LA LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, Feb'75 #2

[Courtaine]

They are common.
The name "Plaquemines," in French Creole, was derived from the Atakapa word piakimin, meaning the local fruit persimmon. The French used it to name a military post they built on the banks of the Mississippi River, as the site was surrounded by numerous persimmon trees. Eventually the name was applied to the entire parish and to a nearby bayou.

Yes, they are smaller trees and extremely slow growing. Persimmon wood is known as ebony. It is dark and very expensive. It rates up there with teak in price. It is much harder than oak. The fruit of native persimmon is extremely astringent and can cause oral injury unless completely ripe. Raccoons and possums seem to be able to tolerate the fruit better than humans. #PlantOfTheMonth: Persimmon | McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture.

There are non-astringent varieties of more edible persimmons from Asia known as "Japanese persimmon". Japanese persimmon trees are purchased from nurseries. Articles don't indicate whether the tree was native or a Japanese.
persimmon...

MOO: I just don't see a symbolism there...

Bayard Cousins number 1 or 2 on potential ID list, his mother was a tree biologist. She apparently had a huge fondness for the Persimmon tree, so I see great symbolism there.

A while back I said it's like he's trying to tell a story. If I think logically, the suicide note says 'I've been planning this for a year'. I believe everything is symbolic of something and/or someone. This young man was no fool and well read, so I think everything means something but you have to take the location, the letter and his possible name (because who he was gives us a bunch of clues) all into account.

(I too have never heard about the poetry angle, thank you for that because it fits in perfectly)

- he runs away from home a year or so before his death
- he ends up in Louisiana sometime in 1975, I would guess before Mardi Gras
- he uses his last money to get a room at the red roof inn.
- Mardi Gras ended on Feb 11 1975 (don't know which year Plath committed suicide but if before 75 it's very significant)
- I think he's started and stopped on his note for a while, adding bits when he had thought them out (which accounts for the hopping around in the note)
- on the 11th feb he celebrates the end of Mardi Gras and after fat Tuesday, lent begins, that's also significant because the catholics give something up for lent (like a food, meat for example), theologically it's giving up sustenance and it's also fasting. He uses the sheet for Mardi Gras.
- from the 12th to the 15th he finishes his note and finds himself a climable Persimmon tree.
- he waits until late afternoon (Jesus succumbed from the crucifixion in the late afternoon) then he walks in his shoes and socks with his bed sheet and his jar (bringing a pencil, just in case) to the tree.
- he makes a noose of the bed sheet, climbs up and.... He kicks his shoes off as he is..... (I can't say it)

This is my theory and it is only my opinion.

 

[pillywiggin]

Bayard Cousins number 1 or 2 on potential ID list, his mother was a tree biologist. She apparently had a huge fondness for the Persimmon tree, so I see great symbolism there.

A while back I said it's like he's trying to tell a story. If I think logically, the suicide note says 'I've been planning this for a year'. I believe everything is symbolic of something and/or someone. This young man was no fool and well read, so I think everything means something but you have to take the location, the letter and his possible name (because who he was gives us a bunch of clues) all into account.

(I too have never heard about the poetry angle, thank you for that because it fits in perfectly)

- he runs away from home a year or so before his death
- he ends up in Louisiana sometime in 1975, I would guess before Mardi Gras
- he uses his last money to get a room at the red roof inn.
- Mardi Gras ended on Feb 11 1975 (don't know which year Plath committed suicide but if before 75 it's very significant)
- I think he's started and stopped on his note for a while, adding bits when he had thought them out (which accounts for the hopping around in the note)
- on the 11th feb he celebrates the end of Mardi Gras and after fat Tuesday, lent begins, that's also significant because the catholics give something up for lent (like a food, meat for example), theologically it's giving up sustenance and it's also fasting. He uses the sheet for Mardi Gras.
- from the 12th to the 15th he finishes his note and finds himself a climable Persimmon tree.
- he waits until late afternoon (Jesus succumbed from the crucifixion in the late afternoon) then he walks in his shoes and socks with his bed sheet and his jar (bringing a pencil, just in case) to the tree.
- he makes a noose of the bed sheet, climbs up and.... He kicks his shoes off as he is..... (I can't say it)

This is my theory and it is only my opinion.

Sylvia Plath died February 11, 1963.

 

[Ciriii57]

Sylvia Plath died February 11, 1963.

Apparently the Bell Jar wasn't published in the US until 1971 due to the wishes of her husband and mother.
I don't know if that's relevant.

 

[Courtaine]

Apparently the Bell Jar wasn't published in the US until 1971 due to the wishes of her husband and mother.
I don't know if that's relevant.

That leaves 3 years his last 3 at school and for argument sake let's say he's 17/18 at the time of his death which means he could have been in grade 10. Did this boy do a lot of reading outside school, did his teacher perhaps introduce the class to Plath by bringing in her copy of The Bell Jar, it could be a coincidence but since everything else looks planned I'm leaning toward not.

