Identified! CA - Berkeley, Human skeletal remains found @ UC Berkeley in a building abandoned for years, 13 Jan 2023 - Steven Lawrence McCreary

[HmmMysterious]

A human skeleton was found on January 10th, 2023 in a building which has been abandoned for many years at the Clark Kerr Campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The post-mortem interval and the cause of death are unknown at this time. There are no outstanding cases of missing individuals from the university.

Source: From Avinash Kunnath on Twitter (I'm not a UC Berkeley student).

 

[heartanium]

Depending when the building was abandoned - Lynn Ruth Connes went missing VERY close to campus at a restaurant on Telegraph (2629 Telegraph Avenue).

Her last known location was literally under 5 minutes away.

​

 

[HmmMysterious]

And now the news are reporting it.

Creepy: 'Skeletonized' Remains Found In Long-Shuttered Building on UC Berkeley Campus

 

[heartanium]

Again, depending on when the building was abandoned here are some other options. Lynn would be the oldest on the list:

January 3, 1984 - Jitsuro D Hiramoto - Little is known about his disappearance and his last known whereabouts. His thread implies that his disappearance may have been voluntary.

His websleuths thread

October 31, 1989 - Wendy Jamie Abrams-Nishikai is also went missing out of Berkley and could be a match. She was a Cal student at the time of her disappearance. Very little is known about her movements. However, I and several others think she may be another Jane Doe found in Placer County in 1990.

Her websleuths thread

October 8, 1990 - William Webster Wells - Last seen in Berkley, little is known about his disappearance.

August 28, 1995 - Peter John McCall - Last seen leaving the Alameda neighborhood walking south towards Telegraph Ave. The circumstances of his disappearance are unclear, but his sister does a good job of trying to recall what she knows on his thread. The Alameda is about a ~10-15 minute drive to campus

His websleuths thread

January 3, 1999 - Boaz Zino - last seen in Oakland, claimed he was going to see family in San Francisco. He had been in basic training at Fort Sill, OK and was returning for holiday break. He may have been seen in a Oakland homeless shelter in 2001, and may have stayed at a homeless shelter in Berkeley.

His websleuths thread

October 1, 2005 - Heather Bloom - Last known location is living with her sister at 1612 Parker Street, Berkeley in 2005. Her sister moved out in 2007. She has down syndrome and requires constant medication. Her apartment was a 7 minute drive to campus.

Her websleuths thread

 

[Laughing]

A linked article states that demolition had started on these buildings.

But -- during a housing crisis, buildings designed for housing are shuttered & sit empty???

Shaking my head.

(My step-brother graduated from Cal Berkley, so actually I'm not shaking my head very much.)

RIP, unidentified person!

 

[CadaverCat]

I happened upon this news story yesterday and nearly fell out of my chair. My boyfriend attends Cal and lived in Clark Kerr campus his first year. He and his buddies used to hang out around that building. I've parked my car there. Here's what I found:

The building in question is #21. It's being partially demolished to build a beach volleyball complex—I assume the site was being surveyed when the skeleton was found (JMO). Building #21 has been vacant since 1979 but was occasionally used for storage. One of its wings was demolished in 1985, and I would guess the rest of the building was surveyed at the time for safety/structural integrity. In any case, the remains could not have been there before 1979, and IMO were likely there 1985 or later.

Info about the current volleyball project confirming how long the building has been abandoned.

 

[annpats]

How crazy that these buildings were derelict and abandoned for so long.

Especially in an area where housing is needed and very expensive.

I'm surprised these weren't renovated years ago!

 

[SophieRose]

East Bay, I always think of Ilene Misheloff. Dublin is about 30 minutes from Berkeley.

Ilene Misheloff Disappearance | Dublin, CA - Official Website

A page devoted to the disappearance of Dublin teen Ilene Misheloff in 1989.

dublin.ca.gov

 

[Ozoner]

East Bay, I always think of Ilene Misheloff. Dublin is about 30 minutes from Berkeley.

Ilene Misheloff Disappearance | Dublin, CA - Official Website

A page devoted to the disappearance of Dublin teen Ilene Misheloff in 1989.

dublin.ca.gov

I consider Ilene an unlikely candidate. It would be a little unusual for an abductor to break into a building in area with heavy foot traffic in order to dispose of a body.

This could be a homeless person or a runaway who OD'd. It could even be someone who committed suicide. If it's a murder victim, then it is more likely to be somebody who was either taken into the building and killed or killed very close to campus. In the latter case, the building would have been chosen as the first convenient spot that occurred to the killer.

I haven't seen anything about where the skeleton was found. Was it on a mattress as if the person died in his or her sleep? Was it locked in a closet with bindings on the wrists? Was it inside some ductwork, in which case it could have been someone who was trying to break in and got stuck? Was the skeleton clothed?

I presume that more details will be forthcoming shortly. If the decedent can't be identified right away, one hopes that investigators will at least be able to determine the sex, the approximate age, and the approximate post-mortem interval.

 

[Ozoner]

October 1, 2005 - Heather Bloom - Last known location is living with her sister at 1612 Parker Street, Berkeley in 2005. Her sister moved out in 2007. She has down syndrome and requires constant medication. Her apartment was a 7 minute drive to campus.

Her websleuths thread

Without knowing anything more (including the sex of the decedent), Heather Bloom would be my first guess out of the possibilities listed. For one thing, I lean towards a more recent decedent rather than an earlier one.

 

[Tired Professor]

I am wondering if the doe could possibly be this lady:

Virgie Baliton – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

 

[airportwoman]

A linked article states that demolition had started on these buildings.

But -- during a housing crisis, buildings designed for housing are shuttered & sit empty???

Shaking my head.

(My step-brother graduated from Cal Berkley, so actually I'm not shaking my head very much.)

RIP, unidentified person!

Demolished buildings are usually those that for whatever reason aren't suitable for human habitation, whether due to black mold, asbestos, insufficient utilities, etc.

 

[getthefax]

I grew up in Berkeley and as high schoolers we hung out at those creepy old buildings.
Wendy Abrams was a friend in my neighborhood. None of us think she walked away from her family; after all these years, I'm kind of hoping it's her (though there is another UID who folks think this could be, and I tend to agree & really hope they will have an update one of these days).

 

[getthefax]

Demolished buildings are usually those that for whatever reason aren't suitable for human habitation, whether due to black mold, asbestos, insufficient utilities, etc.

Likely unsafe for earthquakes, and also probably a ton of lead paint/asbestos/you name it...

 

[ifindedout]

Building #21 is located here:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[heartanium]

I am wondering if the doe could possibly be this lady:

Virgie Baliton – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

She went missing a few blocks from campus, she seems like a good candidate as well.

 

[heartanium]

News coverage showing the back of building 21

Front of the building:

Looks like it was quite a nice building at one point, if I'm guessing it was built around the 1910's/1920's? Surprised it took so long to demolish considering the housing crisis on campus.

 

[airportwoman]

Likely unsafe for earthquakes, and also probably a ton of lead paint/asbestos/you name it...

The correct phrase just occurred to me: Modern building codes. Many old buildings are demolished because retrofitting them would cost more.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I am wondering if the doe could possibly be this lady:

Virgie Baliton – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

Oh wow. It says VB actually disappeared in 2017 from an on- campus restaurant, when she left to search for a restroom.

My first thought is a person without a home seeking refuge in the abandoned building, but VB also seems a plausible possibility.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I just made a thread for VB because she may be a vulnerable missing victim, as she was said to be unfamiliar with the U.S.
However after considering it, IMO this UID isn't going to turn out to be her. MOO.