LA LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, Feb'75

[berin]

I think I found them too. They both give his full name as Charles Howard Wallace. I could not find any records or an obituary for him. I don't have a subscription to any of the school yearbook sites. If someone else does, maybe they could find a picture. There seems to be only one high school in Lexington. From the conflicting age data he may have graduated between 1971 and 1974. MOO

I found the 1971 graduating class roster of the same high school his brothers attended and Charles Wallace is listed. I checked the 1970-71 yearbooks for his junior and senior pictures however and he is not present in either. He may be in the 1968-69 yearbooks, but I could not find those to confirm either way. I don't think his absence from the 1970-71 ones means the graduation information is wrong however- I noticed while flipping through various yearbooks from the same school in the 70s that some students were occasionally absent from the yearbook despite having attended at the time and having been present in other years. In the article, his parents say he was a good student for the first two years of high school before things started to go downhill. This may be related to why he didn't attend on the days his junior/senior photographs were to be taken.

I'm not sure if it's against TOS to share the school name, so I have omitted it. But I just wanted to confirm a graduation of 1971 is correct based on what I found. Assuming he graduated on a regular schedule, the age given in the article (19) must be wrong. I find it strange however, that his parents would mistake his age. Maybe it's simply an error from the original and other newspapers further propagated it?

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Thanks @berin and welcome to Websleuths. I don't think it's against TOS to share the HS name, but if there's no picture or other information from it then there's no real reason to do so.

From the roster you found I think you're right that his age being given as 19 was incorrect, especially as the same article said he graduated HS in 1971. Maybe he was 19 when he last spoke with his parents and several years had elapsed.

 

[berin]

Thanks @berin and welcome to Websleuths. I don't think it's against TOS to share the HS name, but if there's no picture or other information from it then there's no real reason to do so.

From the roster you found I think you're right that his age being given as 19 was incorrect, especially as the same article said he graduated HS in 1971. Maybe he was 19 when he last spoke with his parents and several years had elapsed.

Thank you A slightly older age would also give him time to find “work for Procter and Gamble in Memphis”, befriend new people and eventually get admitted to the halfway house. I estimate 22 in 1975 if he graduated at 18. Your suggestion is an interesting one. Maybe he moved to Memphis at 19 and this is what his parents meant.

If the scarring and dental match along with the timing of disappearance, but it's truly not him, I'll be very surprised. Though there have been greater coincidences I suppose.

 

[Tony1902]

@berin
Thank you for looking this up. How unfortunate that there was no photo. The age of 16-17 was given by Det Dominic Verdi and confirmed by the coroner, who was not a pathologist. He might have been older and just looked younger. Without an autopsy by a forensic pathologist, and remains lost we will not be able to figure out much. Merci from Coastal Louisiana.
ETA: forgot my manners, bienvenu à WS!!

 

[Romulus]

James Patrick Ault?

4864DMBC - James Patrick Ault

Circumstances of Disappearance
James arrived in Vancouver in early 1970 and stayed for several weeks at the House of Daniel Youth Hostel located at 2630 East Marine Drive. Emotionally distraught at the time he disappeared, James left his room at the hostel on February 24, 1970, leaving behind all of his personal effects.

 

[berin]

@berin
Thank you for looking this up. How unfortunate that there was no photo. The age of 16-17 was given by Det Dominic Verdi and confirmed by the coroner, who was not a pathologist. He might have been older and just looked younger. Without an autopsy by a forensic pathologist, and remains lost we will not be able to figure out much. Merci from Coastal Louisiana.
ETA: forgot my manners, bienvenu à WS!!

Maybe we'll get lucky and the yearbooks for 1968-69 will turn up and he will be in them. I can easily believe as well that a ~22yo can be mistaken for ~17yo. It's only a few years difference after all.

Merci à vous bonjour du Québec!

 

[Tony1902]

I guess it can pay to be persistent. I just got an email from Jefferson Parish coroner’s office. However, until I get the documents, I don’t think it’s Belle Chasse UID. She said it was a homicide, so that could mean Nassau Dr, Old Metairie, Jane Doe, 1979. I will not know until I see them.
ETA: Nassau Dr Jane Doe Old Metairie, LA
I did however, mention Belle Chasse UID. Maybe she can dig for us?! I have her phone number. She mailing the documents. I was so excited I mis-read!!!

 

[Tony1902]

Just got another reply. Have to contact Plaquemines Parish Coroner and Jefferson Parish police. I am getting the police report for Belle Chasse but all else has to go through those two parishes. Slowly, crawling but I’m so very determined about these cases.

I’ve emailed CarlK to ask what is against TOS and what I can summarize. I don’t think the parishes would be happy with me putting up a coroner’s report since Louisiana is a closed records state and I don’t want a fine or ugh jail time. Still colonial this place.

 

[Sweetluv]

Tony1902...good work!

