Identified! SC - Norway, Body found in freezer at abandoned "haunted" house. Jan'21 - Robert Fuller

[data_nerd_2005]

No, but I think there has been some thought here that he may have been Filipino based on the possibility that the symbol above the face in the tattoo has something to do with the flag of the Philippines, rather than a life preserver. Also, the face looks somewhat Asian. And there is a fairly large population of Filipinos in the area. So just a sleuthing hypothesis.

This is the hypothesis I had remembered reading. Thanks for providing details! I understand that the race could be different from what is "guessed" above, but I think looking into tattoo shops that might be based in a Filipino area could be a good path to follow. The tattoo is very detailed and I'm guessing the face of a celebrity or a family member. I have been broad in my search of tattoo shops (trying to do all of South Carolina), but algorithms are imperfect and if I have no results, I can search more in depth in "possibly more likely to give clues" areas.

 

[Susikatze]

I mean LE has their reasons not to release any more information, I guess an investigation is well underway. I really really personally doubt the UID was filipino.

 

[data_nerd_2005]

In update from a tattoo shop: one of them has been very helpful and they gave me a detailed history of tattooing in South Carolina and let me know that it was not legal until 2006, hence if the UID got the tattoo before/around then, he likely did not get it in South Carolina.

 

[KatzEye]

It truly would be nice if LE could release just a "little" more info - such as height, estimated age. It would seem likely that at least height could be determined. As Susikatze said, I'm sure LE has their reasons. Also, being from SC myself - LE here is often extremely stingy with MP details unless it's a child or senior. Not sure why, but it's what I've noticed.

@data_nerd_2005 - Thank you for all the work you're putting into this. I did find a list of Filipino population by city in SC, but it's from 2010. Goose Creek seems to top all lists I've seen. That would be closer to the Charleston area.

South Carolina Filipino Population Percentage City Rank Based on US Census 2010 data

 

[Susikatze]

I am always really really careful with going down rabbitholes re ethnicity if there is no solid evidence for it - it can derail a case for years or even, like the Sumter Does, for decades... who were neither Canadian, nor Argentinian, but plain old Americans from Colorado and Pennsylvania.

The smoking man in the tat could be anything, really, from Hispanic to AA to Asian... it even gives me some Quentin Tarantino gangster vibes... really, it is absolutely impossible to tell anything from that tattoo. Could be the UIDs grandpa or something, no idea. And the other i think definitely is a lifebuoy and not a filipino sun from the shading... but thats my eyes.

Maybe it is better to wait until we hopefully get more information?

 

[chaz]

With the house being in S.C., abandoned and winter there should be tire tracks going to the house in the yard.

Wouldn't there be tire tracks from the atv's the group was riding? And the body had been there for a while, possibly for months.

 

[Lilibet]

I am always really really careful with going down rabbitholes re ethnicity if there is no solid evidence for it - it can derail a case for years or even, like the Sumter Does, for decades... who were neither Canadian, nor Argentinian, but plain old Americans from Colorado and Pennsylvania.

The smoking man in the tat could be anything, really, from Hispanic to AA to Asian... it even gives me some Quentin Tarantino gangster vibes... really, it is absolutely impossible to tell anything from that tattoo. Could be the UIDs grandpa or something, no idea. And the other i think definitely is a lifebuoy and not a filipino sun from the shading... but thats my eyes.

Maybe it is better to wait until we hopefully get more information?

I totally understand your concerns about ethnicity and no clarity about the tattoo, @Susikatze. I guess the Websleuth desire to start somewhere and do something, rather than wait for information, will always drive the sleuthing. And I get that too and don’t really see the harm in it as long as minds are open to other options. I expect that’s how LE conducts investigations too.
JMO

 

[data_nerd_2005]

I am always really really careful with going down rabbitholes re ethnicity if there is no solid evidence for it - it can derail a case for years or even, like the Sumter Does, for decades... who were neither Canadian, nor Argentinian, but plain old Americans from Colorado and Pennsylvania.

The smoking man in the tat could be anything, really, from Hispanic to AA to Asian... it even gives me some Quentin Tarantino gangster vibes... really, it is absolutely impossible to tell anything from that tattoo. Could be the UIDs grandpa or something, no idea. And the other i think definitely is a lifebuoy and not a filipino sun from the shading... but thats my eyes.

Maybe it is better to wait until we hopefully get more information?

