Identified! IA - Council Bluffs, adult male, lower R leg in bag, "REAPER" tattoo, Mar'20 - NamUs removed

[YaYa_521]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP68434
Male, Uncertain
StatusUnidentified
Date Body Found. March 29, 2020
Location Found Council Bluffs, Iowa
Estimated Age Range--
Case Information

Case Numbers
NCMEC Number--
ME/C Case Number20-02187

Demographics
SexMale
Race / Ethnicity Uncertain
Possible First Name--
Possible Middle Name--
Possible Last Name--
Possible Nickname--
Estimated Age Group Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years)--
Estimated Year of Death--
Estimated PMI--
HeightCannot Estimate
WeightCannot Estimate

Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundMarch 29, 2020
NamUs Case CreatedApril 23, 2020
ME/C QA Reviewed--

Location Found
Location Council Bluffs, Iowa 51526
County Pottawattamie County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--
Found On Tribal LandNo
Circumstances of Recovery
Human remains were found in a pond on private property in Council Bluffs, Iowa on 03/29/2020. A lower right leg including the knee, calf and foot were located in trash bags. The investigators observed a tattoo appearing to spell the word "REAPER" on the knee and calf area. No additional human remains have been located at this time.

Inventory of Remains--
Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues
Physical Description
Hair ColorUnknown
Head Hair Description--
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorUnknown
Right Eye ColorUnknown
Eye Description--

Tattoo on outside of right lower leg

Eta - sorry about photos. I'm not sure what's happening.

 

[YaYa_521]

Possible match. I emailed the NamUs rep a link to the article in the OP of Justin's thread.
IA - IA- Justin Messmore, 38, Council Bluffs, 25 June 2019

 

[Goecke]

https://www.iowasexoffender.gov/registrant/19708/
Justin Messmore is a registered sex offender. The page mentions he has tattoos on his back and one hand, but nothing on his legs. Then again the 'reaper' tattoo could be recent and not documented.

Also, looking at the tag on the shoe, it looks like it's a size 13, which definitely lines up with Justin's height of 6'0"-6'1". Obviously shorter people can have larger feet but I'm more inclined to think this is someone taller.

 

[YaYa_521]

https://www.iowasexoffender.gov/registrant/19708/
Justin Messmore is a registered sex offender. The page mentions he has tattoos on his back and one hand, but nothing on his legs. Then again the 'reaper' tattoo could be recent and not documented.

Also, looking at the tag on the shoe, it looks like it's a size 13, which definitely lines up with Justin's height of 6'0"-6'1". Obviously shorter people can have larger feet but I'm more inclined to think this is someone taller.

Thank you for this information!

 

[liminalsp8ce]

Those shoes found on him are Under Armour Curry 3s (low top version) which were released February, 2017. There are no heavy wear signs besides the obvious discoloration so he wouldn’t have owned them long.

 

[Goecke]

I got a better look at the tag on the shoe and I was wrong about it being a US size 13. It's a Mexican size 13, or European 48.5, which is a 14.5/15 in US sizes. The part of the tag saying the US size is worn off so I can't say for sure.

So it's an even larger shoe size than I previously thought. For reference, my 6'2" father wears a US 13 and doesn't have giant feet for his height. So I'm inclined to think this is someone very tall.

ETA: checked Under Armour's size chart, and apparently a European 48.5 for them is a 14 in US men's sizing.

 

[TGIRecovered]

I wonder if the pathologist was able to give police a theory on how the leg was removed.

My thought is that a leg in the lake does not necessarily mean someone is dead. Maybe some really hard core criminal had his leg cut off to avoid being identified by the unique tattoo. Or maybe a worse criminal cut his leg off for owing money or failing to wear the gang colors or for looking at his girlfriend.

All MOO

 

[adjones826]

I thought this might be a match for Matthew Holett but his family says he has no tattoos.

 

[snowgoose]

Adding info from the FBI's ViCAP page: UNKNOWN VICTIM - CRESCENT, IOWA — FBI

Remarks:
Distinguishing Characteristics: Vertical black tattoo on lower right leg with letters that appear to spell "REAPER."

Clothing/Belongings: Grey and red Under Armor brand tennis shoe, size 13

Details:
On March 29, 2020, a right calf with an attached foot and a knee were found in a pond north of Council Bluffs, Iowa. The pond is located near I-680, just east of the Missouri River and the Nebraska state line. A grey and red Under Armor brand tennis shoe, size 13, was attached to the foot. The calf and knee had a vertical black tattoo on the outer side with letters that appear to spell "REAPER."

DNA testing confirmed the calf and knee belong to the same individual; the body parts had been intentionally severed. Forensic anthropology determined the unidentified remains belonged to a middle-aged white male who stood between 5’9” to 5’11” tall and weighed between 180 to 240 pounds. Genetic pigmentation testing suggested it is highly likely the male had brown or black hair and had either hazel or green eyes.

Submit a Tip:
If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Submit an anonymous Tip online

--
It seems odd that the estimated height is average despite the large shoe size, but perhaps he was wearing an oversized shoe?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/unidentified-persons/unknown-victim---cresent-iowa/vivap-unidentified_human_remains-crescent-iowa.pdf

UNKNOWN VICTIM - CRESCENT, IOWA | Federal Bureau of Investigation

Crescent, Iowa March 29, 2020

www.fbi.gov

 

[vandeeje]

Does anyone know how decomposed the leg was when it was found? They can see the tattoo so it can't have been in the water for years, right? I don't want to spend time looking at missing people from too far back.

 

[Taavi]

Does anyone know how decomposed the leg was when it was found? They can see the tattoo so it can't have been in the water for years, right? I don't want to spend time looking at missing people from too far back.

I can't find anything, but I would say it had to be very recent. Within a week or two.

 

[iulia]

The NamUs page for this UID is down.

 

[Taavi]

This post is labelled as identified. I can't find who he was though. Why is it not posted here?

 

[Vern]

This post is labelled as identified. I can't find who he was though. Why is it not posted here?

Perhaps LE is keeping it to themselves to assist with murder investigation ... now that the individual has been identified, LE will be able to gather up some more critical information as to last known whereabouts, associates, POIs perhaps etc etc,