TX TX - Fort Worth, WhtMale 25-40, 1154UMTX, winged #1 ring, laundry mark-"L.P. Brennan 50118", Oct'87

[PoirotryInMotion]

Nice find! We can safely exclude LJB as the UID as the real LJB, Jr. died in 2013 with a full obituary online. Maybe he had donated some clothing and this man bought them or was given them.

Thanks, and yes, that was my thought process, too! They lived just outside of Des Moines and in Hartford all their lives. Not only that, but LJB's father was LJB, Sr. (same identical names) from Des Moines. If he lived with them in his elderly years, those could've been his pants going to the cleaners from Hartford, IA. I believe both men were in the service, and at least one was in the Air Corps. One that was in the service was a very slim man who could've worn those pants. I'll double check which one on the genealogy site.

 

[carbuff]

Two new names on the Exclusions list on Namus https://identifyus.org/cases/4087
The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent:

First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA

Craig Alexander 1961 Vermont
John Bankston 1970 Texas
Robert Casto 1962 Texas
Calvin Deets 1953 Texas
Russell Gray 1954 Texas
Mark Merritt 1961 Texas
Richard Powell 1966 Texas
Thomas Pulaski 1967 Texas
Thomas Scott 1956 Texas
Patrick Taylor 1959 Illinois

Did anybody ever submit Michael Adams or Thomas Blake? Given what has been said recently about DNA matching not being as automatic as we thought, perhaps it would be worth making sure that they have the same DNA in the same location as the UID.

No new ruleouts, and no updates to the Namus file since October 2015.

 

[apearn]

Bumping - I saw this Ancestry file mentioned a page or two back but I didn't see it posted. Capt. L.P. Brennan departed Hawaii going to Tokyo in 1956 I think. While this is not likely to be our UID, the location of where he may have gotten the clothes (family member, thrift shop, etc) may be helpful. I'd be curious to know Capt Brennan's home town and if it matches any of the states the PD think this man came from.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP4087
Male, White / Caucasian
​

Date Body Found: October 10, 1987
Location Found: Fort Worth, Texas
Estimated Age: Adult - Pre 50; 25-40
Estimated PMI: 5 Days
Estimated Height: 6' 1"
Estimated Weight: 150 lbs
Hair Color: Light Brown; full, straight, medium length
Eye Color: Unknown

Clothing: A long-sleeved ‘Brigade’ size medium plaid flannel shirt, a short sleeved ‘Lands End’ size medium blue and white striped pull-over knit shirt, a pair of ‘Lee’ blue jeans with a laundry mark inside: "L.P. Brennan 50115”, women’s size small blue bikini briefs, dark socks.
Footwear: ‘Etonic’ brand athletic shoes found near body
Jewelry: A worn silver metal ring with flat blue and red stones forming a numeral 1 with applied wings, a gold metal analog watch ‘Kronotron’ brand (found one his pocket and did not have a crystal or band)

Circumstances of Recovery: Decedent was living in a night shelter and used a fake name to obtain medical treatment and food

The victim may have gone by the names:
- Thomas Jeffrey
- Jeffrey Taylor
- Joseph Taylor

 

[MadMcGoo]

FWIW, this ring looks like a typical/traditional piece of Native American jewelry...JMOO

 

[Oddmomout]

@MadMcGoo I recently found the ring online--it was produced by G&S Jewelry Mfg and licensed by Harley Davidson in the 80s. I believe someone else on the thread thought this to be true. G&S was sold in 2013 to new owners but I spoke to the current owner and he speculated that this ring was probably bought at a bike rally.
Something perplexing about this Doe--not one article in any Texas paper. I looked through them all. I would have thought Fort Worth Telegram would have had a least a mention. There were a couple UIPs and homicides the surrounding weeks in October but not one mention of the UIP found in St. Francis Village. And about St. Francis Village. This is a private retirement community run by the Catholic & Protestant church on 200 + acres. In June 1987 the attached letter was written to the editor of the Fort Worth Telegram.

 

[MadMcGoo]

@Oddmomout Wow!! I would have never guessed that ring was associated with that! That’s awesome that you found another one and were able to get that info about it maybe being sold at a rally.

And it not being in the papers?! Curious, indeed. Then the retirement community.... lol, I’m not sure what to think now. A lot more info to think about though. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Blurgle]

What confuses me is that a guy who wore size 32x34 jeans would not likely fit into women's size small bikini briefs. He might however fit into men's size small bikini briefs. It may be that back in 1987 the investigator who catalogued his clothing assumed that bikini briefs = women's briefs, since (from what I recall) men's bikini briefs were sold but weren't as common at the time as boxers or Y-fronts.

