CA CA - Farren Stanberry, 18, San Francisco, 24 Apr 1980

[Ciriii57]

Hey! Thank you @Bit of hope!

Can somebody please contact Doe Network and Charlie Project to correct the incorrect dates and information about Farren? I have time today, and can write a summery of what SHOULD be there. But before any of us do this, what do you think the date missing should be for Farren? April 27, 1980? (The date after his last phone call to family?) Or June 16, 1980. the date he was reported missing by his grandmother to the John Day, Oregon Police Department? I think June 16, 1980 is the best date, Wait for my summery first. I am starting it now. Don't forget to use @Ciriii57 spreadsheet to note the change and post with a reply here so that we can all keep track!

After we get that done, someone needs to contact a Websleuths moderator to change the date for Farren missing to what we agree upon.

Satch

Hey @Satch
Both Charley and Doe have "missing since" as a heading. (Both have 1st May!) Do we have to specify an exact date or can they just have "April/May/June 1980."

Charley has him last seen in San Francisco but last contact in May or June 1980 and has the International Hotel.
Doe has him last seen in John Day, Oregon but does mention San Francisco later but also the International Hotel and last contact in 1st May.
Namus is similarly incorrect.
Will Charley and Doe adjust their info, or would the info have to come directly from LE, NamUs or a family member? (Which actually it has....Sgt Rand)

Oh, don't forget his wrists! Nowhere mentions that!

 

[Satch]

Guys,

I can get to Nam Us from Google Search, but if I search for Farren Stanberry nothing comes up at NamUs.

Satch

 

[Satch]

Ok found Farren at NameUs

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Satch

 

[Bit of hope]

Hey @Satch
Both Charley and Doe have "missing since" as a heading. (Both have 1st May!) Do we have to specify an exact date or can they just have "April/May/June 1980."

Charley has him last seen in San Francisco but last contact in May or June 1980 and has the International Hotel.
Doe has him last seen in John Day, Oregon but does mention San Francisco later but also the International Hotel and last contact in 1st May.
Namus is similarly incorrect.
Will Charley and Doe adjust their info, or would the info have to come directly from LE, NamUs or a family member? (Which actually it has....Sgt Rand)

Oh, don't forget his wrists! Nowhere mentions that!

I would be great if the files could be changed! Thank you @Satch and @Cirriii57 for all the work.

I'm not sure if Meghan from Charley P. is willing to adjust the info coming from us. I tried in the past for another file, but it never changed. I'm afraid she will use only info from the sources mentioned here: FAQ – The Charley Project

The Charley Project serves as a publicity vehicle and clearinghouse of information for missing persons. It attempts to catalog as much information as possible about as many cases as possible into a database as a publicity/investigative aid for the public and law enforcement to help solve cases. A wide variety of sources are used, such as other databases, news media accounts, law enforcement, information supplied by friends and family members of the missing, and books, and all the information contained therein is summarized on each missing person’s Charley Project casefile. In this way, instead of having to track down, say, twenty different news articles from five different news sources about a missing person, an interested party can simply go to the Charley Project and find it all in one place.

The Doe network I'm not sure. Maybe contact the appropriate researcher? About Us

Researchers​

The Researchers are responsible for researching missing and unidentified persons cases that meet our criteria. They also fact-check information and find additional details about the cases featured on our site. View Researchers Contact Information.

 

[Ciriii57]

I would be great if the files could be changed! Thank you @Satch and @Cirriii57 for all the work.

I'm not sure if Meghan from Charley P. is willing to adjust the info coming from us. I tried in the past for another file, but it never changed. I'm afraid she will use only info from the sources mentioned here: FAQ – The Charley Project

The Charley Project serves as a publicity vehicle and clearinghouse of information for missing persons. It attempts to catalog as much information as possible about as many cases as possible into a database as a publicity/investigative aid for the public and law enforcement to help solve cases. A wide variety of sources are used, such as other databases, news media accounts, law enforcement, information supplied by friends and family members of the missing, and books, and all the information contained therein is summarized on each missing person’s Charley Project casefile. In this way, instead of having to track down, say, twenty different news articles from five different news sources about a missing person, an interested party can simply go to the Charley Project and find it all in one place.

