WA WA - Bellingham, Georgia Pacific plant, WhtMal 20-40, 862UMWA, Continental Airlines ticket, Sep'87

[Sneakster5000]

everytine I hear of Bellingham I immediately think of Leah. I only know of the name bc of Leah.

I agree, the Leah Roberts case happened when I was around 5 years old but my family cleaned the bellis fair theater in 2000 and I'd play in the theater so it hits pretty close to home knowing that there may have been a murderer around (or still around?) Doesn't make me feel very safe. I wanted to also mention that there were two other men found dead in or around the GP Plant over the years Blair Grandstrom in 1995 and Dwight Clark in 2010 both WWU students both went missing after leaving a bellingham party! If anyone has any theories I'd love to hear them.

 

[Sneakster5000]

everytine I hear of

 

[Curious_in_NC]

There's also this.
Suspect frequented same bar as Bundy, Hillside Strangler / Watering hole in Bellingham a magnet for killers

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I agree, the Leah Roberts case happened when I was around 5 years old but my family cleaned the bellis fair theater in 2000 and I'd play in the theater so it hits pretty close to home knowing that there may have been a murderer around (or still around?) Doesn't make me feel very safe. I wanted to also mention that there were two other men found dead in or around the GP Plant over the years Blair Grandstrom in 1995 and Dwight Clark in 2010 both WWU students both went missing after leaving a bellingham party! If anyone has any theories I'd love to hear them.

When was the GP Plant demolished? I'm guessing it was where the empty gravel lot is now, next to "GP Beach".

 

[Sneakster5000]

When was the GP Plant demolished? I'm guessing it was where the empty gravel lot is now, next to "GP Beach".

I'm not 100% positive but I think its still used by Puget sound energy!
There a video on Dwight Clark on YouTube by a channel "The Missing Enigma" where he goes over the Blair Grandstrom case as well. Definitely worth watching!

 

[breachtones]

When was the GP Plant demolished? I'm guessing it was where the empty gravel lot is now, next to "GP Beach".

2011. The plant closed in 07 I think. They left a portion of it still standing, and you can see on the satellite view of Google Maps where the rest of it was. Right there on West Laurel.

 

[Springrain]

I'm not 100% positive but I think its still used by Puget sound energy!
There a video on Dwight Clark on YouTube by a channel "The Missing Enigma" where he goes over the Blair Grandstrom case as well. Definitely worth watching!

There is a Puget Sound Energy plant on Cornwall and one on Nevada, but I am not sure about what became of this one?

 

[Sneakster5000]

There is a Puget Sound Energy plant on Cornwall and one on Nevada, but I am not sure about what became of this one?

Thank you for correcting me! I'm new here so just getting the hang of posting and all that. Sorry for any mistakes

 

[Springrain]

Thank you for correcting me! I'm new here so just getting the hang of posting and all that. Sorry for any mistakes

Oh no, no worries! I looked it up on Google because I didn't know myself, despite being local. I was kind of surprised to learn that there are two Puget Sound Energy plants in the city that are not far apart...I only knew about the one on Cornwall.

Also, welcome to WS!

 

[Sneakster5000]

Oh no, no worries! I looked it up on Google because I didn't know myself, despite being local. I was kind of surprised to learn that there are two Puget Sound Energy plants in the city that are not far apart...I only knew about the one on Cornwall.

Also, welcome to WS!

Thank you very much!

 

[annpats]

Oh, and here's yet another Bellingham WA case.

WA - WA - Samantha Ham, 23, & Korina Rodriguez, 20, Bellingham, 21 Jan 1994

Along with the ones mentioned on the previous page, written again below.

Leah Roberts.
WA - WA - Leah Roberts, 23, Whatcom Co, 13 Mar 2000

Choung Su Mullen.
WA - WA - Choung Su Mullen, 19, Bellingham, 9 Feb 1989


Ti'Shawn Simmons
Missing Since:
Mar 10, 2017
Missing From:
Bellingham, WA
Age Now: 15

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I keep looking for missing ppl with interests in environmentalism or at an extreme eco terrorism in 1987.
WA state has long had friction between environmentalists and large corporations that have had little concern for their social/environmental impact on the state.

rsbm
Some interesting suggestions. From what I read there is still ongoing controversy in Bellingham about cleanup of mercury contamination in the soil near the waterfront caused by GP's chlor-alkali operations.

