WA - Unidentified Male: "Lyle Stevik", Grays Harbor, 17 Sept 2001 - #2

[outofthedark]

Just saw on lyle's doe page the photo of the crisp, and i mean crisp, money that was left for the room. Where did that come from? We all know what happens to money in your pocket for the briefest of time, he had no wallet, but that would have wrinkled it as well. He had no luggage, so where did he have this money to keep it so crisp?

The only thing I can think of is that it was kept in a book maybe or it was fresh from the bank? I wonder if banks were checked for anyone matching him withdrawing money....

Could have been straight from the bank- probably had just done a currency exchange before he went to the hotel

 

[Teresa Larson]

I have not read all of the posts concerning this because it is so long. Has any one ever mentioned the fact that the Quinault Indian Reservation was near by I think he looks like he is a Native American. Could he have possibly lived on the reservation?

 

[Teresa Larson]

The Quinault Indian Reservation is located on the Pacific coast of Washington, primarily in northwestern Grays Harbor County, with small parts extending north into southwestern Jefferson County. It has a land area of 819.294 km² (316.331 sq mi), and reported a resident population of 1,370 persons as of the 2000 census. The Quinault people settled onto reservation lands after signing a treaty with the former Washington Territory in 1856. About 60 percent of the reservation's population lives in the community of Taholah, on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Quinault River.
There is an original "Quinault language" which is a part of the Salishan family of languages. In modern times, the Quinault is a mixture of separate indigenous peoples. The mixture of members with ethnic ties to the modern Quinault tribe is made up of the Quinault, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, Cowlitz, Queets, and Quileute peoples. Linguistically, these groups belong to three language families: Chimakuan (Quileute, Hoh), Chinookan (Chinook groups), and Salishan (Chehalis, Cowlitz, Queets, and Quinault).

I thought this was some interesting information Maybe that's why they said he had an accent.

 

[superunknown]

I live in the area and have taken an interest in this case for a while now.

I believe LE canvassed the Quinault reservation pretty thoroughly after this happened, since technically the motel was on and/or adjacent to the reservation's land.

I also have a friend who is Quinault indian herself and we've discussed "Lyle". According to her, she does not think he was from the area. In fact, she questions if he was native american at all. The reason? HIS TEETH. According to her, native americans have a tendency (genetically, she says) to have problems with their teeth, and in general, if they've lived a reservation life, they have not received good dental care to begin with.

I am of the belief that if this guy was a native person, he was more likely a native Canadian from somewhere in Alberta or East. I think he came down into Montana or Idaho and traveled as far west as he could, which would have put him right where he landed. I've been to some of the areas south of Calgary, near the northern border of Montana. There are several small towns there that are indian land and they feel like the ends of the earth. It would not surprise me that people there would not get any news. Also the area just over the border in Montana is also indian land and very remote as well. (St Mary, MT area)

The other problem with Lyle's story is that because of 9/11, it did not get much press. Many locals in the area did not learn about it till long after it happened. But I will say is this: the motel where he stayed was off the main road. In fact, it was a fair WALK from the main road into the forest around Lake Quinault. If he'd come in by bus, someone had to have seen him walking. According to my Quinault friend, if that had been the case, a local would have stopped, talked to him and asked him if he needed a ride.

This case is very strange indeed.

 

[Teresa Larson]

Thanks for the information rmf

 

[SeriouslySearching]

When was the last time Coldcaseman posted on this thread? I was fascinated reading his accounts of finding "Lyle" and his input. I have been reading for quite awhile. (This is a long thread!)

This case is very intriguing. I had seen his photo on several sites and often wondered about him.

 

[superunknown]

When was the last time Coldcaseman posted on this thread? I was fascinated reading his accounts of finding "Lyle" and his input. I have been reading for quite awhile. (This is a long thread!)

This case is very intriguing. I had seen his photo on several sites and often wondered about him.

I sent him a PM a long time ago and he didn't reply, so I'm not sure if he's active here anymore. I think he retired.

 

[Gina_M]

Coldcaseman last posted here on Feb. 23rd. The last time he logged in was July 4th. He could still be around but not checking in as often. Here's his last post:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1349854&postcount=773

ETA: I check in on this thread from time to time, hoping the mystery will be solved!

 

[outofthedark]

I think I PM'd coldcaseman about the other John Doe that Grays Harbor has (http://doenetwork.org/cases/359umwa.html)- because his death was undetermined and because there were no weights found on him- I wonder if this one is possibly either a drowning victim or also a suicide victim himself

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Thanks, RMF and Gina. I was just curious since I haven't made it thru the entire thread yet. His input was incredible. I do wish he would return.

My first impression of "Lyle" is that he was gay. I don't know why, but the more I read last night...the more it seemed to confirm my suspicions on that. His attention to detail to himself, the room, and the way he carried out his plan perhaps. I wanted to ask Coldcase if they did an AIDS test on him during the autopsy. (Was this ever mentioned?) His weight loss could have been attributed to such and wasn't picked up by the ME.

I think the newspaper has some definite tie to "Lyle" and he was looking for something specific. Sometimes you can buy copies of the actual archived papers and I am certainly going to check into that. When I read that...It struck me as very odd he would buy a local newspaper to read hours before he committed suicide.