The Doe network I'm not sure. Maybe contact the appropriate researcher? About Us

Researchers​

The Researchers are responsible for researching missing and unidentified persons cases that meet our criteria. They also fact-check information and find additional details about the cases featured on our site. View Researchers Contact Information.

I have a feeling that they won't change any information based on this thread. I'm not sure it is classed as "verified" and yet it is the only place anywhere with the correct information. Does anyone want to try and message them with the necessary changes please that would be great!? (I can do, but it won't be right away)

NamUs I believe would require the info to come from LE.(??) It concerns me as that means LE put in the wrong info to begin with!

At least we here know the correct date. And even though the other sites are incorrect, it is not miles out. The most concerning thing for me is those sites that list him as missing from John Day! Someone could rule him out based on that fact alone.

 

[Satch]

I have a feeling that they won't change any information based on this thread. I'm not sure it is classed as "verified" and yet it is the only place anywhere with the correct information. Does anyone want to try and message them with the necessary changes please that would be great!? (I can do, but it won't be right away)

NamUs I believe would require the info to come from LE.(??) It concerns me as that means LE put in the wrong info to begin with!

At least we here know the correct date. And even though the other sites are incorrect, it is not miles out. The most concerning thing for me is those sites that list him as missing from John Day! Someone could rule him out based on that fact alone.

Regarding Charlie Project. This information below gave me hope:

How many members comprise the Charley Project? Can I volunteer?


The Charley Project is not an organization. It is solely an online database for cold case missing persons from the United States. There are no members in The Charley Project. The site is maintained by the administrator, Meaghan Good, who writes all the cases alone. Visitors can, however, email the administrator to provide additional details or more up-to-date information regarding profiled cases if they wish.

If you want to email them, go for it! Be sure to mention it here, and try to note it on the spreadsheet, so that multiple people are not emailing them with the same questions or requests. The main point will be showing them that we are dedicated researchers devoted to Farren's case. That type of information in the body of the email is to show that we are just some "people who are casuals." If we can prove that to them, we have a better chance of getting Farren's information corrected!

Satch

 

[Ciriii57]

To follow on from the conversation earlier in the thread about Farren's Greyhound bus journey to the East Coast. I did a bit of research today. Ok, so IF Farren travelled to say New York for example from Oregon he would have to change bus at least 5 times. His route would have been Burns, OR to Ontario, OR to Boise, ID to Denver, CO to St. Louis, MO to Pittsburgh, PA to New York. If he had travelled non stop, just waiting at bus stations for the next bus to arrive the journey would have take approx. 70 hours!
If he travelled instead straight to San Francisco his route would have been Burns, OR to Bend, OR to Portland, OR to Oakland, CA to San Francisco. He would have to change 3 times. If non stop travelling it would have taken him approx. 24 hours.

It seems insane that he could have potentially travelled for 70 hours alone, hanging around bus stations as well. If he didn't travel non stop then presumably he would have had to rent a room at a motel. I am wondering exactly how much money Farren had when he left home...the bus wasn't so expensive but when you factor in motel rooms, food etc etc and then what he needed when he arrived in his destination it comes to more than an 18 yr old school drop-out should have surely? He MUST have worked somewhere else before reaching San Francisco mustn't he?

It sort of makes me wonder even more if it is more likely he didn't go to the East "coast" but just somewhere East? Or maybe even SF right off. OR, was he travelling with someone ekse right from the get go?

 

[Ciriii57]

Regarding Charlie Project. This information below gave me hope:

How many members comprise the Charley Project? Can I volunteer?


The Charley Project is not an organization. It is solely an online database for cold case missing persons from the United States. There are no members in The Charley Project. The site is maintained by the administrator, Meaghan Good, who writes all the cases alone. Visitors can, however, email the administrator to provide additional details or more up-to-date information regarding profiled cases if they wish.

