TX TX - Cameron Co/Mexico, WhtMale 20-29, UP4044, Wedding Ring "DIN-MONA 021189", Mar'89

[devertere]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP4044
Male, White / Caucasian
Date Body Found: March 27, 1989
Location Found: Cameron County, Texas
Case Information


Case Numbers
ME/C Case Number: 892846
Demographics
Sex: Male
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years): 20-29
Estimated Year of Death: 1989


Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: March 27, 1989
NamUs Case Created: October 15, 2008
ME/C QA Reviewed: December 16, 2011

Location: Texas
County: Cameron County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--

Circumstances of Recovery: Found in Mexico. Wearing white underwear. Wedding band next to victim inscribed DIN-MONA 021189.

Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered

Physical Description
Hair Color: Sandy
Head Hair Description: Sandy

Clothing and Accessories
Wearing white underwear.
On the Body

Jewelry
Ring Wedding band next to victim inscribed "DIN-MONA 021189"

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This case is perfect for sleuthing... A nearly blonde guy found in Texas (or Mexico) with a wedding ring including names and dates sounds "findable"...

 

[Susikatze]

If he was married on February 11, 1989, he was very recently married. Someone MUST miss him!

 

[devertere]

Yeah, I was also thinking that... unless the wife thought he'd up and left her....

 

[happyday]

Sounds like spring break in South Padre? Kids are always going over to Mexico against recommendations. Just strange that no one has ID’d him by now!!

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Could it be Don and not Din?

 

[annemc2]

Could it be Don and not Din?

I wish we could see it. Don sounds way more plausible than Din. Although Din is not unheard of as a first name - means "religion" or "way of life." Maybe his parents were hippies? There's an American MMA fighter who is Black named Din Thomas. Din (name) - Wikipedia

If it's a nickname I have no idea what the formal name would be. And you'd think that if DIN were initials that MONA wouldn't have her full name on the ring (unless those are initials too but that seems kind of out there).

eta: was he found in Cameron County USA or actually across the border in Mexico? It says both.

 

[devertere]

Report says both. I think he was found in Mexico but close enough to the border that they simply called in Cameron County PD to take care of it. Especially since he was sandy-haired.

Regarding the name, I also found this on Ancestry:

Din Name Meaning
Muslim: shortened form of any of the many Arabic names formed with the word din ‘religion’, for example Saifuddin ‘sword of religion’ or Salahuddin ‘righteousness of religion’. Indian (northern states): Hindu name derived from Sanskrit dina ‘humble’. Scottish: unexplained. According to Black, this is an old Strathblane surname. Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from Yiddish din ‘thin’.

 

[Susikatze]

I really think its Don. We need to see the original.

 

[devertere]

It could be Din, Don, Dan ... or short for Dink, Dino etc... It's really hard to guess without a picture. Would anyone be up for calling LE and asking if they'd consider sharing the pictures? I'd do it but I am in Europe ... :/

 

[devertere]

Sooo... I went through Ancestry and looked for Mona's & Monica's that got married on 02-11-1989. There is currently three that I can not prove are still alive, as there are too many people with the same name. :/

 

[vermontaigne]

This guy fits hair color, age, went missing from CA in March of 1988, from San Francisco, middle name Dino.

 

[Keane]

This guy fits hair color, age, went missing from CA in March of 1988, from San Francisco, middle name Dino.

But the wedding band says 2/11/89, after he went missing. :-/

 

[Melt71]

Report says both. I think he was found in Mexico but close enough to the border that they simply called in Cameron County PD to take care of it. Especially since he was sandy-haired.

They could also have called them in because the date on the ring is written US-style month/day/year versus Mexican style day/month/year.

If the UID had eloped or married without close family present it's entirely plausible that his next-of-kin may not know he was married and it would not be in MP reports. No cause of death listed in the Namus report but if he was murdered it's entirely possible his wife was also killed and her remains are still out there.

 

[MadMcGoo]

ETA: NamUs link
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Ugh. I hate not being able to see the ring.

Maybe Din is pronounced like Dean. I know there’s a missing female whose name is Aleca “Leca”, and it’s pronounced like Lisa. Just a thought. I’m combing through records and newspapers also...

 

[MadMcGoo]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Dunn? Possibly?

 

[devertere]

ETA: NamUs link
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Ugh. I hate not being able to see the ring.

Maybe Din is pronounced like Dean. I know there’s a missing female whose name is Aleca “Leca”, and it’s pronounced like Lisa. Just a thought. I’m combing through records and newspapers also...

I checked Deans and Dinos as well, but found nothing interesting.. will check once more systematically, tomorrow... (I usually don't work on my laptop.)

 

[devertere]

I wish we could see it. Don sounds way more plausible than Din. Although Din is not unheard of as a first name - means "religion" or "way of life." Maybe his parents were hippies? There's an American MMA fighter who is Black named Din Thomas. Din (name) - Wikipedia

If it's a nickname I have no idea what the formal name would be. And you'd think that if DIN were initials that MONA wouldn't have her full name on the ring (unless those are initials too but that seems kind of out there).

eta: was he found in Cameron County USA or actually across the border in Mexico? It says both.

I just realized that MONA being Initials is not very out there... a lot of latin names start with Maria and there is usually two surnames... so for instance someone called Maria Ora Nunez Alvarez...

 

[vermontaigne]

They could also have called them in because the date on the ring is written US-style month/day/year versus Mexican style day/month/year.

If the UID had eloped or married without close family present it's entirely plausible that his next-of-kin may not know he was married and it would not be in MP reports. No cause of death listed in the Namus report but if he was murdered it's entirely possible his wife was also killed and her remains are still out there.

I think Mexico is a township in Cameron County, TX, (just barely) in the USA.

ETA: NamUs link
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Ugh. I hate not being able to see the ring.

Maybe Din is pronounced like Dean. I know there’s a missing female whose name is Aleca “Leca”, and it’s pronounced like Lisa. Just a thought. I’m combing through records and newspapers also...

Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti, so I think that's a good chance.

 

[vermontaigne]

I just realized that MONA being Initials is not very out there... a lot of latin names start with Maria and there is usually two surnames... so for instance someone called Maria Ora Nunez Alvarez...

Possible, but more likely short for Ramona or Simona.

And Din is also possibly Sandino, though I think Dino is likelier.

 

[devertere]

Possible, but more likely short for Ramona or Simona.

oooh, i didn't think of simona... i did look at ramona but nothing stood out.