WA - Unidentified Male: "Lyle Stevik", Grays Harbor, 17 Sept 2001 - #4

[mountainash]

Estelle1, it seems an easy mistake to make. I only realized it while I was trying to determine whether he transferred from a room in the main motel to one of the two separate rooms.

 

[Woodland]

Was it stated that whomever observed LS pacing up and down the highway/road watched him the entire time he was there? Did they see him walk out to the road, and then back to the room?? Could it be possible someone did meet him and that might be where he got the fresh money from? Maybe it was some sort of a "deal" ... or maybe he did walk off somewhere to obtain the fresh, crisp bills (ATM) ... I just really wish we could figure this one out. I hope someone is able to give LS a real identity .. and soon!

It was Aunt BW, motel manager, that claimed LS was pacing up and down the side of the highway on Sat. Who knows now if that happened?

Is it possible LS arrived at the motel on Sunday, 16 Sep? Risky for the motel people to say he arrived Fri if he didn't though - what if LE discovered his identity down the road and could pinpoint him somewhere else on Fri/Sat.

 

[Sillybilly]

If we are to consider that Lyle had no ID, but had toothpaste and a toothbrush (really, what dude carries that in their pants or shirt pocket?) ... combined with a possibly missing backpack, no bus drivers recall seeing him having seen him, then perhaps we could also consider he had a vehicle that is missing. Might even explain his pacing up and down the road.

 

[Estelle1]

I could only find one image of Lake Quinault Inn online. See here: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/117591638

If the motel doesn't have a website, would it only be known to locals/people who have visited the area before do we think? There's not a lot of information about it at all... I wonder if it was advertised locally or in travel guides back in 2001.

 

[Woodland]

SB - do you mean LS might have arrived in a vehicle that was stolen Fri night into Sat am?

I agree he might have had a vehicle, can see it being taken if his backpack was on Sun. Had not considered before hand.

LS did not want to report it stolen? Did not want contact with LE or anyone else?

 

[Damarna]

If we are to consider that Lyle had no ID, but had toothpaste and a toothbrush (really, what dude carries that in their pants or shirt pocket?) ... combined with a possibly missing backpack missing, no bus drivers recall seeing him having seen him, then perhaps we could also consider he had a vehicle that is missing. Might even explain his pacing up and down the road.

I wondered the same thing! Could this have been the event that was Lyle's proverbial last straw? Maybe not necessarily suicidal at the beginning of this part of his journey but in the process of running away. Homeless except for his car? Only things he owned in the missing backpack? Pure speculation on my part...

 

[Estelle1]

I wondered the same thing! Could this have been the event that was Lyle's proverbial last straw? Maybe not necessarily suicidal at the beginning of this part of his journey but in the process of running away. Homeless except for his car? Only things he owned in the missing backpack? Pure speculation on my part...

It's a very interesting theory. If you were living in your car for a while, that might explain why he took a shower as soon as he arrived in the room. Plus, the pacing could suggest he was looking for the car if he parked it close to the main road.

Also, the store (where Lyle bought the newspaper?) and motel were possibly owned by the same people. When you Google the phone number that the motel owner provided to detectives in the case file, it's linked to the store across the road.

 

[mountainash]

If the motel doesn't have a website, would it only be known to locals/people who have visited the area before do we think? There's not a lot of information about it at all... I wonder if it was advertised locally or in travel guides back in 2001.

When I was searching for photos of the motel, I found it listed on this hiking map. No idea when it was printed.

http://www.quinaultrainforest.com/pdf/hikingmap.pdf

 

[Sillybilly]

It's a very interesting theory. If you were living in your car for a while, that might explain why he took a shower as soon as he arrived in the room. Plus, the pacing could suggest he was looking for the car if he parked it close to the main road.

Also, the store (where Lyle bought the newspaper?) and motel were possibly owned by the same people. When you Google the phone number that the motel owner provided to detectives in the case file, it's linked to the store across the road.

I believe the store is now called North Shore Grocery (used to be called Brannon's Grocery). According to an online obit for her husband who died in 2012, that was BW's maiden name so it would seem either she or her family owned it at one point.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

BTW, Canadians have been able to use American ATM's and vice-versa since at least the late 1980s. Hubby and I are an Am-Can couple and we started dating back in the 80s and had a long-distance relationship and used our bank cards while visiting the other just like you can today.

Good to know! Thanks! I had not even considered that aspect of an ATM being universal in any way.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

It was Aunt BW, motel manager, that claimed LS was pacing up and down the side of the highway on Sat. Who knows now if that happened?

Is it possible LS arrived at the motel on Sunday, 16 Sep? Risky for the motel people to say he arrived Fri if he didn't though - what if LE discovered his identity down the road and could pinpoint him somewhere else on Fri/Sat.

What did she consider "the highway"? After looking at the scene from Google Earth, the inn sits directly behind the store and one could not see the main highway from there. Google doesn't follow the road going directly by the inn so it is not possible to pinpoint the exact view. If he was pacing up and down the road next to the inn, it would seem even more odd than the busier highway in front of the store.

I don't see the difference of his arrival being Friday or Sunday. I can't think of any reason to lie about it. Yes. They could have been misleading about some other things such as his comments, being spacey, or pacing the highway to add more drama yet I haven't figured out why they would. $167 and change? A backpack filled with a change of clothing and perhaps a wallet? Can't see him having a lot more than that for anyone to steal.