If you want to email them, go for it! Be sure to mention it here, and try to note it on the spreadsheet, so that multiple people are not emailing them with the same questions or requests. The main point will be showing them that we are dedicated researchers devoted to Farren's case. That type of information in the body of the email is to show that we are just some "people who are casuals." If we can prove that to them, we have a better chance of getting Farren's information corrected!

Satch

Ok @Satch your wish is my command! I have emailed Meaghan at Charley and asked her to update the information as per your write up. I have offerred to show her Sgt Rand's emails if she needs further proof and also asked if she can advise how to get Doe and NamUs to change their info too.
It's possible she may stop by on the thread to double check?

 

[Satch]

Ok @Satch your wish is my command! I have emailed Meaghan at Charley and asked her to update the information as per your write up. I have offerred to show her Sgt Rand's emails if she needs further proof and also asked if she can advise how to get Doe and NamUs to change their info too.
It's possible she may stop by on the thread to double check?

Thank you! That is great!,

Farren would be so happy knowing how much we care about him!

Satch

 

[Ciriii57]

Guys!
San Mateo county coroner has emailed to say she may have a match for Farren but she needs to check further as the possible year of death is a bit off! But the remains were skeletonised so she has her deputy checking to see if the remains were cremated or buried as if buried she is willing to extract DNA for comparison.

The link to this UID is below. Theres not much info and the circumstances of discovery are odd. The remains were apparently dug up with some other soil and transported in a barge to use as fill for a bridge.
It's possible I guess and she may as well check if she can I think?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[Ciriii57]

Aaaaand Stanislaus county coroner emailed. They had a case they thought was likely but their forensic odontologist compared and it was not.

It's reassuring to know that they can easily check and that Farren's dentals are easily available.

On a roll today!

 

[Maat99]

To follow on from the conversation earlier in the thread about Farren's Greyhound bus journey to the East Coast. I did a bit of research today. Ok, so IF Farren travelled to say New York for example from Oregon he would have to change bus at least 5 times. His route would have been Burns, OR to Ontario, OR to Boise, ID to Denver, CO to St. Louis, MO to Pittsburgh, PA to New York. If he had travelled non stop, just waiting at bus stations for the next bus to arrive the journey would have take approx. 70 hours!
If he travelled instead straight to San Francisco his route would have been Burns, OR to Bend, OR to Portland, OR to Oakland, CA to San Francisco. He would have to change 3 times. If non stop travelling it would have taken him approx. 24 hours.

It seems insane that he could have potentially travelled for 70 hours alone, hanging around bus stations as well. If he didn't travel non stop then presumably he would have had to rent a room at a motel. I am wondering exactly how much money Farren had when he left home...the bus wasn't so expensive but when you factor in motel rooms, food etc etc and then what he needed when he arrived in his destination it comes to more than an 18 yr old school drop-out should have surely? He MUST have worked somewhere else before reaching San Francisco mustn't he?

It sort of makes me wonder even more if it is more likely he didn't go to the East "coast" but just somewhere East? Or maybe even SF right off. OR, was he travelling with someone ekse right from the get go?

ITA. “Seeing the world” via greyhound bus and as a high school drop out with limited funds is not a thing. I’ve always thought the lack of specifics on any other destination other than SF and also the sheer impracticality of an 18 year old boy crisscrossing the entire US via bus make it much more plausible that SF was his destination from the start.

I also wonder about the statement from the aunt about dropping him off at a camp site (aka not dropping him off at the bus station). Why drop a kid off alone at a camp site like that? At that time of year in that part of Oregon it is still in the 30s and 40s at night. So I am also in agreement with you about the possibility of him traveling with someone else - I think they met up at the campsite.
Even today a lot of the rural parts of Oregon are not gay friendly - I am positive it was much less so 40 years ago. I have wondered if some less accepting family told him to hit the road (his mom? Also mom withholding money because she didn’t agree with his ”lifestyle”?) I think the “seeing the world” stuff is what you tell grandma to make it all sound promising and exciting vs. took off for SF with a guy. JMO.

