DE DE - Wilmington, BlkMale 1140UMDE, 17-25, severe pelvic deformity, Apr'78

[ctaylor]

Just having a look on Doe Network and found this case

http://doenetwork.org/cases/1140umde.html

Unidentified Black Male

The victim was discovered on April 8, 1978 in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
Estimated Date of Death: 3-7 years prior
Skeletal Remains

Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 17-25 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 64"; 140 lbs
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black hair. Severe pelvic deformity. Evidence of several healed fractures on the right side of the body. Individual would have walked with a pronounced limp on the right side.
Dentals: Available. Victim had 32 teeth, well kept. No fillings. No evidence of staining from tar.
Clothing: A bleached blue, long-sleeved shirt which was rolled up around the elbow region. A tag at the back of the neck area says, "Kent- Collection By Arrow". A pair of blue, bleached pants, size 32, show "Made in Hong Kong". Printed, jersey undershorts also recovered.
DNA: Available at University of North Texas.

Have just edited this post, as I had originally posted John Ashley as a match....

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1866dmde.html

John was from Wilmington, would fit the age range and also had a right hip congenital defect. The UID would have walked with a pronounced limp on the right side according to the Doe Network information, however he has been ruled out on NAMUS.
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2185

I thought the similarities were striking but apparently not....

My bad, but a thread on this case being started might yet help

 

[carbuff]

Thanks for starting the thread. Your candidate was very good -- I'm surprised he's a ruleout.

 

[airplanelamp]

Wow. The reconstruction even looks like him. There couldn't be an error, could there?

 

[carbuff]

Absolutely everything fits.

 

[LotsaLatte]

According to Namus "Mitrochondrial DNA testing of three siblings and the mother of John Ashley has excluded him from from any biological connection....."

Link: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/3853/0

 

[carbuff]

According to Namus "Mitrochondrial DNA testing of three siblings and the mother of John Ashley has excluded him from from any biological connection....."

Link: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/3853/0

Thanks for finding that. Wow. That is...amazing.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I wonder what the 'severe pelvic deformity' was?

 

[carbuff]

Severe pelvic deformity plus several fractures on the right side makes me think he had been in an accident -- hit by a car, maybe.

 

[Jake479]

Bumping

 

[carbuff]

Exclusions
The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent:

First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA

John Ashley, Jr. 1953 Delaware
Hubert Miller 1946 Ohio

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2185

aside: whoever did that sculpted reconstruction ought to be taken out and given racial sensitivity training. Such a caricature. Argh!

 

[namstache]

This case was modified internally by NAMUS today.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Seeing that John J. Ashley, Jr. was ruled out by means of DNA comparison just about makes me question the earth being round. I was very surprised to see that!

I tried researching Willie Reginald Clark not too long ago but didn’t find much of anything. His date of last contact is listed as May of 1978. He was in the Army at the time but everything I read gave me the impression no one knew for sure where he was actually living. So I wonder what other details are unclear.

I wouldn’t normally consider this possibility but when I saw the sketch (not that clay model) of John Doe along with the year “1978”, it made me think of Willie again.

Willie Reginald Clark

 

[carbuff]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Exclusions -- same as before

First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA

John Ashley, Jr. 1953 Delaware
Hubert Miller 1946 Ohio

 

[Laughing]

5'4" is small stature for a man!

Probably too late now, but sharing x-ray images of the deceased' pelvis with the Shriner's Hospitals might have helped identify this young man.

 

[Bombshell]

“The Unit has partnered with Moxxy Forensic Investigations, which believes that the subject likely had African American ancestral ties to South Carolina and Delaware. Moxxy also identified surnames that could be related to the subject, including Harris, Ray, Rodgers, and Dukes.”

Found Dead In 1978, Limped, Could Have Ties To Carolinas, One Of These Surnames

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

Article by Isabel Hughes from Delawareonline posted April 29, 2024, entirled “His remains were found in a Wilmington dump more than 40 years ago. Do you know him?”:

His remains were found in a Wilmington dump more than 40 years ago. Do you know him?

He was found by a man who was scavenging through trash.

www.delawareonline.com

The article also goes on to state:
“While the man remains unidentified, Moxxy Forensic Investigations recently found that he likely had "African American ancestral ties to South Carolina and Delaware." It also provided various surnames that could have been associated with the man, including Harris, Ray, Rodgers and Dukes.”

 

[dotr]

Police ask public for help in solving 1978 Delaware cold case

Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying and determining the cause of death of a man whose body was found in Wilmington, Delaware, 46 years ago.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

By David Chang • April 29, 2024​

''Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying and determining the cause of death of a man whose body was found in Wilmington, Delaware, 46 years ago.
On April 8, 1978, police were called to a landfill on the 600 block of Terminal Avenue where they found the body of a man. The man was believed to be 17 to 25 years of age and may have been at that location for up to seven years before his body was discovered, police said.''

 

[dotr]

Police ask public for help in solving 1978 Delaware cold case​

Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying and determining the cause of death of a man whose body was found in Wilmington, Delaware, 46 years ago.
www.nbcphiladelphia.com

By David Chang • April 29, 2024​

''Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying and determining the cause of death of a man whose body was found in Wilmington, Delaware, 46 years ago.
On April 8, 1978, police were called to a landfill on the 600 block of Terminal Avenue where they found the body of a man. The man was believed to be 17 to 25 years of age and may have been at that location for up to seven years before his body was discovered, police said.''