OH OH - James Thomas Stanley, 25, Athens, 18 Sept 1974

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]James Thomas Stanley[/h]

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Stanley, circa 1967 (7 years prior to disappearance); Age-progression of Stanley to age 52 (circa 2001)

• Missing Since 09/01/1974
• Missing From Ohio, Ohio
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth 03/30/1949 (69)
• Age 25 years old
• Height and Weight 5'7 - 5'8, 140 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond/light brown hair, blue eyes. Stanley has a fair complexion. He has a surgical scar on the left side of his body due to a hernia or appendectomy operation. Stanley's left arm was previously fractured. He wore a partial upper denture plate at the time of his 1974 disappearance. Stanley's nicknames are Tommy and Tom.

[h=3]Details of Disappearance[/h] Stanley told his family members that he was in trouble and had to leave his home state of Ohio during September 1974. He did not specify what the problem was at the time, but Stanley claimed he could never return to Ohio and was going to travel to Florida. He has never been seen again.

Stanley's green 1969 Fiat with the Ohio license plate number X1798H was discovered abandoned in the northbound lane of Interstate 95 in Kenly, North Carolina on September 23, 1974. All of his personal belongings were inside the vehicle, including his clothes, shoes, wallet and photo albums. The keys were still in the car's ignition at the time of discovery. There was no sign of Stanley at the scene.

The law enforcement officer who found the vehicle stated that there was no evidence of foul play. He felt that the Fiat had been abandoned for at least 48 hours by the time it was towed to Holland's Garage in Kenly. The vehicle was found to have a broken radiator hose while at the shop.

Stanley's family never filed a missing person's report with authorities. His parents worried that they would cause him more problems if they reported his disappearance. He has relatives in Ohio and West Virginia.

Stanley was declared legally deceased in 1981, seven years after he initially vanished. There has not been any activity on his Social Security number since 1974.


http://charleyproject.org/case/james-thomas-stanley

Dental information / charting is currently not available

DNA Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete

Fingerprint information is currently not available

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/20413/

 

[Alleykins]

His poor parents must have been torn between keeping his confidence and wanting to report him missing.

 

[Coffee56]

487DMOH - James Thomas Stanley

 

[CastlesBurning]

James Thomas Stanley – UNSOLVED APPALACHIA

 

[alb1on]

I am a little confused about the family. All of the listings seem to imply that it was the parents decision not to file a missing persons report. But he was married twice and had two children. He was divorced from his first wife (with whom he had one child) and remarried in 1970, but this marriage (with one child) also ended in divorce in July 1974, two months before he went missing. However, these two marriages mean that he had family other than parents, including children, and may have had maintenance responsibilities. So did both ex wives agree not to report him as well as his parents?
The key to this case is likely to be understanding what made him run. It would need to be something either implicating him in serious crime, or him being targeted by those undeterred by LE (organised crime, outlaw mc clubs or similar). It seems unlikely to be directly linked to his recent divorce given the extreme rush of his departure. However I have not found any information on the cause.
An odd case.

 

[TechWriter797]

Mysterious West Virginia
https://youtu.be/-evGgrFHZ1M

 

[Alleykins]

Child and spousal support could have been a reason for him to leave the state, especially with two children from two different marriages.

 

[jlentine]

Doe, #2017 - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

 

[Alleykins]

Doe, #2017 - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

That's a good find. I wonder if they've been compared.

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[John/Jane Doe]

487DMOH - James Thomas Stanley

 

[ErinC]

I've lived in this county for 30 years and hadn't heard of this case. There doesn't seem to have been much if any publicity, I assume because a missing persons report was never filed. According to some of the sites, he actually lived in The Plains, which is about a 5-10 minute drive north of Athens and tends to be lower-income residents.

 

[maamager]

I've lived in this county for 30 years and hadn't heard of this case. There doesn't seem to have been much if any publicity, I assume because a missing persons report was never filed. According to some of the sites, he actually lived in The Plains, which is about a 5-10 minute drive north of Athens and tends to be lower-income residents.

Exactly my thoughts. I lived in Athens for 3+ years and I think the distinction between The Plains and Athens could be important.

 

[Valiant]

If he worked in Columbus, The Plains is a little closer than Athens but still a long commute. Plus Athens, especially back then, was pretty much Ohio University. Many county residents not part of the university system lived outside Athens city.
I lived in Athens for about 6 years, college and work before moving to Columbus. I never heard of this case even though I lived there 6 years after he disappeared.

 

[ErinC]

Exactly my thoughts. I lived in Athens for 3+ years and I think the distinction between The Plains and Athens could be important.

Yes, The Plains is lower SES, sometimes drastically so, especially considering they're only a short drive apart. This certainly doesn't mean he was a criminal or anything like that, but I wouldn't rule out that he might have seen something that someone else would rather he didn't, etc.