We can theorise until we're bored but we'll probably never put together the real true story. He took some secrets with him. I'm happy with that. My biggest hope now is not how or why but when. When will he be moved to actively investigating by faces or another lab to determine DNA.

Once again, we have remains, we have an exact location, we have a contact with the funeral home who do have exact records for the cemetery because they own it. We have living siblings for the top 2 favourite persons. And we don't need living siblings anymore, genealogy can trace him backwards today. I honestly don't know what else we can do other than trying to get his story into the media. And quite frankly it's difficult to do that, I've contacted journalists and said 'here' I'm giving you an entire story, zero research needed and they just don't bite.

Thanks for checking @Ciriii57 your posts are NEVER irrelevant and always well thought out and welcome, as is everybody else's.

 

[Courtaine]

MURDER IN THE BAYOU BY ETHAN BROWN

Cancer kills in Jennings, Louisiana but so do the police and the drug dealers. When you start putting your own time-line together, it becomes shockingly obvious that all the players, slayers and vi…

bellakisshaksan.wordpress.com

Can anyone get hold of this guy, wish Mrs Tony still posted.

 

[lightofmine99]

Perhaps the publisher could be emailed and asked for Mr. Brown's contact regarding a story, or if we could track down his then or current agent.

 

[Courtaine]

I'll try to get the book, the agent and publisher should be in it. So sad bok-oz has been seized saved me thousands and thousands in textbooks not published here.

 

[Ciriii57]

That leaves 3 years his last 3 at school and for argument sake let's say he's 17/18 at the time of his death which means he could have been in grade 10. Did this boy do a lot of reading outside school, did his teacher perhaps introduce the class to Plath by bringing in her copy of The Bell Jar, it could be a coincidence but since everything else looks planned I'm leaning toward not.

We can theorise until we're bored but we'll probably never put together the real true story. He took some secrets with him. I'm happy with that. My biggest hope now is not how or why but when. When will he be moved to actively investigating by faces or another lab to determine DNA.

Once again, we have remains, we have an exact location, we have a contact with the funeral home who do have exact records for the cemetery because they own it. We have living siblings for the top 2 favourite persons. And we don't need living siblings anymore, genealogy can trace him backwards today. I honestly don't know what else we can do other than trying to get his story into the media. And quite frankly it's difficult to do that, I've contacted journalists and said 'here' I'm giving you an entire story, zero research needed and they just don't bite.

Thanks for checking @Ciriii57 your posts are NEVER irrelevant and always well thought out and welcome, as is everybody else's.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Same to you

I wonder if a book published in 1971 would have made it onto the school syllabus in time for him to study it?
Of course, if this young man had a serious interest in this kind of literature he probably went out and bought a copy!

wish Mrs Tony still posted.

Although she's not able to publicly post in the threads at the moment, she sees all! She's actively following everything

 

[Courtaine]

Dear Mr Brown

If I could convince you why to do this, allow me to do so:

- almost zero research.
- it's 24 years old and nobody else will put it in a major magazine/website/blog or anything else.
- there's no crime, it's a suicide. I realise this may be a small downside.
- there is a suicide note, a lengthy one.
- the Doe is on the Charley Project and NAMUS
- there is a thread on Websleuths, 2 threads so 55 pages of information dating back to 2005.
- contributors to the thread have excluded most possible IDs, there are only three viable options to identity.
- the Doe has been taken up by FACES as a submission for genealogical identification by either direct DNA comparison or ancestral DNA comparison
- the exact location of the remains is known, as is the funeral home who own the cemetery
- there are remains, he was not cremated
- the case files were destroyed but I'm betting most of what was in the case files are now on the thread
-there is another thread on a different website, details are in the media thread on Websleuths
- he has been moved from possible investigation to future investigation on FACES

Please consider doing his story and getting his story into mainstream media, we would love to give him back his name.

Thank you so much for reading this. I include a link to the Websleuths thread.

LA - LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, Feb'75 #2

(I left out some personal bits)

I'll post here the minute I get a reply, if i get a reply. Cross fingers and toes for us @Sweetluv

 

[lightofmine99]

I might add why you think so many people (here at least) are attracted to his story. It was recently discussed that there is an inherent melancholic romance to the story. The Belle Chasse Doe story is both tragic and mysterious; an unknown young man decided to take his own life, but cared enough about his final message to protect it, and appears to have done certain things due to symbolic significance. We have only a sketch or two, in which he looks like a Beatle, to go on for looks.

 

[carbuff]

Bayard Cousins number 1 or 2 on potential ID list, his mother was a tree biologist. She apparently had a huge fondness for the Persimmon tree, so I see great symbolism there.
(snipped)
This is my theory and it is only my opinion.

I had forgotten this detail. That would be a really wild coincidence if he's not Bayard!

 

[MamaSleuth5]

Sylvia Plath died February 11, 1963.

Almost identical to the date BCJD passed away. JMO

 

[Courtaine]

I might add why you think so many people (here at least) are attracted to his story. It was recently discussed that there is an inherent melancholic romance to the story. The Belle Chasse Doe story is both tragic and mysterious; an unknown young man decided to take his own life, but cared enough about his final message to protect it, and appears to have done certain things due to symbolic significance. We have only a sketch or two, in which he looks like a Beatle, to go on for looks.

