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

[Tony1902]

@Baudelaire hasn't posted here in some time.
1) She found a person with the last name of Cousins attending a function at the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station;
2) The young man was found in a crop field in Naomi, Louisiana;
3) If he had glasses , they weren’t found nearby, nor were his shoes;
4) The lead detective is deceased and I couldn’t find a way to access his records. I do believe, however, that his age was under-estimated;
5). I sent CarlK documents from the local newspapers that reported his death. He appeared to be sensitive, well-read and educated young man. With a sense of irony, to hang himself, in the midst of his pain, from a persimmon tree in Plaquemine (Choctaw-persimmon)Parish.
6). TOD was fixed by the couple going out (not seeing his body) and coming back (seeing his body.) it’s in the section of the thread which CarlK posted for me.
7) Plaquemines Parish would be a good place for an ecological activist to develop an interest.
Again, I must stress, only a local or someone quite familiar with area would consider such a spot.

 

[Tony1902]

And I forgot to thank the wonderful poster, who’s name I’ve now forgotten, for the google earth map reference. (Old woman brain)

 

[Romulus]

Found another small article from June 1975 which mentions more than 300 parents of missing sons contacting the Sheriff's office with several coming to examine the body, however with no identification, he was buried in an unmarked grave.....

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IPgLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RVgDAAAAIBAJ&dq=plaquemines suicide 1975&pg=6722,250276

The eyes, thin nose and full lips make the resemblance almost uncanny. But his parents described him as "mentally retarded, with brain damage, and severe epilepsy(...)". And also as "shy and timid, afraid to venture as far as the sidewalk in front of his Woodcrest home alone(...)"

I don't think he would have been able to write such letter with all the health issues he suffered from. MOO JMO

Anthony Andrzejewski - Newspapers.com

MOO JMO

Edit to clarify last sentence.

I wonder if his parents are among those who have come to recognize this UID or not...

 

[Sweetluv]

Please correct me if I'm wrong...so there is nothing in existence that you could compare this young man too? No DNA, the clothes he had on, bedsheet, or suicide note?? Any autopsy photo left in existence?
I'm just wondering, if anyone comes forward and suspects this young man is their relative, how would they be able to make a comparison?
This is REALLY sad..

 

[Tony1902]

Please correct me if I'm wrong...so there is nothing in existence that you could compare this young man too? No DNA, the clothes he had on, bedsheet, or suicide note?? Any autopsy photo left in existence?
I'm just wondering, if anyone comes forward and suspects this young man is their relative, how would they be able to make a comparison?
This is REALLY sad..

According to Plaquemines Parish Sheriff office ...nothing because of Katrina.

 

[breachtones]

According to Plaquemines Parish Sheriff office ...nothing because of Katrina.

Fingerprints were distributed though right? Surely someone else has them. Were there certain cemeteries Plaquemines Parish would bury their Does in, were they cremated etc?

 

[Romulus]

The only hope is that someone will see these posts and his profile and somehow recognize this boy.

 

[Tony1902]

Fingerprints were distributed though right? Surely someone else has them. Were there certain cemeteries Plaquemines Parish would bury their Does in, were they cremated etc?

Yes, but no one seems to know what exactly happened. All that is known is that he was conveyed to Mothe Funeral Home and buried in Westlawn cemetery. Exact location of this grave is unknown. During Katrina many graves had coffins that dislodged, ugh....and therefore no one knows. I don't believe there was a cremation.

 

[Romulus]

Both the UID and MP you listed have 0 exclusions.

UNIDENTIFIED
Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP88342Male, White / Caucasian
Date Body FoundFebruary 14, 1975
Location FoundPlaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Estimated Age Range16-18 Years

0 Missing Person Exclusions​

Right, if the markers, DNA, dentition are missing, what questions do I ask?

 

[Sweetluv]

How do they compare a MP to this UID? Great question...
Seems like there is nothing in existence for comparison (?)
Could the original or copy of the suicide note be in some backroom evidence storage area at a police station? If so, handwriting could be identified by the MPs family. Also, an MPs family might know if their son read that particular philosophers books (sorry, forgot name)
Other than that, how could a comparison be made to ANY MP?

 

[Caring1]

Right, if the markers, DNA, dentition are missing, what questions do I ask?

I’m wondering if you need to ask anything except to provide your tip/findings. The investigative part would need to be continued on LE or the agency’s end. If nothing else, they can keep it on file should any family come forward at some point. I keep thinking what if it is him, non-action would be a shame in that case. If no confirmation or rule out can be done, at least the information was provided.

