CANADA CANADA - BC - Cracroft Island, WhtMale, 18-30, pink nail polish, wet-suit pants, Nov'83

[BigKeyManatee]

I think he was a shore fisherman using the bottom half of a wet suit as make-do chest waders to keep dry while fishing. That's probably why he had sweatpants on underneath.

If he wasn't from Cracroft Island I think he must have drifted from the south northward. Looking at Pacific Ocean current maps none look like he could have come from somewhere west of North Vancouver Island but when you drill down to the currents surrounding Vancouver Island including the Johnstone Strait it appears he could have drifted north. Here's a link.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure...hern-British-Columbia-coast-in_fig5_237175734

ETA: Although this map relates to the movement of larval dispersal, it does note that the many fjords, archipelagos, and high tidal activity actually limits the dispersal movement. If the topography reduces activity of larval dispersal I would think those factors would also greatly reduce the movement of a body. To me it suggests this poor fellow was local to the general area.

Totally agree with your analysis of his use of wetsuit bottoms as make-shift waders. Also agree that he is a local. As a matter of fact, I’d wager that this gentleman has a First Nations’ origin. MOO, and I hope that he can be returned to his family after all this time.

 

[breachtones]

Canada's Missing | Case details

I've just noticed he was added and it caught my eye.
Samuel Amos Quatell:
Age: 19 (18-30)
Gender: Male (Male)
Race: Indigenous (White) (he could have been misidentified as White though, it's happened before)
Height: 5'6" (5'9"-5'11", earlier reports say 5'2")
Build: Heavy (Thin)
Missing from: Quathiaski Cove, Quadra Island, British Columbia (58 miles south as the crow flies from Cracroft Island)
Missing since: March 12, 1983 (PMI is 6 months to 2 years prior)

The last joint of Quatell's ring finger on the left hand has been amputated. The last joint of the "little finger" on Cracroft Doe's left hand was amputated.
Quatell was last seen on the fishing vessel "ISE II". The tidal currents near the island are extremely strong and any person in the water could travel a great distance in a short period of time.
The clothing doesn't match however, but it's really intrigued me.

 

[branmuffin]

Canada's Missing | Case details

I've just noticed he was added and it caught my eye.
Samuel Amos Quatell:
Age: 19 (18-30)
Gender: Male (Male)
Race: Indigenous (White) (he could have been misidentified as White though, it's happened before)
Height: 5'6" (5'9"-5'11", earlier reports say 5'2")
Build: Heavy (Thin)
Missing from: Quathiaski Cove, Quadra Island, British Columbia (58 miles south as the crow flies from Cracroft Island)
Missing since: March 12, 1983 (PMI is 6 months to 2 years prior)

The last joint of Quatell's ring finger on the left hand has been amputated. The last joint of the "little finger" on Cracroft Doe's left hand was amputated.
Quatell was last seen on the fishing vessel "ISE II". The tidal currents near the island are extremely strong and any person in the water could travel a great distance in a short period of time.
The clothing doesn't match however, but it's really intrigued me.

This is a really good one. I was looking at him too. It's probably closer to 50 miles from where he went missing, which seems like a long way for a body to drift, but based on the info in that report I mentioned earlier and further validation of the strong tidal currents in his missing profile suggests his body could have moved up to Cracroft Island. He's the best candidate so far, IMO.

As for the possible misidentification of the UID, it's very possible that the deceased has been incorrectly ID'd as white considering many of the markers that identify the characteristics of North American indigenous skeletal remains are based on the skull and dentition. Since the head was missing it's a possibility.

 

[breachtones]

Canada's Missing | Case details

I've just noticed he was added and it caught my eye.
Samuel Amos Quatell:
Age: 19 (18-30)
Gender: Male (Male)
Race: Indigenous (White) (he could have been misidentified as White though, it's happened before)
Height: 5'6" (5'9"-5'11", earlier reports say 5'2")
Build: Heavy (Thin)
Missing from: Quathiaski Cove, Quadra Island, British Columbia (58 miles south as the crow flies from Cracroft Island)
Missing since: March 12, 1983 (PMI is 6 months to 2 years prior)

The last joint of Quatell's ring finger on the left hand has been amputated. The last joint of the "little finger" on Cracroft Doe's left hand was amputated.
Quatell was last seen on the fishing vessel "ISE II". The tidal currents near the island are extremely strong and any person in the water could travel a great distance in a short period of time.
The clothing doesn't match however, but it's really intrigued me.

