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

[taramarie]

This is an odd case - it seems like he knew that something was about to happen to him:

Farren Wade Stanberry – The Charley Project

I've done a cursory search through the doe network, what do you think about this:

3084UMCA

The eye color doesn't match and it doesn't say if Farren had an earring (although he could have gotten his ear pierced after he left home), but it looks like it could match up otherwise. I'll keep looking, but I just wanted to start a thread for him.

<MOD NOTE: Several original links throughout the thread were broken and have been edited to include the current link (when available) and images as of June 8, 2023>

 

[Sporky]

If that is him it would be creepy since the date the UID was found was Charlie's birthday.

 

[taramarie]

I didn't even notice that. That would be creepy.

 

[taramarie]

I just noticed that I made a serious typo in the title of the thread - His name is Farren, not Charlie (I was looking at the Charley network and must have had that stuck in my head.) Is there any way to change this?

 

[Sporky]

I think you will have to PM a Mod.

 

[Odyssey]

http://doenetwork.org/cases/931dmca.html

Just after Stanberry's 18th birthday, in 1979, Farren told his grandmother and his aunt that he wanted to see the world. He jumped on a Greyhound with his backpack and took it to the East Coast. Every week he would call his grandmother to check in with her.
After about nine months in 1980 he called from San Francisco saying he like it there, he was living with a group of young men at the "International Hotel" in San Francisco. At the time he had lost his job and needed money. That was the last time the family heard from him.

After a few weeks of silence, the family called the hotel in San Francisco and found out he had not paid his bill, and he'd just left his things behind.

I wonder if they know who the young men were that he was staying with.

Did they all leave the hotel, or just him?

Strangely, when I googled the "International Hotel", I found this Wiki article:

International Hotel (San Francisco) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The article states (in reference to the hotel):

The final residents were evicted on August 4, 1977. In 1978, then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein created an International Hotel Citizens Advisory Committee, which was unable to break the deadlock between low-cost housing advocates and the property owner. The building stood empty while the fate of the site continued to be debated, but was finally demolished in 1981.

So, they were living in a vacant, non-operational hotel, but the family was able to reach someone at the hotel who claimed he had left without paying his bill?

I did a quick search and it looks like he has unclaimed property listed in the California Database, which lists his address as 1139 Market St, Apt 218. This is not the address of the International Hotel, which was at the corner of Jackson & Kearney.

1139 Market St is now a Budget Inn, but I don't know what that address was then. I wonder if he had this Market St address before or after he was at the International Hotel?

ETA: It looks like the Market Street address was once "National Hotel", maybe that is what they meant instead of International Hotel?

 

[Satch]

Lots of information on Farren's case here, include information about people who searched for him and a comparison of UIDS. Good read!

http://whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/farren-stanberry/

Satch

 

[Satch]

Lots of information on Farren's case here, include information about people who searched for him and a comparison of UIDS. Good read!

http://whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/farren-stanberry/

Satch

I am fairly convinced, based on the information contained in the link above, about the UID's, that sadly, one of the three compared in the article, the last one, is Farren.

Satch

 

[Odyssey]

I am fairly convinced, based on the information contained in the link above, about the UID's, that sadly, one of the three compared in the article, the last one, is Farren.

Satch

I am leaning in that direction too. I think the confusion between International Hotel and National Hotel may have caused LE to overlook the fact that the location was so nearby.

I wish Farren was in NamUs.

 

[alllads]

Today I emailed a contact at NamUS about the 3rd UID, and emailed someone at John Day Police Department about it too. With John Day PD, I also asked if they would consider listing Farren and any other missing persons on their books (can't imagine there are very many, the town has fewer than 2000 residents) on NamUS.

 

[Odyssey]

Today I emailed a contact at NamUS about the 3rd UID, and emailed someone at John Day Police Department about it too. With John Day PD, I also asked if they would consider listing Farren and any other missing persons on their books (can't imagine there are very many, the town has fewer than 2000 residents) on NamUS.

I emailed the San Francisco ME... hopefully one of the 3 contacts will respond...

