WA - Unidentified Male: "Lyle Stevik", Grays Harbor, 17 Sept 2001 - #4

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Shared on New Jersey for the Federal Help Find the Missing Act - Billy's Law and
Never Forget Me

This man committed suicide 5 days after 9/11. I've always felt he had a connection to it. More photos can be found on the Grays Harbor County coroners site

Unidentified male; known as “Lyle Stevik”. He was found on September 17th, 2001, alone in a hotel room and sad enough to feel that there wasn’t much worth left in his life. He went far away, perhaps in the hope that anyone close to him would not know where he was, for whatever reasons unknown to the rest of the world. A man young enough to have graduated high school only a few years prior or maybe just recently graduated high school, depending on what his real age was. But “Lyle Stevik” isn’t his name at all. In fact, nobody knows what his real name is. He was found in Amanda Park, Grays Harbor County, Washington (Some websites list it as "Montesano, Washington), and was last alive between September 14th, 2001 and sometime during September 16th, 2001.

Who was he? A son? Grandson? Brother? Nephew? Uncle? Boyfriend/fiancé? Someone’s BFF? A co-worker? Honor student? Valedictorian? Immigrant/Refugee?

Where was he from? Canada? Another part of the US? An overseas democracy? A war torn country? A dictatorship?

What were his reasons? Was he fleeing from abuse? Was someone going after him? Was he jilted? Was he suffering from psychological trauma? A death of a parent, lover, or a friend? Persecution?

Who is he? Certainly someone would recognize a handsome man with a distinctive appearance. There has to be someone out there who is looking for their son, grandson, best friend, or boyfriend.

If you recognize “Lyle Stevik” as family member or friend, or if you have any other information about him, please call:
Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Department
Steve Shumate @ 360-249-6070 x 568 OR sshumate@co.grays-harbor.wa.us

https://identifyus.org/cases/11100

FB Page Who Is This Man? Possible Alias: Lyle Stevik
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lyle-Stevik/526230690768530

https://identifyus.org/cases/11100

Link to Lyle on Grays Harbor County coroners site
http://www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us/info/Coroner/ActiveCases.html

Doe Network Case File 233UMWA http://doenetwork.org/cases/233umwa.html

Lyle Stevik WS Forum link
Lyle Stevik - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Tumbler http://lyle-stevik.tumblr.com/

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bluecanary said:
Hey all,

Still relatively new to this site - I've posted a few times in the past, but have mostly just read through threads on unsolved missing and unidentified persons that have always, always niggled at me. Lyle's is one of those cases.

My thoughts:

  • The scar on Lyle's abdomen was due to an appendectomy, not any kind of injury. I presume that the scar had long since healed - the ME would have been able to tell if it were recent, and he made no mention of that. There were also no signs of existing illness, ruling that out as a motivator for suicide.
  • I don't believe Lyle Stevik was the victim's real name. The fact that he had no ID and chose the name of a fictional character from a book, as well as listing a hotel as his residential address, indicates to me that he went out of his way to make sure he wouldn't be identified.
  • I get the feeling that Lyle was estranged from his family for some reason. He was well-groomed and educated, so he obviously wasn't neglected as a child. I'm thinking that the separation happened later in his adult life, perhaps due to some life choices he'd made that his family didn't agree with. One poster mentioned the possibility of his being gay. It's a leap, but perhaps he'd come out to his family and they didn't support him? That would certainly leave a person feeling isolated and depressed. I think it's likely that his family wrote him off months or years prior to when he was found, and haven't filed a missing person's report because they're not in current contact with him.
  • Lyle didn't have the unkempt, untidy look of someone who has been living on the streets. He had decent clothing and good teeth, which means that up until he died, he wasn't financially strapped. He was getting money from somewhere, so he likely had a good job. He'd probably either quit or had been laid off/fired very recently. Without more information to go on, this by itself isn't helpful, but might be useful in comparing him to missing persons' cases.
  • The address of the hotel in Meridian, ID seems too precise to just be a randomly chosen location to me. The investigator on the case mentioned that Lyle had arrived by bus, possibly bound from Aberdeen, WA. By mapping out the locations on Google, it looks entirely plausible to me that Lyle had stayed at the Best Western in Meridian a day or two prior to his arrival, then traveled north via bus along I-84 to I-5 to Aberdeen, then north to Amanda Park. Given that it's a secluded location, and considering the clothing Lyle was wearing (plaid shirt, hiking boots) that seems to fit with the fishing/hiking activities that the area is known for, I have to think that the area had some special personal meaning for Lyle - perhaps his family had vacationed there when he was a child, and he found it a comforting place to die. I get the feeling that he was a very good person - the fact that even to the end of his life, he thought of paying for his hotel room and obscuring his identity (perhaps to spare his family the grief of his passing) demonstrates this to me. It makes me all the more sad that to this day, his identity is still unknown, and he's buried in an unmarked grave.
Click to expand...

Welcome to this thread, BlueCanary. You have clearly articulated your view and it is well appreciated!

