WA WA - Reuben Lewis, 20, Everett, 21 Feb 1991

[MagnoliaMountain]

His NamUs profile: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/839/1
(Profile strength "High")

 

[andthisismykindofluv]

Sorry for the stupid question I'm about to ask but what does the strength mean on a namus profile? Also I wonder if LE confirmed how long Rueben's friend waited for him to come back before leaving. This case is sad, but as other's have said points to a drug deal gone bad.

 

[MagnoliaMountain]

They have DNA, dentals and fingerprints of Reuben that can be compared to UIDs, so the chances for him to be indentified are high.

 

[MagnoliaMountain]

Missing for 25 years.

 

[Slow cheetah]

Maybe some of you who have learned about these things during the time you've researched/investigated cases can help shed some light on this for me.

How exactly does a drug deal go bad? I have no clue how these deals take place or go down but a bad deal seems to be the end game for the missing young man I'm trying to help find.

Feel free to PM me if you don't want to answer in this thread.

I have just joined this thread, so first of all hello to all.
This case has also been one of the many that really just keeps hanging in my mind. (i am a frequent on the doe network, poring through all of these sad, heartbreaking cases hoping maybe one day I would be able to help bring some closure to someone out there).
First, I saw earlier in this thread somewhere, there was a person who posted a link to a UID found in late 1991 in Alabama. The case sounded like it could be a match for Reuben. I had already submitted that link to Snohomish county sheriff's department before I read on here that whoever posted the link was told it was NOT Reuben. Just wondering who that person was and who told them it was not Reuben?
Second, I will just say that I have had a lot of experiences in the drug world due to dating a couple of guys who dealt in some heavy and not so heavy stuff.
If Reuben was there to make a deal that night, but came up short on the drugs, there's one problem,there. Or maybe he got the money from,these people and was not able to find the drugs they wanted. Or....he could have been sort of a middle man dealer. I have heard of all sorts of bad stuff going down....one guy I dated even came to me telling me he and his friend had had guns put to their heads. Its a scary world to be around, much less in. I am wondering, who was it that even said he was going to do a deal, or was that assumed???
Also, most of the time a smart dealer does not deal with those he doesn't know. He has to be pretty tight with a person, or people,,to even get in with them....
One more note. If he was getting his drugs to sell from a higher level dealer, he could've been fronted them, I.e., given the drugs and be expected to be paid back once they were sold.
Another couple angles, too. If he was a known dealer....by the law....suppose any of his connections knew this and were afraid he was going to narc them out? There are no friends in the drug world.
I have to wonder if it even had to do with a deal home bad. What if he was looking at hard time and wanted to disappear? Or suppose he did leave that apartment that night, realized he had no ride, and tried to hoof it somewhere, some jackass knows he has $ on him.....
There are so many what its.

 

[jottinger]

I was a friend of Ben's when I lived in Everett. Ben and I were arrested together when we were 15-16? after we stole a backpack full of expensive camera equipment in the San Juan islands during a jazz festival his parents took us to. After that, my parents never let me hang out with him again so I lost touch with him once I moved away to Florida. I can say, that although we got into trouble that one time, he was one of the few people from my childhood that I could call a "best" friend.

I visited Everett in my late-20's and managed to hook up with some of my other friends, and it was a bit depressing. Nearly all of my old friends were addicted to various drugs and were living (forgive the term, but it is the only way to describe it) "white trash" lifestyles. I love all of my friends, but drugs in south Everett must've been a huge, uncontrolled problem, and it was really sad.

About 10 years ago I heard from a friend that Ben had gone missing a while back, and I am writing this here to let everyone know that he really was a nice guy. His Mom and Dad loved him very much. He got in trouble a bit, and obviously had gotten into some bad life-choices, but he and his family are worth helping.

Thanks,
Jeff Ottinger

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bumping. Where are you??

 

[rosesfromangels]

I was a friend of Ben's when I lived in Everett. Ben and I were arrested together when we were 15-16? after we stole a backpack full of expensive camera equipment in the San Juan islands during a jazz festival his parents took us to. After that, my parents never let me hang out with him again so I lost touch with him once I moved away to Florida. I can say, that although we got into trouble that one time, he was one of the few people from my childhood that I could call a "best" friend.