His "pacing" the highway seemed to indicate he was waiting for someone who never came. If he wrote a letter, I would be willing to bet it wasn't to family...but his partner asking him to come. The reason he told the maid he wanted to keep the room a few days...he was waiting on the partner then realized he wasn't coming.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Out~ The link didn't work for me. I would be very interested to read up on that case, too. Thanks!

 

[outofthedark]

Out~ The link didn't work for me. I would be very interested to read up on that case, too. Thanks!

The other Grays Harbor John Doe

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Thanks, Out!

 

[outofthedark]

I found this on "Lyle":

The April 2007 “Missing from the Circle” profile is John Doe, aka
Lyle
Stevik. On September 17, 2001 the body of a Hispanic or Native
American
male was found in a Quinault, WA area motel, where he
registered under
the name, Lyle Stevik. His death was ruled a
suicide. Lyle Stevik is a
character in the book; You Must Remember
This, by Joyce Carol Oates,
which is a discussion about suicide.
That considered, the name Lyle
Stevik is not likely John Doe’s
given name. A maid entered the motel
room on September 17, 2001 and
found him hanging from a coat rack. John
Doe left money on the
nightstand with a note that said "For the Room".
His only personal
belongings were a tooth brush and paste. He spoke with
a slight
Canadian accent. His post mortem photograph which is posted on
the
Internet has created almost a cult following to try to solve the
case, but little publicity has been the result.


(Embedded image moved to file: pic26268.jpg)
(Embedded image moved to file: pic19426.jpg)

Reconstruction of Victim created by David M. Morris

His date of death was September 16, 2001; estimated age 20 - 30
years
old; approximate height 6'2" and weight 140 lbs; possibly
Hispanic or
Native American; black hair; hazel eyes; hair neatly
trimmed; old
appendectomy scar; just prior to death had lost weight
(possibly 30-40
pounds); small mole on the left side of his chin;
does not have ear
lobes; teeth in near perfect shape as a result of
orthodontic work.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Grays
Harbor Sheriff's Department, Detective Steve Shumate,
360-249-3711 x568
or sshumate@... and refer to
agency case number
01-7870; NCIC Number U-960002335.

For more information, please visit: www.lamarassociates.net
“Missing
from the Circle” or http://www.doenetwork.org Case File
233UMWA.

You have to have a login for Missing From The Circle to view stuff

 

[Teresa Larson]

Thanks, RMF and Gina. I was just curious since I haven't made it thru the entire thread yet. His input was incredible. I do wish he would return.

My first impression of "Lyle" is that he was gay. I don't know why, but the more I read last night...the more it seemed to confirm my suspicions on that. His attention to detail to himself, the room, and the way he carried out his plan perhaps. I wanted to ask Coldcase if they did an AIDS test on him during the autopsy. (Was this ever mentioned?) His weight loss could have been attributed to such and wasn't picked up by the ME.

I think the newspaper has some definite tie to "Lyle" and he was looking for something specific. Sometimes you can buy copies of the actual archived papers and I am certainly going to check into that. When I read that...It struck me as very odd he would buy a local newspaper to read hours before he committed suicide.

It's possible he was gay although not all gay people are meticulous about themselves People can live a long time with AIDS I wondered about the newspaper too. Could there of been a death in the obituaries that he was looking for? There had to be something in it that he was looking for. He could have gotten the money from the ATM at the bus station and then threw the book bag away after he showered etc. Most hotels back then had stationary and envelopes in the room for guest to use.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

It's possible he was gay although not all gay people are meticulous about themselves People can live a long time with AIDS I wondered about the newspaper too. Could there of been a death in the obituaries that he was looking for? There had to be something in it that he was looking for. He could have gotten the money from the ATM at the bus station and then threw the book bag away after he showered etc. Most hotels back then had stationary and envelopes in the room for guest to use.

I should clarify my statement. I didn't mean to imply I thought he was gay because he was meticulous. It was simply the impression I got the first time I ran across his photo for some reason. There was no real rhyme or reason for it...just a gut feeling. However, it is a trait I have noticed with some of my gay male friends...their attention to detail.

He acted as if he were waiting for someone or something to happen. I don't know...but there is something about that paper which has been overlooked, IMO. It is the one thing which is out of context with everything else he did. He was careful not to leave other things behind, etc. yet this was left along with his crumpled one word piece of paper with suicide written on it. I tend to agree with CC...it looked like he was seeing if his spelling was correct.

 

[outofthedark]

I found some Finnish online forums that have posted about "Lyle":

http://www.murha.info/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=24555&sid=21d4dbf2f3a7f6865e6ef91715e3ed8f

http://keskustelu.suomi24.fi/show.f...0028&conference=554&posting=22000000026623440

 

[superunknown]

I wonder if informational fliers were sent to the tribal authorities in Southern Alberta about this case?

http://www.nanations.com/canada/alberta.htm

I also have some knowlege of northern Montana and many of the people there actually speak with an almost-Canadian accent.

It would be worth a try to send informational fliers to these tribes too, if it has not already been done:

http://www.native-languages.org/montana.htm

 

[cold case lady]

hello to everyone!have read complete thread and thought i would join in.this case is truely a baffler for the brain.is there any new information to discuss.

 

[cold case lady]

thought i might mention that i am in Australia,so our time of day/night will be opposite.

hope to meet some of you soon!