OK OK - Stephen “Steve” Lee Murphy, last seen in Claremore sometime in 1976, not reported missing until July 2022

[OddOneOut]

What I don't understand is why the Marine Corps would wait almost 10 years to discharge him for AWOL and Misconduct.

If they caught him in 1976, they may have allowed him to finish his tour of duty. What I don't understand is why he would have reenlisted? When my brother joined the Air Force in 1972, I believe he had a choice of either four years or six years. It appears that your father served about eight years which would have been two tours.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

I hope you will try this or try looking further at it. I just happen to know that at some point in time Oklahoma actually used social security numbers for the driver's license number. It is possible the DL number you have is actually his SSN. You might try it and see. Here is an article from 2001 about OK changing the law to help identity theft.

It's not. They verified his identity with a driver's license.

I received a certified copy of his marriage certificate. His indenity was verified using his drivers license. So no SSN.

Legislation To Help Prevent Identity Theft Signed Into Law | Oklahoma Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahomans will soon be using an identification number other than their social security number for their driver's license. That's after the Governor signed legislation aimed at reducing fraudulent use of social security numbers. Senator Carol Martin became concerned after...

oksenate.gov

June 27, 2001 | 01:23am
OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahomans will soon be using an identification number other than their social security number for their driver's license. That's after the Governor signed legislation aimed at reducing fraudulent use of social security numbers. Senator Carol Martin became concerned after increased reports of identify theft began surfacing both in her district and around the state.

 

[Laughing]

"Married June 2 1975 to in Tulsa. His uncle hadn't heard from him since about 1976. When my mother filed for divorce she had to put it in the newspaper as he couldn't be located, 1980 in the Tulsa Tribune, July 18,25, August 1, 8 publication."

Something seems off there. If he was married prior to, or just after boot camp, and then still serving in 1980, he shouldn't have been hard for her to find.

Yes, @apearn , something is off. @Snoangel26 tells us upthread that the information she has from Mr. Murphy's family of origin -- seems off.

Divorce by publication is well known in the military community. Long story, but a friend's enlisted husband said he was assigned to a temporary remote station, she should move back with her parents for the time of the 'remote' assignment. Well Mother-in-law didn't buy that, and subscribed to the tiny local paper near the base. Jilted wife responded to the divorce by publication proceedings. Enlisted man had actually moved back in with an old girlfriend on another post, she was already pregnant. His next station was Leavenworth and wife kept the benefits.

If Mr. Murphy's family didn't like/approve of the wife, or if the wife's family didn't like/approve of Mr. Murphy, the divorce-by-publication tactic may cover up that problem. May have covered up that problem decades ago.

Today, for our @Snoangel26, that's all water under the bridge -- the primary question remains where is Mr. Murphy now?

This is where the puzzle begins and wow @Snoangel26 is moving forward!

I hope the Congressional representative's office can help. Mr. Murphy is a Viet Nam era veteran!

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Laughing]

You could try a post here, kind of a long shot:

https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.murphy

Did you post on a site called HistoryHub in 2021, asking about your grandfather?

There is a little but of information here about TWM, which you may have provided:

https://www.myheritage.com/names/tommy_murphy

Scroll down, sort of alphabetized.

I think you found this:

Tommy Wayne Murphy (1935-1973) - Find a Grave...

Parents: William Lee Murphy Find a Grave #84380544 Amanda Jane Hemphill Murphy Find A Grave Memorial# 84385579 (no picture) Brother: William Louis Murphy Find A Grave Memorial# 21343315 Sister: Margaret Rosalee Murphy Find A Grave Memorial# 21343317 Grandparents: William Lauchland...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Laughing]

And, I'd like to point out that while on WS we do not sleuth family, sometimes to get a better picture of a missing person, we do look at the family constellation.