 

[Mfleish]

The link to this UID is below. Theres not much info and the circumstances of discovery are odd. The remains were apparently dug up with some other soil and transported in a barge to use as fill for a bridge.

Found an article from the Times Tribune in Palo Alto, California, Wed, Apr 17, 1985. You need a subscription to view it, but the description in this article has the UID as a 35 year old white male, 5'7". I'm not 100% convinced that it's Farren, but I think it's close enough to warrant ruling him out at least.

 

[Ciriii57]

Found an article from the Times Tribune in Palo Alto, California, Wed, Apr 17, 1985. You need a subscription to view it, but the description in this article has the UID as a 35 year old white male, 5'7". I'm not 100% convinced that it's Farren, but I think it's close enough to warrant ruling him out at least.

I also think it is a long shot. The article (which I could view btw) mentions that his hands and foot were later found, which NamUS doesn't say. This is intereting as it is Farren's hands/wrist bones that would ID him.
Regarding the age, I think they must have revised this to be younger? NamUS mentioned that he had a wad of papers in his pocket so I asked her if it was ever established what they were or had written on them. You never know, something taht meant nothing to the investigators might mean something to us.

I am thinking that if the body was buried then the coroner may be using this as an excuse to get DNA anyway...even if it's not Farren it could be a missing person whose family have added DNA. If cremated...well we'll never know.

 

[Ciriii57]

ITA. “Seeing the world” via greyhound bus and as a high school drop out with limited funds is not a thing. I’ve always thought the lack of specifics on any other destination other than SF and also the sheer impracticality of an 18 year old boy crisscrossing the entire US via bus make it much more plausible that SF was his destination from the start.

I also wonder about the statement from the aunt about dropping him off at a camp site (aka not dropping him off at the bus station). Why drop a kid off alone at a camp site like that? At that time of year in that part of Oregon it is still in the 30s and 40s at night. So I am also in agreement with you about the possibility of him traveling with someone else - I think they met up at the campsite.
Even today a lot of the rural parts of Oregon are not gay friendly - I am positive it was much less so 40 years ago. I have wondered if some less accepting family told him to hit the road (his mom? Also mom withholding money because she didn’t agree with his ”lifestyle”?) I think the “seeing the world” stuff is what you tell grandma to make it all sound promising and exciting vs. took off for SF with a guy. JMO.

I totally agree with what you're saying, I also think it seems totally unfeasable. Not just how much money this would take but when you keep in mind that he would have travelled all the way across the US by bus TWICE! All the way to the East and then all they way back to San Francisco. And he did this in 8 months with no evidence that he stayed anywhere or met anyone or worked at all. I have always been really suspect about this.

The campsite thing has always really bothered me. I still CANNOT believe that his Aunt claims this is the last time she saw him...but then later it is brushed off as happening earlier (in Sgt Rand's words "The aunt and grandmother did drop him off but it was prior to him going to San Francisco originally."). This comment "prior to him going to SF originally" has always confused me, it sounds as if Farren went to SF either once before or only to SF and nowhere else? And yes...it seems such a strange place to just leave an 18 yr old alone in the wilderness; unless he wasn't going to be alone...?

Your thoughts about a less accepting family member are very interesting, I hadn't considered it at all. Of course we don't really know the family dynamics and we have no idea if something had happened in John Day that would have led to Farren being "moved on" (perhaps some scandal involving a teacher, neighbour, older man or another student?)but this does make me think of his sudden strange move to a new school in Medford?
It also might fit in with the fact that seemingly his Mum, Dad, Sister, paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather have apparently never made the slightest effort to locate him. Only his grandmother and a maternal aunt ever tried and most of the actual work was done by an uncle he had never even met!

