WI WI - Rhinelander, WhtMale 25-45, UP60642, in field, 6'4, poss wore glasses, Helbros watch, Mar'80 - Norman John Christopher Grasser

Moonwalker9

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The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Recognizable face - no photo

Case Numbers
NCMEC Number--
ME/C Case Number031980-1
Demographics
SexMale
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian
Possible First Name--
Possible Middle Name--
Possible Last Name--
Possible Nickname--
Estimated Age GroupAdult - Pre 50
Estimated Age Range (Years)25-45
Estimated Year of Death1980
Estimated PMI--
Height6' 4"(76 inches) , Measured
Weight165-175 lbs, Estimated
Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundMarch 19, 1980
NamUs Case CreatedOctober 4, 2019
ME/C QA Reviewed--
Location Found Map
LocationRhinelander, Wisconsin 54501
CountyOneida County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--
Circumstances of RecoveryDeceased was found in a field
Details of Recovery


Inventory of RemainsAll parts recovered
Condition of RemainsRecognizable face
Physical Description
Hair ColorBlack
Head Hair Descriptionscalp hair is slightly long and gray to black in color. Slight sideburns are present. Bilateral frontal alopecia is present.
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair DescriptionRelatively clean shaven with perhaps 1/2 to 1/3 of a days growth of beard visible on the chin
Left Eye ColorUnknown
Right Eye ColorUnknown
Eye DescriptionPossibly wore glasses based on brownish areas on either side of the nose.
Distinctive Physical Features
No Information Entered


Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Accessories
thin black belt
On the Body

Accessories
brown fur ear muffs
On the Body

Accessories
brown plaid scarf
On the Body

Clothing
brown corduroy jacket
On the Body

Clothing
blue button up sweater
On the Body

Clothing
black corduroy pants
On the Body

Clothing
Helbros Invincible brand watch
On the Body

Footwear
black oxford shoes size 12
On the Body

What's interesting her is the mans appearence, and his height plus all the details about his clothing. Wish the PM was available though.

EDIT: Forgot to add MAR 80 on the title
 
Rhinelander is my hometown, so it's fascinating that there was a John Doe found in the city. In this part of the country, very few unidentified people are discovered.

There are photos available of his clothing and personal items. I found the coat, watch and event card (possibly an invitation) the most distinctive. I'm considering making a phone call to the sheriff/ME to see if they'll release a postmortem or have a reconstruction made. I called a while back to see if they'd get a rendering of the 2000 John Doe found in Harshaw and got no response.

He's listed as having a "recognizable face" with an unknown eye color. This can be explained by the fact that Rhinelander and surrounding cities tend to stay cold throughout April. The weather could have preserved his body, slowing decomposition which would have occurred much faster during the summer and early fall.

As far as the date of death goes, the card from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is dated with "1980," which strongly suggests he died within the year. If it was an invitation or another promotional document, there is a possibility he could have died between mid-October and December 1979, which is also a colder time of the year.

Since he was dressed in layers and wore earmuffs, I almost wonder if he was from a warmer part of the country. However, according to a Department of Natural Resources page, the late 1950s to early 80s were "consistently below temperature."

Looking at the temperature history of Rhinelander in 1980, January tended to be between -20 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit, February between -16 to 35 and March between -11 and 51. On the date he was found, the temperature reached a high of 49 and a low of 37.

Edit: I attempted to include images in this post but they wouldn't show up. View them here.
 
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I called the Oneida County sheriff today about this decedent and the male found in Harshaw in 2000. I suggested they get reconstructions created and use the services of the DDP or Parabon NanoLabs.

I'm also hoping they'll allow me to write up a story to submit to local newspapers, as most of my friends who are long-term Rhinelander residents never heard of the cases. As someone who spent 21 years in this town, both of these cases are extremely important to me.
 
