Resolved CO - Pueblo, Black male, #UP99114, 6'6" and found with unique hat and personal items, Oct'22 - namus removed

[branmuffin]

Doing some sleuthing/well-intentioned stalking...

I found that Android Jones played a show at the Fiske Planetarium in Colorado Springs the first week of October. If someone is a big enough fan to buy a hat, they definitely would have seen them in person if hey had the chance.

I found an instagram profile for a Black male, US Army veteran, who was 18-20 in 2014. He tagged photos in Boulder, CO on October 11, 2022, and most interestingly, hasn't posted since October 24th, 2022, despite being a fairly regular poster throughout the rest of 2022. I can't tell how tall he is though.

Can you share that profile?

 

[branmuffin]

I have seen others post on WS that map links on Namus can be very unreliable. That being said, he was found near water.

"Decomposed male was found deceased near a pond close to the Arkansas river on 10/27/2022."

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Yes, the Arkansas river is right there very near to where the map location was.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Yes, the Arkansas river is right there very near to where the map location was.

But there is no pond at that location or at least I don't see a pond there on Google Maps.

It is frustrating to use Namus for this reason. Details given are generally too brief. Rarely are photos even available so we are lucky this one has great evidence photos. Finding an LE post or article in the media can fill in the gaps sometimes. I'm not finding anything like that for this UP so far, sadly.

The Pueblo County coroner posts most deaths they investigate on their Facebook page, but not this one. Why? I don't know.

 

[sunflowermomma]

Can you share that profile?

I can't find it now, it's showing that the instagram has been deleted now ("page not found") in my search history. Trying to find another social media profile for that person based on my search history route from that date though...I'll update if I can find another one.

 

[katydid23]

I think this is the most interesting thing I've found so far - the socks he was wearing with Ashoka from The Mandalorian were only released in late April/early May 2022. So that narrows down the timeframe to late April at the very earliest that he would've been missing.

https://milled.com/stance.com/new-star-wars-x-stance-present-the-mandalorian-collection-ho2gSCg3uf9cd9Z-

Ok, but could he have gone missing from his home, earlier than that---maybe began following raves or band tours---and eventually bought the socks in spring of 2022?

I have a lot of friends who followed the grateful dead back in the day---and they would make crafts or braid hair or sell handmade pot pipes or clips, and travel in groups on the road. They would trade crafts with each other and be all decked out in scarves and jewellery and hats and shirts through the trades.

If this kid was a craftsman of some kind, or a musician, he may have made some money traveling along with a band tour or a traveling festival.

 

[branmuffin]

But there is no pond at that location or at least I don't see a pond there on Google Maps.

It is frustrating to use Namus for this reason. Details given are generally too brief. Rarely are photos even available so we are lucky this one has great evidence photos. Finding an LE post or article in the media can fill in the gaps sometimes. I'm not finding anything like that for this UP so far, sadly.

The Pueblo County coroner posts most deaths they investigate on their Facebook page, but not this one. Why? I don't know.

I found two ponds east of the pinned location on Namus. One is between Runyon Lake and the Arkansas river and the other is just off Santa Fe Drive East, about 1 km south east of the pinned location. It has a name: North Mills Clarifying Pond. It may be linked to the industry in the immediate area.

It sure would be nice to get access to the PM report. Accident, misadventure, foul play or undetermined.

 

[WingsOverTX]

I found two ponds east of the pinned location on Namus. One is between Runyon Lake and the Arkansas river and the other is just off Santa Fe Drive East, about 1 km south east of the pinned location. It has a name: North Mills Clarifying Pond. It may be linked to the industry in the immediate area.

It sure would be nice to get access to the PM report. Accident, misadventure, foul play or undetermined.

Yes. We need that report or even something related to his discovery being released by LE, the media or the coroner would be helpful to understand what happened. With Pueblo's reputation for deaths by gun violence (recent perusal of the newspaper), it's concerning.

I am optimistic he will be identified. The combined efforts here are a great start.
MOO

 

[Gut_feeling]

I've attached the Police Blotter for the day the U.P. was found (according to NamUs). If you find the small print and difficult scrolling difficult to read, try hitting the option for "printer friendly version", it's much easier that way. Anyway, I see nothing on there that seems to be referencing this case.

Also, I was checking the archives for the Pueblo newspaper called the Pueblo Chieftain, and even though there are OTHER, unrelated articles referencing bodies being found, I could find nothing that mentioned THIS U.P.

I think I'm going to contact the local news station in Pueblo and possibly Colorado Springs. I have some personal experience with getting the media involved in a crime committed against a family member that was not getting the attention it deserved. In the effort to convince a reporter to take an interest in a case, sometimes you just have to think about "is there anything about this case that a REPORTER would see as something that would attract viewers? Is there something that will make this case stand out?" In my opinion, it's the combination of the fact that there is a real possibility that this U.P. is a former service member, going by the keychain on his bag (which advertises a safe ride program offerered to servicemen and women at Laughlin Air Force Base) and the possibility that his body being found didn't even warrant a mention in the paper or on the police blotter. If it turns out that he is not a former serviceman, that's ok, the point is, he COULD be, and that's the kind of thing a reporter looks for in a story.

