Netherlands Netherlands, Amsterdam center, whtmale, possible 20-30, doorway Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, Sept.1986

[Bit of hope]

On September 14, 1986 the body of an unknown white man was found in a doorway on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in Amsterdam. The victim is between 20 and 30 years old. Further details unknown.

Warning. PM picture directly in link. (not that graphic, recognizable face)
Amsterdam - Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal | politie.nl

From PM-picture (through my eyes)
Reddish/brown hair, brown/reddish stroked, very thick, eyebrows. Relatively light (reddish/blond) eyelashes.

No reconstruction available

Eye color N/A
Height and weight N/A
PMI N/A (looks very recently passed before finding, overnight?)
Cause of death N/A
Clothing (beside what we can see) N/A
Jewelry N/A
Specifics N/A

Not on Doe Network
Not on Unidentified Wiki

 

[Bit of hope]

This man was estimated between 20 and 30 years, so he is probably born between 1956 and 1966. He seems to have a lot of chest hair. As far as I know this starts growing more if a man is getting older. Could this mean he is more in the upper range or maybe even a little older?

 

[Bit of hope]

There is not much that I can do for this poor man, being without a name for 34 years now. I cleaned up his face to make him more viewable for a broader public. And I also made one with his eyes opened a little bit...but I'm not sure I should post that.

 

[Luckyzmom]

 

[Luckyzmom]

Nice job ! Post with a warning, I would ask a mod before you post it just to make sure. PM photos are kinda difficult to decide about. But sometimes that's all.there is ....MOO

 

[Bit of hope]

Sadly there is no recon and I want to get this man into the light. Eventually use it to get more attention for him. I made some kind of touch up, to make him look more vivid, staying so close as possible to his original (beautiful IMO) face. We don't know the color of his eyes...actually we know nothing. I just can't imagine nobody is missing him and there must be somebody still wondering what happened to him after all those years.

I asked the mods to be sure.

 

[Susikatze]

That is terribly sad. Someone must be missing him.

 

[Bit of hope]

Ok...after consulting the mods I do not post my recons on here, totally understand and respected. BTW the app used (which is wonderful, without any doubt) does seem to change the face somehow and I don't like that because certain traits get lost in the process.

But I want to post this...credits go to a lovely websleuths member (why him/her...."only" 30 years of experience in making portraits and totally aware of the pitfalls using an app)

 

[coffeeandacig]

@Bit of hope
This may sound weird, but every time I look at his eyebrows I think of Leonid Brezhnev. So, it made me think this guy could be Ukrainian?

 

[Bit of hope]

View attachment 274535
@Bit of hope
This may sound weird, but every time I look at his eyebrows I think of Leonid Brezhnev. So, it made me think this guy could be Ukrainian?

No that is not weird at all. I was thinking the same thing about the Ukraine/Russia. I wonder if this kind of brows are genetically determined.

 

[coffeeandacig]

No that is not weird at all. I was thinking the same thing about the Ukraine/Russia. I wonder if this kind of brows are genetically determined.

I think his bushy eyebrows would've been inherited. I was thinking since he was found in 1986, maybe he was part of the wave of Polish people who left Poland to Europe and the US.

 

[Bit of hope]

I think his bushy eyebrows would've been inherited. I was thinking since he was found in 1986, maybe he was part of the wave of Polish people who left Poland to Europe and the US.

With this person I didn't have any association with a country in particular...I can mostly read a face quite well (and be careful with that, because I can be totally wrong)...

There is a very good Polish missing persons site...can look through it once more...can't remember I saw somebody that looked like him, but it's been a while. Also I think the Netherlands exchanges info back and forth with Poland. The Ukraine/Russian thoughts are not so much prompted by his looks but more by the fact that the resources/communication about missing and unidentified persons are much more difficult between the Netherlands and this part of the world. I don't speak Russian and that makes it's hard to find a (national) database, if there is one (there are so many forced disappearances there, so I doubt that), like most European countries have......and 1986 is a long time back. Maybe there is a Facebook page, but mostly they don't "do" cases that old.

 

[Bit of hope]

About red hair...I know it's wiki...but just to get some overview..Rood haar - Wikipedia .

Scotland has the highest percentage of redheads. It is estimated that 13% of the population has red hair there. Ireland follows with 11% redheads. Redheads are also remarkably common among the Udmurts, an ethnic group in Russia. In the US it is estimated to be between 2 and 5%, in the EU it is around 4% and at the world level it is less than 1%.

 

[Triss]

He doesn't really look Polish to my Polish eyes, but of course I could be wrong. I searched for men on Itaka Foundation's website but didn't find anybody matching his description. I'm going through the police database now, but it's so poorly made that it'll take a while lol.
He's such a good looking guy and he doesn't look homeless to me. I hope someone's looking for him. I wish there was more information about his case. What was his cause of death? Was it natural? Was he murdered? Did he died from an overdose?

