Identified! Canada - Tofield, AB, 'Septic Tank Sam' Ntv/WhtMale 1046UMAB, Apr'77 - Gordon Edwin Sanderson

[Eman317]

Has the RCMP investigated the possibility that he might be Edward Nemanishen? He shares many similarities with Sam. His hair, height, weight, and age all check out. He worked in the construction industry, something investigators speculated that Sam might have worked in. Only inconsistently from what I can tell is that he went missing 4 years prior to Sam's remains being found.

The Doe Network: Case File 4293DMSK

 

[dotr]

Has the RCMP investigated the possibility that he might be Edward Nemanishen? He shares many similarities with Sam. His hair, height, weight, and age all check out. He worked in the construction industry, something investigators speculated that Sam might have worked in. Only inconsistently from what I can tell is that he went missing 4 years prior to Sam's remains being found.

The Doe Network: Case File 4293DMSK

Nice find!
4293DMSK

Edward Nemanishen
Missing since July 12, 1972 from North West of Spruce Home, Saskatchewan, Canada
Classification: Missing




Vital Statistics

• • Date Of Birth: March 23, 1939
  • Age at Time of Disappearance: 33 years old
  • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 165 cm (5'5"); 63 kg (140 lbs)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; brown eyes.
  • Marks, Scars: Pea sized lump behind right ear.
  • Clothing: Dark green work shirt and trousers, dark green pullover sweater with zipper in front.

Circumstances of Disappearance
On the 12th of July, 1972, Edward Nemanishen was last seen by co-workers at a work site 8 miles North West of Spruce Home, SK. Nemanishen was working at the site clearing farmland at 13:30.
A co-worker returned to the work site at 19:00 and Nemanishen was gone from the site. No one has seen or heard from Nemanishen since that time.

 

[ntt1]

Hope the DNA Doe Project gets involved in this case at some point. It might be his best bet on ever getting identified.

His admixture would be really interesting to look at. I think he has got to be at least partially First Nations.

 

[Eman317]

His admixture would be really interesting to look at. I think he has got to be at least partially First Nations.

His reconstructions do show that he has characteristics of native men. I'll be surprised if he has no native blood in him at all.

 

[Eman317]

It honestly surprises me that this guy was even found in the first place. Most people don't have a reason to go to these abandoned farmhouses. I remember reading an interview with the Mcleod family in a newspaper. They said that had they not gone to the abandoned farmhouse and opened up that septic tank, Sam would most likely still be in there just waiting to be discovered.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I feel like he needs a new recon :/

 

[ntt1]

I feel like he needs a new recon :/

Seems like this could be perfect for Parabon, especially since they have the skull as well to base a recon on.

Has anyone suggested them or the DDP to the RCMP? I think the officer in charge is Jason Zazulak of the “K” Division. I think that may be the only chance at solving this case at this point. If not, surely with the news on the Golden State Killer and Buckskin Girl, etc has circulated in police circles and they may be considering.

 

[ntt1]

Sent a note to the officer and received a quick reply that they have been looking into it and are hoping to utilize forensic genealogy at some point this year. Here's to hoping that this is finally the year that an identification is made!

 

[Eman317]

This definitely wasn't a random attack. Whoever Sam's killer/killers are they must have known him personally. If they are capable of killing Sam in such a brutal fashion, it makes me wonder if the killers have claimed other victims as well.

 

[QuartzDice]

Was it ever disclosed where the majority of the burn marks were found on Sam?

Also could Quicklime be used with the intent of dissolving skin as opposed to thinking it would dissolve an entire body, clothing, shoes, and a bedsheet?

Reason I ask is I wonder if it's possible that Sam had tattoos and the killer first tried to torch/melt them and when that didn't work he used the Quicklime as a backup in hopes any recognizable markings would just slough off? ‍

Dude was sadistic no matter what way you slice it. It also makes you wonder where the "appendage" ended up?

 

[MorbidLace]

[Edit: oops! I replied incorrectly the first time, my bad, sorry to double-post!]