 

[carbuff]

@Tony1902 great work! You're amazing!

 

[theshadow45]

And to the age issue: we only have Det Verdi’s assessment, corroborated by the coroner, that he was 16-17. When I was 31 I went to drop off paperwork at my son’s high school in NOLA. The lady in the office said ‘Girl, come back with your mama, I can’t take this from you. I need a parent or guardian.’ My point, and I may be off, is that both assessments of age may be faulty.

(Tony1902’s original post respectfully shortened by me.)
I have had similar experiences to yours. I am in my mid-twenties now but look considerably younger than my age, I’m also fairly short which probably doesn’t help. As a result, it is a fairly common occurrence for me to be mistaken for a teenager/much younger than I actually am. A really good example of this happening: a few years ago I was on vacation with my family and in the hotel where we were staying there was a very nice Italian restaurant that we went to. When we were seated we were given menus and I was specifically given a children’s menu to order from (it was a separate menu from the regular/adult menu) which read at the top, “Children 12 and under only please”. I was 22 at the time.
I think it’s entirely possible that BCJD’s age estimate is off, especially with the knowledge that he was not autopsied by a forensic pathologist or a medical examiner; but by a coroner with a background in gynecology. Since we don’t have the coroner’s report, we don’t know if for example any exams with x-rays were done on the body which would have shown the growth plates on his bones (they would have given them a much better idea of his age than just his appearance, which we know can be deceiving). Not only that, but forensics have come a long way since the 1970’s. It’s entirely possible that things were done to the best of their abilities at the time and they were just wrong. I think a modern autopsy would be the key to figure out some of the unknowns in this case, which may or may not be a possibility with the location of the body currently unknown.

 

[Baudelaire]

The body of BCJD is currently in an unmarked grave in the Woodlawn cemetery. Mr Mothe from Mothe Funeral home has details of the exact location but will probably only release that information to LE or family. It is very lucky that the body was not cremated or lost.

Again we come full circle in this thread. There is no missing persons for Charlie or Bayard and no obituaries, however they are both mentioned in their parents' obits as predeceased.

There is a missing person for James, but it's a stretch to be in school in the South of the US somewhere and disappearing in Canada in 1970, unless he did a lot of traveling. Because if it's James he dissappears in Canada in Feb 1970, and almost exactly 5 years later ends up being BCJD.

With Charlie, the story is more in sync with Bayard, age, graduation, family nearby or had lived here. Both have never been reported missing. Bayard is on NAMUS now but not Charlie. Nobody is looking for either of them.

Think car buff or sweetluv or Tony answered my question about the beginning of this thread. It was started by a newspaper article, not with a missing person profile.

According to any LE or clearing house, Charles was found because his parents mention their son's death. Again according to any and all, Bayard was found because he is mentioned in his patents' obits. And again we are left with a set of remains, the location of which is known (+-) and two family members getting on in years that may be the last living link to BCDJ.

Like I said, full circle. We need LE to make contact with the family and do DNA tests.

PS: In four days it will be our boy's 47th anniversary. Please bump the thread and say a little prayer that one day he might have his name again.

 

[carbuff]

The body of BCJD is currently in an unmarked grave in the Woodlawn cemetery. Mr Mothe from Mothe Funeral home has details of the exact location but will probably only release that information to LE or family. It is very lucky that the body was not cremated or lost.

Again we come full circle in this thread. There is no missing persons for Charlie or Bayard and no obituaries, however they are both mentioned in their parents' obits as predeceased.

There is a missing person for James, but it's a stretch to be in school in the South of the US somewhere and disappearing in Canada in 1970, unless he did a lot of traveling. Because if it's James he dissappears in Canada in Feb 1970, and almost exactly 5 years later ends up being BCJD.

With Charlie, the story is more in sync with Bayard, age, graduation, family nearby or had lived here. Both have never been reported missing. Bayard is on NAMUS now but not Charlie. Nobody is looking for either of them.

Think car buff or sweetluv or Tony answered my question about the beginning of this thread. It was started by a newspaper article, not with a missing person profile.

According to any LE or clearing house, Charles was found because his parents mention their son's death. Again according to any and all, Bayard was found because he is mentioned in his patents' obits. And again we are left with a set of remains, the location of which is known (+-) and two family members getting on in years that may be the last living link to BCDJ.

Like I said, full circle. We need LE to make contact with the family and do DNA tests.

PS: In four days it will be our boy's 47th anniversary. Please bump the thread and say a little prayer that one day he might have his name again.

But being mentioned in the obituary wouldn't have to mean the person was found, it could just mean the family believed their loved one was dead after being missing for so many years.

 

[snowgoose]

The body of BCJD is currently in an unmarked grave in the Woodlawn cemetery. Mr Mothe from Mothe Funeral home has details of the exact location but will probably only release that information to LE or family. It is very lucky that the body was not cremated or lost.