I'm hoping Mr brown figures that out if he reads the threads, but it's also mentioned in the threads about the romance and tragedy so I'm sure if anyone reads the entire thread they'll see how we feel and probably draw the same conclusion.

 

[Courtaine]

Almost identical to the date BCJD passed away. JMO

It was the last day of Mardi Gras in 75, not a coincidence if he was suicidal and into plath. That was deliberate, nothing else in the US was going on Feb 11th to my knowledge and he's in the right state with the right tree, fits like a jigsaw puzzle.

 

[cenazoic]

He died on February 14th.

 

[Liisbet]

One sketch where his hair actually looks brown (from: Unknown “Belle Chasse John Doe” Unknown ... )

 

[Courtaine]

One sketch where his hair actually looks brown (from: Unknown “Belle Chasse John Doe” Unknown ... )
View attachment 503610

Thank you! That's the best sketch I've seen of him thus far.

 

[christyleigh333]

Question for locals concerning the waterways nearby: Is this an area BCJD could have travelled to by boat? Something small, like a kayak or canoe? I'm thinking of an explanation aside from a car of how he made his way there, and also a reason for keeping his note in the jar. He certainly could have folded the note and put it in his pocket, unless he feared he would not be found for some time and rain would destroy it. It seems to me though that he chose an area where he knew he would be discovered--it is somewhat remote, so he had enough privacy to act, but his body was found within hours, not weeks, months, etc.

Also, my main takeaways are : 1.) I think to help solve this it would be great if we could somehow determine if any agency still has his prints. Probably beyond an individual here, but there must be some organization or other than could do so. 2.) Have same reconfirm that funeral home knows where the remains are. This way if more details come together, and/or a relative ever does come forward, at least there would be some method to help confirm or rule out.

The stuff with Charlie Wallace's mom is just odd. I'm not sure what to think. I fear we might be reading into things a bit based on the newspaper articles and the way they were written. For example, we are assuming she chose not to ID her son to save face, yet the same articles note her neighbors are the ones who alerted the Wallaces to BCJD, so everyone knew Charlie was struggling. Likewise, her husband is also quoted saying (roughly) "Let me go to identify him." Yet Mrs Wallace felt she needed to see the BCJD herself. (Understandably.) So I do not personally believe we can read as much into as protecting Mr. Wallace, and letting him have hope his son was alive.

The wording is also somewhat vague with respect to Charlie's dentist, and also a lesser extent, the scar inside BCJD's mouth. We know both young men had a scar, and I agree that is very compelling. There may also be an explanation for it, however. And if both men had ordinary enough dental records, could they "match"? What exactly does it mean that they were a "match"? I feel we do not know. I would feel more confident with more specific details about the dental match, as we have seen in some modern discussions here.

I feel it would be very difficult to go view remains to begin with and then if they actually were your son, to smile and say they were not your son? While I know anything is possible, this just seems so strange. She is described as being relieved, even.

I’m from south Louisiana and Belle Chasse is a suburb of New Orleans so there’s A LOT of waterways everywhere! The area is also home to a military base and it was also known for its underwater traffic tunnel that was operated for over 60 years but was closed down earlier this year (a new tunnel was opened).

The area sits close to the Mississippi River and Lake Ponchatrain (the causeway bridge connecting the north shore to the greater New Orleans area is the longest continuous bridge over water in the world at over 25 miles…the twin spans were later built after Katrina and now provides a much shorter route)…along with those two major waterways the area is also filled with swamps and smaller tributaries so making use of them could’ve been his main source of transportation!!

Deep down inside I honestly believe that he had to have been from somewhere not more than 60 or so miles away from New Orleans because of the place that he chose to end his life is in an area that is familiar to locals. The exact location at the time of his death was not in an area that could be accessed or found by any other way but by vehicular transport so he must have known that it would be the perfect secluded spot for him to end his life privately and without the possibility of being stopped. He may have hitchhiked or taken a taxi to this secluded spot and then after arriving he went further into the wooded area so that he could find a place that he wouldn’t be found too soon after his death but also not too long either. The notes that he so poetically wrote were safeguarded from the south Louisiana elements in a well thought out plan…he may not have wanted anyone to know his true identity but he definitely wanted to be found and for his words to be his last wishes after death but if he truly thought that he would simply be discarded of and forgotten about he was wrong - his letters and a composite drawing of his face were published in newspapers around the country! For four months he remained in the morgue for so many parents coming to see if he was their lost child but he wasn’t so he was buried in a wooden coffin in an unmarked grave at a Gretna cemetery.

My theory is that his parents saw his story and they knew that it was him but they allowed him to remain unknown to everyone else but their own selves. I mean they had to have been looking for him after he disappeared because he speaks so lovingly about how they did everything right in raising him so I know that he was loved…maybe their last act of true love for their son was letting him remain unknown