WA WA - Cowlitz County, WhtMale, Adult, UP84823, skeletal, found at Merrill Lake, April'21

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heartanium

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Not much information available for this guy but I think he has either DNA or dentals on file.

NAMUS UP84823
Unidentified Male
Location Found:
Merrill Lake, Cowlitz County, Washington
Date Found: April 26, 2021

Race: White/Caucasian
PMI: Unknown
Estimated year of Death: Unknown
Estimated Age: Adult
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Clothing: Unknown
Circumstances: Partial skeletal remains found in Cowlitz County, WA.

Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only
Inventory of Remains: Unknown

Agency Info:
ME/C Case Number:
21-1661

Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office - (360) 577-3092
Agency Case Number: A21-951
Ryan Cruser, Sergeant

King County Medical Examiner's Office - (206) 731-3232

Agency Case Number: 21-1661​

Cowlitz County Coroner's Office - (360) 577-3079​

Agency Case Number: 21-230

2 Exclusions
1718227295618.png

MP19539 - Robert Thrasher
June 24, 1981 - Spokane, Spokane County, Washington

MP41097 - Wilford Johnson
June 29, 2017 - Longview, Cowlitz County, Washington
 
I believe the below article and sketch is about this John Doe found in 2021.

1719957694564.jpeg
“Please note that these are sketches that have been compiled from what the artist had to work with and may not look exactly like the person but should be a helpful example,” the coroner’s office stated in a news release. “All coloring decisions are just artistic guesses, along with hair length and color, and lips shape and size.

 
If this was skeletal remains i wonder how they deemed he was white/caucasian...
I’m guessing they based the sketch on measurements and characteristics of the skull. They did state in the article that “coloring decisions were artistic guesses, along with hair length/color and the lips shape/size” so it won’t be an exact likeness.

The shape of his face, nose and ears appear to be pretty unique. Maybe these features were a bit easier to estimate.
 
On June 30, a forensic artist made a sketch of what the man might have looked like. Authorities warned that the sketch may not look exactly right, and all coloring decisions were artistic guesses, along with the length and color of his hair, and the shape and size of his lips.
Cowlitz coroner asks for help identifying human remains found in 2021

Description:

  • Male of European descent
  • Young or younger adult
  • Coroner Case# 21-320
  • County Sheriff’s Office Case# A21-951
  • NAMUS #UP84823
 
Cowlitz County is an adjacent county to the south of Lewis County where Tor Robert Bilet went missing when he was lost (in Randle/Morton) Can’t help wondering is he was robbed or possibly murdered and dumped at Merrill Lake near the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.


1722544416848.jpeg
 
Cowlitz County is an adjacent county to the south of Lewis County where Tor Robert Bilet went missing when he was lost (in Randle/Morton) Can’t help wondering is he was robbed or possibly murdered and dumped at Merrill Lake near the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.


View attachment 521953
By coincidence I just posted in Tor’s thread and saw this shortly afterward, good call. I don’t think the resemblance is that close, but it’s close enough that with the circumstances it’s definitely worth checking out.

It seems that Tor (or at least his truck) was last seen heading south outside of Randle, and I think—but am not 100%—that it was on a route that could have led to Merrill Lake pretty directly.

Apparently his truck was later found and had been stripped for parts, but I have no idea where it was found.
 
By coincidence I just posted in Tor’s thread and saw this shortly afterward, good call. I don’t think the resemblance is that close, but it’s close enough that with the circumstances it’s definitely worth checking out.

It seems that Tor (or at least his truck) was last seen heading south outside of Randle, and I think—but am not 100%—that it was on a route that could have led to Merrill Lake pretty directly.

Apparently his truck was later found and had been stripped for parts, but I have no idea where it was found.
It’s hard to tell with no PMI and unknown where the truck was found abandoned. Service road 25 is closed in sections now due to slides but back then it looks like you could drive FR 25 which connects to 90 and loops around the lake. I could be wrong. Just strange that he would go east from Morton (last phone call) to Randle (witnesses last seen Tor) and then turn south on 25 rather than head back to I-5.
 
Just strange that he would go east from Morton (last phone call) to Randle (witnesses last seen Tor) and then turn south on 25 rather than head back to I-5.
SBM I grew up in Portland but am only vaguely familiar with the locations/area in question here, but that was exactly my first thought too.