 

[Bit of hope]

He doesn't really look Polish to my Polish eyes, but of course I could be wrong. I searched for men on Itaka Foundation's website but didn't find anybody matching his description. I'm going through the police database now, but it's so poorly made that it'll take a while lol.
He's such a good looking guy and he doesn't look homeless to me. I hope someone's looking for him. I wish there was more information about his case. What was his cause of death? Was it natural? Was he murdered? Did he died from an overdose?

Thanks @Triss for looking out for him. I don't know what happened with him...looking at his face he could have gotten in a fight, maybe robbed. was hit by a car slightly...just went down and his face was slammed to something (stairs, pavement?) I don't know.

 

[Bit of hope]

Could he be a Komi man

 

[branmuffin]

This is so weird reading about this young man. I was in Amsterdam in 1986 staying in a hotel in OZ Voorburgwal. That street is just a few streets over from Niewewzijds-Voorburgwal. OZ is on a canal and it was fairly common for people to either drive into the canal (no barriers, you got fished out and a tetanus shot!) or falling into the canal while drunk. Many have drowned because there are few places to get out. Lot of bars and drunk people in that area.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city where ancient churches can rub shoulders with the red light district. Even back in 1986 cannabis was legal as was prostitution.

It has also born the brunt sometimes of British football hooligans coming over on ferries ready to crack some heads because it was a form of entertainment, regardless of their team winning or not.

I can't say he 'looks' like any nationality, he could be from the UK or Ireland and any numerous countries in the EU. I wish we knew how he died. I wonder if he got in a fight and fell somewhere after it broke up then died in a doorway.

He looks a little windburned to me so I wonder if he worked on an oil rig in the North Sea. When I was in Amsterdam I met quite a few Brits who would spend their time off in Amsterdam because of the legal weed and the general party atmosphere. He appears to be wearing a hand knitted woolen sweater which are fairly common in Ireland and the UK.

 

[otto]

This is so weird reading about this young man. I was in Amsterdam in 1986 staying in a hotel in OZ Voorburgwal. That street is just a few streets over from Niewewzijds-Voorburgwal. OZ is on a canal and it was fairly common for people to either drive into the canal (no barriers, you got fished out and a tetanus shot!) or falling into the canal while drunk. Many have drowned because there are few places to get out. Lot of bars and drunk people in that area.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city where ancient churches can rub shoulders with the red light district. Even back in 1986 cannabis was legal as was prostitution.

It has also born the brunt sometimes of British football hooligans coming over on ferries ready to crack some heads because it was a form of entertainment, regardless of their team winning or not.

I can't say he 'looks' like any nationality, he could be from the UK or Ireland and any numerous countries in the EU. I wish we knew how he died. I wonder if he got in a fight and fell somewhere after it broke up then died in a doorway.

He looks a little windburned to me so I wonder if he worked on an oil rig in the North Sea. When I was in Amsterdam I met quite a few Brits who would spend their time off in Amsterdam because of the legal weed and the general party atmosphere. He appears to be wearing a hand knitted woolen sweater which are fairly common in Ireland and the UK.

He's not too far from the red light district - with the drugs, legal and otherwise - there were 2-3 ambulances taking overdose victims out of that area every hour through the night in the 1980s.

My first instinct was Scottish.

 

[Bit of hope]

This is so weird reading about this young man. I was in Amsterdam in 1986 staying in a hotel in OZ Voorburgwal. That street is just a few streets over from Niewewzijds-Voorburgwal. OZ is on a canal and it was fairly common for people to either drive into the canal (no barriers, you got fished out and a tetanus shot!) or falling into the canal while drunk. Many have drowned because there are few places to get out. Lot of bars and drunk people in that area.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city where ancient churches can rub shoulders with the red light district. Even back in 1986 cannabis was legal as was prostitution.

It has also born the brunt sometimes of British football hooligans coming over on ferries ready to crack some heads because it was a form of entertainment, regardless of their team winning or not.

I can't say he 'looks' like any nationality, he could be from the UK or Ireland and any numerous countries in the EU. I wish we knew how he died. I wonder if he got in a fight and fell somewhere after it broke up then died in a doorway.

He looks a little windburned to me so I wonder if he worked on an oil rig in the North Sea. When I was in Amsterdam I met quite a few Brits who would spend their time off in Amsterdam because of the legal weed and the general party atmosphere. He appears to be wearing a hand knitted woolen sweater which are fairly common in Ireland and the UK.

Nice to read about my dear city Amsterdam (I call it the little big city) like this. I have lived in the Jordaan for 15 years and my son is born there. Good point about the oil rig. Also Amsterdam is a port so maybe he was on a vessel and went out in the city center to have some fun.

