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

[docwho3]

I looked up some info on the book that his false name was taken from and I learned that, yes, the name (with a spelling change of dropping a "c") came from the book. The address used, Meridian, might be found in some copies of the book as one of the names of the publisher "Plume, Meridian, and Dutton".
(Amazon.com allows word search of the book text to see if certain words were used in it.) Interestingly, neither the number used in the address nor the State name, "Idaho", showed up in the Amazon search. I wonder if the name of the hotel at that address was mentioned in the book? Or was it coincidence and maybe "South Progress" was a sardonic comment on his life? Then I also wonder where the address number came from (if it was a false address just made up.)

Was he just able to think fast enough on his feet to come up with the name & address to use to sign in at the spur of the moment or was this planned in advance and everything had some ironic twist from his point of view?

The amazon search of the book text also turned up this partial quote:
on Page 400:
"... few months and probably "suicide" would be named as the cause- there'd be a note somewhere, a safety deposit box. Why not think flying saucers ..."

I think I need to obtain and read a copy of the book for myself. That may take me a few days to accomplish with my schedule.

*************
Edited to add:
I would like to know if the book was checked with a black light to see if it was a used book or a new one. I know some used book stores stamp a mark on the book (sometimes on the inside cover or first page) that only shows up under blacklight. Just a thought.

 

[outofthedark]

Well I think we have made great headway today, learning about Lyle and his investigation, at least I have.

Now I'm wondering why a guy would be missing his ear lobes? Hmmmm Could it be involved in a ritual of some sort? I showed a guy who is a Chicano and part Aztec his 2 photos, and he thinks he looks quite Native American. Especially in the side view, but both pics. Very high cheekbones, square jaw and that hump on the nose.

Right now I'm thinking that might be an angle to attack, to see what tribe he is from. He also could have some white in him which is where his height came from. He had a good bringing up as shown by his habits.


Nitey Nite guys Scandi

I actually thought he could be Biracial given his height and eye color. As for the earlobes, he could have lost them in a freak accident by some sorts- I don't know

 

[annemc2]

Interesting. I did some Googling and found out that being born without earlobes is a rare, recessive genetic trait. For example, one site said that Wilbur Wright had this trait.


He doesn't look like he had any other obvious deformities that would be associated with a congential problem like microtia ("little ear") or other birth defects. I wonder if he had any problems with hearing that is associated with these disorders?

It would be unusual (IMO) to have an accident that destroyed the earlobes bilaterally without doing other significant damage to the ears/face. If the had been in an accident and had reconstructive surgery, it seems to be standard practice to fix the lobes as well as the rest of the external ear. So I'm leaning towards genetics on this, which is quite interesting.

 

[coldcaseman]

I'm sorry, I didn't explain the term "missing ear lobes". They weren't removed, he never had them. Most people have lobes that droop (and seem to droop more when you get old!) A few people have no "lobe", which would make it tough to wear earrings. There was no book recovered, I found the connection to the book through a Google search. I bought the book through Amazon. I always felt Lyle was from a middle-upper income family. No signs he was involved in manual labor, no injuries, well read, articulate, clean, took care of his appearance, etc. I'm not saying that people from lower incomes don't have those traits, that was my impression.

 

[WhiteWolf]

Yes, I was the one that worked the scene. He used his leather belt, and it was fashioned similar to the one depicted in stevens story. He had placed a washcloth between the belt and his neck, to make it more comfortable. He then bend down, and his knees were almost touching the floor. Everything was consistant with suicide. Lividity was consistant with suspension hanging. There was no swelling on his face. The eye appears swollen due to my attempt to open his eyes and make him look "alive". All of his clothing were brands found in North America. I found nothing foreign. Another point that wasn't in the flier was that the $20 bills he left for the room were crisp, as though he had just gotten them from a bank. There is no bank nearby. As for Meridian Idaho, I sent his photos to the Meridian Police Department. They showed them to the employees, and no one recognized him. Neither did the Police. I'm thinking that he stopped there on his way through. I did a nationwide search for Lyle Stevik. I did find a Lyle Stevick in Oregon, who was still alive and well. I spent many hours on this case, even though there was no crime committed. Even though I believe that he has notified his family that there was no need to look for him, I want to be sure. He is buried in an unmarked grave at Fern Hill cemetary in Aberdeen, and that is not right.

Lyle looks Native American, Alaskan Native or Canadian Aboriginal to me.

