CA CA - CA, San Diego, HispMale, 30-40, UP98121, letter with name "Niek Bavaro" with address in Escalon, CA, June’76.

[heartanium]

Another case newly added to Namus.

Unidentified Male
Namus UP98121
Location Found: San Diego, San Diego County, CA. Intersection of Palm Ave and I-805 offramp.
D.B.F: June 25, 1976
Estimated PMI: None given
Estimated year of death: 1976

Vital Statistics:
Race: Hispanic/Latino
Age: 30-40
Height: 5’0” (measured)
Weight: 144 lbs (measured)
Hair: Dark Gray, dyed dark brown. Had a mustache.
Eyes: Brown
Scars/Tattoos: None mentioned
Clothing: None mentioned, presumably clothed though.
Accessories: Found in the decedents trousers pocket was a letter which may tend to indicate that the decedents identity is "Niek Bavaro" with address in Escalon, CA.
Circumstances: On 06/25/1976, the decedent was struck by a southbound vehicle while crossing Palm Ave. and Interstate Route 805 in San Diego, CA.

Case Information:
ME/C Case Number
1976-001340

San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office - (858) 694-2895
Agency Case Number: 1976-001340
Kathy On, Medical Examiner Investigator

 

[heartanium]

Wish we could see the letter they got the name from.

Niek isn't a common name, maybe it was Nick instead? Or instead if it is short of something it could be Nicola/Nickolas/Nicolaus.

 

[annemc2]

Wikipedia says -
Niek is a Dutch masculine given name. It is a short form (usually a hypocorism) of Nicolaas, or sometimes of Nicasius or Dominic.

Google says Bavaro is commonly an Italian surname.

None of that really helps but I had to look it up!

 

[heartanium]

Wikipedia says -
Niek is a Dutch masculine given name. It is a short form (usually a hypocorism) of Nicolaas, or sometimes of Nicasius or Dominic.

Google says Bavaro is commonly an Italian surname.

None of that really helps but I had to look it up!

Thank you for the information! Anything helps in these types of cases since we don't have much to go on.

 

[heartanium]

Escalon is in Northern California, fairly far from where the UP was found.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Escalon is in Northern California, fairly far from where the UP was found.

View attachment 387586

I wonder if he may have been a migrant farmworker, they travel up and down the West Coast following the harvests. I wish we knew when the letter was postmarked as that would give us an idea of when the UID was in Escalon.

 

[annemc2]

Farm work makes sense. Here's a Nick Bavaro who was into peaches and almonds. Nick Bavaro

There's a more recent Nick Bavaro who owns a winery and was involved with shenanigans. It's too recent, though.

The misspelling of Nick makes sense. There's a Mexican band named Reik and they called themselves "Rake" as in raking the strings on a guitar. So instead of the phonetic Nik he might have thrown in an extra "e" - it wouldn't change the sound in Spanish at all.

 

[Nate_Bro]

At that time there was a Nick Bavaro from Escalon, although he was younger and appears to have been alive after 1976. Wonder if the letter was about someone else. (possibly making his way from the border to family in Escalon?)

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6TV3-DN23?lang=en

 

[aurycore]

Escalon is in Northern California, fairly far from where the UP was found.

View attachment 387586

It's pretty likely he was undocumented. If you look on the map, California and Mexico are very close because of tijuana. Some use tijuana to go to other states like Arizona or possibly colorado. Problem is that since they're going presumably on foot, they die because of hyperthermia (when the bodies temperature is too high) dehydration or starvation. maybe sometimes in different circumstances such as homicide or vehicle accidents.

Theres also a US consulate in Tijuana, so maybe that's why they mostly go there (from what I've researched). Also, because California is a sanctuary state most of them likely go there because of that since states like texas, Arizona and some other states arent very welcoming as California is.