These are valid concerns. I share them, which is why I have started my search as broad as possible. I should be able to contact all of the shops on my list by this weekend, and I am not sure what to do after that. I can either start expanding the contact radius to Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA, or I can hone in on certain South Carolina towns. The UID could be white and from NYC and I could be 100% off track, however in web scraping I have to decide some limiting factors on my search, which is why I'm going with the "UID is from SC and likely Asian/Hispanic with a stronger possibility of being Filipino" route. Luckily I am not LE and just a young adult who likes coding, social media analysis, investigating, and is bored because I can't go out due to the pandemic haha. If I make mistakes in my search, it will not cause harm.

 

[Susikatze]

I think your compilation of all the tattoo parlors in the region is an awesome job and may get valid leads. The tats are really distinctive, especially the one with the man. Professional work and someone must remember it. It looks very individual, probably done after a photo. I could not find anything similar.

These are valid concerns. I share them, which is why I have started my search as broad as possible. I should be able to contact all of the shops on my list by this weekend, and I am not sure what to do after that. I can either start expanding the contact radius to Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA, or I can hone in on certain South Carolina towns. The UID could be white and from NYC and I could be 100% off track, however in web scraping I have to decide some limiting factors on my search, which is why I'm going with the "UID is from SC and likely Asian/Hispanic with a stronger possibility of being Filipino" route. Luckily I am not LE and just a young adult who likes coding, social media analysis, investigating, and is bored because I can't go out due to the pandemic haha. If I make mistakes in my search, it will not cause harm.

 

[data_nerd_2005]

I had a tattoo shop tell me that they think it's a prison tattoo and that they're doubtful a licensed tattoo shop would have done it, which is an interesting take. I'm biased because I live in a large NE city and I've seen many people get professional tattoos done similar to the UID's, so I hadn't even considered it could be a prison tat.

 

[Susikatze]

Maybe the style is prison? I am no tattoo expert, but it looks like nice work

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

Hopefully LE took the freezer from the residence and just not the body.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

@data_nerd_2005 Please let us know what other tattoo shops say.
Maybe they think it looks like it was done with makeshift instead of professional equipment? Hopefully they realize the darker black areas are photo edits and not part of the tattoo.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

@data_nerd_2005 You should probably inform the shops of the decomposition happening to this tattoo. It probably used to look a lot cleaner!

 

[data_nerd_2005]

I have been using the same message with each tattoo shop, shown below:

*picture sent before text message*
"Hello. I write as a citizen trying to help solve an unidentified person’s case in Norway, South Carolina. The deceased was found and he had the unique tattoo shown in the picture. Do you happen to know if any of your artists may have designed this tattoo? If you recognize this tattoo, please contact the OCSO at 803-534-3550 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Here is a post about the John Doe’s discovery:

Tattoo could help identify body found in freezer"

Does anybody think I should change any of the wording?

 

[data_nerd_2005]

Also, in regards to the prison tattoo possibility: One of the reasons I am doubting it is, if the UID had been in prison at some point, wouldn't his DNA/prints be in the system? Or is that not necessarily true?

 

[KatzEye]

One of the reasons I am doubting it is, if the UID had been in prison at some point, wouldn't his DNA/prints be in the system? Or is that not necessarily true?

Without being too graphic, I can say it's possible this UID had no fingerprints available to compare. We don't know how long the body had been there or the condition. I've often thought it may be amazing that they even had the tattoo to compare. All JMOO

 

[bombardier]

I believe that tattoos are noted in a prisoner's file when they get arrested/enter the prison system, but do they also document tattoos done in prison once the person gets released? I genuinely have no idea!
Also, if this is a prison tattoo, major props to the artist, I genuinely think the face is well done lol it looks better than some portraits I've seen from paid tattoo artists

 

[data_nerd_2005]

I'm still contacting tattoo shops, and I have found one that I think could end up in a lead. They specialize in portraits and have tattoos on their page posted just like the UID's. I have contacted them asking if they recognize the tattoo and if they know of any other artists in the area who specialize in these type of tattoos as well. It seems like a lot of the shops in SC don't do portrait tattoos so I think finding ones that do could be a big help.

If anybody wants to look up the shop, they are highlighted in pink on my google sheet.

 

[Lilibet]

I'm still contacting tattoo shops, and I have found one that I think could end up in a lead. They specialize in portraits and have tattoos on their page posted just like the UID's. I have contacted them asking if they recognize the tattoo and if they know of any other artists in the area who specialize in these type of tattoos as well. It seems like a lot of the shops in SC don't do portrait tattoos so I think finding ones that do could be a big help.

If anybody wants to look up the shop, they are highlighted in pink on my google sheet.

I checked out their array of photos on FB. Some of their portraits are really lifelike. I was a bit startled by the realistic “3-D” black widow spider!