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

[summergirl1]

Yes, it would be interesting to learn more about the gay man he was said to be visiting, but who never reported him missing? Maybe someone who knew him or even his family might remember something useful. It's a remote possibility, but you never know. I would defintely let Rich Tirico know about Farren's likely employment as a ticket seller and ask if LE ever checked his employment record in SF prior to when he disappeared or if not, whether they had any idea from other sources what job he was going to on the day he vanished? And let him know about the unidentified John Doe too. I think if we could establish concrete info on Farren's job that maybe we could find someone who worked with him to some extent even though if he was indeed a ticket seller than that was very solitary employment. Everyone from the hotel seems to be either deceased, non responsive to inquiries, or unfindable/unreachable. So my mind turns to other avenues, and that would be finding someone connected to his last job. What was thought when he didn't pick up his paycheck? It's often retired investigators who have more time to pursue cold case investigations as active LE are busy with present day issues.

 

[Ciriii57]

I would defintely let Rich Tirico know about Farren's likely employment as a ticket seller and ask if LE ever checked his employment record in SF prior to when he disappeared or if not, whether they had any idea from other sources what job he was going to on the day he vanished? And let him know about the unidentified John Doe too

Hey! I told him about the job information we'd found and if he knew anything about Farren's job. I didn't mention the John Doe as yet, I did tell Sgt Rand but he didn't reference it.

Everyone from the hotel seems to be either deceased, non responsive to inquiries, or unfindable/unreachable

Yes, we are hearing back from people but no one at all associated with the hotel or Farren. My sleuthing mind makes me find this really suspicious but it might be nothing.

Apparently, although retired as a sheriff, Tirico is a Medicolegal Death Investigator now. I'm not sure what that is, does he work for the coroner?

 

[summergirl1]

I'm sure he is busy too, then, but I hope he responds in detail anyway. This is what he does now. ABMDI - American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators

 

[Satch]

I had also asked Sgt Rand if he knew whether Farren's best friend was still around. He has never heard of him! Perhaps Tirico may know because oddly, he also seemed to drop off the face of the planet right after his Sophomore year....!

Good Email!

Do you mean, Farren dropped of the face of the planet after his sophomore year, or his best friend? Seems to be both of them! Even Farren's temporary move to Medford, no one knows why!

Satch

 

[Odyssey]

Could anyone let me know the average time it gets dark in SF in late April, May and June?
And does anyone have any idea when ticket sellers are most active? I'm guessing they might start at 9 but do they work til late? I'm guessing you would target mostly families with teens for a theme park so when would the tourists be off the streets. Here they sometimes work until 10pm.

I'm honestly not sure when it would have gotten dark, my best guess would be somewhere around 7-8pm.

It's confusing because we have Daylight Savings, which is where we (in most states) change our clocks twice a year in order to affect what time it is light out. They changed the dates for the time changes awhile ago and I can't remember when it was before. Perhaps someone else remembers?

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I am not sure when it even is now. I rely on the news to tell me when it's time to change it.

 

[Ciriii57]

I'm honestly not sure when it would have gotten dark, my best guess would be somewhere around 7-8pm.

It's confusing because we have Daylight Savings, which is where we (in most states) change our clocks twice a year in order to affect what time it is light out. They changed the dates for the time changes awhile ago and I can't remember when it was before. Perhaps someone else remembers?

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I am not sure when it even is now. I rely on the news to tell me when it's time to change it.

Thank you. We do that here too and I think it's usually the Saturday nights closest to March 21st and Halloween.
I wonder if Farren went somewhere for a drink with someone after work. Saying that, he could have literally gone anywhere with anyone though!

 

[Odyssey]

Thank you. We do that here too and I think it's usually the Saturday nights closest to March 21st and Halloween.

Wow, I had always assumed that was just a US thing. Crazy what little tidbits we learn on this forum!

 

[Mfleish]

Has anyone been doing it differently and had success?

I saved the poster as a jpg if anyone would like it that way. I think you should be able to put it directly in the body of the email so it's less likely to be seen as a "phishy" attachment.

Yes, it would be interesting to learn more about the gay man he was said to be visiting, but who never reported him missing?

I was thinking maybe with the anti-gay attitude from some police at this time, that the man may not have been comfortable reporting him missing and/or they wouldn't take a report from him if he wasn't family.

