CA CA - Riverside, WhtMale, pre-30s, UP134825, traffic accident, picture avil, multiple tattoos, June 2 1978

[kdsmith21]

I know someone named Marshall that us called Mark. I think he strongly resembles Steven Kirchhoff

 

[Carovb5]

Someone on fb suggested this man and posted overlaps + the similarities in hairline and that looks promising! Won’t post them cause it’s not nice to “steal” other persons work.

Steven Dick Kirchhoff – The Charley Project

 

[Carovb5]

I know someone named Marshall that us called Mark. I think he strongly resembles Steven Kirchhoff View attachment 554669

Sorry same suggestion, had problems posting, see your post now.

 

[Sweetluv]

I wish we had more info on the driver....maybe the UID was a hitchhiker?
Also, if the picture is a mug shot from a prior arrest, i wonder what name he had given and the state he was arrested in?

 

[papijoe2002]

His tattoos are interesting, from the NAMUS photos:

1 and 3. Jesse in a heart. Probably a girlfriend or wife, but possibly a child.
2. "Gemini"
3. A symbol. I am intrigued at what this symbol means.
4. Staggered letters spelling "Mark"
5. The word "Enjoy" with a symbol/underline.
6. A simple cross
7. "Mark" again - this time on hand or knuckles.

My first thought is that he was gay. Men's names with a flower tattoo?

 

[Otterly]

Hello there, everyone! First time posting....

I've been obsessing over this case for the last hour after seeing it on one of the FB groups I follow.
Here's what I've got at this point. May be nothing, buy I'm throwing it out there. I believe the REA shirt is a red herring, and JD got it second-hand like Palisades mentioned.

Found this post on a Railway Express Agency Fangroup page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10157757025782887&set=gm.627284387993106
Vernon Needham was the manager of the agency in Munice, Indiana. So he maybe donated his work clothes after that location closed. Looked at the Indiana State PD's Missing Persons Bulletin and NAMUS, but nothing fit.

Other than a mugshot, why would a dude in the 70s have these types of photos? (Just assuming they were found on his person)

I've been trying to look up old newspaper articles for Riverside and surrounding areas that mention an auto collision. Nothing yet. May have been a bus accident. Given the little info we know, we don't know what kind of vehicle he was a "passenger" of.

Both of the photos of the UID prior to death look like mug shots imo. If I had to guess, after death police took his fingerprints and searched for any matches. They found a previous booking and thus have those two pre-death photos, but he used a fake name, so remained unidentified.

The fact the UID has MARK tattooed twice on his body makes me think that is probably his first name.

 

[Otterly]

I know someone named Marshall that us called Mark. I think he strongly resembles Steven Kirchhoff View attachment 554669

I didn't see much resemblance between the two with only seeing the black and white photo of Steven. But after seeing a color photo I him, I do see a similarity. Additionally, with the UID wearing a Railway Express Agency work shirt in the (what looks to be) booking photos of him, this stood out concerning Steven: "Kirchhoff most recently had worked as a lineman for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad but had been laid off weeks before his disappearance."

 

[rosesfromangels]

While anything is possible, I don't see Steven as a match. I will leave the speculations to those more trained in facial analysis than I am. The two notable differences for me are the hair color and eyebrows.
DNA is the best bet here; I wonder if any samples were taken and kept, despite this being almost 47 years ago.
DNA aside, I think the best lead to identifying the deceased is the work shirt. Someone upthread identified who the "Vernon" is likely to be. If I was correct in my search, it would appear that individual passed in his early eighties in 2012. (Speculation based on amateur records search). *If* that amateur assumption is correct, "Vernon" would have been around 48 years old when the subject was found deceased wearing his work shirt.

The work shirt could have been sent to goodwill in place of a newer one, but I think that is unlikely. Any uniformed jobs are generally careful about their uniforms not getting in to unauthorized hands, but maybe it was far more lax in 1978.
Nonetheless, the shirt IMO, is the best and a strong lead which would place the deceased in Muncie, Indiana at some point prior to his passing. Again, this is all based on amateur assumptions, so weigh the integrity of these assumptions appropriately.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Sweetluv]

Is there anyway we can find out in what state the "mugshot" was taken in and what the circumstances were with the auto accident?

