NY NY - Samuel Todd, 24, New York City, 1 January 1984

[spartanx]

Poor young man, but I don't understand how a simple drunkenness led him to lose himself. As the information says, he was possibly hit on the head. He had a huge bright future ahead of him. A well-traveled intellectual scholar. Perhaps he still lives on the streets of New york with homeless he could have been a good contribution to the world..
rest in peace

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Samuel Arthur Todd – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

 

[dotr]

Samuel Arthur Todd – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

Thanks, needed this re-fresher! from link.. rbbm.

This part of the information helps to understand Samuel's state of mind at the time of his disappearance, easy to picture him getting absorbed into the homeless community somewhere- although he has different ''looks'' in his pics. he may be unrecognizable now if still alive, which i have hope is still a possibility, imo, speculation, fwiw.

''Investigators believe he may have been assaulted and possibly struck on the head while walking that night. He may be suffering from amnesia as a result of his injuries. His family stated he was streetwise and had been mugged before.

An employee at the Men's Shelter in the Bowery in New York City told authorities that a man resembling Todd's description was in the shelter's area days after Todd disappeared. The worker also stated that the individual had a meal at the shelter, while another witness said that the man was later seen washing car windows on a Greenwich Village street.

Todd attended an international school in Geneva, Switzerland and is a 1981 graduate of Vassar College, where he ran cross-country. He was a clergy student at Yale Divinity School at the time of his disappearance, and had passed the first round of qualifying exams for Presbyterian ordination. There were, however, some problems in Todd's life which may have caused him distress.

He had pre-registered for five courses for the spring semester, but he wasn't performing well academically; he had gotten incompletes in two courses he'd taken in the fall of 1983, and these incompletes would automatically become failures if his coursework wasn't completed by February 1984. Even if Todd was able to complete the classes, he still wasn't on track to graduate from Yale on time.

He was also suffering financial problems and had accepted financial assistance from relatives, and he was struggling to pay his tuition and his rent. He had ended his relationship with his girlfriend in the autumn of 1983. He had stated he planned to avoid his ex during the New Year celebrations, but she was at the party he attended that night.

Todd was interested in jazz music and in peace and justice issues in 1984, and he volunteered for several charities. He was born in New York City and lived all over the United States and in several foreign countries during his life.

In spite of Todd's difficulties, his family stated he was happy at the time of his disappearance, and they don't believe he would have ever left on his own. His case remains unsolved.''

• Missing Since01/01/1984
• Missing FromManhattan, New York
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• SexMale
• RaceWhite
• Date of Birth06/12/1959 (64)
• Age24 years old
• Height and Weight5'11, 135 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA dark blue sweatshirt with circular emblem that had "ECOLINT GENEVE" imprinted on the front, blue jeans, blue sneakers and a plastic Timex watch.
• Medical ConditionsTodd may be suffering from amnesia.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian male. Light brown hair, blue eyes. Todd wears eyeglasses with dark frames. He has a slim build. Todd's nickname is Sam. He has two small scars on his left cheek near his eye.''

Samuel Arthur Todd​

• 
• 
• 
• 

Todd, circa 1984

 

[Teesside]

Thanks, needed this re-fresher! from link.. rbbm.

This part of the information helps to understand Samuel's state of mind at the time of his disappearance, easy to picture him getting absorbed into the homeless community somewhere- although he has different ''looks'' in his pics. he may be unrecognizable now if still alive, which i have hope is still a possibility, imo, speculation, fwiw.

''Investigators believe he may have been assaulted and possibly struck on the head while walking that night. He may be suffering from amnesia as a result of his injuries. His family stated he was streetwise and had been mugged before.

An employee at the Men's Shelter in the Bowery in New York City told authorities that a man resembling Todd's description was in the shelter's area days after Todd disappeared. The worker also stated that the individual had a meal at the shelter, while another witness said that the man was later seen washing car windows on a Greenwich Village street.

Todd attended an international school in Geneva, Switzerland and is a 1981 graduate of Vassar College, where he ran cross-country. He was a clergy student at Yale Divinity School at the time of his disappearance, and had passed the first round of qualifying exams for Presbyterian ordination. There were, however, some problems in Todd's life which may have caused him distress.

He had pre-registered for five courses for the spring semester, but he wasn't performing well academically; he had gotten incompletes in two courses he'd taken in the fall of 1983, and these incompletes would automatically become failures if his coursework wasn't completed by February 1984. Even if Todd was able to complete the classes, he still wasn't on track to graduate from Yale on time.

He was also suffering financial problems and had accepted financial assistance from relatives, and he was struggling to pay his tuition and his rent. He had ended his relationship with his girlfriend in the autumn of 1983. He had stated he planned to avoid his ex during the New Year celebrations, but she was at the party he attended that night.

Todd was interested in jazz music and in peace and justice issues in 1984, and he volunteered for several charities. He was born in New York City and lived all over the United States and in several foreign countries during his life.

In spite of Todd's difficulties, his family stated he was happy at the time of his disappearance, and they don't believe he would have ever left on his own. His case remains unsolved.''

• Missing Since01/01/1984
• Missing FromManhattan, New York
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• SexMale
• RaceWhite
• Date of Birth06/12/1959 (64)
• Age24 years old
• Height and Weight5'11, 135 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA dark blue sweatshirt with circular emblem that had "ECOLINT GENEVE" imprinted on the front, blue jeans, blue sneakers and a plastic Timex watch.
• Medical ConditionsTodd may be suffering from amnesia.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian male. Light brown hair, blue eyes. Todd wears eyeglasses with dark frames. He has a slim build. Todd's nickname is Sam. He has two small scars on his left cheek near his eye.''

