CA CA - Downey, Wht/HispMale, 17-25, UP3398, wallet with photos, tarot cards, Jan'99

[Myrrh]

602UMCA

Decedent's jewelry, keys, and personal items.

Date of Discovery: January 21, 1999
Location of Discovery: Downey, Los Angeles County, California
Estimated Date of Death: Over one week prior
State of Remains: Decomposed
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 17-25 years old
Race: White and/or Hispanic
Sex: Male
Height: 5'10" to 6'0"
Weight: 114 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Fila black tennis shoes size 6 1/2, maroon denim jeans, white short sleeve shirt, brown alligator-hide belt.
Jewelry: Black Casio calculator watch, ring with red stone-resembling a school class ring, yellow-metal bracelet with marijuana leaf on links.
Additional Personal Items: Wallet with 2 photos found inside, tarot cards, keys and a key ring.

Circumstances of Discovery
The decedent was located inside an apartment walk-in closet in the 9200 block of Telegraph Road, in the city of Downey. The body was found shortly after 9:30 a.m. by the apartment manager after receiving complains regarding a foul odor.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Los Angeles County Coroner
Agency Contact Person: Betsy Magdaleno
Agency Phone Number: 323-343-0512
Agency E-Mail: idunit(at)coroner.lacounty.gov
Agency Case Number: 1999-00604

NCIC Case Number: U240002263
NamUs Case Number: 3398

Information Source(s)
NamUs
Los Angeles County Coroner

Admin Notes
Added: Prior to 2006; Last Updated:1/11/21

-
Again, apologies if I messed something up. I do wonder what his relationship with the people in the images were. Family members, perhaps?

 

[MadMcGoo]

You did great @Myrrh !

I’m surprised NamUs listed him as White/Caucasian. I suspect he could be Hispanic/Latino based on the photos and evidence found with him. JMO ETA: I see Doe Net lists Hispanic. I wonder why they often differ from NamUs.

 

[the_missing]

Tarot cards? My god. Those are playing cards. They look like Neapolitan cards (eg. compare these); see eg. this eBay auction for what seems to be that (or similar) set (apparently 40 cards, as are Neapolitan decks).

 

[MadMcGoo]

They reminded me of tarot, playing or even bingo cards I’ve seen before. The time frame led me away from tarot though. Just a hunch and MOO.

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[Jvgged]

I googled the name on the card (Fabrica de Naipes) and they are Spanish-suit playing cards manufactured by a Spanish company named Naipes Heraclio Fournier with headquarters in Spain

 

[iamshadow21]

I googled the name on the card (Fabrica de Naipes) and they are Spanish-suit playing cards manufactured by a Spanish company named Naipes Heraclio Fournier with headquarters in Spain

Yeah, I googled Lenormand decks in case it was one of those, but it's not. You're right, it's certainly a Spanish playing card deck. They may still have been used for fortune telling - I've known people who use regular playing card decks like Queen's Slipper brand for preference for readings over tarot or Oracle decks. It's all about personal preference.

MOO

 

[Diavola]

Can confirm, I played those, they are definitely not tarot, they are playing cards that are pretty popular in the Mediterranean. Different countries have a slight difference in the suits and his are Spanish (compare).
I wonder if they are used in Mexico. Otherwise, he could be Spanish.

 

[Earth]

Maybe identifying the cards could be a key to his mental process. Each card has a specific meaning and some people could be attached to particular ones. For example, someone who has an addiction could be drawn to Temperance.

 

[TheHighestPriestess]

Can confirm, I played those, they are definitely not tarot, they are playing cards that are pretty popular in the Mediterranean. Different countries have a slight difference in the suits and his are Spanish (compare).
I wonder if they are used in Mexico. Otherwise, he could be Spanish.

I partially grew up in South America and I can also confirm they are playing cards and are a very common deck to use

 

[Diavola]

Dbm. Wrong thread

 

[iamshadow21]

Maybe identifying the cards could be a key to his mental process. Each card has a specific meaning and some people could be attached to particular ones. For example, someone who has an addiction could be drawn to Temperance.

They aren't tarot cards. They're playing cards, and for all we know, there was a whole deck of them and they just showed seven of them in the photo for reference.

MOO