You hit on a point that has a general subtext here...that Lyle was a good person. Why do we have that sense? I think it is because he left the money for his room and the note. Clearly he had empathy.

That's not to say that he couldn't have done something bad, that he greatly regretted, possibly leading to his suicide.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to solve this case??
 
The other reason he might be perceived as a good, or at least a considerate person, is because he apparently switched rooms from the one facing where children were playing outside.imo.
 
Taking the bus in to town has significance. He had the markings of a middle to upper middle class citizen; especially the orthodontic work. His boots weren't cheap either. Taking the bus could suggest:
a) He didn't want to abandon a car that would trace him
b) He had a medical condition where he couldn't drive (he had recently lost 30-40 lbs...)

The bus is the best link we have to this guy. And yes, he is very distinctive looking. It's hard to believe he hasn't been identified.
 
rosesfromangels said:
Taking the bus in to town has significance. He had the markings of a middle to upper middle class citizen; especially the orthodontic work. His boots weren't cheap either. Taking the bus could suggest:
a) He didn't want to abandon a car that would trace him
b) He had a medical condition where he couldn't drive (he had recently lost 30-40 lbs...)

The bus is the best link we have to this guy. And yes, he is very distinctive looking. It's hard to believe he hasn't been identified.
Click to expand...

c) He's environmentally conscious and takes the bus rather than driving.
d) He had only recently (last six months, perhaps?) fallen on hard times.

I'm kind of inclined to d) myself. The number of men who lose a job, slide into depression, and kill themselves is shocking.
 
rosesfromangels said:
Taking the bus in to town has significance. He had the markings of a middle to upper middle class citizen; especially the orthodontic work. His boots weren't cheap either. Taking the bus could suggest:
a) He didn't want to abandon a car that would trace him
b) He had a medical condition where he couldn't drive (he had recently lost 30-40 lbs...)

The bus is the best link we have to this guy. And yes, he is very distinctive looking. It's hard to believe he hasn't been identified.
Click to expand...

BBM ... This is why I think he's either from another country or from a family that disowned him. IMO
 
I had considered the possibility that he was Canadian, but I really don't think that's the case. The hotel in Idaho keeps sticking in my craw. It's along a major interstate that leads directly to where he was found. Just because nobody remembered seeing him doesn't mean he wasn't there - if I remember correctly, none of the guests at the hotel where he was staying remembered seeing him, either. Only the desk clerk did. Aside from that, if the shoe were on the other foot, and I were bent on taking my life, I don't think I'd go to the trouble of crossing into Canada to do it.

I'm trying to imagine Lyle's state of mind in his last few days. He had obviously thought long and hard about this, and had probably planned it weeks or even months ahead of time. It's possible that he had a vehicle and sold it, giving him the money he needed to buy a bus ticket and pay for the hotel room and any other expenses he would have in the last few days. I don't think it was an accident that he ended his life where he did. I still think the place may have had a special meaning for him.

My gut tells me his family hasn't reported him missing, because they're not in touch with him anymore. He must have had friends, though, or a coworker, an old girlfriend/boyfriend, someone who misses him and wonders what happened to him. You don't go through 20+ years of life without sticking in someone's memory. I realize that it might not be possible, or monetarily feasible, but I think it'd be worthwhile to do an age regression on Lyle from 5 - 10 years back, perhaps with the weight added on. There may be someone who hasn't seen him in several years who wouldn't recognize him now. If possible, I think it'd also be helpful to obtain the guest register from the hotel in Idaho for the few days leading up to when Lyle was found, if they still have the records. I'm not sure if this was checked when this first happened, or if the investigators were told by the hotel that nobody remembered him and left it at that.
 
bluecanary said:
I had considered the possibility that he was Canadian, but I really don't think that's the case. The hotel in Idaho keeps sticking in my craw. It's along a major interstate that leads directly to where he was found. Just because nobody remembered seeing him doesn't mean he wasn't there - if I remember correctly, none of the guests at the hotel where he was staying remembered seeing him, either. Only the desk clerk did. Aside from that, if the shoe were on the other foot, and I were bent on taking my life, I don't think I'd go to the trouble of crossing into Canada to do it.

I'm trying to imagine Lyle's state of mind in his last few days. He had obviously thought long and hard about this, and had probably planned it weeks or even months ahead of time. It's possible that he had a vehicle and sold it, giving him the money he needed to buy a bus ticket and pay for the hotel room and any other expenses he would have in the last few days. I don't think it was an accident that he ended his life where he did. I still think the place may have had a special meaning for him.

My gut tells me his family hasn't reported him missing, because they're not in touch with him anymore. He must have had friends, though, or a coworker, an old girlfriend/boyfriend, someone who misses him and wonders what happened to him. You don't go through 20+ years of life without sticking in someone's memory. I realize that it might not be possible, or monetarily feasible, but I think it'd be worthwhile to do an age regression on Lyle from 5 - 10 years back, perhaps with the weight added on. There may be someone who hasn't seen him in several years who wouldn't recognize him now. If possible, I think it'd also be helpful to obtain the guest register from the hotel in Idaho for the few days leading up to when Lyle was found, if they still have the records. I'm not sure if this was checked when this first happened, or if the investigators were told by the hotel that nobody remembered him and left it at that.
Click to expand...