 

[MorbidLace]

Was it ever disclosed where the majority of the burn marks were found on Sam?

Also could Quicklime be used with the intent of dissolving skin as opposed to thinking it would dissolve an entire body, clothing, shoes, and a bedsheet?

Reason I ask is I wonder if it's possible that Sam had tattoos and the killer first tried to torch/melt them and when that didn't work he used the Quicklime as a backup in hopes any recognizable markings would just slough off? ‍

Dude was sadistic no matter what way you slice it. It also makes you wonder where the "appendage" ended up?

Unfortunately, if the killer had used quicklime, Sam's body would have been preserved. It's not actually very good at aiding decomposition, it dries out the skin, which helps preservation. It essentially mummifies the corpse.
As for the burns, I think that there's a link in the original post, if the information isn't there.

 

[Eman317]

Was it ever disclosed where the majority of the burn marks were found on Sam?

Also could Quicklime be used with the intent of dissolving skin as opposed to thinking it would dissolve an entire body, clothing, shoes, and a bedsheet?

Reason I ask is I wonder if it's possible that Sam had tattoos and the killer first tried to torch/melt them and when that didn't work he used the Quicklime as a backup in hopes any recognizable markings would just slough off? ‍

Dude was sadistic no matter what way you slice it. It also makes you wonder where the "appendage" ended up?

As far as I'm aware, the only parts of Sams body that were burned that was disclosed was the bottoms of his feet. Sams body was in the putrefaction stage of decomposition so if he did have any tattoos there was no way to tell. Also quicklime isn't exactly the best way to decompose a body because it actually preserves and mummifies the remains and if its mixed with water, it only causes superficial burning at best.

 

[QuartzDice]

Thanks guys for the insight. The reason I ask was because I ran into this fella named John Begolo missing since Sept of 73. His chiseled cheek bones and long face just seemed to match up so perfectly to all of the reconstructions! So I took his pic and placed it over the "skull of Sam" and gradually changed the opacity. Was kinda blown away at how very well all lined up! I looked into this guy as far as I could and found out his parents were both born in Italy so he is about as pure Italian as you can get. At some point they ended up in Thorold, Ontario and started a family. (Could the DNA profile match up to pure Italian? Idk

The B&W mugshots make John look more Hispanic or something so I took the one and changed the skintone to match that of his siblings I found. One of his siblings was a very well known race car driver in the 60s and 70s I guess. His name was Jeno Belogo. Most of his siblings have all passed away as of very recent but there are definitely close relatives out there that he might share a good bit of DNA with still.

There are some pretty significant flaws in the theory though.

1. He was 48 at the time of his disappearance.

2. He was 5'9

3. He was last seen in Eganville, Ontario which is like a 24+ hour drive to the Tofield area (yikes)

4. There are about 4 years unspoken for which would make him either estranged for 4 years or hidden in that septic tank for 4 years. (Which goes against the estimation).

Then there were some points that I thought COULD go with the theory:

1. The image of him appears to be some sort of mugshot. What kind of criminal past did he have that may provoke someone to want revenge?

2. He looks kinda mean. Not that that means anything but he doesn't seem to be the most jovial man.

3. Last anyone heard from him he said he was going to take a bus from Eganville back to the St. Catherine area (where his family all appears to be from). This is a 4.5ish hour distance so it's interesting that the rest of the siblings stayed close to home all of their lives but he lived significantly far away.

4. Could he have met someone at the bus stop that offered him a working opportunity out in Alberta and he just said "Yep screw it! Let's go!"

5. He had quite a few tattoos. Most being on his forearms, and this is what got me thinking about how maybe someone wanted to torch the skin of his tats and then try to dissolve any remaining skin in quicklime. Like could it have all been done after he passed and it wasn't so much a torture thing but more so to conceal identity?

