houndpounder
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Perhaps someone was giving him a ride and then threw him out of the car for some reason?
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Very little is known about Mr. Wall's disappearance.
I went through the submission process and will let you all know if anything develops.
And when he fell out, so did his wallet, which was run over by a car?Perhaps someone was giving him a ride and then threw him out of the car for some reason?
I like Harold Haynes, too. My problem is that the autopsy said the deceased had bilateral alopecia which is a fancy way to say he had a receding hairline in the classic way: starting at the temple on both sides. The images I see of Harold, he doesn't appear to have a receding hairline. I think Harold looks Native American but they are the one ethnic group that don't appear to be stricken with male pattern baldness.
RE: receding temple thing, my brother also has this but his pattern is due to prolonged malnourishment and didn't run in the family. No NA ancestry here - mostly Middle Eastern and Hispanic.The reason I think he could possibly be Native American is location and no reports of a missing person. Almost anyone up in Rhinelander in the middle of winter is probably a local. The AIM (American Indian Movement) was pretty big up in northern WI in the 70's and there was lots of distrust of law enforcement etc. Hubby is 1/2 Native American and has the receding temple thing. Said he got it from his maternal grandfather, who coincidentally was probably at least 75% NA. Many Native Americans have mixed ancestry genetically, so you can't tell by appearance.
Just putting this out there, that he could be local and not reported as missing due to possible mistrust of law enforcement.
Has Andrew "Andy" Thomas ever been proposed? He went missing in January, 1980 from Ashland, WI. Ashland is directly southeast on the main through fair being Route 51. This UID was found about 120 miles from Ashland. This UID was found in March 1980. Thomas was 5'10" so not far off from the 6'4" for the UID (About 6") The weights are approximately the same (Thomas at 170) and the UID estimated to be 165-175.
Also, it appears that Thomas wore glasses, which Possibly wore glasses based on brownish areas on either side of the nose. Thomas was said to have not been wearing his glasses.
WI - WI - Andrew “Andy” Thomas Viater, 22, Ashland, 22 Jan 1980
6'4" male
Date least seen is unexplained -- who, where
Ties to Wisconsin
NM - NM - Bennett Irvin Wall, 23, Albuquerque, 1 Feb 1981
Gravesite Details
On 20th of January 1980 he was reported "Missing" in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Since that day, he has never been heard of again. There was no body interred, only a memorial tombstone.
I didn't see this thread when I posted. I see his father was an electrician in Chicago based on his obituary at Findagrave.com. Their family had a homestead at Porterfield, 110 miles southeast, near Peshtigo, WI.John Doe has been identified as 31-year-old Norman John Christopher Grasser of Chicago, Illinois. He was reported missing in January 1980. Rest in peace Norman.
Oneida County John Doe identified as Chicago man missing since 1980
Norman John Christopher “Norm” Grasser...
View attachment 468276
https://historicaerials.com/location/45.7257/-89.2697/1980/18
Your possible scenario sounds very logical to me. Too bad we don't know whether he owned a vehicle when he disappeared and whether that vehicle disappeared when he did. That car shouldn't be that far from the shoreline.Friday Fan cited a news article on the then
UID in this post:
WI - WI - Rhinelander, WhtMale 25-45, UP60642, in field, 6'4, poss wore glasses, Helbros watch, Mar'80
unfortunately that article link no longer seems to
work, but the article (which includes a picture of a
1980 newspaper cutting) is partially viewable here;
From the various facts about the case I came to
the conclusion that 'the body which was found
about 100 feet east of Route 17' was likely found
just north of several houses on the north side of
Royalwood Lane. I assume what happened was
that Norman Grasser crashed his car into a body
of water (possibly iced over at that time of
year), managed to get out and walked some
distance, to eventually collapse just as he came
close to those houses, perhaps walking towards
the only house that had a light on in its' (side
or rear) windows. Previous commenters have
made it clear it's not unususal for this locales
dwellings to be vacant at that time of year,
some of the houses being utilized as summer
cottages.
IMO, he walked in wet, icy clothes and collapsed
unconcious possibly due to the minor head injuries
he sustained - thereafter, dying of hyperthermia.
He had keys in his wallet, but these perhaps
weren't car keys, which would remain in the car
ignition. He wasn't wearing and didn't have gloves,
which you probably wouldn't wear if you were
driving, ditto as to a hat. He did have some
(homemade) earmuffs which he wasn't wearing
- why not? probably they were in his jacket
pocket, drenched, and couldn't be dried out
before the water adhering to them froze.
No-one's going to wear frozen earmuffs.
Which body of water might any car be in?
Seems it could be Jennie Webber Lake, but
that's shallow, like 5 foot and less near where
it's adjacent to Route 17 where a car could
go in off the road, about 2 miles walking from
where his body was found.
Jennie Webber Lake, Wisconsin | Lake, Fishing & Travel Info
Aside from that Lake, there is a farmer's pond
that I think could contain his car, it's located at;
and has several tight turns on the adjacentCode:https://historicaerials.com/location/45.7257/-89.2697/1980/18
dirt road next to it, not sure if that road is
Spafford Rd or Blueberry Ln, Oneida County, WI.
It would be some 4 miles from there to where
his body was found, assuming he stuck to the
roads and didn't cut any corners walking cross
country.
With his father being an electrician and Norman
Grasser being ~31 years old, I wonder if he was
also an electrician (which might explain the
compass he was carrying, which might be useful
to an electrician for initial finding of electricity
carrying wires). If Norman Grasser was driving
to/from some farm job, in poor visiblity rain,
fog or falling snow, it would be understandable
how he could be in that area and accidently
crash into Jennie Webber Lake, or that pond
which seems to be located on land belonging to
Sowinski Farms Incorporated.
Jennie Webber Lake is a 237 acre lake located in Oneida County. It has a maximum depth of only 8 feet and common fish include Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing on the west side of the lake on Highway 17.
Certainly not for outdoors in the winter in Wisconsin (or Chicago for that matter).Compass also used for hiking, although iirc this gentleman was not dressed for the outdoors?
Did anyone Report to ask for an update to the thread title?
TY!