Do we know if these were labelled as women's briefs, or were lacy or otherwise obviously women's? If not, the briefs might be a sign that he regularly wore leather pants (as a biker might).

 

[Oddmomout]

@Blurgle I'm looking into this and will let you know re: bikini briefs. I'm thinking some of the wardrobe (jeans) may be donations based on the night shelter stays.
I also found out more about St Francis Village--at one point as late as the early 80s they had their own police department (source Ft Worth Telegram).

 

[YaYa_521]

It's believed Kevin voluntarily left/disappeared from WA. He then vanished from his campsite in OR. It's not clear whether he left OR voluntarily, but let's assume he did. Kevin was a biker which might explain the ring found with JD. The number on the ring makes me wonder if he was affiliated with a one percenter motorcycle club. If so, then he could have been running drugs/guns/etc. from Mexico which could explain his murder in Texas. Another thought is that he might have gone into hiding after getting into trouble with the biker club. That would possibly explain why he was using shelters and fake names. I can't explain away the difference in jewelry except to guess he might have traded or purchased jewelry at a rally along the way from OR to TX b/w Feb & Oct 1987. There's also the chance that he was pretending to be a 1%er with a fake Harley "1" ring. IIUC, faking brotherhood, just as stepping out of order w/in the club, could get someone killed.

Kevin Gordon Hill – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Details of Disappearance
Hill was last seen at the Oregon Caves near Cave Junction, Oregon on February 28, 1987. Authorities believe he had previously abandoned his car in Yakima, Washington, where he lived, and driven his motorcycle to Oregon. He was last seen inside one of the caves and has never been heard from again.

After Hill's disappearance, his motorcycle, campsite, belongings and identification were found abandoned. His disappearance remains unsolved. Both Oregon and Washington authorities are investigating.

Circumstances of Disappearance - Kevin Hill was last seen in the Oregon Caves near Cave Junction, Oregon on February 28, 1987. He was described by witnesses as being inside the caves, and his motorcycle was found abandoned near this location, in addition to a campsite with some of his personal items/identification. His vehicle was subsequently found abandoned in Yakima, Washington. It is believed that Mr. Hill most probably abandoned the car in Yakima (where he last lived) and drove the motorcycle into Oregon state. He has not been seen or heard from since.

 

[MadMcGoo]

It's believed Kevin voluntarily left/disappeared from WA. He then vanished from his campsite in OR. It's not clear whether he left OR voluntarily, but let's assume he did. Kevin was a biker which might explain the ring found with JD. The number on the ring makes me wonder if he was affiliated with a one percenter motorcycle club. If so, then he could have been running drugs/guns/etc. from Mexico which could explain his murder in Texas. Another thought is that he might have gone into hiding after getting into trouble with the biker club. That would possibly explain why he was using shelters and fake names. I can't explain away the difference in jewelry except to guess he might have traded or purchased jewelry at a rally along the way from OR to TX b/w Feb & Oct 1987. There's also the chance that he was pretending to be a 1%er with a fake Harley "1" ring. IIUC, faking brotherhood, just as stepping out of order w/in the club, could get someone killed.

Kevin Gordon Hill – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Details of Disappearance
Hill was last seen at the Oregon Caves near Cave Junction, Oregon on February 28, 1987. Authorities believe he had previously abandoned his car in Yakima, Washington, where he lived, and driven his motorcycle to Oregon. He was last seen inside one of the caves and has never been heard from again.

After Hill's disappearance, his motorcycle, campsite, belongings and identification were found abandoned. His disappearance remains unsolved. Both Oregon and Washington authorities are investigating.

Circumstances of Disappearance - Kevin Hill was last seen in the Oregon Caves near Cave Junction, Oregon on February 28, 1987. He was described by witnesses as being inside the caves, and his motorcycle was found abandoned near this location, in addition to a campsite with some of his personal items/identification. His vehicle was subsequently found abandoned in Yakima, Washington. It is believed that Mr. Hill most probably abandoned the car in Yakima (where he last lived) and drove the motorcycle into Oregon state. He has not been seen or heard from since.