The folks over at NCMPUR never did end up responding to my email, which I found a bit odd but I suppose it's a common occurrence when submitting tips. If someone else would like to do it, that'd be appreciated.

 

[breachtones]

The folks over at NCMPUR never did end up responding to my email, which I found a bit odd but I suppose it's a common occurrence when submitting tips. If someone else would like to do it, that'd be appreciated.

Never mind. Bit of a coincidence that they just happened to respond now, but Quatell was ruled out by a DNA comparison in 2017. Honestly quite surprised, felt like a definite match. I thought to myself previously, how many young men with amputations like that went missing near Cracroft Island in 1983 while fishing? Can't be very many...

 

[breachtones]

Sometimes I do wonder what can be done online about cases like this with not all that much to go off of. This guy has stuck in my mind for a while, but there’s only so many people listed missing from Canada online, none of which fit the bill very well.

The lack of a head makes this even more difficult; no possibility for a reconstruction. I’d like to look into this John Doe a lot more, but there just isn’t much here.

 

[BigKeyManatee]

Never mind. Bit of a coincidence that they just happened to respond now, but Quatell was ruled out by a DNA comparison in 2017. Honestly quite surprised, felt like a definite match. I thought to myself previously, how many young men with amputations like that went missing near Cracroft Island in 1983 while fishing? Can't be very many...

Not a fisherman myself but I did grow up in a fishing village on Cape Cod, and later on the Florida Gulf Coast.
As a kid in the 60’s and 70’s I was frequently equally horrified and fascinated by the number of “old salts” who were missing parts or all of many of their fingers.
Maybe I’m wrong but a generation or two ago accidental amputation might of been a fairly common occupational hazard for professional fisherman.

 

[branmuffin]

Not a fisherman myself but I did grow up in a fishing village on Cape Cod, and later on the Florida Gulf Coast.
As a kid in the 60’s and 70’s I was frequently equally horrified and fascinated by the number of “old salts” who were missing parts or all of many of their fingers.
Maybe I’m wrong but a generation or two ago accidental amputation might of been a fairly common occupational hazard for professional fisherman.

There's lots of logging out there in BC. That's also an occupation where losing a finger is par for the course.

 

[breachtones]

I've heard people from Quebec come over here in the summer for seasonal work, a common occupation there may have put workers at risk of accidental amputation. I did check NCMPUR for men who fit that description in Quebec quite a while ago, there may have been something I missed or has been added since.

If there's one thing I'll commend the RCMP for, it's the fact that they almost always seem to have DNA on file for Does. Makes for an easy match/rule out.

 

[Bopit]

Quebeckers and East Coasters tend to travel to the West Coast and Alberta for work, especially East Coasters given the limited work availability. I'll watch the thread and take a look at the missing who may have gone away for work and never came home. Given the time frame it's not like they would have had a phone full of numbers to call and let people know he was gone/missing.

 

[breachtones]

39 years since this poor guy was found today, and still no identification.. nearing 40 years since he was found and I hope he can be identified before then! Just waiting for a fisherman with an amputated finger to pop up on NCMPUR. Any day now..

 

[iamshadow21]

That painted nail really makes me think there's a kid out there, all grown up now, who had a male adult (father, uncle, big brother, family friend) that they felt happy and comfortable with, that dropped out of their life when they were small, and they never got the answer why. A child painting an adult's nails speaks of casual intimacy. He was comfortable enough in his masculinity that he allowed it, but also knew that if he wore closed shoes, it didn't matter. He could have not allowed it, or scraped the polish off when they were done playing, but he didn't.

It doesn't help, I know, and it's completely based on my own imagination, extrapolating from a tiny detail, but it's funny sometimes, the things in a sparse case file that make the person feel three dimensional to me.

 

[breachtones]

He's been removed from NCMPUR and the BC Unidentified Human Remains Map. Doe Network is still up, but I think those are good signs he's finally been identified. I didn't notice this change until just now, so it must've happened really recently. Hopefully there's some sort of press statement soon. To be frank, I can't quite believe it!

 

[Otterly]

Doe Network: "3797UMBC discovered on November 13, 1983 in Forward Bay, British Columbia, Canada has been identified per NCMPUR. No further information is available."

 

[AndrewM71]

There is an update from a family member on another website, but they don’t provide his identity.

 

[The4TierBridge]

There is an update from a family member on another website, but they don’t provide his identity.

And what website is this?