 

[Ciriii57]

I saved the poster as a jpg if anyone would like it that way. I think you should be able to put it directly in the body of the email so it's less likely to be seen as a "phishy" attachment.

Thank you! Yes! That's a great idea!! I was gonna experiment with a pdf but I think that would still be an attachment.

 

[Satch]

I saved the poster as a jpg if anyone would like it that way. I think you should be able to put it directly in the body of the email so it's less likely to be seen as a "phishy" attachment.


I was thinking maybe with the anti-gay attitude from some police at this time, that the man may not have been comfortable reporting him missing and/or they wouldn't take a report from him if he wasn't family.

Guys,

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for their amazing work and progress on Farren's case! Especially to @Ciriii57, @Odyssey, and @Bit of hope! You are all amazing! I am thrilled beyond words with what we have found and continue to find! We will never give up for you Farren!!!

I want to explain my view for some of the gaps and frustrations for things that are murky, things we are unsure about, and things we don't know yet.

Back in the late 70's and early 80's there was a lot of backlash and anti-sentiment against the gay community. Inner corruption, even from law enforcement who were designed to "Protect and Serve." Many did. However, there were some that also discriminated and hated the gay community. This was against a network of strong gay supporters and activists who loved the gay community. There was political tension, fighting in some areas, and peace and love in other areas. It wasn't like today were Gay Pride and similar organizations had more of a peaceful and supporting love connection around San Francisco and other parts of California. Add this to other cities around the United States and around the world.

In places like the Castro back than, a lot of gay people were very suspicious of law enforcement, in a similar way today how apprehensive many African-Americas show apprehension towards law enforcement, because in many case, their civil rights are being violated. Many gay people felt the same tension from the police back in Farren's time, similar to how African Americans feel about the police today Both groups have trouble building trust with these people, and their agencies, because of past prejudices and discrimination shown against them. This still exists today.

These examples show a strong possibility why Farren's roommates chose not to report him missing, or may have purposely only have given selected information to various investigators that has still not made it to Farren's missing file to this day. Many within the gay community feel a very special, sacred community bond of kinship, love, and family to each other. San Francisco allows the kind of love, kinship networks, and gratification that so many sought for peace and acceptence into a community that they can call home. The last thing that most of them are going to want to see, is any kind of outsider, family, law enforcement, coming in and prying away with investigation questions. This could be why so many don't want to talk. They want to protect those still connected to Farren and his case, and his community, even after more than forty years.

There could also be reasons to protect Farren's family, particularly Farren's Mother's mental illness, which is why so little information about her online exists. There may have been reasons to protect her. Why are there are no published reports from Farren's father, or sister, in efforts to find him? This could be also related to a circumstance in Farren's life that they do not want to talk about (his lifestyle?) Still shocking that the greatest searching effort was put forth by an Uncle that Farren never met!

Than, you have all of the incorrect information out there:
1.) The name of the hotel wrong on many sites.
2.) The date Farren was reported missing. (Wrong all over the place!)
3.) The place from which Farren went missing.
4.) The "June 1980" as the last time Farren's Aunt remembers seeing him and dropping him off at a campground in the middle of nowhere?

I watched a TV show years ago on controversial murder cases, and a defense attorney said something on that show that struck with me for the rest of my life. "Bureaucratic systems don't like to be embarrassed by having to admit their own mistakes." That's a huge issue in Farren's case! I look forward to your comments!

Satch

 

[Mfleish]

I worked at Great America Amusement Park, Santa Clara | Facebook

Just a quick post to say I was approved to join! I will share the poster and if anyone has anything you think I should add, please let me know. It's late now, so I will post tomorrow.

 

[summergirl1]

The misinformation ( like what hotel he was living at when he went missing) in Farren's case is unfortunate, and it is far from the only cold case (both unidentified bodies and missing people) that suffers from misinformation for a variety of reasons. So the inaccurate info issues with his missing person case can be seen in general as issues which often go along with cold cases or Doe cases. Sometimes these issues happen because family doesn't remember things accurately or things get entered into people's files inaccurately or put in newspaper articles inaccurately or assumptions get made. Sorting out the mistakes and the facts from fiction/ assumptions is sometimes not easy which makes these cases harder to solve. I wonder how the hotel Farren went missing from got mixed up and then was put online inaccurately?