Here's the link to Pueblo Police Blotter

Pueblo Police Department P2C

 

[WingsOverTX]

I've attached the Police Blotter for the day the U.P. was found (according to NamUs). If you find the small print and difficult scrolling difficult to read, try hitting the option for "printer friendly version", it's much easier that way. Anyway, I see nothing on there that seems to be referencing this case.

Also, I was checking the archives for the Pueblo newspaper called the Pueblo Chieftain, and even though there are OTHER, unrelated articles referencing bodies being found, I could find nothing that mentioned THIS U.P.

I think I'm going to contact the local news station in Pueblo and possibly Colorado Springs. I have some personal experience with getting the media involved in a crime committed against a family member that was not getting the attention it deserved. In the effort to convince a reporter to take an interest in a case, sometimes you just have to think about "is there anything about this case that a REPORTER would see as something that would attract viewers? Is there something that will make this case stand out?" In my opinion, it's the combination of the fact that there is a real possibility that this U.P. is a former service member, going by the keychain on his bag (which advertises a safe ride program offerered to servicemen and women at Laughlin Air Force Base) and the possibility that his body being found didn't even warrant a mention in the paper or on the police blotter. If it turns out that he is not a former serviceman, that's ok, the point is, he COULD be, and that's the kind of thing a reporter looks for in a story.

Here's the link to Pueblo Police Blotter

Pueblo Police Department P2C

Excellent! I hope it gets some traction.

 

[Cryptic]

Any ideas? I posted on an electronic music forum that has lots of references to Android Jones (the hat artist) to see if anyone recognizes this model or knows of a 6'6" Black man (or potentially teen?) missing from the local music scene.

View attachment 399866

As with the key chain, this style of hat can be associated with military servicemen and their dependents.

Making a long story short, articles of clothing with silken or "silken" Asian motifs sewn into them can be popular in shops outside of US military bases on Asian countries. This is especially so with dragons.

The clothing and similar souveniers can also be sold state side in small "Knic nac" stalls at the base PX that are rented by private vendors.

The level of artistry in the silk depiction can range from good and somewhat consistent with historical say, dragon themed art to tacky with a mostly "stoner" type look.

 

[Gut_feeling]

DBM

 

[WingsOverTX]

As with the key chain, this style of hat can be associated with military servicemen and their dependents.

Making a long story short, articles of clothing with silken or "silken" Asian motifs sewn into them can be popular in shops outside of US military bases on Asian countries. This is especially so with dragons.

The clothing and similar souveniers can also be sold state side in small "Knic nac" stalls at the base PX that are rented by private vendors.

The level of artistry in the silk depiction can range from good and somewhat consistent with historical say, dragon themed art to tacky with a mostly "stoner" type look.

The hat was been ID'd to a specific artist early in the thread. That artist had an event in Boulder, CO early the same month the UID was found.

But if he chose this hat because it had specific meaning to him, you might be onto something.

A hat design currently for sale by the artist, who has a studio in Lyons, CO:

Tiger Swallow Tail V2 Woven Blue Snapback Hat x Grassroots California

Android Jones Tiger Swallowtail V2 Woven Blue Snapback Hat X Grassroots California Sizing Charts for this Classic Snapback Hat available HERE.

androidjones-obtain.com

 

[LunaInvidia]

Mm, I think the hat is more "stoner culture" than military even if he did serve; I feel like the smoke-shop hat and pin with the hemp bag (not to mention that he did have weed on him) are kind of a story on their own. One of the rings could also be a Lion of Judah ring, which is popular in the Rastafarian movement. (The other, the skull, could be a motorcyle ring from Germany, a "Cajun Skull", or maybe just bought at Walmart. I wish we could read the inscription or logo or whatever it is on the inner band.)

 

[fred&edna]

But there is no pond at that location or at least I don't see a pond there on Google Maps.

It is frustrating to use Namus for this reason. Details given are generally too brief. Rarely are photos even available so we are lucky this one has great evidence photos. Finding an LE post or article in the media can fill in the gaps sometimes. I'm not finding anything like that for this UP so far, sadly.

The Pueblo County coroner posts most deaths they investigate on their Facebook page, but not this one. Why? I don't know.

I clicked the Namus map link and basically arrived at Bellevue St but no idea if this is where he was found (as you say, there's no pond). It almost appeared to be a dead end street. Likely not related but there were local news reports of a deceased female found in this same 700 block - and the death was considered suspicious by LE on Feb 26 2022 - none of the reports listed her name. I wondered if someone used this as a was a dumping area?

 

[sunflowermomma]

Yeah the hat, pin, and jewelry are definitely very rave/stoner culture. There is a huge rave scene in that area.