Just using some knowledge & experience I have to help the OP & friend.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[carbuff]

I was born in 1970 and raised to believe my father was the man who has the same last name as me. After my mother's death, cleaning and boxing her apartment up I came to her journals. Long story short,, I found out that I had a biological father and the reason I had my Dad's last name was because I had been adopted by him in 1974. According to my Aunt, mom's sister, the same thing was done in order to be adopted. My bio was in TDCJ so my mom knew how to contact him but to avoid any issues she had an ad ran in a newspaper too. Instead of the local city newspaper though, my mom went a couple of towns over, same county, and had the notice published there in case any of my bio father's family members could have seen the local newspaper.

That must have been a shocking discovery. Wow.

My daughter (and other family members) are well aware of the situation, so hopefully there won't be any shocking discoveries after I'm gone.

 

[Snoangel26]

Yes, @apearn , something is off. @Snoangel26 tells us upthread that the information she has from Mr. Murphy's family of origin -- seems off.

Divorce by publication is well known in the military community. Long story, but a friend's enlisted husband said he was assigned to a temporary remote station, she should move back with her parents for the time of the 'remote' assignment. Well Mother-in-law didn't buy that, and subscribed to the tiny local paper near the base. Jilted wife responded to the divorce by publication proceedings. Enlisted man had actually moved back in with an old girlfriend on another post, she was already pregnant. His next station was Leavenworth and wife kept the benefits.

If Mr. Murphy's family didn't like/approve of the wife, or if the wife's family didn't like/approve of Mr. Murphy, the divorce-by-publication tactic may cover up that problem. May have covered up that problem decades ago.

Today, for our @Snoangel26, that's all water under the bridge -- the primary question remains where is Mr. Murphy now?

This is where the puzzle begins and wow @Snoangel26 is moving forward!

I hope the Congressional representative's office can help. Mr. Murphy is a Viet Nam era veteran!

jmho ymmv lrr

I dont think he served in the Vietnam War. If my memory serves me correct the vietnam war ended about the time he went in.

 

[Snoangel26]

If they caught him in 1976, they may have allowed him to finish his tour of duty. What I don't understand is why he would have reenlisted? When my brother joined the Air Force in 1972, I believe he had a choice of either four years or six years. It appears that your father served about eight years which would have been two tours.

Excatly. Something is not adding up for me. The detective that is handling the missing person report requested his military record. Im hoping she can get it since I havent had any luck.

 

[carbuff]

If they caught him in 1976, they may have allowed him to finish his tour of duty. What I don't understand is why he would have reenlisted? When my brother joined the Air Force in 1972, I believe he had a choice of either four years or six years. It appears that your father served about eight years which would have been two tours.

There are a lot of reasons why a person might go AWOL--if it was just a messy weekend drunken binge, he might have sobered up, taken his punishment, and cleaned up his act. Post-Vietnam military was a pretty good gig, especially if he was getting training in a specialty that would give him good employment opportunities as a civilian. Lots of guys I went to high school with (graduated 1971) took that path.

 

[Snoangel26]

There are a lot of reasons why a person might go AWOL--if it was just a messy weekend drunken binge, he might have sobered up, taken his punishment, and cleaned up his act. Post-Vietnam military was a pretty good gig, especially if he was getting training in a specialty that would give him good employment opportunities as a civilian. Lots of guys I went to high school with (graduated 1971) took tha

There are a lot of reasons why a person might go AWOL--if it was just a messy weekend drunken binge, he might have sobered up, taken his punishment, and cleaned up his act. Post-Vietnam military was a pretty good gig, especially if he was getting training in a specialty that would give him good employment opportunities as a civilian. Lots of guys I went to high school with (graduated 1971) took that path.

Maybe just having a baby, graduating high school, turning 18, getting married caught up to him. That could be why he went AWOL. Maybe he did go back in.