I'm curious, did Lyle have any suntan marks on his body? You mentioned Lyle didn't appear to do physical labor, what did you base that on? Were his hands smooth instead of calloused?

The new $20 bills is interesting. Maybe he did come from Canada or through Canada with Canadian money and went to the bank to exchange it? He also could have taken a ferry from Alaska or Vancouver Island to Washington.

 

[coldcaseman]

I could find no callouses on his hands, or scrapes or scars. Fingernails weren't chipped or broken, and no indications of a manicure. No tan lines either. During the time he spent there, he purchased a copy of the local newspaper, and probably some food (although no one recalled seeing him). I located some change in the drawer of the desk in the room. He had paid for one night, but when the maid came by the next day, he told the maid that he was staying a few more days. I think he was finishing up some loose ends, writing a letter, etc. I think he had been dead about 24 hours when we found him.

 

[rhyno1974]

I am sure many of you have seen this before but there is another picture of him at this site. I find it gives you a better perspective of what he looked like.

http://www.find-missing-children.org/

It is about 1/3 down the unidentified section.

 

[outofthedark]

I could find no callouses on his hands, or scrapes or scars. Fingernails weren't chipped or broken, and no indications of a manicure. No tan lines either. During the time he spent there, he purchased a copy of the local newspaper, and probably some food (although no one recalled seeing him). I located some change in the drawer of the desk in the room. He had paid for one night, but when the maid came by the next day, he told the maid that he was staying a few more days. I think he was finishing up some loose ends, writing a letter, etc. I think he had been dead about 24 hours when we found him.

I wonder if he got the food from the hotel if no one recalled ever seeing him purchase any food- I wonder what he might have eaten though...

 

[coldcaseman]

There was no place to eat at the motel, but there are places nearby. I don't recall anything being in his stomach at the autopsy. There was no wrappers from anything he might have purchased in his trash can. He took whatever change he had in his pocket, and put it in a desk drawer. After he wrote the note "for the room" he put the cap on the pen, and put the pen in his right front pants pocket. Habits. You're not even aware you're doing them.

 

[outofthedark]

There was no place to eat at the motel, but there are places nearby. I don't recall anything being in his stomach at the autopsy. There was no wrappers from anything he might have purchased in his trash can. He took whatever change he had in his pocket, and put it in a desk drawer. After he wrote the note "for the room" he put the cap on the pen, and put the pen in his right front pants pocket. Habits. You're not even aware you're doing them.

Thanks!! :clap:

 

[scandi]

That's funny Annemc. as I did the same type research by Googling and also found out it is a genetic condition that causes this and happens at a certain stage of development.

Today I've been trying to figure out how to distinguish between Native American Indians as far as facial characteristics, with not much luck so far. I did come upon this study thought which is interesting in that one of the ways to distinguish if one has indian ancestry is large heavy earlobes. And I did read somewhere yesterday that often indians have a problem with hair growing on their earlobes! Anyhoo, here it is:

http://www.weyanoke.org/pdf/Clues_t...="native american indians + missing earlobes"


Scandi

 

[outofthedark]

Great info there

 

[scandi]

Am running out the door, but just have to say this is one of the most interesting topics I've studied about since I came to WS over 3 years ago.

It is something personal about it I guess, in that I know Quinalt Lake and have been to the Lodge - it is incredible - and we are talking with the investigator who opened Lyle's eyelids for his photograph so he could be ID'ed. Then he put his soal into working to that end ever since he found him that day. Pretty special if you ask me, as Coldcaseman conveys a total attitude about Lyle that has his 30 years of investigating behind it.

I think there must be certain characteristics that are particular to American Indians by their sect {? I know it is not tribe, but maybe classification of Navaho, Seminole, etc.}. I have had trouble even Googling this type of info. There is an atlas of different American Indians, and that might really help to look at photos.

Has anyone noticed his forehead? In the straight on photo it looks like it has some undulation to it. Not nobs of bone, but not pure curved bone that is smooth. I don't see that in the profile shots for some reason, so it could be shadowing.


Driving home awhile ago I stopped to let a guy cross an area, and he was very skinny and tall - over 6". I immediately thought about Lyle and from his photos it is hard to imagine him being so tall.

I also looked at the sight 'Find Missing Children, and thanks Ryno for that , and ran through all of them to get a bearing for missing young adults. I was struck how I found Lyle quite unique among the group of say 30 missing people. He just stood out vividly to me. One thing, he does look very sad in his photos.