So how about Bayard Cousins, an ecology activist from VA last seen in 1975. He is a bit tall (6'2") vs. the estimated height of the UID, but maybe not that far off.
VA - Bayard William Cousins, 22, Virginia Beach, 1 Feb 1975

 

[Curious_in_NC]

rsbm
There a video on Dwight Clark on YouTube by a channel "The Missing Enigma" where he goes over the Blair Grandstrom case as well. Definitely worth watching!

Thanks. The video producer does a recent tour of the GP site about halfway through their video showing the fencing and barbwire that still surround the site. It wouldn't have been easy to get into.

 

[breachtones]

rsbm
Some interesting suggestions. From what I read there is still ongoing controversy in Bellingham about cleanup of mercury contamination in the soil near the waterfront caused by GP's chlor-alkali operations.

So how about Bayard Cousins, an ecology activist from VA last seen in 1975. He is a bit tall (6'2") vs. the estimated height of the UID, but maybe not that far off.
VA - Bayard William Cousins, 22, Virginia Beach, 1 Feb 1975

I still think he's the Plaquemines Parish John Doe instead.

 

[carbuff]

Another man found dead in chimney in Mississipi: Skeleton Found in Chimney After 15 Years

Nothing to do with our case, just interesting the similarities and differences.

 

[whorton]

I keep thinking about this case, having been to Bellingham tons of times. Is the DNA really unavailable due to the chimney heat? It makes sense, but then again several sources of info also confused hyperthermia for hypothermia so :/ I'm not exactly sure how accurate it is.

Apparently, yes that body was burned to a point of having no extractable DNA even from the molars. About the only possibility for ID at this point is someone to recognize the dental work that he had.

 

[whorton]

This particular type of misadventure really didn't become very popular within the US until about fifteen years later. Maybe he was just ahead of his time.
Man falls 40 feet down chimney while practicing Parkour
Urban exploration - Wikipedia

Yes and no. . .people were exploring places where they were not suppose to be for literally years. If you read my take on it, the person was an urban explorer or infiltrator. I had done the same sort of thing around the same time. .and if you had read the newspaper accounts I listed from the early 90's of a person falling to their death, and another person being seriously hurt in an abandoned and supposedly secured but empty electrical generation facility. We are only about 5 years removed from those accidents and this death. Additionally URBEX was not a significant thing, as the internet and related websites really did not come into being for about another 10 to 15 years. . Just because it was not a well known escapade of youth in '87 certainly does not mean kids were not doing such things.

 

[Sneakster5000]

Yes and no. . .people were exploring places where they were not suppose to be for literally years. If you read my take on it, the person was an urban explorer or infiltrator. I had done the same sort of thing around the same time. .and if you had read the newspaper accounts I listed from the early 90's of a person falling to their death, and another person being seriously hurt in an abandoned and supposedly secured but empty electrical generation facility. We are only about 5 years removed from those accidents and this death. Additionally URBEX was not a significant thing, as the internet and related websites really did not come into being for about another 10 to 15 years. . Just because it was not a well known escapade of youth in '87 certainly does not mean kids were not doing such things.

Thats a good point. It seems like the most logical scenario. People always explored, so its definitely in the realm of possibility

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Yes and no. . .people were exploring places where they were not suppose to be for literally years. If you read my take on it, the person was an urban explorer or infiltrator.

rsbm
Agree. And you've certainly posted most of the facts we have on this case. I couldn't access the Bellingham Herald articles, as they're behind a paywall. But there was another corresponding post of yours, a transcript of a video:

8:29 Another story came to light in 2006, when Detective Al Jensen was approached by someone who knew thrillseekers who used to climb the chimney stacks at the plant in the 1980's. Their plan was to always meet in a pre arranged place once a climb was attempted. He said that on one occasion, a male member of the group who was from New York failed to turn up at the agreed location. Bellingham police contacted the New York Authorities and requested the missing person that matched the dates and victims description.

9:02 They were given 5 reports, but none of them had dental records with them and the person who gave Jensen the tipoff could not be tracked down, so it was another lead gone cold.

So, I'm wondering, has there ever been any followup to this tip? It seems so plausible as a scenario.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed re bypassing paywall>

Good suggestions. Here's few more

Missing from WA
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Some resemblance to recon
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Less likely
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)