FL FL - Miami Beach, WhtMale UP6736, 30-40, 6'9" & 335 lbs, drowned, Dec'09

[annemc2]

Lack of hair on the legs could also be from peripheral vascular disease (poor circulation) as a result of atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension.

 

[TREE]

My husband always wears cowboy boots and work boots. This causes his lower legs and ankles to seem hairless because the boots rub off the hair. Maybe this is the same with him?

 

[carbuff]

George Lamar Von Berndt looks similar to me.... He has been missing since 4/1/2008, but he was known to be travelling so he could have ended up in Florida.

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He does look similar, but I think 6'2" to 6'7" is a bit too big a difference. The UID isn't just a big man, he's unusually large.

 

[masnitram]

What about Gregory Brushett? I see a lot of similarities beyond size. The one thing I can't tell though is Gregory's teeth. Are his front teeth missing, or something in the photo?

3744DMNS - Gregory Samuel Brushett

FWIW, I did fire this off as a possibility to the Namus case manager.

 

[carbuff]

Wow, that looks very close. The ears even look like they match. I can't tell about the teeth; it could just be the way he has his mouth opened.

 

[masnitram]

I thought the same thing Carbuff, I couldn't hold off from from emailing. I read a little more about Gregory's circumstances on a few other sites and it seems he was escaping from some legal issues in Canada. It was noted that he was a member of the "Hells Angels"...so I am a bit concerned about their penchant for tattoos....though it doesn't mention if in fact Gregory does or doesn't have tatts. We'll see, I sent off an email to the Miami authorities...I'll keep you posted.

*EDIT, I'm on the phone with Halifax PD

 

[carbuff]

I know for a fact that not all Hell's Angels have tattoos. There was at least one who didn't as of about 12 years ago.

Florida would certainly be a good place to go to get away from Nova Scotia

 

[masnitram]

I know for a fact that not all Hell's Angels have tattoos. There was at least one who didn't as of about 12 years ago.

Florida would certainly be a good place to go to get away from Nova Scotia

Yeah, and I shouldn't generalize either..fair point Carbuff.

Well, I called in Gregory Brushett to the Halifax Police as a possible match. This is honestly the first direct call I've made (when it comes to sleuthing), but the woman took all of my information and the info on the unidentified.

 

[CarlK90245]

This sure looks like the same guy to me. It even looks like they have the same bump next to the side of the nose, although it may be photographic anomaly on Brushett's photo. There are many similar marks on his upper cheek and forehead, so it probably is just a photographic anomaly.

They also have identical hairlines at the temples.

It looks though, like Burshett is missing his upper front teeth, but the photo is not clear enough to be sure. The UID still has his two front teeth.

Nevertheless, I think this is the right guy.

 

[Jaxson]

Wow that is a very close match and I always thought you couldn't 'quit' the Hell's Angels which could be why he was swimming with his shoes on...

 

[webrocket]

Yeah, and I shouldn't generalize either..fair point Carbuff.

Well, I called in Gregory Brushett to the Halifax Police as a possible match. This is honestly the first direct call I've made (when it comes to sleuthing), but the woman took all of my information and the info on the unidentified.

good luck with the potential match masnitram.

 

[carbuff]

Wow that is a very close match and I always thought you couldn't 'quit' the Hell's Angels which could be why he was swimming with his shoes on...

You see a lot of people on the south Florida beaches who go for a run along the beach, plunge in for a swim, then continue running. And there are areas that are quite rough on the feet (coral) so it's not uncommon to see people swimming in sneakers, water shoes, or running shoes.

In some places there's considerable undertow, so you can be wading in warm pleasant water and suddenly find your feet sucked out from under you. This has happened to me a couple of times (farther north, though).

 

[belfastgirl73]

Great find Masnitram! Here's hoping that this man can be named soon.

 

[starburst]

I think they are all good possibilities. I thought of the missing athletes in Florida, but the stats say this person was not dead long before finding. Could be no one has noticed him missing yet. Gregory could be a good bet because he may have been running from the motorcycle group. Thanks for all the great replies. Belfast, there is two men who went to Bahamas and never came back. I recall seeing that one, because the height is a possibility. No telling how much weight one can gain in a couple of years. Especially if you dont want to be noticed. There is some mention that he had suspected drug connections. Maybe he finally got off "the stuff?" Stranger things happen. Interesting case that I will keep watching. Sometimes it seems the people with the most obvious charecteristics (children, Grateful Dead guy, this guy)are the hardest to match but would seem to be the easiest. THANKS

 

[Cymro]

It does look extremely close and there is a plausible scenario that would put Greg in South Florida for 10 years.

