Identified! ND - WhtMale, UP70567, 30-40, wrist tattoo "sex", Little Muddy River, 22 Jun 1982 - Phillip Peterson

[annemc2]

I think the letters on the left and right side of the fish are PIS (top to bottom on the right side) and CES (top to bottom on the left side). If that’s what y’all are referring to. ETA: so it reads PISCES if you rotate the image counterclockwise... me thinks...

Yaaaay! That's totally it!

 

[annemc2]

Updated tattoo reconstruction:
I'm still uncertain of what the black area above the Y in Sherry is.

Hmmm yeah, could it just be a gill? And then there is that mark above the "I"...

 

[MadMcGoo]

Awesome!! Yah, I think that area above the “Y” is probably part of a gill or fin. Now to figure out who might be the Pisces...him or her, or both!

 

[Rootje]

Those tattoos are super unique. Someone has to recognize him.

 

[bombardier]

some men from the Dakotas/Minnesota/Montana; none have the tattoos mentioned but if it was that easy this case would have been solved a long time ago
David Bird Thomson - 5'8" to 5'10", would have been 35 at the time, looks to have auburn hair. seems to have led a transient, hitchhiker lifestyle. Another photo of him shows him with a full beard.

Paul Edward Levang - a little far-fetched since last seen 1970, 5'8", reddish-brown hair with temple balding.

Gerald Leroy Dewall - 5'10", would have been 35, has strawberry blonde hair (which i guess could be described as light reddish brown) and seems to usually wear a full beard. He is described as having a right arm tattoo but no description of the tattoo...therefore it could be the 'SEX' on the wrist or the 'LUV YOU' on the upper arm. He has a unique face so if they have postmortem images stored away somewhere this would be an easy ID/ruleout.

 

[MadMcGoo]

some men from the Dakotas/Minnesota/Montana; none have the tattoos mentioned but if it was that easy this case would have been solved a long time ago
David Bird Thomson - 5'8" to 5'10", would have been 35 at the time, looks to have auburn hair. seems to have led a transient, hitchhiker lifestyle. Another photo of him shows him with a full beard.

Paul Edward Levang - a little far-fetched since last seen 1970, 5'8", reddish-brown hair with temple balding.

Gerald Leroy Dewall - 5'10", would have been 35, has strawberry blonde hair (which i guess could be described as light reddish brown) and seems to usually wear a full beard. He is described as having a right arm tattoo but no description of the tattoo...therefore it could be the 'SEX' on the wrist or the 'LUV YOU' on the upper arm. He has a unique face so if they have postmortem images stored away somewhere this would be an easy ID/ruleout.

Something about David stands out to me! His disappearance is interesting in that it seems like he could have gone on to live his life in one of a few places. Europe included. In some of his photos I can see what looks like a full beard and sparse upper lip hair...
David Bird Thomson – The Charley Project
ETA: I created a thread here for David...
MN - MN - David Bird Thomson, 32, Minnetonka, 1 July ‘79

 

[bombardier]

Something about David stands out to me! His disappearance is interesting in that it seems like he could have gone on to live his life in one of a few places. Europe included. In some of his photos I can see what looks like a full beard and sparse upper lip hair...
David Bird Thomson – The Charley Project
ETA: I created a thread here for David...
MN - MN - David Bird Thomson, 32, Minnetonka, 1 July ‘79

do you think the medical examiner would have noted the previously fractured arm/elbow scar/slightly shortened leg and arm if this UID was David? do all UID's get an xray to look for past injuries and medical equipment or is this more of a recent step?

 

[MadMcGoo]

do you think the medical examiner would have noted the previously fractured arm/elbow scar/slightly shortened leg and arm if this UID was David? do all UID's get an xray to look for past injuries and medical equipment or is this more of a recent step?

I was thinking the same thing! I don’t know for sure but I think the broken arm would depend on how old the break was whether it would show up or not. Seems like the shorter arm/leg would be something less obvious unless the ME were actually looking for it. Especially in 1982. That’s mostly a guess on my part though.

 

[dotr]

Something about David stands out to me! His disappearance is interesting in that it seems like he could have gone on to live his life in one of a few places. Europe included. In some of his photos I can see what looks like a full beard and sparse upper lip hair...
David Bird Thomson – The Charley Project
ETA: I created a thread here for David...
MN - MN - David Bird Thomson, 32, Minnetonka, 1 July ‘79

Trying to compare DBT's boots with UID male.

Williams County looking to solve 38-year-old cold case of unidentified body
Posted: Jun 24, 2020 / 10:41 AM CDT / Updated: Jun 24, 2020 / 10:41 AM CDT

David Bird Thomson Bio — In the Shining Mountains

 

[bombardier]

Trying to compare DBT's boots with UID male.

