MO MO - St Louis, Mississippi River, WhtMale 16-25, UP9556, blue comb, clothes, Sz12 Trax shoes, Jan'81

[victoriarobinson642]

Found this unidentified young man researching a missing man and saw that he had no thread here.

-

NAMUS:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

-
Demographics
Sex - Male
Race / Ethnicity - White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group - Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years) - 16-25
Estimated Year of Death - 1981
Estimated PMI - 4 Weeks
Height - 6' 0"(72 inches) , Estimated
Weight - 175 lbs, Estimated

-

Circumstances
Type - Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found - January 7, 1981
NamUs Case Created - November 30, 2011
ME/C QA Reviewed - January 10, 2012
Location Found Map
Location - St. Louis, Missouri 63111
County - St. Louis City
Circumstances of Recovery - The crew of a tugboat discovered this man floating in the Mississippi River near the Jefferson Barracks Bridge. He was towed to the foot of Iron Street where there was a Coast Guard dock.

Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains - All parts recovered
Condition of Remains - Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

-

Physical Description
Hair Color - Sandy
Head Hair Description - Mostly gone. A small amount of light-colored blonde or light brown hair present. Medium length and straight.

-

Clothing and Accessories
Accessories - Bright blue comb found in the right rear pocket

Clothing - Shirt - Blue, rib-style, size "Large", brand "Sportswear" Underwear - Purple, bikini, size unknown Belt - Brown/black, end-to-end grommets, size unknown, 32 " from buckle to worn grommet, bronze/brass colored buckle Pants - Blue, jeans, 30" waist, 34 " inseam, "JC Penny", worn at the bottom at the heal Socks - Blue, knit, unknown size/brand
On the Body

Footwear - Shoes - Blue/white stripes, tennis, low quarter-style, size 12, brand "Trax"
On the Body

-
Ruled out:
Anthony Allen of Fort Smith, Arkansas

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
His hair doesn't look sandy in the photo but nearly everything else seems to match up.

 

[SmellsLikeH2CO]

What about this case? The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
I would imagine if someone were to enter the river in Minneapolis in the winter, it wouldn't be unreasonable that they surfaced in St. Louis. Freezing waters could definitely slow decomposition.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

What about this case? The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
I would imagine if someone were to enter the river in Minneapolis in the winter, it wouldn't be unreasonable that they surfaced in St. Louis. Freezing waters could definitely slow decomposition.

It would be unreasonable to think a body made it from Minneapolis to St. Louis. Most bodies in the Mississippi don't make it too far because of the amount of debris and the barge traffic. You're either found caught in debris along the shoreline, skeletal parts found in the locks and dams when they're cleaned out, or spotted floating by someone on a barge.

If I were to guess, I'd say this person didn't enter the water anywhere north of Grafton but more likely south of Alton where the Melvin Price Lock and Dam is located.

 

[creepedout]

Because this UID was apparently decomposing, this MP is highly unlikely to be a match unless there are date errors, but what are the odds that this man may have jumped into the MO river 45 miles away on the same day?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

Because this UID was apparently decomposing, this MP is highly unlikely to be a match unless there are date errors, but what are the odds that this man may have jumped into the MO river 45 miles away on the same day?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Not very good odds. Recent drowning victims are more likely to be found close to where they entered the water, even in rivers. Most bodies initially sink to the bottom after death. It isn't until days later as the body decomposes and begins to release gases that the body resurfaces (unless it is like Lake Tahoe or Lake Michigan where the cold temperatures can halt the decomposition process).

Edit: I should also add that in January 1981, it looks like the river stage was really low, 1.4, (low stage for restricting barge travel is like 10', I think), you probably could have walked across the river at Chain of Rocks. So it seems unlikely a body would have traveled very far. Too much to get caught on.

 

[pamelaleigh]

There is a new listing on Doe on Aug. 21, 2021- 3669UMMO- that seems to bear a resemblance to John David Higham. I am a bit confused, because I thought there were individual threads for Doe Unidentified and perhaps listing from the Charley Project as well. I searched Higham, but there are so many posts that do not involved him at all. Can anyone enlighten me? I have been following Websleuths for awhile, but have not posted before. Am finding it very confusing....thank you.

 

[snowgoose]

Hi Pamela, welcome to websleuths. Here's the Doe Network page you mentioned: 3669UMMO

It looks like there is a Websleuths thread for his unidentified man here: MO - MO - St Louis, WhtMal UP9556, 16-25, in Mississippi River, Jan'81

There's also a previous missing person thread for John David Higham here: CA - CA - John David Higham, 24, Los Angeles, 24 June 1980

I'm not able to see if John David Higham has been ruled out as a match for this John Doe, but if not, it seems worth submitting.

 

[KLCD620]

It's worth to submitting 3669UMMO as JDH. I've seen him so often as missing person from CA via DOE NETWORK and get very limited details (no latest update) about him due to his family didn't know what happened to him. He was simply vanished from the earth without any clue.

 

[pamelaleigh]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
His hair doesn't look sandy in the photo but nearly everything else seems to match up.

I noticed that according to NamUs, that this missing person, Theodore Jacob Patlak, had had a severely broken leg in his youth that left it shortened. Would the Medical Examiner's Office not have noticed that?

 

[pamelaleigh]

All of the below missing men meet the height/weight/age specifications, though they are missing from around the country and from up to 6 months before. Not all appeared to have "sandy" hair from the photos. None were believed to have met with foul play in the areas where they were from.

Frank H. Johnston – The Charley Project
Sanders Maurice Seligman – The Charley Project
Michael Dennis Small – The Charley Project
Daniel Fogg – The Charley Project
Dale Wesley Visel – The Charley Project
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/ca-john-david-higham-24-los-angeles- 24-june-1980.492806/

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

It should be noted that St. Louis City and County are not LEAs that have gotten around to adding in their older cold cases to the NamUs system.

 

[creepedout]

It should be noted that St. Louis City and County are not LEAs that have gotten around to adding in their older cold cases to the NamUs system.

Probably one of the most disjointed areas in the country when it comes to law enforcement agencies; way too many suburban departments in too small of an area.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Do you think it could be a match?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Although I still think it could be impossible due to the decomposition of the body.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

Probably one of the most disjointed areas in the country when it comes to law enforcement agencies; way too many suburban departments in too small of an area.

Absolutely. It's a mess. The City and County went through the Great Divorce in 1876 because the prosperous city didn't want to pay for infrastructure in the rural county and permanently froze its boundaries.

Nowadays, there is the Independent City of St. Louis and 91 municipalities in the County, plus some unincorporated areas. Each with their own political structure, fire departments, and police forces. Many don't have a large enough tax base to support these and so have been disbanded over time and law enforcement outsourced to St. Louis County Police. It's a fractured mess, for sure.