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Jack Straw said:
Newspaper photo of the Vanagon.

http://imgur.com/gallery/jz2gsIq/

Source: WTVR/Emporia Independent-Messenger, 101st Year, No. 52

http://wtvr.com/2015/01/16/grateful-doe-mystery/

jz2gsIq.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow. I read in one of the recent articles that a police officer involved at the time of the accident said it was a Vanagon, with an engine in the back, so there was nothing in between them and the trees. :( Makes me sadder that they happened to riding in that particular vehicle. Also not so sure I want a compact vintage van anymore....
 
Wow. I have followed this case for so long and have never seen a photo of the wreck. This case is probably what brought me to Websleuths. I grew up not far from where the accident happen and its always bothered me. Thanks. I hope the family can get some closure.
 
Sorry to ask such a direct question - did they both die instantly? And what time was the accident? Kind of hoping our Doe was fast asleep....
 
ajc748 said:
Sorry to ask such a direct question - did they both die instantly? And what time was the accident? Kind of hoping our Doe was fast asleep....
Click to expand...

Yes, they were both dead at the scene and their injuries were so catastrophic that they both quite likely died instantly. The accident occurred at 1:30pm in the afternoon.
 
so mom went and reported Jason Callahan, I missed what promped this? has she seen the pics of GD?
 
A Websleuths member spearheaded a social media push using the original pictures from the medical examiner, including sketches of the unknown man known as GD. The photos were quickly circulated via Facebook, Imgur and Reddit, and an old housemate of GD recognised the pictures and sent in some real photos of Jason. Eventually someone showed all the pictures to a member of Jason Callahan's family, his mum then commented on FB that it was her son, and she was pointed in the direction of the correct authorities. DNA testing has been done, awaiting results.

There is a subthread within the GD thread here about "social media push" - worth a read - it was all very exciting!
 
ajc748 said:
Eventually someone showed all the pictures to a member of Jason Callahan's family, his mum then commented on FB that it was her son, and she was pointed in the direction of the correct authorities.
Click to expand...

Just FYI -- the person that showed her the photos was another son. He spotted them on Facebook during the Myrtle Beach social media push.
 
Jack Straw said:
Yes, they were both dead at the scene and their injuries were so catastrophic that they both quite likely died instantly. The accident occurred at 1:30pm in the afternoon.
Click to expand...

I've read a lot on the story over the years and there have been conflicting reports that it happened either in the early hours of the morning, and I read some official reports that said the afternoon. I guess people assumed that when you fall asleep while driving, it's more than likely at night, or early am.
 
I have him on my "need to id" page; I'll post the updated pix as well (needtoid).
 
I contacted the grateful dead members on FB , the ones left, and never heard back. I had asked them to share my blurb on Jason. Thank god now he is found. I am like 99% sure it is him, and I am sure you all agree w that.
 
I'm so excited that he has been found. Or probably has. Hope he has.
Waiting for the DNA results.
 
I'm pretty disappointed by how little the GD has done to help with closure of this case. They have a broad platform to get word out, Doe was a fan of theirs and had recently been at a show. How hard would it have been for one of them to post a couple things on social media asking fans to get word out? Maybe they've done other things over the years that I just don't know about, but I don't know of anything.
 
Since Jerry, the lead singer died so suddenly, the band kind of fell apart. They still do a few shows here and there, but they are nothing like they were at one time. Jerry Garcia was the BUDDHA, the heart and soul of the group. They are kind of disjointed and disconnected now.
 
I guess I take it for granted that I'm interested in "crime" stories and live in a town where there's nothing nearby to do but get online.

I think I got hooked when I realized how many murder victims (or merely the deceased) exist, but nobody knows who they are. The main one that first grabbed me was the "Tent Girl" because it happened in my state and I knew many of the areas mentioned in the quest to find out who she was.

I'd first read of this John Doe well over a decade ago. Grateful Doe, and countless other nameless individuals, had gone unidentified for so long that it didn't seem like they'd ever get their names back.

Back then, I never thought something posted on Facebook (or MySpace, etc) would help out in a case like his.
I know it shows my age, but then only college students had Facebook pages and it was mainly for socializing with new/old friends from school. And MySpace was mainly younger people who were in high school, those that didn't go to college or internet-savvy adults.
Nowadays "kids" (younger than HS) often have some kind of internet presence and so do their grandparents.

Now that I've seen Jason Callahan's pics, I'm almost certain Grateful Doe will soon have his name back. Doe had details that were specific enough that he should have been identified very quickly. But he wasn't... because his friends and loved ones didn't hear about the wreck.

I can't believe that all it took to lead to Callahan was his mother reading about GD on the internet (20-years after his death).
Better late than never, it seems...

The name of the band he liked notwithstanding, this John Doe should be Grateful that he (almost certainly) has his name back such a long time after he passed. And his family can be at peace knowing that he just didn't up-and-leave them intentionally without letting them know if he was safe.

This gives hope for all of those who were buried without a name. Now that the older generations are finally really getting on the 'net, maybe someone will see a story about a long-dead John/Jane Doe and be able to help.
 
bflocket said:
I can't believe that all it took to lead to Callahan was his mother reading about GD on the internet (20-years after his death).
Better late than never, it seems...
Click to expand...

RSBM

Just to clarify, there was a lot more that went into this. Jason Callahan's mother did not come forward until a connection between him and Grateful Doe had already been posited. I'm not sure that seeing one of the GD reconstructions and/or hearing the story was/would have been enough for this to happen. I only bring this up to emphasize the importance of greymetal's efforts and how broad and thorough they were. I'm sure that this case will become a powerful example in the future, but it would be detrimental for the "magic" of the internet to be overstated.
 
bflocket said:
I guess I take it for granted that I'm interested in "crime" stories and live in a town where there's nothing nearby to do but get online.

I think I got hooked when I realized how many murder victims (or merely the deceased) exist, but nobody knows who they are. The main one that first grabbed me was the "Tent Girl" because it happened in my state and I knew many of the areas mentioned in the quest to find out who she was.

I'd first read of this John Doe well over a decade ago. Grateful Doe, and countless other nameless individuals, had gone unidentified for so long that it didn't seem like they'd ever get their names back.

Back then, I never thought something posted on Facebook (or MySpace, etc) would help out in a case like his.
I know it shows my age, but then only college students had Facebook pages and it was mainly for socializing with new/old friends from school. And MySpace was mainly younger people who were in high school, those that didn't go to college or internet-savvy adults.
Nowadays "kids" (younger than HS) often have some kind of internet presence and so do their grandparents.

Now that I've seen Jason Callahan's pics, I'm almost certain Grateful Doe will soon have his name back. Doe had details that were specific enough that he should have been identified very quickly. But he wasn't... because his friends and loved ones didn't hear about the wreck.

I can't believe that all it took to lead to Callahan was his mother reading about GD on the internet (20-years after his death).
Better late than never, it seems...

The name of the band he liked notwithstanding, this John Doe should be Grateful that he (almost certainly) has his name back such a long time after he passed. And his family can be at peace knowing that he just didn't up-and-leave them intentionally without letting them know if he was safe.

This gives hope for all of those who were buried without a name. Now that the older generations are finally really getting on the 'net, maybe someone will see a story about a long-dead John/Jane Doe and be able to help.
Click to expand...
I had NO idea tent girl was ID'd until I just read your post (which urged me to Google her to see if there was an update). I researched her story years ago, numerous times. So this just made my day happy, thanks :) And her case was solved by Websleuths, or so that's what I read. Wow. And people ask why we do this stuff. Well that should explain it!
 
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