time were unabl…

www.wate.com

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

For those looking into his life, be warned that there is also a James Nuchols in Knoxville, and some earlier James Nuchols (including this James's father), including one with a criminal history who is about 18 years older and very much not this James.

In his sister's 2021 obituary, she is listed as having "had" a brother, James Keith Nuchols, but it's not explicitly stated if he predeceased her or not. Some of the phrasing around this sister's wedding announcement make me think that he may have gone by Keith, which would make sense with his father having the same first name. He seems to show up on census records as a child under this name, living in Maryville with his parents and sister in 1930 and 1940.

Per his draft and census records, he attended Everett High School, was married, living in Maryville, and working as a bookkeeper for a furniture store in 1950. He filed for bankruptcy in December 1951 and was working as a laborer at Alcoa. In 1981, he reported a theft and was also listed as living in Maryville then. Maryville is about 20-30 min away from Lenoir City, generally speaking.

James Keith Nuchols Larceny 24 Jul 1981 - Newspapers.com

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 7/24/1981. James Keith Nuchols Larceny 24 Jul 1981

www.newspapers.com

James Keith Nuchols 12 Dec 1951 - Newspapers.com

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 12/12/1951. James Keith Nuchols 12 Dec 1951

www.newspapers.com

 

[MadMcGoo]

Rest peacefully now James.

 

[Friday Fan]

Born in c. 1927, but wearing a tee-shirt that would have been worn by a baby-boomer.

Wonder what the story is?


ETA: Also sounds like a local. (His history is in Marysville, which guessing is 20 miles away?)

I assume he was never reported missing.

 

[othram]

This one feels so solvable. We know what bar he went to - only 46 of those shirts were made (unless he got it at a thrift store). We know what medical problems he had, the timeframe he was killed in, that he had a fairly rare surgery, that he was likely from Knoxville. There are so many clues and yet he's still unidentified. Othram will definitely get him his name back, though.

Indeed: After 38 years, Blount County John Doe is Identified

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

At the same time, a TBI Intelligence Analyst was able to locate a set of the victim’s post-mortem fingerprints. The prints were submitted to the TBI Crime Lab in Nashville to be analyzed by the Latent Print Unit. Forensic Scientists confirmed that the unidentified remains belonged to James Keith Nuchols (DOB: 10/15/26) of Blount County. Additionally, as a result of FGG testing, scientists with Othram also concluded that the DNA was a match for Nuchols.

The wording is a bit confusing to me, but it sounds like they may have been able to make some degree of identification using fingerprints alone? If so, I wonder what the comparison was. He did enlist in the Army October 20, 1945, so possibly related to that.