 

[Satch]

I emailed the San Francisco ME... hopefully one of the 3 contacts will respond...

Thanks Odyssey!

Hopefully through their efforts they can actually get Ferren into the Nameus Database. Did you ask about just that last UID or all three that the author talked about at that link? Maybe this could help find some closure.

The link with the new information made me very sad, because I think one of those three UID's is Ferren. The author claimed that he owned property nearby where the UID was found, that the UID had been there for a very long time.

I don't know if Farren was gay or not. I think he could have entered into a journey to help people, and that could be why he wanted to "see the world." Tragically, if one of those UID is Farren, I sure hope he was not the victim of a hate crime.

Satch

 

[Odyssey]

Thanks Odyssey!

Hopefully through their efforts they can actually get Ferren into the Nameus Database. Did you ask about just that last UID or all three that the author talked about at that link? Maybe this could help find some closure.

The link with the new information made me very sad, because I think one of those three UID's is Ferren. The author claimed that he owned property nearby where the UID was found, that the UID had been there for a very long time.

I don't know if Farren was gay or not. I think he could have entered into a journey to help people, and that could be why he wanted to "see the world." Tragically, if one of those UID is Farren, I sure hope he was not the victim of a hate crime.

Satch

I only submitted the third one, I wasn't convinced enough of the other two.

I don't generally point it out here, but it's kind of awkward for me to elaborate on this without telling you that the blog author is me. (Not that it's a secret, I just don't want to come across as self-promoting or anything)

The first UID The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) (found in the water) is really iffy, because he was found on 5/30, and Farren was last heard from "in May or June". Without narrowing the date down to a date prior to 5/30, I just didn't think it was that promising...

The second one The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) (found on the concrete outside a hotel window with the Eric Winston connection) seemed unlikely, since they found him in 1982 and he had just recently died... that would mean 2 years without contacting his family, after he left all his belongings behind at the hotel. I really thought the only way this one would be likely is if someone who knew him recognized the name Eric Winston.

Just to clarify on the property he owned, it was about $47.00 that was turned over to the state by Wells Fargo, after they had no contact with him for a long time. Farren had it in a savings account, and now it is in the Unclaimed Property database, which gives Farren's last known address as 1139 Market St, Apt 218 (which was the National Hotel).

I'm not sure if he was gay either - after his family learned that Farren had been visiting a gay man, Farren's grandmother is quoted in a news article as saying he may possibly have been gay but it wouldn't have made any difference to her if he was.

The articles are in the Oregonian archives - pay per view, though.

I've never understood why MP cases are ever investigated by an agency that isn't even in the state where they went missing. I wish they would revamp that and get everyone's cases to departments that are in a position to really investigate them.

 

[alllads]

I emailed the San Francisco ME... hopefully one of the 3 contacts will respond...

Hopefully! The potential match is too close not to be investigated, even if it's not a match. If the connection had been made back in the 80s... I mean, the remains were found across the street from where he was living.

If none of the three contacts have provide any response, there's also the Grant County Sheriff (where John Day is). Since it's such a small county population-wise maybe they handle these things more centrally, or who knows. There are contact details here: Staff Directory • Grant County, OR • CivicEngage

And just for reference her are contact details for John Day Police: Police Contact Information | City of John Day Oregon

 

[Satch]

I only submitted the third one, I wasn't convinced enough of the other two.

I don't generally point it out here, but it's kind of awkward for me to elaborate on this without telling you that the blog author is me. (Not that it's a secret, I just don't want to come across as self-promoting or anything)

The first UID The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) (found in the water) is really iffy, because he was found on 5/30, and Farren was last heard from "in May or June". Without narrowing the date down to a date prior to 5/30, I just didn't think it was that promising...

The second one The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) (found on the concrete outside a hotel window with the Eric Winston connection) seemed unlikely, since they found him in 1982 and he had just recently died... that would mean 2 years without contacting his family, after he left all his belongings behind at the hotel. I really thought the only way this one would be likely is if someone who knew him recognized the name Eric Winston.