I'm sure the hat and pin companies wouldn't give out personal information about previous customers, but maybe we could pique someone's interest on their end and see if they are able to pull information about who purchased those specific products, and if there was a merch table at a show or festival, perhaps someone would remember a 6'6" guy!

I wish there were photos or a rendering of him - I've noticed that NAMUS gets race wrong fairly frequently...

 

[sunflowermomma]

F it, I just sent a detailed email to the Android Jones merchandise customer service person. It doesn't hurt.

 

[Gut_feeling]

Hello all I just wanted to update you on the reach outs I had mentioned before. I apologize if this ends up sounding disjointed, I sometimes have a problem getting my thoughts into written word form, (a leftover effect of covid, which is frustrating because...I really love words, if that makes any sense

Ok, so, I spoke with someone at Laughlin AFB, I don't want to identify this person because I'm not sure if they were necessarily supposed to share any information with me. In the interest of clarity, I'm just going to bullet point the info I got from them.
1) they were aware of this case because a detective had contacted them.
2) they said that the detective had inquired about the keychain, wanting to know if there were records kept that could track that keychain to a specific person. This person told the detective there was not.
3) I asked this person if this keychain was given out during a specific timeframe. They replied they believe it was issued in 2014.
4) They said they had told the detective that if the U.P. had been a soldier, either at Laughlin or anywhere else, their DNA would be on file.
5) They said they also told the detective that Laughlin was a very isolated base/isolated community, and the fact that the U.P. had one of their keychains makes it very likely that they were, at some point, either an enlisted service member, (or their dependant) or a civilian employee on base.
6) This person also said that they had told the detective that since the military base in Colorado Springs (Peterson) is so close to Pueblo, the U.P. could be a service member or civilian stationed there. They said they encouraged the detective to contact the base in Colorado and see if this U.P. could possibly listed as AWOL, because "there's no guarantee [they] would make that connection." This person then explained to me that the reason they mentioned this is because of the recent case in Fort Hood where a soldier, Gregory Morales, was listed as AWOL (and later "Deserter"), but whose body was found later near the base and whose death was believed to have been the result of foul play.
7) This person said they were never contacted again by the detective.

After this conversation, I decided to contact the appropriate person at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to see if they would let me send them the NamUS page/link for this U.P. so that they could check into whether or not this person could be "one of their's".
I ended up speaking to a detective in their investigations department. I will do a separate post for that since this is already so long. I'll do that right now.

 

[Gut_feeling]

I contacted Law Enforcement at Peterson, explained the situation, and they transferred me to "Investigations". I spoke with a detective and explained the situation. I told him everything we knew about the person based on NamUS, I told him everything the Laughlin person had told me, that someone at Laughlin AFB had said the U.P. could be listed as AWOL/DESERTER due to the close proximity to their base.
This detective seemed very receptive and engaged. He said his supervisor would want to be the one to act on this information, so he asked me to send everything I had just told him, along with the link to the NamUS page, to both he and his supervisor. I sent the emails on Friday (last week) because thats when the supervisor would be back in the office. I have not heard anything back, but I don't necessarily expect to because I had indicated both on the phone and via email that there was no need to get back to me, as I serve in no official capacity, rather we just really wanted to bring this to their attention so that they could take a look at the NamUs case and determine if this U.P. is someone from their base/former soldier/former soldier stationed elsewhere. I also gave them the case numbers and contact info for the Pueblo Coroner and Pueblo Sheriff (also included on NamUs page).

 

[branmuffin]

I contacted Law Enforcement at Peterson, explained the situation, and they transferred me to "Investigations". I spoke with a detective and explained the situation. I told him everything we knew about the person based on NamUS, I told him everything the Laughlin person had told me, that someone at Laughlin AFB had said the U.P. could be listed as AWOL/DESERTER due to the close proximity to their base.
This detective seemed very receptive and engaged. He said his supervisor would want to be the one to act on this information, so he asked me to send everything I had just told him, along with the link to the NamUS page, to both he and his supervisor. I sent the emails on Friday (last week) because thats when the supervisor would be back in the office. I have not heard anything back, but I don't necessarily expect to because I had indicated both on the phone and via email that there was no need to get back to me, as I serve in no official capacity, rather we just really wanted to bring this to their attention so that they could take a look at the NamUs case and determine if this U.P. is someone from their base/former soldier/former soldier stationed elsewhere. I also gave them the case numbers and contact info for the Pueblo Coroner and Pueblo Sheriff (also included on NamUs page).

If the deceased is a dependent or former dependent of a military member I suppose the DNA could still be linked to a service member, active or not. Do they take DNA from civilians as well?

 

[LunaInvidia]

If the deceased is a dependent or former dependent of a military member I suppose the DNA could still be linked to a service member, active or not. Do they take DNA from civilians as well?

I have an in-law of sorts stationed at Peterson, I'll ask him.