I visited Everett in my late-20's and managed to hook up with some of my other friends, and it was a bit depressing. Nearly all of my old friends were addicted to various drugs and were living (forgive the term, but it is the only way to describe it) "white trash" lifestyles. I love all of my friends, but drugs in south Everett must've been a huge, uncontrolled problem, and it was really sad.

About 10 years ago I heard from a friend that Ben had gone missing a while back, and I am writing this here to let everyone know that he really was a nice guy. His Mom and Dad loved him very much. He got in trouble a bit, and obviously had gotten into some bad life-choices, but he and his family are worth helping.

Thanks,
Jeff Ottinger

What a great post.
Here is my gut reaction after breezing through this thread. His Perp(s) is/are most likely deceased or in jail. Figuring out who was from that area at that time who is in prison is a good start. Prisoners will serve as informants in exchange for various things. I’d ask the cold case Detective if this angle has been considered. A review of the inmate roster from the town in question (past and present) couldn’t hurt. From that discovery, you can connect dots to your missing friend.

 

[Slow cheetah]

Hi Sam, I know this page is super old and not sure how far you may have been able to get with it, sounds like you have gone above and beyond and tried very hard; I think that is awesome of you and I am quite sure Reuben's family and friends do too. This case jumped out at me too and not sure why. He was/is a handsome guy, was young when this went down, and no matter what he was into, surely didn't deserve anything untoward that mayve happened to him. I have to wonder if the law enforcement actually took this case very seriously. In a perfect world all cases such as this get treated equally: after all EVERY missing or unidentified person was someone's son/daughter, grandchild, maybe sibling....and friend. Everyone in this world at some point in their life leaves a footprint somewhere, on someone.we all touch at least one, but most times MANY; people on our journey.
Back to the deal here. So I have to wonder how seriously this was taken by LE; how much they really put into and just how deep they really dug. You would think it's cut and dry what they need to do....but it's not. I have a close friend who lost her 19 year old daughter under VERY suspicious circumstances. We live in a very rural area, and NOTHING WAS DONE how it was supposed to have been...it's a long story but LE labeled it a suicide and it was most certainly NOT. Now they won't reopen it. Now her circumstances were quite different than the case at hand with Reuben. But it made me think....if there are cops/investigators out there as as they were in her case.....who KNOWS what could've been omitted/not done/left out/done wrong in his case?
I am writing all of this without knowing if there are any updates. I hope that for the sake of all who love Reuben, that closure comes for them somehow.

 

[AliceInPain]

The leg previously mentioned here was connected to other body parts found later in 1991, closer to Everett.
His height and weight are similar to Reubens, and the UID is also listed as having dark curly head hair, and died that same year.

They are on each others rule-out lists I guess but not sure by DNA comparison, however... I have seen missing people on their own rule-out lists before.
Also I don't know how they can say what type head hair the UID had since "Head not recovered."

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
WA - WA - White male, UP10464, dismembered parts, Snohomish County, 1991

Map of where the body parts were found and Reuben disappeared:
خرائط ‪Google‬‏‏

 

[alicecooper91]

This has been one of my pet cases since I first read about it, as Rueben disappeared on the day I was born. I hope that we will have answers someday.

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bump

 

[branmuffin]

Hello, all. First time I've posted on this thread. This case is a strange one.

When you think of drug dealers and the risk element involved, nothing is really off the table. Even an individual like Reuben who sounds like his dealings were fairly small scale wouldn't be exempt from blow back, whether from someone higher up the ladder or below. From above, could be shorting your supplier or partaking of the product so you can't provide the cash. From below, could be someone who wanted the drugs AND the money he was carrying.

I wonder about the person who drove him to the apartments. Did he know Reuben was making a drug deal? And if he did, was it Reuben selling the product, or dropping off the proceeds to his supplier? What was said when he got out of the car, "Just wait here, I'll be back in a few?" Or, "This might take a while"

I presume the last thing you'd want to do is get involved in a drug deal, especially if you were up on charges yourself or on parole, so when Reuben didn't return in 40 minutes you might wonder if things had gone south and chose to leave. Forty minutes is a long time to wait.

Reuben sounds like he was a bit flamboyant, based on his stylistic choices, so maybe he wasn't above flashing a roll of hundreds when making a deal. That act could be a powerful motivation for someone to kill him.