Someone that is good at mapping should map it out; also add the NY/NJ area to it. Wonder what buses would take him from the east coast to WA?
 
carbuff said:
c) He's environmentally conscious and takes the bus rather than driving.
d) He had only recently (last six months, perhaps?) fallen on hard times.

I'm kind of inclined to d) myself. The number of men who lose a job, slide into depression, and kill themselves is shocking.
Click to expand...

To be honest, "d)" was the first thing to come to mind. (I think of how people unfairly criticize someone who's unemployed for having a nice television or phone, etc.: they weren't always unemployed.)

Roselvr said:
Someone that is good at mapping should map it out; also add the NY/NJ area to it. Wonder what buses would take him from the east coast to WA?
Click to expand...

I posted about this in this thread, the Greyhound/Amtrak possibilities:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10500084#post10500084
:seeya:

tcg
 
I know this is a long shot, but one of the missing victims from 9/11 bears a striking resemblance to Lyle to me. His name is Nicholas Brandemarti, and his height is listed as 5'10", which is shorter than Lyle's listed height of 6', but it's not such a great discrepancy as to make it completely impossible. I see the slight cleft in the chin on both, and the hairline looks similar. It's hard to tell if he's got a mole like Lyle's on his chin - all of the pictures I could find of him were too small to really be able to see a small detail like that, except for one. I didn't see a mole in that picture, but since it's a professional photograph, it's possible that it was retouched - I can tell you from personal experience that professional photographers do this frequently.

The big question is, how would Nicholas Brandemarti have ended up in Washington state, and why? The only possibility I could come up with would be either a mental break of some kind, or amnesia. While I don't think it's likely, it's possible that the physical or psychological trauma of the attacks and their aftermath could have caused a fugue state. The event itself would account for the fact that he next to no personal possessions found with him, and amnesia would account for the alias he used - perhaps he didn't tell the desk clerk his name not because he wanted anonymity, but because he didn't know it. He could have found the book somewhere and taken the character's name from there.

I know it's a long shot, and that I'm grasping at straws, but I can't ignore the resemblance.
 
bluecanary said:
I know this is a long shot, but one of the missing victims from 9/11 bears a striking resemblance to Lyle to me. His name is Nicholas Brandemarti, and his height is listed as 5'10", which is shorter than Lyle's listed height of 6', but it's not such a great discrepancy as to make it completely impossible. I see the slight cleft in the chin on both, and the hairline looks similar. It's hard to tell if he's got a mole like Lyle's on his chin - all of the pictures I could find of him were too small to really be able to see a small detail like that, except for one. I didn't see a mole in that picture, but since it's a professional photograph, it's possible that it was retouched - I can tell you from personal experience that professional photographers do this frequently.

The big question is, how would Nicholas Brandemarti have ended up in Washington state, and why? The only possibility I could come up with would be either a mental break of some kind, or amnesia. While I don't think it's likely, it's possible that the physical or psychological trauma of the attacks and their aftermath could have caused a fugue state. The event itself would account for the fact that he next to no personal possessions found with him, and amnesia would account for the alias he used - perhaps he didn't tell the desk clerk his name not because he wanted anonymity, but because he didn't know it. He could have found the book somewhere and taken the character's name from there.

I know it's a long shot, and that I'm grasping at straws, but I can't ignore the resemblance.
Click to expand...
He wouldn't have been on that floor then, I believe no one survived from that floor?! Not sure...
 
Donamena said:
He wouldn't have been on that floor then, I believe no one survived from that floor?! Not sure...
Click to expand...

Perhaps not. Again, I know I was reaching. Although it's possible that he was late to work that day, or on another floor for some reason.
 
It's been a while since I've been to Lyle's thread, but was in the WS Israel Keyes forum (Samantha Koenig thread) tonight and something popped out to me. We previously had convo about a possible connection between Lyle and the Makah tribe, and it turns out Keyes had worked for the Makah Tribe sometime prior to April 25, 2002 (date of letter of appreciation from the tribe's Public Works Manager to Israel Keyes):

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21217&d=1331875001

Although there is no reference to when Keyes started work for the tribe, it would seem to put him in the area around the time of Lyle's death in September 2001.

Israel Keyes forum:

Israel Keyes - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community


ETA: Just found in the timeline that Keyes was in Neah Bay, WA at the time of Lyle's death:

from:
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Israel Keyes Timelines *NO DISCUSSION*

7/8/2001: Last location of Army service: Fort Lewis, WA

July 2001 to October 2001: Keyes resided in Neah Bay, Washington and committed his first homicide. The identity and location of the victim are unknown.

2001 - 2007: Resided in Neah Bay, Washington
Click to expand...
 
It' an intriguing possibility, but on the other hand, there are several definite suicides in the UID forum who left money for a room or for funeral expenses. There doesn't seem to be any other indication that Lyle's death was not a suicide.
 
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