Samuel Arthur Todd​

• 
• 
• 
• 

Todd, circa 1984

Money problems, course problems, relationship ended....
Although he seemed happy on the outside those are all quite likely to cause many people stress - and having a lot to drink could make people emotional?
Could he have walked away....?
And if the 2 subsequent sightings were him he could have still done so afterwards
Very sad for his family and friends

 

[Pennysmom1]

not sure if Medium is an approved source. Please delete if so.

Dec 2, 2020

Fugitive from God, Country and Yale: The Disappearance of Sam Todd

Fugitive from God, Country and Yale: The Disappearance of Sam Todd

good-plump-echidna-50.medium.com

 

[JSolt1210]

Could drugs have also been involved at the party? Sam said his head was "spinning," and his brother described him as "unstable," so to me this sounds like more may have been involved than just alcohol.

I don't understand his decision to jog at 3am on New Year's Eve in NYC without a jacket. I get he was intoxicated, but nights are usually freezing here by then. Like if I'm dizzy, my head is spinning, and I'm unstable, I doubt my first thought would be go for a jog in the cold. And if it was, because I wasn't thinking clearly, I hope someone would stop me.

I also think his decision to jog points away from a potential runaway situation. If he knew he wanted to run away, wouldn't he have wanted to take his jacket to get through the winter?

271 Mulberry St is literally a block away from Houston St, and Houston St runs across the southern tip of Manhattan, meaning it's flanked on both sides by water—the Hudson River on the west, and the East River on the east. Could he have jogged to one of these endpoints, become dizzy, and fallen in? Could he have run into someone who assaulted him and then got rid of him by throwing him in the water?

Since police didn't take his case seriously for three days, could he have washed away by that point? There would've been fewer witnesses since New Year's Day that year was a Sunday, so the holiday would be observed the following day—meaning the Financial District would've been void of workers who could've witnessed anything that Monday.

I don't think those subsequent sightings were him. We've seen that before. I also don't know about the whole "amnesia" theory. It's roughly the 80s equivalent of today's "mental break." Yes it happens, but not as often as to be the go-to explanation.

 

[emem1138]

Could drugs have also been involved at the party? Sam said his head was "spinning," and his brother described him as "unstable," so to me this sounds like more may have been involved than just alcohol.

I don't understand his decision to jog at 3am on New Year's Eve in NYC without a jacket. I get he was intoxicated, but nights are usually freezing here by then. Like if I'm dizzy, my head is spinning, and I'm unstable, I doubt my first thought would be go for a jog in the cold. And if it was, because I wasn't thinking clearly, I hope someone would stop me.

I also think his decision to jog points away from a potential runaway situation. If he knew he wanted to run away, wouldn't he have wanted to take his jacket to get through the winter?

271 Mulberry St is literally a block away from Houston St, and Houston St runs across the southern tip of Manhattan, meaning it's flanked on both sides by water—the Hudson River on the west, and the East River on the east. Could he have jogged to one of these endpoints, become dizzy, and fallen in? Could he have run into someone who assaulted him and then got rid of him by throwing him in the water?

Since police didn't take his case seriously for three days, could he have washed away by that point? There would've been fewer witnesses since New Year's Day that year was a Sunday, so the holiday would be observed the following day—meaning the Financial District would've been void of workers who could've witnessed anything that Monday.

I don't think those subsequent sightings were him. We've seen that before. I also don't know about the whole "amnesia" theory. It's roughly the 80s equivalent of today's "mental break." Yes it happens, but not as often as to be the go-to explanation.

If he fell or was thrown into the Hudson River I think he would have washed up or the like. Think Marsha P. Johnson a few short years after this. Meaning if he was not weighed down in some shape form or fashion then resurfacing is more likely.
As for the East River I don't really know.
I thought of Sam today. Such a sad situation.

 

[salamanderqueeftp]

This is a case where I truly believe he ran away and started a new life.

 

[Sleuthster]

interesting case. I noted that his ex girlfriend was mentioned on charlie project. he was trying to avoid her yet she was at the party. the post on Medium names her. I wonder if he was distraught about her being there and if indeed he was dancing with the girl mentioned above and there were any kind of words with the ex over this.

 

[Aurora90]

There are 2 John Does recently entered into NAMUS. One that was found in Brooklyn and the other was found in Manhattan, just 1 day apart.

Brooklyn John Doe #UP123277 - June 18, 1984
Manhattan John Doe #UP123278 - June 19, 1984

Now I personally think they are Mark David Zeichner and Richard Bayne, but they are missing from Queens and Montrose whereas Sam is the only person missing from the borough of Manhattan.

If neither of my suggestions prove to be a match, maybe Sam is a possibility Especially if it’s true that Sam was later seen at shelters after January 1st.

 

[Aurora90]

There is also Manhattan John Doe #UP123279 - July 31, 1984

 

[rob525]

This is an interesting case. My first thought was to wonder who else was at the party or out on the street that night. Another somewhat interesting facet to this ( which likely has nothing to do with this case but could) is that the Ravenite Social Club was approximately one block in the other direction from that which Sam set off on his jog. A jog around the block could lead one right past the location. The Ravenite was the headquarters for the Gambino crime family, a hangout of John Gotti and the place where the Feds wired and gathered evidence to put several mobsters in prison. I believe that was the early 90's so in 1983-84 there would likely have been a number of guys hanging around that place with experience in making folks disappear. Although it would seem, on the surface, unlikely that the mob would be interested in Sam.