 

[Sillybilly]

Had Lyle arrived by bus, it seems Brannon's Grocery would have been the drop-off point:

from:
http://www.windsox.us/DRIVE/dbus.html

Click on ROUTE 40 EAST COUNTY - check schedule from Greyhound station to Aberdeen - get yourself to Aberdeen. Go back and click on ROUTE 60 ABERDEEN - QUINAULT - With your destination being NORTH SHORE - BRANNON'S GROCERY. When you arrive at Brannon's Grocery you are 15 miles from North Fork of Quinault and Graves Creek trailheads.

ETA: Option 2 on the ^^ site is only available weekdays. Don't know if that was the same back in 2001.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

To my eyes, the writing for "For The Room" looks like it was done with a thicker tip. I'm looking at the one that was already given to us before.

After reading your post, I went back and looked at the registration. The writing style for "Lyle Stevik" and "1019 S. Progress Ave" 99% matches the style used for the rest of the words on there!

As for "Suicide", I'd wager that the pen was either a 0.5 or 0.7 point.

For me, the registration now throws a different light on the name and address of choice. How do we know if he even gave that name and address? Looks like the name and address might be a work of fiction in a whole other way. What if the desk had something for that particular Best Western laying around somewhere?

I have to fill out mine and my grandparents' last names, the day of the week, times of arrival and exit, and apartment # before I can visit them; and this woman can't figure to fill out a date on a hotel registration form, exact or otherwise?

I agree with all you said.

I can't figure out the one word suicide note. Who would do that? It has never made any sense to me. I can understand the note for payment for the room because it ties up the last loose end there. The word "Suicide" does the opposite. It leaves questions.

 

[emeraldine]

To me, writing out the word "suicide" makes sense...he didn't want an investigation launched into his death when it was voluntary, and foul play wasn't involved.

I remember reading about another suicide victim(a woman, who is - to my knowledge - also still unidentified) who also left such a note the scene. It said something like, "This is a suicide, by my own hand."

 

[SeriouslySearching]

If we are to consider that Lyle had no ID, but had toothpaste and a toothbrush (really, what dude carries that in their pants or shirt pocket?) ... combined with a possibly missing backpack missing, no bus drivers recall seeing him having seen him, then perhaps we could also consider he had a vehicle that is missing. Might even explain his pacing up and down the road.

Maybe LE's report told us a lot more with the stolen vehicle included. Could he have loaned his vehicle to someone and they never returned? It actually makes sense.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

To me, writing out the word "suicide" makes sense...he didn't want an investigation launched into his death when it was voluntary, and foul play wasn't involved.

I remember reading about another suicide victim(a woman, who is - to my knowledge - also still unidentified) who also left such a note the scene. It said something like, "This is a suicide, by my own hand."

But that is an explanation. I don't consider the single word suicide as such, but of course it could have been to Lyle. Maybe Lyle did not write it or he didn't write the other things since there does seem to be a discrepancy of pens and handwriting.

 

[timsmith]

We really can’t narrow down his age through pictures or his brief interactions with the employees. Some people act and appear more youthful after 25 and into their 40s. I know a few people in their early 40s that look much younger than they are. I am not always correct in my guesses, but I do not think he is younger than 25. Then again I had friends in college who were 20 and 21 and appeared close to 40. Time goes by fast and people age differently. I don’t remember, but do his dental records give some indication about his age? I ask because Jock Doe (Sumter 1976) was originally said to be 18-22. However, a dentist later came forward indicating that some of his adult teeth had been there longer than thought. They said his age was likely late 20s or 30s.

 

[outofthedark]

We really can’t narrow down his age through pictures or his brief interactions with the employees. Some people act and appear more youthful after 25 and into their 40s. I know a few people in their early 40s that look much younger than they are. I am not always correct in my guesses, but I do not think he is younger than 25. Then again I had friends in college who were 20 and 21 and appeared close to 40. Time goes by fast and people age differently. I don’t remember, but do his dental records give some indication about his age? I ask because Jock Doe (Sumter 1976) was originally said to be 18-22. However, a dentist later came forward indicating that some of his adult teeth had been there longer than thought. They said his age was likely late 20s or 30s.

CCM said that his dentals indicated that he was at least in his 20s. I found the original dental info from NAMUS before they changed the site around, and I would say his dental age is 17+ since two of his removed teeth start to come in around that age (though other websites set the development age as early as 16).

The crime scene photos also gave us a few ideas as to his estimated age - including the development of body hair as well as body type.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

CCM said that his dentals indicated that he was at least in his 20s. I found the original dental info from NAMUS before they changed the site around, and I would say his dental age is 17+ since two of his removed teeth start to come in around that age (though other websites set the development age as early as 16).

The crime scene photos also gave us a few ideas as to his estimated age - including the development of body hair as well as body type.

The ME should have been able to find other clues to his age through the autopsy besides dental. They work with skeletal remains and come quite close so an intact body should hold even more info to establish age.

 

[emeraldine]

Maybe LE's report told us a lot more with the stolen vehicle included. Could he have loaned his vehicle to someone and they never returned? It actually makes sense.

It's as good of a possibility as any other; to me, though, suicide seems like a disproportionately strong reaction to the loss of a car that was never returned. Granted, I don't know what his mental state at the time would have been like - and, it may have been the person's betrayal, more than the lost car, that brought him to such a point.

It seems like he'd at least have tried to call the police, first, if he did lose his car in that way: "I loaned someone my car and they never brought it back, so I need to report it as stolen."

If this is what happened, I wish he would have. They could have gotten the license plate info, and he could have been identified(if it was registered in his name).