 

[RememberingRyan]

It is important to be aware, at least until his military records can be reviewed with more detail, that AWOL just means he wasn't where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there - literally just absent without leave... so being AWOL could have meant he just didn't show up to work one day because he got arrested or in an accident or ended up somewhere without transportation back. Given that it sounds like remained an active servicemember until suspected discharge in 1984, I am pretty hesitant to just accept the narrative that he "escaped" in "handcuffs" and "went AWOL" in the mid 70s. I am wondering if it was more a situation of "I don't really want to be a Marine and I'm not going to work tomorrow" that was then followed by being flagged AWOL, picked up by military authorities, subjected to disciplinary action, and then "got his act together", as they say. Hopefully the records will be released and some of this can be cleared up to give a better picture of where and when to look.

 

[Snoangel26]

It is important to be aware, at least until his military records can be reviewed with more detail, that AWOL just means he wasn't where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there - literally just absent without leave... so being AWOL could have meant he just didn't show up to work one day because he got arrested or in an accident or ended up somewhere without transportation back. Given that it sounds like remained an active servicemember until suspected discharge in 1984, I am pretty hesitant to just accept the narrative that he "escaped" in "handcuffs" and "went AWOL" in the mid 70s. I am wondering if it was more a situation of "I don't really want to be a Marine and I'm not going to work tomorrow" that was then followed by being flagged AWOL, picked up by military authorities, subjected to disciplinary action, and then "got his act together", as they say. Hopefully the records will be released and some of this can be cleared up to give a better picture of where and when to look.

I agree with the AWOL could have been an oops. When I first heard the story I knew something was off. I am waiting to see if the Detective will get his military file.

 

[doublestop]

I found this photo in the 1973 Will Rogers yearbook as a sophomore and a similar one in 1974 as a junior...do you think this is the same Steve Murphy, only with glasses and geekier haircut? There is only one Steve Murphy as a senior in 1975, who is pictured at the beginning of the thread.

 

[doublestop]

Also, there is a public Facebook group for Will Rogers alums and friends. Have you tried posting there? Perhaps he stayed in touch with someone from high school. Will Rogers High School Friends | Facebook

 

[killarney rose]

I found this photo in the 1973 Will Rogers yearbook as a sophomore and a similar one in 1974 as a junior...do you think this is the same Steve Murphy, only with glasses and geekier haircut? There is only one Steve Murphy as a senior in 1975, who is pictured at the beginning of the thread.
View attachment 361205

I’ve been back and forth between the two photos, focusing on the shapes of his eyes and nose. I think it’s possible they are the same person.

 

[Snoangel26]

I found this photo in the 1973 Will Rogers yearbook as a sophomore and a similar one in 1974 as a junior...do you think this is the same Steve Murphy, only with glasses and geekier haircut? There is only one Steve Murphy as a senior in 1975, who is pictured at the beginning of the thread.
View attachment 361205

That is my father.

 

[Snoangel26]

I’ve been back and forth between the two photos, focusing on the shapes of his eyes and nose. I think it’s possible they are the same person.

That is my father.

 

[Snoangel26]

Also, there is a public Facebook group for Will Rogers alums and friends. Have you tried posting there? Perhaps he stayed in touch with someone from high school. Will Rogers High School Friends | Facebook

I just joined that Facebook group. I am in another one from WRHS. They did find a few pictures of her for me. Between the junior high and high school that he attended a few people remember him as being polite and kind.

 

[RememberingRyan]

So does he in fact have a mole on one of his cheeks? When I saw it in the color photo I initially assumed it was just something that had spilled on the photo because I didn't see the mole in the first black and white photo that was posted. Now in the second black and white photo, it appears that there may also be a mole (same position and location as in the colored photo) but on the opposite side. If it is a mole then at least one photo has been reversed, so it's difficult to tell which one is the correct cheek, but noting that he has a mole on one cheek might also be useful when searching through UIDs.

 

[RememberingRyan]

Also I just noticed a discrepancy that the original post in this thread says that Steven has brown eyes, but his Namus page says blue.