 

[Sweetluv]

With all these distinct tattoos, I'm surprised no one has recognized him since 1978. Unless, he was a drifter or had lost contact with family years prior.

 

[catbrig]

Is there anyway we can find out in what state the "mugshot" was taken in and what the circumstances were with the auto accident?

I tried looking at newspaper articles from June of 1978 in Riverside and surrounding areas. Searched for "accident," "fatality," "collision," and other keywords. No luck. I'm thinking he was transient. Possibly grew up in foster care, and that's why no one has come forward? I'm also wondering why his case has suddenly exploded. I've seen it shared on every missing-persons group I'm in within the past few days. I don't see where there's been an update in the case. Hmm.

 

[Carovb5]

I tried looking at newspaper articles from June of 1978 in Riverside and surrounding areas. Searched for "accident," "fatality," "collision," and other keywords. No luck. I'm thinking he was transient. Possibly grew up in foster care, and that's why no one has come forward? I'm also wondering why his case has suddenly exploded. I've seen it shared on every missing-persons group I'm in within the past few days. I don't see where there's been an update in the case. Hmm.

This was added to NAMUS on December 12 2024. Photos of decedent and his multiple tattoos

Cause it was added to NAMUS just recently.

 

[catbrig]

The shirt MIGHT belong to this Vernon?

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8z03fd3/entire_text/

Dates and location match. From what I can tell, Vernon's descendants are all accounted for. Doesn't really tell us anything new, just interesting.

 

[azure]

Cause it was added to NAMUS just recently.

I believe the poster was looking for historical newspaper records about the crash and the UID.

 

[Carovb5]

I believe the poster was looking for historical newspaper records about the crash and the UID.

Then i understood the next sentence wrong:

I'm also wondering why his case has suddenly exploded. I've seen it shared on every missing-persons group I'm in within the past few days. I don't see where there's been an update in the case. Hmm.

 

[Deleted member 306806]

Someone on fb suggested this man and posted overlaps + the similarities in hairline and that looks promising! Won’t post them cause it’s not nice to “steal” other persons work.

Steven Dick Kirchhoff – The Charley Project

It is worth submitting. Rule outs are important too, IMO.

The height is spot on, and weight is similar enough. The lips and eyebrows look different, IMO. UID hair is described as strawberry blonde, and Steven's is darker. Per Charley Project, Steven is suspected to have been killed as a result of a robbery / drug activities. There are multiple incidences in the write up that point to this conclusion.

 

[azure]

Then i understood the next sentence wrong:

Ah, no, looks like I'm the one who is not reading carefully!

 

[Deleted member 306806]

I'm also wondering why his case has suddenly exploded. I've seen it shared on every missing-persons group I'm in within the past few days. I don't see where there's been an update in the case. Hmm.

The NAMUS dashboard shows new or updated cases. This includes a any Missing or UID persons just added to NAMUS, even if the missing or found date is well in the past.

 

[hootdings]

It wouldn't be Steven Kirchhoff because he died in January 1978:

Steven Dick Kirchhoff (1955-1978) - Find a Grave...

www.findagrave.com

UPDATE: Never mind. I reread Carovb5's post with the Charley Project link, and Steven is missing presumed dead. I don't think they look alike, but he's not definitively ruled out.

 

[DD Byrd]

Also NamUs, the side view is super helpful.

My takeaways include his distinctive eyebrows, both in how heavy they are towards his nose, definitive angle at the outer eye, and the fact they come almost all the way down to the outer corner of his eye. His head is level, so I'm calling that a slightly upturned nose, his nostrils slant slightly downward back towards his face. You can also see his browbone drawing out from his forehead on his right side in this picture. He looks freckled, in keeping with "strawberry" coloring. I'm guessing his hair would've been curly if left short. Also a nearly perfect shot of his ear if a comparison ever arises...the top hood (helix) has a solid, consistent thickness. And I'm seeing (multiple?) earring holes, with some oxidation or staining, so I'd bet some cheaper or homemade earrings (safety pins, etc.), with a possible imprint of a cuff or ring further up, but would need more imaging for that.