 

[Odyssey]

The misinformation ( like what hotel he was living at when he went missing) in Farren's case is unfortunate, and it is far from the only cold case (both unidentified bodies and missing people) that suffers from misinformation for a variety of reasons. So the inaccurate info issues with his missing person case can be seen in general as issues which often go along with cold cases or Doe cases. Sometimes these issues happen because family doesn't remember things accurately or things get entered into people's files inaccurately or put in newspaper articles inaccurately or assumptions get made. Sorting out the mistakes and the facts from fiction/ assumptions is sometimes not easy which makes these cases harder to solve. I wonder how the hotel Farren went missing from got mixed up and then was put online inaccurately?

Yeah, I think the misinformation comes from the facts that his family and LE were nowhere near SF, and the fact that nobody knows the actual date he went missing. Add to that the fact that he hadn't likely been in SF long enough for anyone there to know him very well.

I think the mistake of saying International instead of National is understandable though, they're similar enough IMO. I believe that hotel error originated in that article where his uncle was talking about his search. I'm guessing he was just going off the top of his head, since he clearly called the right hotel when he spoke to the manager.

 

[Ciriii57]

Yeah, I think the misinformation comes from the facts that his family and LE were nowhere near SF, and the fact that nobody knows the actual date he went missing. Add to that the fact that he hadn't likely been in SF long enough for anyone there to know him very well.

I think the mistake of saying International instead of National is understandable though, they're similar enough IMO. I believe that hotel error originated in that article where his uncle was talking about his search. I'm guessing he was just going off the top of his head, since he clearly called the right hotel when he spoke to the manager.

Yes, it's possible that if SFPD had gotten involved in the beginning the information would be clearer. I guess once one reputable source makes a mistake then everyone else copies it.
I can understand the hotel confusion since the International Hotel had been in the news alot at the time -then and even now it became a byword for the destruction of affordable housing and lack of sympathy of the city and LE due to the riots and squatting there. The names were so similar I guess they could be easily confused.
I have to wonder though @Odyssey if you hadn't found that bank account with his address what on Earth would be thinking now! We'd still The International!

 

[Bit of hope]

Guys,

To help us with that unclaimed check, what are the main reasons that the other "F. Stanberry" appears to be a rule out? Was it ever determined where the other F. Stanberry might have lived based on the check? I also think that the money is Farren's.

This unclaimed check info really confuses me. Only one initial, no address. We know this info comes from California state and there is a relation with Marriott. If I recall it right this unclaimed properties are put up after approx. 3 years? Is it possible that Farren had no address to give at that time, basically being transient for a while? How would that fit in the timeline? I don't see it myself at the moment, to be honest. I was also thinking of the possibility of identity theft somehow.

 

[Bit of hope]

Could anyone let me know the average time it gets dark in SF in late April, May and June?
And does anyone have any idea when ticket sellers are most active? I'm guessing they might start at 9 but do they work til late? I'm guessing you would target mostly families with teens for a theme park so when would the tourists be off the streets. Here they sometimes work until 10pm.

I'm thinking logically if something happened to Farren before or after work then it was probably when it was dark when people would be less likely to see. Although...was SF a 24 HR city back then? Would it be light and full of people on Market and Union Square at all times? If so, would Farren most likely have been in a less busy street?
If course he may well have gone willingly with someone bad.

I'm also curious about the street behind the National Hotel, Stevenson, today it looks really dodgy and I wonder what it was like back then before the civic centre was built. If it was as dark and creepy as it is today then I wonder who would linger there. The hotel has a back door into this street and most of the buildings look like they would have back then I think. Have a look on Google maps if your interested.

This is a chart for April...you can navigate through it. It goes back to 2003. Not sure how it exactly works with what we call summer/winter time when we shift the time with an hour. Maybe @Odyssey can explain it in USA terms (Daylight savings). Sunrise and sunset times in San Francisco, April 2023

 

[Ciriii57]

This unclaimed check info really confuses me. Only one initial, no address. We know this info comes from California state and there is a relation with Marriott. If I recall it right this unclaimed properties are put up after approx. 3 years? Is it possible that Farren had no address to give at that time, basically being transient for a while? How would that fit in the timeline? I don't see it myself at the moment, to be honest. I was also thinking of the possibility of identity theft somehow.