James R. McLaughlin went missing on February 8, 1980. I can't say he is a perfect match, but some of his description fits. He has dark brown or black hair, sideburns, and wears glasses. The odd thing is that his height range is from 5'6" to 6'5", and his weight is between 130 to 180. Not sure how a description can have such broad ranges, but it is what it is. He is from New Jersey, too, which obviously does not fit with being found in Wisconsin, but maybe he had family in Rhinelander and for whatever reason just left his girlfriend in New Jersey to travel to Wisconsin. I got excited when I saw that the card found on him mentioned Menlo Park, NJ, but then quickly remembered that was where Thomas Edison lived, and that is what the reference is to on the card. Find the link below.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 
As I was looking at this UID, I thought maybe that card found on him was a membership card for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), so I started looking through archives of possible workers missing. There were several IBEW locations around Rhinelander in 1980, the closest being Wausau, which is just an hour south of Rhinelander. If we can locate a membership list from the local IBEW chapters from that time period, that might help us narrow down the search results.

I also came across a page on IBEW's website with archived journals from the organization that came out every month each year at that time. The IBEWs were a very close knit group, referring to each other as brothers, and making announcements in their journals when a brother died. I did some searching in the journals from January through April of 1980 and did not find anything. They are pdfs but OLR searchable, so putting in search terms such as "wis" for Wisconsin, and "miss" for missing should bring up results. I posted the link below.

Of note, unions were very divisive topic during this period in the 1980s, and I suppose it might not be out of the question that someone was violently against unions and had it out for this UID? I don't know. That is just pure conjecture. But I think with him carrying around an IBEW card, there is a very good chance he was a member. I would think there might be information on the back of that card, but there is no photo of the back of the card available. Might be interesting if we could get that posted.

Archives
 
Sharing the IBEW has journals online going back to the era. Linking one journal here from 08-1980. Search IBEW journal achieves for more.

http://www.ibew.org/journals/scans/IBEW Journal/1980-08 August IBEW Journal.pdf

Was there anything in particular of interest in the specific journal you linked to? I searched through it and didn’t see anything of any significance. The archives in 1979 and 1980 might have something indicating what the card found with this UID was for. I looked up membership cards and they look nothing like the posted pic on the UID site. The cards also have the handwritten names of the members, so if that was a membership card it would have had the UID’s name on it. I’m wondering if it was an invitation to a conference or some kind of commemorative card that might have been passed out at a convention. I’ve been trying to search for that card on google, but with no luck.
 
Was there anything in particular of interest in the specific journal you linked to? I searched through it and didn’t see anything of any significance. The archives in 1979 and 1980 might have something indicating what the card found with this UID was for. I looked up membership cards and they look nothing like the posted pic on the UID site. The cards also have the handwritten names of the members, so if that was a membership card it would have had the UID’s name on it. I’m wondering if it was an invitation to a conference or some kind of commemorative card that might have been passed out at a convention. I’ve been trying to search for that card on google, but with no luck.

Nothing in particular. Was posting as maybe the UID may have been a new apprentice, perhaps? Just throwing out straws....As far as the card goes, what I remember was that each local had there own. Chicago was local 134 and still is... The journals are from the National IBEW, I believe. So national electrical union.
 

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I'm wondering if this could be Orbin Lee Dorrell. The date is off...look at the shoes in the picture.
He was a patrolman and involved in drag racing in Kansas City. (Kansas City Timing Association) He was also selling vehicles. Could he have traveled to Wisconsin?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 

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Kansas is quite far from Wisconsin however, if there was a reason for him to travel to wisconsin---maybe work related---its not too far away to be left out. I think it could be a possibility if it was work or family related.
 
Has Andrew "Andy" Thomas ever been proposed? He went missing in January, 1980 from Ashland, WI. Ashland is directly southeast on the main through fair being Route 51. This UID was found about 120 miles from Ashland. This UID was found in March 1980. Thomas was 5'10" so not far off from the 6'4" for the UID (About 6") The weights are approximately the same (Thomas at 170) and the UID estimated to be 165-175.

Also, it appears that Thomas wore glasses, which Possibly wore glasses based on brownish areas on either side of the nose. Thomas was said to have not been wearing his glasses.

WI - WI - Andrew “Andy” Thomas Viater, 22, Ashland, 22 Jan 1980
 

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