Makes sense. The narrative makes it seem like he got lost in a cave somewhere out there, but he could have just as easily staged it to look that way.
I wonder why he would have abandoned both means of transportation? I’m not familiar with how motorcycle gangs work. Do their networks extend from OR/WA to TX? You know what I mean? Like, could he have had connections in the northwest who’d get him to Texas and then whatever happens happens?

He definitely has a similar face shape. It’d be nice to know the condition of the UID’s teeth! Because Kevin’s seem really nice (in the front anyway). In general he could use a fresh reconstruction. The PMI was days after all, not months or years.

It might also be helpful to know what type of medical care he was receiving and why he’s thought to have been in the military and originated from one of those particular states. I’m sure that came from witnesses or people he’d told that to, but I’m still curious.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I can't speak to the overall accuracy of this given the drawing I worked off of, but I tried to give this Doe a more human reconstruction.

 

[ralyla]

NamUs #UP4087

Fort Worth, TX, an unidentified white male was found on October 10th, 1987 and it was determined he may have died five days before discovery. The deceased was living in a night shelter and used a fake name to obtain medical treatment and food. The body was too decomposed to be recognizable.

Hair Color: Brown
Hair Description: straight, medium-length, light brown
Estimated Age: Adult 25 - 50 years old
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 150lbs

Clothing:
Lee brand blue jeans. Blue bikini briefs, womens size small. Laundry mark in pants "L.P. Brennan 50115. Dark socks. Plaid flannel long sleeved shirt Brigade brand size medium. Short sleeved pull-over knit shirt blue with *advertiser censored* stripm Land's End size medium.

Footwear:
Etonic brand athletic shoes found near body

Jewelry:

Worn silver metal ring with flat blue and red stones forming a numeral 1 with applied wings.

gold metal analog watch "Kronotron" brand

----

I researched the ring as it seems very unique. It is a "biker ring". I found a listing for a similar ring on eBay: DELUXE NUMBER ONE WITH WINGS BIKER RING #BR97 MENS WOMENS jewelry SILVER NEW | eBay

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Current rule outs in NamUs

MP5357 Patrick Taylor 03/26/1986 Madison IL
MP19371 Craig Alexander 01/28/1985 Chittenden VT
MP8845 John Bankston 07/13/1987 Kendall TX
MP9966 Russell Gray 07/01/1986 Howard TX
MP9235 Thomas Pulaski 11/12/1985 Harris TX
MP8483 Calvin Deets 04/12/1985 Fannin TX
MP9229 Richard Powell 03/22/1984 Tarrant TX
MP9228 Robert Casto 11/27/1983 Tarrant TX
MP8803 Mark Merritt 05/01/1982 Howard TX
MP2035 Thomas Scott 08/23/1984 Tarrant TX

 

[ralyla]

Thank you for the merge, I tried to search and look through before posting but failed. I will review this thread and continue searching.

 

[ralyla]

I noticed that Thomas Stephen Blakes name has come up a couple of times during the duration of this thread. I don't show that he has officially been ruled out. Any updates? Thomas Stephen Blake – The Charley Project

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I noticed that Thomas Stephen Blakes name has come up a couple of times during the duration of this thread. I don't show that he has officially been ruled out. Any updates? Thomas Stephen Blake – The Charley Project

An earlier message in this thread suggested Blake was submitted to the case contact, but was told the DNA samples didn't match. Supposedly, DNA mismatches are not typically listed among rule-outs at NamUs, presumably because there would be so many of them. My understanding is the ruleouts that are listed at NamUs went through fingerprint or dental comparisons or other types of detailed analyses. I can't say how uniformly this policy is adhered to, as there are a lot of types of agencies involved. Some states, such as Virginia, often have hundreds of ruleouts for some of their UIDs.

 

[ralyla]

Current rule outs in NamUs

MP5357 Patrick Taylor 03/26/1986 Madison IL
MP19371 Craig Alexander 01/28/1985 Chittenden VT
MP8845 John Bankston 07/13/1987 Kendall TX
MP9966 Russell Gray 07/01/1986 Howard TX
MP9235 Thomas Pulaski 11/12/1985 Harris TX
MP8483 Calvin Deets 04/12/1985 Fannin TX
MP9229 Richard Powell 03/22/1984 Tarrant TX
MP9228 Robert Casto 11/27/1983 Tarrant TX
MP8803 Mark Merritt 05/01/1982 Howard TX
MP2035 Thomas Scott 08/23/1984 Tarrant TX

Additional rule out:

MP73862 David Kipp 3/4/1986 Tarrant, TX