Hi @Bit of hope According to the Marriott HR person it was common not to record full information on these temporary or student workers. I'm not sure why but it sounds to me like they could be so temporary and possibly moving around all the time that maybe there was no point recording an address that might change in the next couple of weeks (JMO?) I guess whoever handed out the paychecks probably figured they'd show up to get it so wouldn't need an address.
Unclaimed property can only be passed on to the Unclaimed Property bureau after a minumum of 3 years has passed but there's no maximum time so it may have been longer.
I guess there could have been identity theft but if so I would expect to see alot more evidence of "Farren's" activities showing up. Also, isn't stealing identity usually about financial gain? I don't know why you would leave a paycheck unclaimed then if so?
Although Marriott confirmed what they think the paycheck relates to, we still have absolutely no way to know if it's Farren's.

I am still hoping to hear from the Unclaimed Properties people to confirm for us if this was Farren, the time it comes from and any other information. If not, I will have to send a "kind reminder" email!

 

[Maat99]

This is a chart for April...you can navigate through it. It goes back to 2003. Not sure how it exactly works with what we call summer/winter time when we shift the time with an hour. Maybe @Odyssey can explain it in USA terms (Daylight savings). Sunrise and sunset times in San Francisco, April 2023

I am not Odyssey but I can take a stab at explaining!
The sunrise/sunset data on that page is in local time and it includes any adjustment for DST. In other words, if sunset the day before DST was at 6:30 pm, then the day of/after DST, sunset would be at 7:30 pm.

DST in 1980 was on April 27. Before the 27th, sunset would have been around 7 pm. After that date it would have been 8 pm. The latest it stays light out (mid June), is roughly 8:30 pm.

 

[Ciriii57]

I know we still cannot know for sure whether the possible ticket sales job was what Farren was doing, but I must admit I am really frustrated that of all jobs this one has no specific location that we can define!
I was trying to think back to when I was in SF and where I remember being approached to buy tickets; definitely at the Marina, outside City Hall and in Chinatown. I'm sure all along Market Street too but I could be wrong....I have a vague recollection of being hassled everytime we got off a streetcar (I could be wrong?)And @Maat99 mentioned Union Square. Anywhere else?

Having said that, even if we did know where Farren worked, there's no telling that's where something bad happened to him. He could have gone out for drinks after work...limitless possibilities I suppose.

 

[Maat99]

I know we still cannot know for sure whether the possible ticket sales job was what Farren was doing, but I must admit I am really frustrated that of all jobs this one has no specific location that we can define!
I was trying to think back to when I was in SF and where I remember being approached to buy tickets; definitely at the Marina, outside City Hall and in Chinatown. I'm sure all along Market Street too but I could be wrong....I have a vague recollection of being hassled everytime we got off a streetcar (I could be wrong?)And @Maat99 mentioned Union Square. Anywhere else?

Having said that, even if we did know where Farren worked, there's no telling that's where something bad happened to him. He could have gone out for drinks after work...limitless possibilities I suppose.

Other tourist areas besides what you named would be Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, North Beach. And I think amusement visitors largely also consist of suburban families in the surrounding area. So possibly the Bart stations which would be busy with commuters from outlying areas arriving in the city for work could be targets. Those would be the Montgomery and Embarcadero stations on Market. There is also a Ferry building with ferry service (although not sure exactly when that started).There really are a lot of possibility.
Other Marriott options - there was a Farrells in the Serramonte shopping center in Daly City. But this one and the airport job are much less likely IMO. Bart didn’t extend to the airport until the 2000s. So both of these locations would have required taking Bart to Daly City plus one or more bus transfers.
This is JMO, but I can’t see living in the heart of SF only to travel to Daly City every day.
It would make more sense to live in Daly City where it‘s cheaper and commute into SF where there are more jobs instead of the other way around JMO.
If anyone has access to newspaper archives, I would love to get a look at the Sunday help wanted classifieds in the SF Chronicle or Examiner from that time. Id be curious to see what jobs Marriott was hiring for. If there were Farrells job ads and none for ticket selling (for example), that would make the trek out to Daly City more likely IMO.