Here is my timeline/notes for this case
Robert Ivan Nichols
Born: Sep 12 1926 in New Albany Indiana (right across river from Louisville KY). Grew up in house at 1823 Center St.
High School: New Albany.
Signed up for WWII 1944. Was based out of San Francisco.
Served on minelayer in the Pacific. May 3, 1945 ship bombed and most of crewmates were killed. Given Purple Heart.
Went back to New Albany IN. Family says he burned his military uniforms.
Dec. 21, 1945 the real Joe Chandler, 8 years old at the time, was killed in car accident with his parents (Joseph Newton Chandler Jr - a district mgr for Buick - & Ellen Kaaber Chandler), in Texas. The family were on their way from Tulsa to Weatherford Texas to visit RIN jr's parents for Christmas.
Jan. 9, 1947 marries Laverne Korte. They had 3 sons. One named Phillip.
Worked at General Electric as a draftsman.
March 19, 1964: RIN told wife he was leaving and left 2 days later. Said she would know why in due course. They get divorced.
Handwritten letters, documentation and postmarks indicate that he resided in Dearborn Michigan in 1964 (was a draftsman in auto industry, but got laid off) (One media report says that Phil and his brothers visited their father in Dearborn, but weren’t allowed to stay at their father’s place), before settling in the San Francisco and Richmond CA areas in 1965, and possibly Los Angeles.
January 1965: Letter sent to parents at 1823 Center St, New Albany IN. Said he had received the photos of Phil that they had sent.
March 9, 1965: Postcard sent by RIN to parents, postmarked Stroud OK, indicating that heading out west.
March 20, 1965: Sent letter to parents saying he was in Richmond CA.
Later in March 1965: RIN sends envelope with penny to Phil. Postmarked Napa CA.
1976: Social security and IRS records indicate he worked using real name (Nichols) up to 1976. Don’t know where he worked though.
1978: Requested new birth certificate for “Joseph Newton Chandler III” from hospital in Buffalo NY, where JNC III was born. JNC was a Tulsa Oklahoma boy who had died in a car crash with his parents, back in 1945. Had the birth certificate sent to Rapid City South Dakota. LE there have found no record of RIN having lived there.
Sep 25, 1978: Walked into Social Security office in Rapid City SD. Handed them his “new” birth certificate and SSN under name of Joseph Newton Chandler III. Gave 2326 ½ Canyon Lake Dr, Rapid City, as his address.
Sept 1978: Immediately moved to Cleveland area and began to work under the name of Joseph Newton Chandler III.
Sep 1978 – July 2002. Lived and worked in Cleveland area until his death. By all accounts a very good worker as a draftsman/electrtronics engineer. Odd behavior though, bordering on OCD. Detail oriented and organized. Would occasionally go missing for a few weeks at a time. Worked for as a contract employee for CDI, where he was contracted out to different companies.
1982: Father dies. Obituary says RIN lives in California. (They likely presumed that because of last known location.)
Lived in Lake County (east of Cleveland) and Cleveland for a short time before moving to Eastlake area in 1985. Per rental application dated 10-22-85, RIN lived at 552 S. State, Painesville OH before moving to a studio at Knights Inn, 8370 Broadmoor in Mentor OH. Worked at CDI Corp in Euclid OH in a ‘technical’ job. Next of kin was identified as sister Mary R. Wilson , living at 1823 Center St, Columbus Ohio, with no phone number. (No such sister existed.) Worked for CDI. Earned approximately $37,000/yr. Paying $326 monthly rent. Drove a 1984 GMC S-15 pick-up truck.
1989: arrives at local hospital. [These details haven't been published in mainstream media. so I won't say any more about specifics.]
2000: Hospitalized for medical procedure. Tissue sample taken.
April 2002: Purchased gun he would later use to kill himself.
July 2002: Shot himself while living in Eastlake OH in apartment at 34844 Lakeshore Blvd Apt D., he had been in since 1986?. Had $82,000 in bank. Named colleague as executor. Did not leave suicide note. No fingerprints were found anywhere in the apartment.
2014: LE tests RIN’s tissue sample from 2002 hospital stay. DNA profile was uploaded to national databases. No positive results found.
2016: LE contacts Dr Colleen Fitzpatrick for assistance with forensic genealogy. Drs Fitzpatrick and Press determine that RIN’s surname was likely derivative of Nicholas.
Early 2018: Forensic genealogy results lead to ‘Robert Ivan Nichols’ from New Albany Indiana.
March 2018: US Marshall service locates RIN’s son who resided in Ohio. Obtained DNA from the son, which was given to Medical Examiner’s office.
Fingerprints were obtained from Navy records. Being checked.