Kind of OT About cannabis....our laws on that are complicated and weird, tolerated, but not legal, never was.
All drug laws are based on the 1928 Opium Act, which states that possession of any kind of drugs (list 1 (hard drugs) or 2 (soft drugs) is prohibited. However, the Opium Act also states that certain shops where cannabis use takes place (coffee shops) are tolerated by the local authorities. This is called the "tolerance policy". Contrary to popular belief, recreational cannabis is decriminalized and not legalized. The coffee shops have to buy it illegally, (professional growing is strictly prohibited, having more then 5 plants is considered professional) so from "criminals" (except for medical cannabis)....Sometimes the law is enforced for cannabis use. For example, if it is considered a threat to the health of young people, you could be prosecuted (for example for smoking cannabis near a school or on public transport). Whether or not you will be prosecuted is decided by the local authorities, not the government.
Technically, you can even face a prison sentence for possession of a small amount. The limit for a "small amount" is five grams. If you have more than five grams, you can be fined for a first offense, or a prison sentence if you are caught with a larger amount. If you are caught with less than five grams of cannabis, it will likely be confiscated, but you will not be prosecuted and you will not be fined. Cannabis in Nederland: wetgeving, coffeeshops en meer
Maybe all this madness will be over soon The government researches legalization of the growing of weed.

I'm still not sure if this was a murder/homicide. I have never seen it mentioned like that. He was also never on the Dutch cold case calendar, which is issued since 2017. On there are also cases of unidentified persons, at least one who died of natural courses. I don't understand why they never asked some attention for him in all this years, even if it was natural or an OD. If it was a robbery resulting in death this would be considered a murder I think and so it would have been mentioned I guess. Confusing, because this case is on the murder-list though. Also there no additional info...The fact that there is so little info on him and the circumstances surrounding his death could mean there was probably another course of death with no harm brought upon him by another person. I wish we knew for sure.

Coldcasekalender, alle cold case zaken uit de coldcasekalenders
https://www.misdaadjournalist.nl/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/Moordlijst2014-dec.pdf

Maybe the police is too embarrassed about the lack of info and that's the reason they don't go public with it that much?

 

[otto]

Nice to read about my dear city Amsterdam (I call it the little big city) like this. I have lived in the Jordaan for 15 years and my son is born there. Good point about the oil rig. Also Amsterdam is a port so maybe he was on a vessel and went out in the city center to have some fun.

Kind of OT About cannabis....our laws on that are complicated and weird, tolerated, but not legal, never was.
All drug laws are based on the 1928 Opium Act, which states that possession of any kind of drugs (list 1 (hard drugs) or 2 (soft drugs) is prohibited. However, the Opium Act also states that certain shops where cannabis use takes place (coffee shops) are tolerated by the local authorities. This is called the "tolerance policy". Contrary to popular belief, recreational cannabis is decriminalized and not legalized. The coffee shops have to buy it illegally, (professional growing is strictly prohibited, having more then 5 plants is considered professional) so from "criminals" (except for medical cannabis)....Sometimes the law is enforced for cannabis use. For example, if it is considered a threat to the health of young people, you could be prosecuted (for example for smoking cannabis near a school or on public transport). Whether or not you will be prosecuted is decided by the local authorities, not the government.
Technically, you can even face a prison sentence for possession of a small amount. The limit for a "small amount" is five grams. If you have more than five grams, you can be fined for a first offense, or a prison sentence if you are caught with a larger amount. If you are caught with less than five grams of cannabis, it will likely be confiscated, but you will not be prosecuted and you will not be fined. Cannabis in Nederland: wetgeving, coffeeshops en meer
Maybe all this madness will be over soon The government researches legalization of the growing of weed.

I'm still not sure if this was a murder/homicide. I have never seen it mentioned like that. He was also never on the Dutch cold case calendar, which is issued since 2017. On there are also cases of unidentified persons, at least one who died of natural courses. I don't understand why they never asked some attention for him in all this years, even if it was natural or an OD. If it was a robbery resulting in death this would be considered a murder I think and so it would have been mentioned I guess. Confusing, because this case is on the murder-list though. Also there no additional info...The fact that there is so little info on him and the circumstances surrounding his death could mean there was probably another course of death with no harm brought upon him by another person. I wish we knew for sure.

Coldcasekalender, alle cold case zaken uit de coldcasekalenders
https://www.misdaadjournalist.nl/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/Moordlijst2014-dec.pdf

Maybe the police is too embarrassed about the lack of info and that's the reason they don't go public with it that much?

He's probably not Dutch since he has not been identified. He appears to be medium height 5'8" - 5'10", although that may be a stereotype that I associate with red hair and a wide jaw bone.

There's no stated cause of death from knife or gun, so it's more likely that he simply overdosed while lost in Amsterdam. It wouldn't be the first time that happened, regardless of whether drugs are legal. Illegal drugs didn't disappear when hashish and marijuana were sold in cafe bars. I was in Amsterdam in 1987 and 2-3 ambulances came out of the red light area every hour throughout the night between 3PM, when roaming happy hour started, to drugs and 3AM overdoses. Sugar cubes and tea were offered to help bring people down.

Dutch authorities should obtain his DNA to identify his eye colour and review his history in genealogical DNA.