OH OH - Ronald Tammen, 19, Oxford, 19 April 1953

[MaryLiz]

unless he happened to die in a flash flood zone, any rivers in the area?

There is a small river, more like a creek, that goes by Oxford, Ohio where Miami U is. It's from the Acton Lake from the north and it's called Four Mile/Talawanda. Nothing very big though.

 

[KarlK]

Thank you for your answers, gives the case a better perspective. Goes to show that sometimes a "mystery" happens because most people interested in it have little knowledge of local conditions. When we try to picture a story we tend to set it in an environment that is familiar to us personally and it can be misleading.

 

[asher1979]

The Georgia UID is not Ronald Tammen. So sad, I was hoping it was him.http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/06/20/hjn062108tammen.html

 

[MaryLiz]

Here's another article from Georgia...I was so hoping it would be Ron Tammen so his family could finally have some answers....

http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news910560.html

 

[jules19osu]

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=76626f14-83b6-434c-9f6f-51ed96132f1c

The DNA does not match. :-(

 

[MaryLiz]

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a blog in their paper called "Whatever Happened To." Someone asked the question about whatever happened with the DNA comparison between the UID in Georgia and Ron Tammen. The reply is more in-depth and interesting than I expected, with the Butler County Sheriff saying the case is still considered open and treated as if it happened yesterday. There are also still tips and calls coming in and they do something on the case every day! That amazed me after nearly 56 years that the case is worked on daily.

After the link it's the second article down.

Whatever happened with the DNA test to compare a mystery body in Georgia with the 1953 disappearance of Ronald Tammen Jr. from Miami University in Oxford?

Plain Dealer File Ron Tammen has been missing since 1953.

The test did not link Tammen with the nameless body found in a thicket about two months after Tammen, 19, of Maple Heights, vanished, according to Walker County (Ga.) Sheriff Steve Wilson.

A year ago investigators exhumed the body from a pauper's grave in Lafayette, Ga., to compare its DNA with that taken from Tammen's surviving sister. The decomposed remains were physically similar to Tammen and discovered near U.S. 27, which also runs through Oxford.

More at link..

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/02/the_cleveland_artist_who_gaine.html

 

[Marilynilpa]

I haven't had a chance to check WS as often as I used to, and was glad to see there is still interest in this case. I was sad to learn the body found was not Ronald Tammen's. I've always found this case very interesting because there are so many elements to it. It's good to know that there is so much interest, both with LE and the public, in these very old, cold cases.

 

[MaryLiz]

Bumping for the 56th anniversary of Ronald Tammen's disappearance, April 19, 1953.

 

[Shecky]

Bumping for Ronald. What a handsome young man he was.

If he was a victim of a prank gone horribly wrong, you'd hope someone would have confessed by now. Sure, the people involved would have been scared at the time, but they've had a lifetime to think about it and feel guilty, you'd think someone would have come forward --or even just dropped an anonymous letter in the mail to let police know.

What a mysterious and sad case.

 

[Grainne Dhu]

Whoever knows is around 80 years old.

If there were only one person who knew what happened to Ron Tammen that night, I think it's more likely that they would confess than if there were a group of people who knew. Loyalty to a small group is more powerful.

The problem with confessing, of course, is the legal consequences. And recent events have shown that no one is considered too old to be safe from prosecution for crimes 60+ years in the past.

Which cuts both ways. No one should commit murder and then think they are somehow safe from the consequences of their deeds. But there are cases like this, where the most likely explanation was not malevolent but just plain stupidity (dumping a frat member out in the countryside during cold weather) where punishment seems pretty irrelevant after so long.

My sense is that Ron Tammen's sister would just like to know what happened and is not particularly interested in vengeance. Unfortunately, it is not up to the victims of a crime to determine the consequences.

 

[Shecky]

Whoever knows is around 80 years old.

If there were only one person who knew what happened to Ron Tammen that night, I think it's more likely that they would confess than if there were a group of people who knew. Loyalty to a small group is more powerful.

The problem with confessing, of course, is the legal consequences. And recent events have shown that no one is considered too old to be safe from prosecution for crimes 60+ years in the past.

Which cuts both ways. No one should commit murder and then think they are somehow safe from the consequences of their deeds. But there are cases like this, where the most likely explanation was not malevolent but just plain stupidity (dumping a frat member out in the countryside during cold weather) where punishment seems pretty irrelevant after so long.

My sense is that Ron Tammen's sister would just like to know what happened and is not particularly interested in vengeance. Unfortunately, it is not up to the victims of a crime to determine the consequences.

You've got a good point about loyalty among a group of people, especially when they share a common dark secret.

But these men have had a lifetime to mature and think about what happened, they have raised families of their own, they probably have grandsons who are the age Ronald was when he vanished. You'd think at least one of them would decide they had to own up for what happened all those years ago. Like I said, even an anonymous letter would be very helpful. Maybe there will be a deathbed confession in a few years?

Then again, I guess plenty of people take many dark secrets to the grave.

 

[Julessleuther]

Any chance BK is 76? (He looks younger, but my dad looks 10 yrs younger too!)

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/tammen_ronald.html

 

[Cymro]

Tammen's not a bad match but at least a decade too old IMO.

Here's a picture of a particularly healthy 76-year-old, Michael Caine, who is still working:

 

[dreamweaver]

Any chance BK is 76? (He looks younger, but my dad looks 10 yrs younger too!)

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/tammen_ronald.html

==============================
Hmm. There is a similarity. I check the ear line first and they seem the same.
Side by side pic?

I don't think BK would be 76 yrs old, but then who would think an identity would not be found in 5 yrs?

 

[Julessleuther]

My first attempt at a side by side...

Here is more info. Does anyone know BK's blood type? Ronalds is O positive.
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/10/31/loc_miamighost31.html

It was suspected that he was a UID from Georgia and investigators in 1998 looked into this, but ruled it out by DNA.

 

[dreamweaver]

My first attempt at a side by side...

Here is more info. Does anyone know BK's blood type? Ronalds is O positive.
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/10/31/loc_miamighost31.html

It was suspected that he was a UID from Georgia and investigators in 1998 looked into this, but ruled it out by DNA.

-----------------------------------------------

Good side by side pic.
Gee, I hate to even say it out loud.... some things match up.
Ear line, eyebrows, chin, ...

Interesting Nat'l Enq. article.
No one probably has his blood sample or kept a hairbrush or
anything like that.
No family left, except maybe a brother, as of 1998.

 

[dreamweaver]

Take a look at the age regressed young pic of Benjaman K vs Ronald T.
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjaman_Kyle[/ame]

 

[dreamweaver]

http://www.miamihawktalk.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=39844&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Ronald Tammen 2008 forum talk.

http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/index.php?showtopic=7384&st=0&#last
A few more details here. He has 3 brothers and 1 sister.
Good to know. GA det. or FBI has dna from a sister.
http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news910560.html
Mitochondrial dna taken.

http://www.miamialum.org/s/916/internal.aspx?sid=916&gid=1&pgid=417
pics of college and a few more details

 

[believe09]

This would mean BK was 76 unless my math is really bad...I think that is pretty old compared to our guy but never say never...

 

[MaryLiz]

I was thinking a lot about this case today, so I'm giving it a bump....