6. Could he have been uncircumcised? I don't know anything about that kinda thing, especially the traditions in Canada, BUT let's say it was kind of a rare thing to be uncircumcised, maybe that could have been a reason to cut the whole thing off so it was even less evidence and chance of a positive ID? What are the traditions of Italians and circumcision? I honestly have no idea.

7. Why did no one seem too concerned about finding this guy? Like the rest of his family all seemed really cute and sweet and family oriented from the articles and obituaries I've read, so it makes me wonder, if they worried about him wouldn't they be using Jeno Begolo's fame as a way to get the word out there better? Especially if his peak was in the 70s. I can barely find ANYTHING on John Begolo and his disappearance. It definitely didn't seem too much of a priority. Does anyone maybe have a membership to newspapers.com that could look into this more? Or try to look into John's criminal past?

8. He seems super tan so could he have been a laborer most of his life?

9. One of racer Jeno Begolo's sons or grandkids has recent racing stats in the Edmonton area. So if HE traveled 24+ hours to get to the track, could Jeno have back in the day too? Did John ever try to go see his younger brother race?

All things to think about but as always I'm probably reading WAY to far into this and there is zero connection. Lol.

 

[Feme98]

Thanks guys for the insight. The reason I ask was because I ran into this fella named John Begolo missing since Sept of 73. His chiseled cheek bones and long face just seemed to match up so perfectly to all of the reconstructions! So I took his pic and placed it over the "skull of Sam" and gradually changed the opacity. Was kinda blown away at how very well all lined up! I looked into this guy as far as I could and found out his parents were both born in Italy so he is about as pure Italian as you can get. At some point they ended up in Thorold, Ontario and started a family. (Could the DNA profile match up to pure Italian? Idk

The B&W mugshots make John look more Hispanic or something so I took the one and changed the skintone to match that of his siblings I found. One of his siblings was a very well known race car driver in the 60s and 70s I guess. His name was Jeno Belogo. Most of his siblings have all passed away as of very recent but there are definitely close relatives out there that he might share a good bit of DNA with still.

There are some pretty significant flaws in the theory though.

1. He was 48 at the time of his disappearance.

2. He was 5'9

3. He was last seen in Eganville, Ontario which is like a 24+ hour drive to the Tofield area (yikes)

4. There are about 4 years unspoken for which would make him either estranged for 4 years or hidden in that septic tank for 4 years. (Which goes against the estimation).

Then there were some points that I thought COULD go with the theory:

1. The image of him appears to be some sort of mugshot. What kind of criminal past did he have that may provoke someone to want revenge?

2. He looks kinda mean. Not that that means anything but he doesn't seem to be the most jovial man.

3. Last anyone heard from him he said he was going to take a bus from Eganville back to the St. Catherine area (where his family all appears to be from). This is a 4.5ish hour distance so it's interesting that the rest of the siblings stayed close to home all of their lives but he lived significantly far away.

4. Could he have met someone at the bus stop that offered him a working opportunity out in Alberta and he just said "Yep screw it! Let's go!"

5. He had quite a few tattoos. Most being on his forearms, and this is what got me thinking about how maybe someone wanted to torch the skin of his tats and then try to dissolve any remaining skin in quicklime. Like could it have all been done after he passed and it wasn't so much a torture thing but more so to conceal identity?

6. Could he have been uncircumcised? I don't know anything about that kinda thing, especially the traditions in Canada, BUT let's say it was kind of a rare thing to be uncircumcised, maybe that could have been a reason to cut the whole thing off so it was even less evidence and chance of a positive ID? What are the traditions of Italians and circumcision? I honestly have no idea.

7. Why did no one seem too concerned about finding this guy? Like the rest of his family all seemed really cute and sweet and family oriented from the articles and obituaries I've read, so it makes me wonder, if they worried about him wouldn't they be using Jeno Begolo's fame as a way to get the word out there better? Especially if his peak was in the 70s. I can barely find ANYTHING on John Begolo and his disappearance. It definitely didn't seem too much of a priority. Does anyone maybe have a membership to newspapers.com that could look into this more? Or try to look into John's criminal past?