But after looking at a map it does seem like the route Tor was on would have been the the next-most logical route to take to get to Sisters. It’s quite a bit more complicated than going back to I-5, but it’s more direct and probably takes around the same amount of time.
 
It’s hard to tell with no PMI and unknown where the truck was found abandoned. Service road 25 is closed in sections now due to slides but back then it looks like you could drive FR 25 which connects to 90 and loops around the lake. I could be wrong. Just strange that he would go east from Morton (last phone call) to Randle (witnesses last seen Tor) and then turn south on 25 rather than head back to I-5.
If its skeletal remains though, PMI is going to be a bit more difficult to determine. A missing from 2004 though could certainly fall within the bracket.
 
Maybe Michael Roy Richards (MP1005)? Disappeared from Woodland, WA (35 min drive to Cougar) on February 6, 2003. May have met foul play.

View attachment 515176View attachment 515177
Michael is my uncle. Thank you for sharing his story. Mikey was murdered and the car that's missing was scrapped on Butte Hill Road in woodland. The body was said to be placed in lye or buried in the Gifford. This particular drawng was ran against Mikey and came back not him with dna not a match. However two skulls remain identified and I am anxiously waiting results. The lava bed one most likely a Portland man police have said. The other sawtooth berry field skull is in forensics being processed for dna extraction from the bones and then running it against those in namus. I greedily pray its our closure but its a blessing for those who are brought back home. It will be months before I know. But I was told today by police both skulls remain in processing.
 
Michael is my uncle. Thank you for sharing his story. Mikey was murdered and the car that's missing was scrapped on Butte Hill Road in woodland. The body was said to be placed in lye or buried in the Gifford. This particular drawng was ran against Mikey and came back not him with dna not a match. However two skulls remain identified and I am anxiously waiting results. The lava bed one most likely a Portland man police have said. The other sawtooth berry field skull is in forensics being processed for dna extraction from the bones and then running it against those in namus. I greedily pray its our closure but its a blessing for those who are brought back home. It will be months before I know. But I was told today by police both skulls remain in processing.
Welcome ! And TY so much for posting about the processing of the skulls!
We get excited hearing about resolves!
It isn't greedy to hope or pray for closure !
 
Michael is my uncle. Thank you for sharing his story. Mikey was murdered, and the car that's missing was scrapped on Butte Hill Road in woodland. The body was said to be placed in lye or buried in the Gifford. This particular drawing was run against Mikey and came back not him with DNA, not a match. However, two skulls remain identified, and I am anxiously awaiting the results. The lava bed one is most likely a Portland man, police have said. The other sawtooth berry field skull is in forensics being processed for dna extraction from the bones and then running it against those in namus. I greedily pray it's our closure, but it's a blessing for those brought back home. It will be months before I know. But I was told today by police both skulls remain in processing.
The cops also know who murdered my uncle, but they remain free in the woodland and Vancouver area. No body no crime I'm told its infuriating. He was selling his car to two addicts. They went for a test drive, and Mikey didn't return, but the two returned with the vehicle. Police raided the house 2/3/03, and Mikey was claimed to be a snitch as he fled on foot getting away; all others were booked, and later charges were dropped on them for a lousy search from one guys PO when they met the following day at the Englert house they went for that “test drive.”
 
Michael is my uncle. Thank you for sharing his story. Mikey was murdered and the car that's missing was scrapped on Butte Hill Road in woodland. The body was said to be placed in lye or buried in the Gifford. This particular drawng was ran against Mikey and came back not him with dna not a match. However two skulls remain identified and I am anxiously waiting results. The lava bed one most likely a Portland man police have said. The other sawtooth berry field skull is in forensics being processed for dna extraction from the bones and then running it against those in namus. I greedily pray its our closure but its a blessing for those who are brought back home. It will be months before I know. But I was told today by police both skulls remain in processing.
Thank you very much for sharing. It's good to hear that DNA testing has been submitted and hopefully there will movement on those other skulls soon. Wishing you and your family the best.

I do want to share that Michael has his own dedicated thread here:


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3 Exclusions (1 new)

MP14856 - Jonathan Schrattenholzer
February 21, 2012 - Clarkston, Asotin County, Washington

MP19539 - Robert Thrasher
June 24, 1981 - Spokane, Spokane County, Washington

MP41097 - Wilford Johnson
June 29, 2017 - Longview, Cowlitz County, Washington
 

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