Identified! NY - Brooklyn, WhtMale, 20-30, 6'8", 539 lbs, Sep'11 - Kenneth Ecker

[epiphany]

I'm not certain that these are "Varsity" Xs. Those are more block-like and are not solid Xs like this guy had.



I think he was found wearing socks but no shoes. Correct me if I'm wrong. Another thing that strikes me as interesting is his lack of shoes. Someone that is THAT tall would wear a very large sized shoe, at least I believe that he would. Shoes like that tend to have to be special ordered. So, is it possible that he was homeless and none of the shelters had shoes that fit him? Just trying to think of all possible angles.

I believe he deliberately ditched his footwear because that would make his identity easily traceable due to length and width of the shoe. It fits with his act being well-planned. Lack of shoes, penned message/toe tag on foot protected by socks, possibly the name of a tenant (given to the doorman) and knowledge of an empty apartment in the selected building all point to advance planning. Also, he was determined to get into that elevator quickly and was on the ground within minutes.

Personally, I do not believe he was homeless nor had he used the city shelters.

 

[cj327]

this is one of the most baffling cases based on his size, someone HAS to know who this guy is, very recognizable features, would the coroner or Namus case Mgr supply us with additional info if asked?

This has been nagging at me too. I am not sure who would be the best person to ask, as I have no experience in that kind of thing. My guess is that someone local who was working on the case would have the most info and perhaps be more helpful... Maybe somebody with more experience in these matters could comment on this....

Honestly though, I don't think it would hurt to ask.
As long as we (the person asking) did not mention WS, and was simply trying to help with the ID. Again, I get the feeling that this is NOT a case where they are being swamped by tips from the public. Maybe they would even appreciate any help.

Regarding the straight edge thing, it is hard to say how recent the tattoos are. Tattoos on the inside of an arm do not age like tattoos on the outside of an arm or leg etc. I know from personal experience. So even if it was 5+ yrs old it could still look pretty fresh...just thinking of how recently he was involved in straight edge. I may look into the posibility of emailing local sXe groups this evening. A longshot if he was not much into the scene, but you never know.

 

[epiphany]

Spidey's webs are shot from the inside of his wrists. Perhaps, the location of the X's were symbolic for him.

 

[ebbie]

An interesting article about how people travel to NY to commit suicide....

http://nymag.com/news/features/46811/index2.html

 

[epiphany]

An FYI on straight edge from wikipedia.....



I've searched enough to know that UID's tattoos fit well within the norm of straight edge tattoos. Saw some just like them although most people probably prefer a more stylized or attractive looking 'X' than the sharp lines of a traditional SE tat. What doesn't fit is the Guinness shirt and the empty pack of cigarettes!

Maybe New York has a straight edge subculture that would recognize him from a while back.

Respectfully, BBM.

Guinness t-shirt and empty cigarette pack fit with having supported himself in the past as a Bouncer-for concerts, bars, rallies, clubs, etc. So do his height and size. Along this line of speculation, the X tattoos may not be straight edge at all.

He fit in someplace, but I do not believe it is NYC. Someplace more accepting of his mammoth size and weight. IMO, he's arrived here from a smaller town, like so many others, where he once had a niche.

 

[epiphany]

I think the report would have included if an accent had been detected by the doorman and if the empty cigarette pack had been a non-American brand. IMO, his origins are rural or a town/city with a very small population.

When he is identified, I'll be very surprised if ca (CA) is not California or Canada.

 

[ebbie]

One new thing to discuss....I assumed his spiderman "beanie" was like a big version of a yarmulke. When I zoomed into the picture of it on Namus, I saw that it is knit and what I'd call, stocking cap or winter hat. Its not felt. So what was he doing wearing a winter hat in relatively warm weather? And why did they take AND upload such a crappy picture of it? Its folded over so you can't see it properly and the pic is cockeyed. Whyyyyyy?????




In general, however, it seems like a waste for us to speculate on things that the police already must know. Where his shoes are, what apt. did he jump from, what did he tell the doorman, etc.... We are spending time amongst ourselves trying to answer known things. It seems like we need another tactic to help. What are the rules on privacy? Can the case manager tell us more info if we assemble of a list of questions?

Another idea of what we could do.....There are about 10 comic book shops in the Brooklyn area. I wonder if they could ID him by looking at the rendering Carl did and by his size. Is it an invasion of privacy to contact them? We could do the same with pizza joints although there are so many, they would have to be targeted specifically around the Ocean Parkway address assuming he didn't come far. I picked pizza over other food since they deliver. I know thats a big assumption but its better than nothing though.

I've been spending tons of time googling "missing obese son", "NY straight edge punk scene", "spiderman hat" (FYI..I have not found the identical hat for sale anywhere yet) , "grace tattoo, etc... I feel like we're getting nowhere fast. What does everyone else think?