8. He seems super tan so could he have been a laborer most of his life?

9. One of racer Jeno Begolo's sons or grandkids has recent racing stats in the Edmonton area. So if HE traveled 24+ hours to get to the track, could Jeno have back in the day too? Did John ever try to go see his younger brother race?

All things to think about but as always I'm probably reading WAY to far into this and there is zero connection. Lol.

I think this is a good lead! You should submit this tip!

 

[QuartzDice]

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mention hey? Does anyone know what the best organization to mention this to would be?

 

[dotr]

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mention hey? Does anyone know what the best organization to mention this to would be?

Rbbm.

Who killed 'Septic Tank Sam?'
“That type of cruelty; beaten, burn marks all over, torture, you have to have a different background to do that.”

The person who committed the murder – if still alive – would be 67 to 72 now (2019) and it hasn’t bothered his conscience (yet), he pointed out.

He said, however, that RCMP always believed that decades later, someone in their 80s, would have a guilty conscience and confess to the police, thinking at that age they wouldn’t get much, if any, jail time.''

Where to call in tips

If anyone has information about this cold case they are asked to call Tofield RCMP at 780-662-3353.


The reference case number is 2012502446. Or, if you want to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Or go online to https://www.tipsubmit.com/webtipsstart.aspx.


Or email the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains at
canadasmissing-disparuscanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

 

[QuartzDice]

OK guys I submitted the tip but also ran into something that stopped my heart last night!

I decided to do that free trial of newspapers.com to see what I could find on John Begolo. This article here gave me chills! Reason being is not only did it clarify that John Begolo was a drifter, had a drinking problem, and a whole lot of personal difficulties before going missing from the tavern that night, but also because he once owned a successful trucking company! I think that definitely adds to the possibility of Alberta area ties. However the most concerning part of ALL is that in 1995 they dug up wells because of some tip that lead them to believe he could be found in closed up well belonging to a house that is now torn down! WHO gave that tip?!!!

Was this the killer frustrated that the case had gone cold and wanted spice up interest again? Did the police misinterpret "well" and "torn down house" for what was really a "septic tank" and "abandoned farmhouse" thousands of miles away?

In a bit, I will also will be posting some articles that tell more about Septic Tank Sam and one I found particularly interesting because it mentions him being burned all the way down the sleeves stoping short of the wrists...coincidentally John Begolo had quite a few tattoos on his forearms!

Also I hadn't realized that that clay reconstruction of Sam contains his real skull and teeth. John Begolo's missing persons profile said his teeth had "visible decay" (as does the teeth set in the clay model) Coincidentally the decay is in the front teeth which would make it much more visible to people.

Attached is the article!

 

[QuartzDice]

Sorry I am still trying to get these other articles posted! They are kinda hard to screen shot, cut, and then reorder because they are big articles that require usually 4 or so separate screen shots. But anyway I totally overlooked this article the other day! It shows Sam's clothing which makes me incredibly sad and somber.

That definitely shuts the door on my secret hope that all of the "torture" was actually done post-mortem as a way to destroy any identifiable markers on the body. (Sigh) I can now see why authorities knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was a deliberately grotesque murder showing zero mercy on this man's soul.

The images can be viewed below...

 

[Feme98]

Oh my god... Are all those cuts on the clothing done by the killers? Or was it a result of the decomposition? I can see that part of the pants got ripped off! Right where his shoe is!

Sorry I am still trying to get these other articles posted! They are kinda hard to screen shot, cut, and then reorder because they are big articles that require usually 4 or so separate screen shots. But anyway I totally overlooked this article the other day! It shows Sam's clothing which makes me incredibly sad and somber.

That definitely shuts the door on my secret hope that all of the "torture" was actually done post-mortem as a way to destroy any identifiable markers on the body. (Sigh) I can now see why authorities knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was a deliberately grotesque murder showing zero mercy on this man's soul.

The images can be viewed below...