Poor guy, wish I could have talked to him before he did this to himself.


Scandi

 

[WhiteWolf]

I am sure many of you have seen this before but there is another picture of him at this site. I find it gives you a better perspective of what he looked like.

http://www.find-missing-children.org/

It is about 1/3 down the unidentified section.

Thanks for the link, rhyno, and welcome to websleuths. At least we can see the opposite (right) side of his face.

I noticed the site said he used an assumed name, how does anyone know that? There are Stevik's in the lower US, Alaska, and Canada. Personally, I'm going to try to eliminate the possibility he used his real name, if nothing else than he wanted the correct name on his grave.

Rhyno, do you have any personal thoughts about Lyle's case?

 

[WhiteWolf]

That's funny Annemc. as I did the same type research by Googling and also found out it is a genetic condition that causes this and happens at a certain stage of development.

Today I've been trying to figure out how to distinguish between Native American Indians as far as facial characteristics, with not much luck so far. I did come upon this study thought which is interesting in that one of the ways to distinguish if one has indian ancestry is large heavy earlobes. And I did read somewhere yesterday that often indians have a problem with hair growing on their earlobes! Anyhoo, here it is:

http://www.weyanoke.org/pdf/Clues_t...="native american indians + missing earlobes"


Scandi

Woohoo, Scandi, nice to see your imput here!

Sorry I can't read a PDF file with my cheap webtv, but with a last name Stevik, Lyle is mixed parentage so the earlobes may not apply.

The hazel eye color is common in mixed blood people, hispanic, Spanish, Porte Rican, Native American, etc..
I'm Sioux and Irish and I have hazel colored eyes, too, so does my daughter. My eyes were dark brown until I was about six, then they turned color. My son's eyes are blue!

 

[coldcaseman]

Concerning the shape of the skull, Native American and Asian skulls are very similar (high cheek bones, etc.) and I believe that Lyle is at least part Native American. While I was with the Sheriffs Department, I checked the name Lyle Stevik through a variety of web sites and sources with no luck. That's not to say their isn't a Lyle Stevik out there (possibly in Canada) but I was unable to find one. Lyle has a "unibrow" which is also somewhat unusual.

 

[coldcaseman]

As for the question posed by Scandi concerning the ridge on Lyles forehead that is not visible in the profile shot, I took the profile picture at the beginning of the autopsy. I took the face-on shot at the conclusion, after the skull had been opened. I pulled the scalp back into place in order to take that shot, and didn't see the wrinke of skin on his forehead. His forehead was smooth.

 

[docwho3]

I'm sorry, I didn't explain the term "missing ear lobes". They weren't removed, he never had them. Most people have lobes that droop (and seem to droop more when you get old!) A few people have no "lobe", which would make it tough to wear earrings. There was no book recovered, I found the connection to the book through a Google search. I bought the book through Amazon. I always felt Lyle was from a middle-upper income family. No signs he was involved in manual labor, no injuries, well read, articulate, clean, took care of his appearance, etc. I'm not saying that people from lower incomes don't have those traits, that was my impression.

I must have misread the posts when I thought a book had been found with him. . . ooops. But this does raise the question of why he was so familiar with the book that he could use not only a name of a character but also could use a publisher name from the book all from memory. I wonder if that book was required reading in high school or college classes somewhere back then?

 

[WhiteWolf]

Concerning the shape of the skull, Native American and Asian skulls are very similar (high cheek bones, etc.) and I believe that Lyle is at least part Native American. While I was with the Sheriffs Department, I checked the name Lyle Stevik through a variety of web sites and sources with no luck. That's not to say their isn't a Lyle Stevik out there (possibly in Canada) but I was unable to find one. Lyle has a "unibrow" which is also somewhat unusual.

The unibrow is a "white man's" characterist. My son has the unibrow which comes from his father's side of the family (his dad, grfather, etc), and possibly from my white ancestors (I haven't seen evidence on my side of the family).

I'm curious, Lyle had facial hair, what about leg, arm, and chest hair? The more Asian or NA the less body hair on the arms, chest, and legs.

Also, Lyle may have been a middle name or a nickname instead of a first name.

 

[outofthedark]

Lyle may be the type of person who can be mistaken for other ethnic backrounds when he's in fact only one