I would say though that it almost looks too close - if they're the same guy, he looks as good at 45 as he did at 35. Maybe Keanu Reeves can do it but the rest of us would struggle.

I'm not at all concerned about the weight discrepancy though. 6'8" and 250 lbs is a basketball player's build - very long and very lean. If Greg were in the Hell's Angels I'd be surprised if he were much below 300 - huge but not fat. An extra 1/6th of bodyweight over a decade, at the age when middle aged spread happens, wouldn't be surprising.

I doubt that Greg had missing teeth; it seems just to be an open mouthed picture with him perhaps talking, and his lips covering them. Maybe I'm wrong but I'd be surprised if that weren't in the distinguishing characteristics. The UID's dentals appear to be generally very good with some fillings.

 

[carbuff]

I think they are all good possibilities. I thought of the missing athletes in Florida, but the stats say this person was not dead long before finding. Could be no one has noticed him missing yet. Gregory could be a good bet because he may have been running from the motorcycle group. Thanks for all the great replies. Belfast, there is two men who went to Bahamas and never came back. I recall seeing that one, because the height is a possibility. No telling how much weight one can gain in a couple of years. Especially if you dont want to be noticed. There is some mention that he had suspected drug connections. Maybe he finally got off "the stuff?" Stranger things happen. Interesting case that I will keep watching. Sometimes it seems the people with the most obvious charecteristics (children, Grateful Dead guy, this guy)are the hardest to match but would seem to be the easiest. THANKS

The articles quoted in post #2 upthread (both articles aged out, unfortunately) say that he was pulled from the surf and they tried to revive him, so he could only have been in the water for a few minutes.

One of the articles said 17th Street and Collins Avenue, behind the Delano Hotel, which is here: 17th and Collins, Miami I think the beach is public there, and it's the heart of the tourist area. Many locals, retirees, snowbirds etc. use Collins Park, just to the north, as an access point. He could have been a tourist. He could have been living in the cheap apartments farther north, or any of millions of condo complexes.

 

[carbuff]

It does look extremely close and there is a plausible scenario that would put Greg in South Florida for 10 years.

I would say though that it almost looks too close - if they're the same guy, he looks as good at 45 as he did at 35. Maybe Keanu Reeves can do it but the rest of us would struggle.

I'm not at all concerned about the weight discrepancy though. 6'8" and 250 lbs is a basketball player's build - very long and very lean. If Greg were in the Hell's Angels I'd be surprised if he were much below 300 - huge but not fat. An extra 1/6th of bodyweight over a decade, at the age when middle aged spread happens, wouldn't be surprising.

I doubt that Greg had missing teeth; it seems just to be an open mouthed picture with him perhaps talking, and his lips covering them. Maybe I'm wrong but I'd be surprised if that weren't in the distinguishing characteristics. The UID's dentals appear to be generally very good with some fillings.

I agree with you about Greg's mouth in the photo. I think he's just talking or singing Happy Birthday or something.

A previously athletic big man who goes to fat can stay looking young facially for a long time. The fat layer underneath the skin hides many of the wrinkles and sagging that reveal age in younger people. And Greg had enough time in Florida to have put on a fair amount of weight, especially if as you say he got off drugs, or if he was just eating better. Despite what they say about the South Beach Diet, there's a lot of cheap fattening food in south Florida :teeth:

 

[Reality Orlando]

This sure looks like the same guy to me. It even looks like they have the same bump next to the side of the nose, although it may be photographic anomaly on Brushett's photo. There are many similar marks on his upper cheek and forehead, so it probably is just a photographic anomaly.

They also have identical hairlines at the temples.

It looks though, like Burshett is missing his upper front teeth, but the photo is not clear enough to be sure. The UID still has his two front teeth.

Nevertheless, I think this is the right guy.

Wow, this looks like the same guy. If not the resemblance in uncanny, even down to the rounded nose!

 

[masnitram]

I haven't received any updates but from what I read about Gregory's situation on other sites (Porchlight being one of those), this could very easily turn into a bigger investigation due to the other Halifax area Hell's Angels who disappeared (and there were a few) around the same time as Gregory...if this unidentified man IS Gregory. Maybe Gregory and the others who disappeared had some kind of hook-up, family members, etc..in the Florida area. If Gregory is the guy, they may start looking for the other Halifax guys (who are WANTED) in the Miami area preventing any immediate confirmation from LE. I'm not saying this is the case but I won't be surprised if I don't hear anything for awhile due to those circumstances.

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[Reannan]

Thanks for the update Masnitram! This is one of the cases I currently obsess over, and Gregory looks like a really good match.