 

[Maat99]

It could have been that Farren was transgender. They will often leave their old gender (and entire former identity) behind and if Farren was living a transient lifestyle at that time if might not be out of the question that he didn't confide in anyone.. Transgender people are not as accepted as LGB ones today -- let alone in 1980. He might have thought his family wouldn't understand, either.

Reviving this idea. If there is a chance that Farren left his id and clothes behind because he was reinventing himself with a transgender identity, then this is a potential match. It assumes that he lived three years beyond his last contact with his family.
NamUs #UP10528
Estimated age 19 - 25. Height 5’10. Brown hair, Hazel eyes.

Here is a comparison of the artist rendering to a pic of Farren. Does this seem close? I can’t decide.


interestingly, the SF Chronicle did an article on John and Jane Does found in the bay area and it says this:
The man's body was found on Lower Pillar Point/Ocean Beach in Half Moon Bay in November 1983. The deceased may have been transported to the location from the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. Bay Area John/Jane Does

I think they made the association with the Tenderloin because it was a known trans spot. But it’s worth noting IMO that the hotel where Farren was last known to reside is in the Tenderloin/a block from the Tenderloin (depending on the map).

 

[Ciriii57]

Reviving this idea. If there is a chance that Farren left his id and clothes behind because he was reinventing himself with a transgender identity, then this is a potential match. It assumes that he lived three years beyond his last contact with his family.
NamUs #UP10528
Estimated age 19 - 25. Height 5’10. Brown hair, Hazel eyes.

Here is a comparison of the artist rendering to a pic of Farren. Does this seem close? I can’t decide.
View attachment 433978

interestingly, the SF Chronicle did an article on John and Jane Does found in the bay area and it says this:
The man's body was found on Lower Pillar Point/Ocean Beach in Half Moon Bay in November 1983. The deceased may have been transported to the location from the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. Bay Area John/Jane Does

I think they made the association with the Tenderloin because it was a known trans spot. But it’s worth noting IMO that the hotel where Farren was last known to reside is in the Tenderloin/a block from the Tenderloin (depending on the map).

Hi @Maat99 good idea BUT I am afraid Pillar Point Doe was ruled out as being Farren in the 90's when SF ME came across an ad Farren's uncle had placed and thought it could be him. AND Pillar Point Doe has been identified but the name has not yet been released. It is believed they originally came from Salt Lake City. Good work on the photos though, I can see where you're coming from.

 

[Maat99]

Hi @Maat99 good idea BUT I am afraid Pillar Point Doe was ruled out as being Farren in the 90's when SF ME came across an ad Farren's uncle had placed and thought it could be him. AND Pillar Point Doe has been identified but the name has not yet been released. It is believed they originally came from Salt Lake City. Good work on the photos though, I can see where you're coming from.

So I’m only 30 years late with this theory! Thank you for letting me know.

 

[Ciriii57]

So I’m only 30 years late with this theory! Thank you for letting me know.

Haha you weren't to know, it's not listed as a rule out anywhere. And better to make a suggestion I say...you're in good company, the SF medical examiner thought it was Farren too!
I have a couple of Does that keep coming back into my mind again and again so I might double check and post them here for opinions.
I will also post a list of his known rule outs...the ones that haven't been entered into NamUs I mean, since the recent contact with MEs we can now rule out several counties worth of UIDs.

 

[Satch]

Your thoughts about a less accepting family member are very interesting, I hadn't considered it at all. Of course we don't really know the family dynamics and we have no idea if something had happened in John Day that would have led to Farren being "moved on" (perhaps some scandal involving a teacher, neighbour, older man or another student?)but this does make me think of his sudden strange move to a new school in Medford?
It also might fit in with the fact that seemingly his Mum, Dad, Sister, paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather have apparently never made the slightest effort to locate him. Only his grandmother and a maternal aunt ever tried and most of the actual work was done by an uncle he had never even met!

Great Questions!

I wonder if Sergent Rand might hold the key that answers these questions?

Satch