Just to clarify on the property he owned, it was about $47.00 that was turned over to the state by Wells Fargo, after they had no contact with him for a long time. Farren had it in a savings account, and now it is in the Unclaimed Property database, which gives Farren's last known address as 1139 Market St, Apt 218 (which was the National Hotel).

I'm not sure if he was gay either - after his family learned that Farren had been visiting a gay man, Farren's grandmother is quoted in a news article as saying he may possibly have been gay but it wouldn't have made any difference to her if he was.

The articles are in the Oregonian archives - pay per view, though.

I've never understood why MP cases are ever investigated by an agency that isn't even in the state where they went missing. I wish they would revamp that and get everyone's cases to departments that are in a position to really investigate them.

Odyessy,

Thanks so much for your help with missing people, and especially your research in Farren's case!

Satch

 

[Odyssey]

I only submitted the third one, I wasn't convinced enough of the other two.

I don't generally point it out here, but it's kind of awkward for me to elaborate on this without telling you that the blog author is me. (Not that it's a secret, I just don't want to come across as self-promoting or anything)

The first UID https://identifyus.org/en/cases/5866 (found in the water) is really iffy, because he was found on 5/30, and Farren was last heard from "in May or June". Without narrowing the date down to a date prior to 5/30, I just didn't think it was that promising...

The second one https://identifyus.org/en/cases/5872 (found on the concrete outside a hotel window with the Eric Winston connection) seemed unlikely, since they found him in 1982 and he had just recently died... that would mean 2 years without contacting his family, after he left all his belongings behind at the hotel. I really thought the only way this one would be likely is if someone who knew him recognized the name Eric Winston.

Just to clarify on the property he owned, it was about $47.00 that was turned over to the state by Wells Fargo, after they had no contact with him for a long time. Farren had it in a savings account, and now it is in the Unclaimed Property database, which gives Farren's last known address as 1139 Market St, Apt 218 (which was the National Hotel).

I'm not sure if he was gay either - after his family learned that Farren had been visiting a gay man, Farren's grandmother is quoted in a news article as saying he may possibly have been gay but it wouldn't have made any difference to her if he was.

The articles are in the Oregonian archives - pay per view, though.

I've never understood why MP cases are ever investigated by an agency that isn't even in the state where they went missing. I wish they would revamp that and get everyone's cases to departments that are in a position to really investigate them.

I made a mistake here, this UID was found in 1981.

 

[Odyssey]

I got a response from an LE contact in Oregon.

He said that a DNA sample was taken by the Oregon State Police, and as far as he knew it had been entered in the national database.

He gave me a phone number and asked me to contact him, so I'm going to try calling him in a couple hours. I'm going to ask if there's any way to narrow down when he went missing (profile says May or June) and try to figure out what is needed to get him listed on NamUs...

Any other questions I should ask?

 

[Satch]

I got a response from an LE contact in Oregon.

He said that a DNA sample was taken by the Oregon State Police, and as far as he knew it had been entered in the national database.

He gave me a phone number and asked me to contact him, so I'm going to try calling him in a couple hours. I'm going to ask if there's any way to narrow down when he went missing (profile says May or June) and try to figure out what is needed to get him listed on NamUs...

Any other questions I should ask?

Thanks Odyessy!

Yes, there is vagueness in exactly when Ferren lost contact with his family. This thread says April, but some reports say May or June of 1980 as you state. I can't think of any questions to ask LE yet that are specific. I think the first thing that needs to be done is getting the month that Ferren went missing exact, and getting his name in the NamUs system. Than, the big investigation begins, getting Ferren's DNA sample and attempting to match it to the UID #3 in the article.

Satch

 

[Odyssey]

I just called and was told that he won't be in until Monday... so I'll try again then.

 

[alllads]

I just called and was told that he won't be in until Monday... so I'll try again then.

Still, wow, great work! As for questions, I would be interested if they know about the unclaimed property/Farren's last known address being across the street from where UID was found? Also if there are any UIDs that he has been compared to and ruled out before?