CA CA - Fresno, WhtMale, 20-24, UP132135, larger left ear, laundry marks, beaten to death and found burned in boxcar, Mar'70

[heartanium]

NAMUS UP132135​

DoeNetwork 2398UMCA
Unidentified Male
Location Found: Fresno, Fresno County, California
Date Found: March 21, 1970

Race: White/Caucasian
PMI: Unknown
Estimated year of Death: Unknown
Estimated Age: 20-24 Years
Height: 5' 0"-5' 2"(60-62 inches) , Estimated
Weight: 110-115 lbs, Estimated
Hair: Blond/Strawberry, 2-3 day beard is present
Eye Color: Brown
Clothing: Khaki pants, shirt, sweater with laundry marks "FR1020" & "S 3719." and black shoes.
Other: Left ear larger
Circumstances: The unidentified decedent was found in a boxcar on the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks at Inyo in Fresno, CA.

Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Traumatic injuries
Inventory of Remains: Unknown

Identifiers
Dentals: Unknown. No wisdom teeth. Two first lower molars missing.
Fingerprints: Unknown.
DNA: Unknown.

Agency Info:
ME/C Case Number: 22410/ 70-03-0001

Fresno County Sheriff - Coroner's Office - (559) 600-3400
Agency Case Number: 22410

Fresno Police Department - (559) 621-7000
Agency Case Number: 70-8821

0 Exclusions

Case Media:

"Fire Leads to Discovery of Body in Boxcar," The Fresno Bee, March 22, 1970, pg. 40.

"a mans...burning body was found last night in an empty Southern Pacific Co. boxcar in the downtown yards just south of Kern Street (I believe that would be about here).”

"The body was still burning when the first units arrived shortly before 10:30 p.m"

"Officials Still Seek Identity of Boxcar Victim," The Fresno Bee, March 23, 1970, pg 17.

"the man...was beaten to death before the body was set ablaze."

"An autopsy revealed the victim suffered deep lacerations on the head and face and his nose and right leg were broken."

"the mans hands were completely burned."

"The body appeared to be that of a Caucasian, about 20 years old, 5 feet 2 and about 110 pounds."

 

[madamx]

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=468dmca

Mark Wendell Wilson​

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Right 2: Age-progressed by NCMEC to 54 years; 59 years
Name: Mark Wendell Wilson
Nickname/Alias: Wilson
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: November 4, 1967
Location Last Seen: Quincy, Plumas County, California

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: October 4, 1954
Age: 13 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Dimple on ear lobe.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available; wearing a retainer at the time of disappearance.
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Dark pants, white jacket, dark sweat shirt, tennis shoes.
Jewelry: None
Additional Personal Items: None

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Mark was last seen on November 4, 1967, in Meadow Valley. He left his home to go to the movies and has not been seen since.

 

[Deleted member 19575]

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=468dmca

Mark Wendell Wilson​

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Right 2: Age-progressed by NCMEC to 54 years; 59 years
Name: Mark Wendell Wilson
Nickname/Alias: Wilson
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: November 4, 1967
Location Last Seen: Quincy, Plumas County, California

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: October 4, 1954
Age: 13 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Dimple on ear lobe.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available; wearing a retainer at the time of disappearance.
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Dark pants, white jacket, dark sweat shirt, tennis shoes.
Jewelry: None
Additional Personal Items: None

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Mark was last seen on November 4, 1967, in Meadow Valley. He left his home to go to the movies and has not been seen since.

Interesting, where is Meadow Valley and how far from Fresno? I guess I'll look it up. He's the same size, and this victim is found 3 years later.

 

[madamx]

Interesting, where is Meadow Valley and how far from Fresno? I guess I'll look it up. He's the same size, and this victim is found 3 years later.

It’s not That far.

 

[snooptroop88]

In terms of the sheer brutality and bizarreness of what was done to this victim, I thought of Zodiac with his "by rope/by gun/by knife/by fire" card. So Zodiac did have that episode with Kathlees Johns where she narrowly escaped and he set her car on fire, but he didn't kill her, whereas the "by fire" in the card does seem to imply he actually kills with fire. I'd say Fresno is a potential Zodiac stomping ground. And here's what he says in a 1969 letter:

...So I shall change the way the collecting of slaves. I shall no longer announce to anyone. When I comitt my murders, they shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, & a few fake accidents, etc.

He might have also thought about no longer sending letters to newspaper editors if he were really serious about that, so who knows? Boxcar Doe is more than likely not Zodiac. Don't know if victim is Mark Wilson because Mark went missing over two before this victim was killed. He'd have experienced some growth in that time, so he'd probably be over on weight and height projections, but potentially not by all that much. (There's a lot of speculation on Mark Wilson's thread about remains potentially at the bottom of a well.)

And zero exclusions for this Doe. I can see how, honestly, when I go through the listings, there is nobody, jmo. I don't see how this is a reported MP at all if it's not Mark Wilson. With that said, it might be this Mississippi MP because the circumstances, timing, and age all could line up, but the height's off:

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=6048dmms

Curtis Havard, he was supposed to testify in a theft & assault case where a teenager had been stabbed, Curtis disappeared after gunshots at conveniece store that he'd entered, vanished March 10 1970 from Mississippi (about an hour and a half from New Orleans) 5'6" 130lbs 21yo

Curtis Havard — MissingSippi

www.missingsippi.org

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=6048dmms

Southern Pacific would have boxcars running along various routes from Fresno through to New Orleans, based on what I read. But Inyo-- I cannot tell if there were operations still existing at that time, at least part of it had been abandoned in 1960. What I'm seeing suggests there "may have" still been some traffic through there at this time, but unsure. If it had activity, think Curtis Havard is a possibility. ( Based on the fact that the car where the Doe was found was on tracks, I tend to think there probably was.) And just noticing that in the image of Curtis I see, his left ear actually DOES look larger, but it might just be the camera angle (?). That's larger left ear's a trait noted for the Doe. Also, Curtis Havard had a pin in his knee, I would think that would still be visible on an autopsy if they did x-rays. But seeing that autopsy procedures for Does wasn't really standardized at all around this time.