TN TN - Knoxville, Coster Rail Yd, WhtMale 21-30, UP1562, 'THE BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT' tshirt, Aug'88

[ChatteringBirds]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Unidentified Person /
NamUs #UP1562
Male, White / Caucasian

Date Body Found: August 30, 1988
Location Found: Knoxville, Tennessee

ME/C Case Number: UT88-20F

Estimated Age Group: Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 21-30
Estimated Year of Death: 1988
Estimated PMI: 1 Months
Height::5' 6"(66 inches)
Estimated Weight: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: August 30, 1988
NamUs Case Created: April 11, 2008

Location Found: Knoxville, Tennessee
County: Knox County

Circumstances of Recovery
Found in the Coster Rail Yard area in Knoxville. Perimortem cut marks found on several skeletal elements. Body then buried under railroad tracks.

Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Unknown

Distinctive Physical Features
No Information Entered

Clothing and Accessories
RED KNIT MATERIAL PULL 0VER TSHIRT W/L0G0 THE BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT, On the Body

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Three rule outs, none of which have linked NAMUS accounts
(The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Wesley Fisher was added today, though.)

 

[ChatteringBirds]

View attachment 275293
Three rule outs, none of which have linked NAMUS accounts
(The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Wesley Fisher was added today, though.)

Thanks so much. Okay, Wesley has been ruled-out. I created his thread here today so I'll make a post there.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I tried looking into “The Best Italian Restaurant” to see if that was a local place at the time. I don’t excel in searches like these...I keep coming up with a list of the best Italian restaurants in certain cities. It may not even be of any value as far as identifying him, but I thought it could narrow down a place of origin for the shirt.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I also wonder if the T-shirt is a clue (on the chance it was part of an employee uniform).

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

These are all kind of incidental comments, but if you look at the pdf at NamUs, Bill Bass was the examiner who responded at the scene. I was born in Knoxville, and if that were a local restaurant shirt, my first thought would be Naples, which closed last year after forty years in business. I've never known them to use that slogan, though.

Knoxville dining: Naples Italian Restaurant has closed
William M. Bass - Wikipedia

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping thread up for the year.

 

[Caring1]

Altruda’s is known for the best Italian restaurant in Knoxville. They opened in January 1988. Still the same owners. Wonder if they have historic employee records and/or pictures of the shirts their employee’s wore at that time.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

Looks like it was literally the name of the restaurant.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

The shirt was four years old.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

The above article says mostly only transients frequent the area. Maybe there were two transients there one night, and one decided to murder the other? And our victim could thus be a transient who doesn't have ties to Tennessee.

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping again

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Unfortunately, it’s not clear to me if James Farmer was ever found, either.