Again we come full circle in this thread. There is no missing persons for Charlie or Bayard and no obituaries, however they are both mentioned in their parents' obits as predeceased.

There is a missing person for James, but it's a stretch to be in school in the South of the US somewhere and disappearing in Canada in 1970, unless he did a lot of traveling. Because if it's James he dissappears in Canada in Feb 1970, and almost exactly 5 years later ends up being BCJD.

With Charlie, the story is more in sync with Bayard, age, graduation, family nearby or had lived here. Both have never been reported missing. Bayard is on NAMUS now but not Charlie. Nobody is looking for either of them.

Think car buff or sweetluv or Tony answered my question about the beginning of this thread. It was started by a newspaper article, not with a missing person profile.

According to any LE or clearing house, Charles was found because his parents mention their son's death. Again according to any and all, Bayard was found because he is mentioned in his patents' obits. And again we are left with a set of remains, the location of which is known (+-) and two family members getting on in years that may be the last living link to BCDJ.

Like I said, full circle. We need LE to make contact with the family and do DNA tests.

PS: In four days it will be our boy's 47th anniversary. Please bump the thread and say a little prayer that one day he might have his name again.

What do you mean about Bayard Cousins never having been reported missing...? He is in NamUs and in this thread there are mentions of LE being in touch with his family about his missing person case, so to my mind that means he clearly was reported missing

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Much thanks to @Tony1902 for finding, and @CarlK90245 for posting, the States-Item article about Charlie Wallace. Here's a few select quotes.

"Their son Charles, 19, had recently vanished without a trace from a Memphis home for teenagers with drug problems"

"On that February night when he disappeared, the Wallaces had a long phone call from him at the Memphis halfway house... He called to say he wanted to come home now. My husband said he thought it was too early and that Charlie wouldn't be able to make it at home this soon. I guess that made Charlie angry. That night he disappeared from the Memphis home."

"An ex drug addict spoke to his class about the dangers of drug abuse. At the end of the talk Charles turned to the boy next to him "Let's go try some of that stuff" he said. As his parents see it, that was the beginning of the end."

The last comment, the reported suicide attempt after an LSD flashback, and the comment about long hair, all seem almost scripted to reflect the apocryphal anti-drug hysteria of the times. Were these verbatim quotes from his mother, or did the writer embellish this a bit based on some stories from those times?

I also went to high school in TN near that time and heard at least one "ex drug addict" lecture us on the evils of drugs. Few took them very seriously. Most schools probably have their own urban legends about the joint or bag of pot they passed around at such lectures as a prop that came back replaced with catnip.

Why was it his father who determined he wasn't ready to return home? Shouldn't it have been a staff member? Did he even want to return home if he was living and working in Memphis? Was he still at P&G? It's over 100 miles between Lexington and Memphis so commuting from there wasn't likely. Why didn't his father come to New Orleans?

There's also a question about his treatment situation. It was described first as a home for teenagers with drug problems, but later in the article as a halfway house. They're not exactly the same. A halfway house suggests some legal entanglements. Also if he actually was 22, rather than 19, the halfway house seems more likely as well. All MOO

 

[Baudelaire]

But being mentioned in the obituary wouldn't have to mean the person was found, it could just mean the family believed their loved one was dead after being missing for so many years.

Very true, I didn't think of that

 

[Baudelaire]

What do you mean about Bayard Cousins never having been reported missing...? He is in NamUs and in this thread there are mentions of LE being in touch with his family about his missing person case, so to my mind that means he clearly was reported missing

He's on NAMUS now. Romulus had him put up. There never was anything for him.

 

[Baudelaire]

Rsbm

Problem is that letter. It does not sound like somebody on speed. He thought about this for a long time.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Pointing out the obvious, but Bayard and Charlie went missing long before NamUs or the internet existed. Any missing person report, if there ever was one, would have existed as a paper file somewhere, may never have been widely distributed, and may never resurface. Newspapers would be the best source for MP info if their families were diligent enough to contact them and/or the circumstances were abrupt enough to be newsworthy and believe they were in danger.

It sort of makes me feel old to say this, but the 1970s were still a time when parents had to wait days or weeks for a letter, or maybe a collect phone call, to find out what their young adult children were up to.

 

[carbuff]

Also, at that time, it didn't do you any good to report your child missing. LE most likely wouldn't take a report. Once they were 18, it was, "They're an adult, they can do what they want, it's not a crime to leave."

 

[Tony1902]

Thanks to all of you for keeping this thread going. And thanks @Baudelaire for contacting Mothe Funeral Home and getting those extra really important pieces of the puzzle.

Once I get the documents from Jefferson Parish I’ll consult with a mod to see what I can and cannot discuss. I probably need to find an LE to help me with the grave. Only they can do it, and perhaps Othram can come in to help. Jeez it would be great to bring this young man and name and then home.