Williams County looking to solve 38-year-old cold case of unidentified body
Posted: Jun 24, 2020 / 10:41 AM CDT / Updated: Jun 24, 2020 / 10:41 AM CDT

David Bird Thomson Bio — In the Shining Mountains

i think in that photo hes wearing a pair of loafers - they have the seam around the top of the toes that the boots don't have

 

[MadMcGoo]

They’re almost definitely boots...probably low top. They aren’t the same as what’s in the photo of the UID’s though. They are pretty close though! The ones David is wearing are similar to these, although I couldn’t think of the exact name of them...
Twisted X Bomber Leather Lace Up Driving Moccasins | Boot Barn (ETA: lol, I guess that’s << what they’re called, “driving moccasins” )

Now, looking more closely at the ones the UID had on, I don’t think they were actually cut off boots...just low top. I’m not able to blow the photo up to see that well, but it kind of looks like a neat edge and not one that was cut...maybe?

 

[Melt71]

Depending how long he had been in the water (Namus doesn't give a possible PMI) he could have come from anywhere in the drainage basin west of Williston -it's a massive area. Excellent diagram at Wiki Missouri River - Wikipedia

 

[dotr]

Depending how long he had been in the water (Namus doesn't give a possible PMI) he could have come from anywhere in the drainage basin west of Williston -it's a massive area. Excellent diagram at Wiki Missouri River - Wikipedia

Thanks for the link!

 

[dotr]

Williams County Exhumes Body for Analysis in Decades-Old Cold Case – KEYZ-AM
Aug 10 2020
''The Williams County Sheriff’s Office officially reopens a decades-old cold case Monday, August 10, 2020 with the exhumation of an unidentified man found dead in the waters of the Missouri River back in June of 1982. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Riverside Cemetery.

Six weeks ago the Williams County Sheriff’s Office sought the public’s help in identifying this John Doe, and while a lot of public interest in the case was generated, unfortunately no successful new leads surfaced. To bring closure to family that may still be living, and to leverage new identification and analysis technologies, the Sheriff’s Office decided to reopen the case.

The Sheriff’s Office together with the City of Williston and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation disinterred the body Monday in a new attempt to identify the deceased. Coroner Frank McCoy and Dr. William Kemp, an Anthropologist from the University of North Dakota, will perform an autopsy and extract DNA samples, kicking off an extensive forensic process.

The DNA samples will be sent to Othram Labs in Texas for analysis. DNA will be submitted to a DNA index system (CODIS), a national DNA database, to attempt identification. Genealogical studies to link the body to family members will also be conducted.''

 

[bombardier]

Williams County Exhumes Body for Analysis in Decades-Old Cold Case – KEYZ-AM
Aug 10 2020
''The Williams County Sheriff’s Office officially reopens a decades-old cold case Monday, August 10, 2020 with the exhumation of an unidentified man found dead in the waters of the Missouri River back in June of 1982. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Riverside Cemetery.

Six weeks ago the Williams County Sheriff’s Office sought the public’s help in identifying this John Doe, and while a lot of public interest in the case was generated, unfortunately no successful new leads surfaced. To bring closure to family that may still be living, and to leverage new identification and analysis technologies, the Sheriff’s Office decided to reopen the case.

The Sheriff’s Office together with the City of Williston and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation disinterred the body Monday in a new attempt to identify the deceased. Coroner Frank McCoy and Dr. William Kemp, an Anthropologist from the University of North Dakota, will perform an autopsy and extract DNA samples, kicking off an extensive forensic process.

The DNA samples will be sent to Othram Labs in Texas for analysis. DNA will be submitted to a DNA index system (CODIS), a national DNA database, to attempt identification. Genealogical studies to link the body to family members will also be conducted.''

great news! i keep hearing of Othram Inc getting involved with the cases I'm following; they do great work, I bet we are going to be seeing much more from them in the future :^)

 

[othram]

great news! i keep hearing of Othram Inc getting involved with the cases I'm following; they do great work, I bet we are going to be seeing much more from them in the future :^)

Thank you, we appreciate the support!

 

[othram]

Well, folks, this case is already solved before Othram got involved! The media attention generated about the case led to a family member recognizing details in the case and confirming the identity of the unknown person.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Well, folks, this case is already solved before Othram got involved! The media attention generated about the case led to a family member recognizing details in the case and confirming the identity of the unknown person.

Wow! That was quick.

 

[branmuffin]

Also, I've made a clearer version of the tattoo. I wish the photo was better quality.

What are those symbols that bracket the fish? Some look like numbers or letters.

ETA Oops looks like I was too late. Great news about the identification.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

What are those symbols that bracket the fish? Some look like numbers or letters.

Pisces, but sideways.