Another thing, about his clothing choices and accessories. Some of his clothing on Namus and the CharleyProject is described as women's clothing. He carried a pink and white wallet, he wore a women's red leather jacket. I wonder if he was unapologetically gay. As much as homosexuality has been accepted into mainstream society, it hasn't always been and 30 years ago, even less so. I can think of numerous cases where men have been beaten or killed because of their sexual preferences. Matthew Shepard comes to mind.

I don't mean to insult Reuben's memory, but if he was gay, that could have been a powerful motive to someone who hated gays. On the website findreubenmicahlewis, his mother made some cryptic comments regarding her being fearful and critical of his choices and preferences regarding music and shows. I could be wrong, but it reflects the same response a woman I know had when her son was young who eventually came out as gay.

The body parts that were found sound so much like what could have happened to an individual who was murdered without a plan in place. LE says a leg and another body part was located but didn't specify the second one. I'm trying to figure out how they would know the partial remains of an UID would signify curl brown hair, especially if the torso was missing. I hear the dismembered UID has been excluded as a match. I guess we don't know what that exclusion was based on, because the facts and the timing do point to Reuben.

Edited to add: perhaps this study is how they decided the UID had curly hair.
Scientists solve curly hair question › News in Science (ABC Science)

 

[MadMcGoo]

Refreshing the thread...

 

[MadMcGoo]

Reuben Micah Lewis

Lewis, circa 1991; Age-progression to age 38 (circa 2008)
Reuben Micah Lewis – The Charley Project

 

[drbilly5191]

Just saw this news today; Human remains found in unincorporated Everett | king5.com

This location is right next to Mallard Cove apartments. I grew up in the area, and this is no more than .5 miles.

 

[drbilly5191]

Also, not to kick Everett while it’s down, but I will echo some of the other comments. Everett is an unbelievably seedy area, and the idea of a “drug deal” gone bad could lead to an infinite number of suspects. I wake up every morning thanking God I don’t live there anymore!

 

[Piperpiper12]

I knew Ben (RML) before and at the time of his disappearance. He was not gay/ but had his own eclectic style- he was very good looking with his eyes & curly hair. One day he was just gone. He spent nights at my home- dates my best friend/roommate & introduced me to sound garden- he was a gem- I only knew of him dealing weed - but as much as he was fun to hang out with he didn’t boast to us girls bout how he made his money - he drove the cloud car till it broke down- he painted it light blue & white that looked similar to clouds- every few years I search to see if anything has ever been found out -Bc how does someone just disappear without any trace at all for 30 years- Ben (Jarvis) where ever you may be - j

 

[branmuffin]

I knew Ben (RML) before and at the time of his disappearance. He was not gay/ but had his own eclectic style- he was very good looking with his eyes & curly hair. One day he was just gone. He spent nights at my home- dates my best friend/roommate & introduced me to sound garden- he was a gem- I only knew of him dealing weed - but as much as he was fun to hang out with he didn’t boast to us girls bout how he made his money - he drove the cloud car till it broke down- he painted it light blue & white that looked similar to clouds- every few years I search to see if anything has ever been found out -Bc how does someone just disappear without any trace at all for 30 years- Ben (Jarvis) where ever you may be - j

Thank you for providing further insight in Ben. I meant no harm when I suggested his flamboyant tastes may have suggested he was gay. He was a very attractive guy. Do you know if the person who drove him to the apartment complex was the last person to see him? I don't think Ben left of his own accord, I believe foul play is responsible for his absence.

 

[Piperpiper12]

it’s so hard to know - he hung out with a guy - shorter hair (can’t remember his name) & I would assume it was him - I can’t imagine he would have had anything to do with it- but that said I don’t who he was with. Back in those younger years he was fun! Silly , jokes easy to like and incredibly good looking! I believe something bad happened & it’s hard not to think it was in C bldg of that complex. It so sad tho - every few years I obsess about him again & start searching to see if he has been found or come home. He had a life here at that time in his young age. I know he was close with his mom and would not leave her left to just wonder. So many possibilities. I would like answers to the questions about the investigation- did they not only question the residents of C- bldg but did they search the homes??? Not sure how to find out. I read that his DNA is in the database so they can get a hit if there ever was a match. Sad - makes me want to search for him - j

Thank you for providing further insight in Ben. I meant no harm when I suggested his flamboyant tastes may have suggested he was gay. He was a very attractive guy. Do you know if the person who drove him to the apartment complex was the last person to see him? I don't think Ben left of his own accord, I believe foul play is responsible for his absence.