 

[Romulus]

I’m wondering if you need to ask anything except to provide your tip/findings. The investigative part would need to be continued on LE or the agency’s end. If nothing else, they can keep it on file should any family come forward at some point. I keep thinking what if it is him, non-action would be a shame in that case. If no confirmation or rule out can be done, at least the information was provided.

I don't have to ask for anything, sorry for my English, I was just wrong to write... I meant that if they don't know where the body is, they certainly can't compare it with anyone who has missing and therefore it is normal that there are 0 exclusions, I hope that now my concept is clear.

 

[Caring1]

I don't have to ask for anything, sorry for my English, I was just wrong to write... I meant that if they don't know where the body is, they certainly can't compare it with anyone who has missing and therefore it is normal that there are 0 exclusions, I hope that now my concept is clear.

Yes, you are absolutely right. We can only hope they will find it at some point.

 

[phantomstrider]

Please correct me if I'm wrong...so there is nothing in existence that you could compare this young man too? No DNA, the clothes he had on, bedsheet, or suicide note?? Any autopsy photo left in existence?
I'm just wondering, if anyone comes forward and suspects this young man is their relative, how would they be able to make a comparison?
This is REALLY sad..

Someone needs to find out where his burial site is.

 

[PatLaurel]

Someone needs to find out where his burial site is.

He was "placed in a plain wooden coffin(...) and lowered into an unmarked grave". Buried at "a Gretna Cemetery". "Several parents came hundreds of miles to examine the sheet-draped body in an Algiers funeral home(...)".
One article published on a Tuesday (17/06), states "he was buried last week". That would have been sometime between 09/06 and 13/06. Another article, published the same day, states "he was buried Monday". Monday the 9th of June?

Funeral homes usually keep records of the people they bury. Did they lose everything to Katrina too?

MOO JMO

 

[Sweetluv]

Tony1902 might know...
Was the body also (lost) in the Hurricane Katrina tragedy? I am assuming yes....

 

[phantomstrider]

It might have been displaced due to Katrina so his body might not even be at the original location anymore

 

[PatLaurel]

Yesterday marked 40 years since this young man took his life. In his letter, he expressed a desire to die in anonymity. I sometimes wonder if he knew that no one would make an effort to find him. That's probably unfair of me to say. The opposite is just so darn sad, parents hoping, waiting for 40 years and never knowing the truth.

I don't know why I didn't think of it until now, but it occurred to me recently that since the funeral home is mentioned in the article I posted with the sketch, that might be a good source for information. So I did some research, and learned that Mothe Funeral Home has records on microfilm in the City Archives dating back to 1933. I thought it was a lost cause until I scrolled all the way through the list and found it at the very end. The information isn't online (which is why previous searches have been unsuccessful, I presume), and will require a visit to the main public library. I'll be happy to do the research, but not until next week after Mardi Gras is over and downtown resumes its normal mad pace. I will jump for joy if I can find a death certificate or burial record. Then finally this John Doe will be an "official" and documented, albeit nameless, human being. :crossfingers:

Burial Records, Guide to Genealogical Materials

Apparently the Funeral Home has records on microfilm. I don't know if @bessie was able to visit the public library or not but, if a burial record exists, a visit to the cemetery won't hurt.

If the Google Earth imagery dates are accurate, the Westlawn Memorial Park appears to be in "good shape" in March 2006. The lawn section seems organized and marked. With luck, BCJD's unmarked grave is still there. We will never know if we don't try.

MOO JMO

 

[PatLaurel]

I'm still on page 29 but I want to bring these two posts to the top.

FamilySearch: Sign In

This is the site of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter day saints. I created a geological account now i can access their archive.

I looked through 4 reels today. I found this:

Reply from Mr Mothe. I'm certainly not on top of things, I'm floundering because I don't know which way now.

According to Mr. Mothe Jr. there is a section in the cemetery for the unidentified only. The graves are unmarked but, if the burials followed a chronological sequence, it shouldn't be hard to estimate where BCJD's grave is. And maybe with the help of GPR check if the coffins in that section were dislodged by Katrina or are still there.
There is still hope...

MOO JMO

 

[Teche]

Yes, but no one seems to know what exactly happened. All that is known is that he was conveyed to Mothe Funeral Home and buried in Westlawn cemetery. Exact location of this grave is unknown. During Katrina many graves had coffins that dislodged, ugh....and therefore no one knows. I don't believe there was a cremation.

In the mid-’70s, few if any bodies were cremated in Louisiana. It's still a largely Catholic population. My son and his family live along the Mississippi River near Belle Chasse (Orleans Parish). The area remains rural. IMO, people moving in area had ties to the naval-air base or had family in the area.