 

[ebbie]

I think the report would have included if an accent had been detected by the doorman and if the empty cigarette pack had been a non-American brand. IMO, his origins are rural or a town/city with a very small population.

When he is identified, I'll be very surprised if ca (CA) is not California or Canada.

These are very good questions....cigs brand and accent. I'm adding them to my mental list of questions.

About the small town, though....the piercings are too "exotic" for small town culture which is typically conservative. I think he has been connected to the urban world for some period of time. Maybe he came to NY from a small town and has lived there for a while.

 

[webrocket]

I personally do not see an invasion of privacy to inquire at the comic book stores. the man is deceased and it is not like asking is going to hinder a criminal investigation - we are just trying to determine his identity.

I get the distinct impression we are dealing with someone with some serious psychiatric issues - the inked letter, Spiderman beanie and jumping out of a window. if someone were missing from a psych ward I don't know if they would put that information out there on the chance the person was alive they would be divulging personal medical information to the public.

 

[Donjeta]

I wonder if the shoes were lost in the jump. Maybe they were found nearby but it's not mentioned in the description because they weren't actually on him?

It just seems to me that he might have thoought the doorman would find it a bit odd if someone comes visiting a tenant with just socks and no shoes and he'd have a better chance of getting in the building if conventionally dressed.

 

[cj327]

And why did they take AND upload such a crappy picture of it? Its folded over so you can't see it properly and the pic is cockeyed. Whyyyyyy?????

In general, however, it seems like a waste for us to speculate on things that the police already must know. Where his shoes are, what apt. did he jump from, what did he tell the doorman, etc.... We are spending time amongst ourselves trying to answer known things. It seems like we need another tactic to help. What are the rules on privacy? Can the case manager tell us more info if we assemble of a list of questions?

I agree we seem to be stuck in a rut with this...although a lot of very plausible theories have been developed here! For example, as mentioned above, the bouncer idea also crossed my mind.

My thought was that the beanie had some blood or something on it that they cropped that out of the photo intentionally. It definitely looked like a heavily cropped photo to me.

I would not be surprised if he had lived in NYC for a number of months or perhaps years. But it is hard for me to imagine that he was from that same neighborhood and nobody knew him by his size. So I am guessing maybe he was from a different neighborhood.

I like the idea of someone contacting the case manager with questions, but I would keep them limited in number and very open-ended. If the case manager knows that the person contacting is trying to help, maybe they will be generous with information.


Tonight I am planning on emailing any area Straight Edge groups/forums that I can find. I will include the reconstructed photo from this thread. I still believe that the sXe scene is a longshot, but it is worth a try.

 

[CherBearSTL]

Here are some questions that I have:
Did the man have an accent?
If the man wasn't wearing shoes when they found him, were his shoes found later, possibly on the roof?
One of the first news reports indicates that he came from "a building across the street." Did someone see him exiting the building or just coming from that general direction?

That's all for now.

 

[Friendofafriend]

His name is Ken Ecker from Waynesboro, PA. He was 25. He abruptly left PA on the 30th of August and said he was headed west. Thank you for the effort everyone has put into this, but this case is now closed.

 

[webrocket]

sorry to hear about Ken, Friendofafriend.

if nothing else this shows that a MP could literally wind up anywhere. here a guy from PA tells people he is heading west then winds up in Brooklyn and in just two days jumped from a window in a neighborhood he apparently has never been to before. (Ken's FB page gives some biographical info which I'm not going to repeat, other than to say there was nothing connecting him to the State of NY, no less Brooklyn).

 

[tatertot]

Thank you for letting us know about Ken, and may he Rest in Peace. My sincere apologies for the loss of your friend. I hope his memory lives on in the work he has done for his church.

 

[reasypeasy]

So sorry for Ken and everyone who lost their big guy. Glad he's going home now though, to the people who knew him.

 

[rickyv]

my condolences to the family and friends of Ken, may he rest in peace.

 

[CarlK90245]

I'm not a moderator here but I tried to google his name and Brooklyn and this is the only website that connects Ken to Brooklyn.

the picture certainly looks like him but will the moderators change the heading to identified without any sort of indepedent verification?

I could not find an obituary even for this Ken or Kenneth Ecker.

Since he was apparently only ID'd within the last day or two, there wouldn't be an obit yet.

He does have a facebook page, and here are a couple more photos of him:
http://www.facebook.com/goken

In the photo on the left, he appears to be wearing the same grey Guiness Tee Shirt.

 

[Angie4b1g]

And the red lip ring:

 

[deelytful1]

Sigh... He went to a Christian college according to his FB page. I wonder why he was so troubled? RIP Ken. I'm sorry this world was apparently too much for you to deal with.