CO CO - Pueblo, WhtMale 40-60, UP9865, red/aub hair/bushy mustache, Athletix shoes, Casio watch, Aug'89

[Treelights]

NamUs case # 9865
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/9865

Remains found in Pueblo County, Colorado, August 1989.
Postmortem interval 2 days.
Estimated weight :160 Lbs.
Estimated height : 5ft. 10"
Hair, reddish in color (red/auburn)
bushy mustache
Clothing and accessories:
Clothing on body:
Blue, yellow and white flannel shirt with arms cut off; old blue jeans.
Clothing with body:
Black Athletix tennis shoes.
Jewelry:
Black Casio watch with plastic band.

The Pueblo Police Department Facebook Page
added a sketch of the victim yesterday:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...9277558.122657.506635449354201&type=1&theater

"Can you identify this 1989 John Doe Homicide Victim? If so please call us at 553-2502 or through Crime Stoppers at 542- STOP (7867)" (Area code 719)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pueblo-Police-Department/506635449354201

 

[joeytes]

Using a NAMUS Comparison, there are 2 possible missing persons who can possibly be John Doe from Pueblo Colorado.


Richard Meyer, who disappeared July 29, 1989 from Boulder Co

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/1316/3/

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/meyer_richard.html

Jerry Jones, who was last seen September 1, 1989 traveling by car from from South Carolina to California. There have been instances where missing persons were indicated to have been seen at a later date than they actually were.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/11103/0/

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/j/jones_jerry.html

DNA is not available for Richard Meyer or Jerry Jones. A comparison will confirm if this is a match or not.

This info was already forwarded to Pueblo Police.

 

[Treelights]

Using a NAMUS Comparison, there are 2 possible missing persons who can possibly be John Doe from Pueblo Colorado.


Richard Meyer, who disappeared July 29, 1989 from Boulder Co

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/1316/3/

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/meyer_richard.html

Jerry Jones, who was last seen September 1, 1989 traveling by car from from South Carolina to California. There have been instances where missing persons were indicated to have been seen at a later date than they actually were.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/11103/0/

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/j/jones_jerry.html

DNA is not available for Richard Meyer or Jerry Jones. A comparison will confirm if this is a match or not.

This info was already forwarded to Pueblo Police.

The sketch of this UID looks similar to Jerry Jones.

 

[joeytes]

Just checking this now. Richard Meyer is ruled out.

 

[YaYa_521]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Photo most likely won't load properly.

Exclusions
MP19371 Craig Alexander 01/28/1985 Chittenden VT
MP32359 James Bonelli 04/27/1989 Cuyahoga OH
MP9410 Theodore Dengerud 04/03/1982 Kandiyohi MN
MP28388 Nicholas Dolce 09/02/1986 Las Animas CO
MP23457 Brian Jones 01/07/1985 San Mateo CA
MP1316 Richard Meyer 07/29/1989 Boulder CO
MP15624 JAMES WELTER 01/01/1986 Jackson MS
MP9296 Jimmy Whitfield 03/07/1987 Oconee SC

 

[fantascination]

Case Information

Link to NAMUS file

Case Numbers
NCMEC Number--
ME/C Case Number89-16501
Demographics
SexMale
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian
Possible First Name --
Possible Middle Name--
Possible Last Name--
Nickname/Alias--
Estimated Age GroupAdult
Estimated Age Range (Years)40-60
Estimated Year of Death1989
Estimated PMI2 Days
Height5' 10"(70 inches) , Estimated
Weight160 lbs, Estimated

Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundAugust 14, 1989
NamUs Case CreatedFebruary 10, 2012
ME/C QA ReviewedFebruary 11, 2012

Location Found Map
LocationPueblo, Colorado
CountyPueblo County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--
Found On Tribal Land--
Circumstances of RecoveryRemains recovered in Pueblo, Colorado.
Details of Recovery

Inventory of RemainsAll parts recovered
Condition of RemainsNot recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Physical Description
Hair ColorRed/Auburn
Head Hair Description Hair was reddish in color
Body Hair DescriptionBushy mustache
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye Color--
Right Eye Color--
Eye Description--
Distinctive Physical Features
No Known Information


Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Clothing
Blue, yellow and white flannel shirt with arms cut off; old blue jeans.
On the Body

Clothing
Black Athletix tennis shoes.
Near the Body

Jewelry
Black Casio watch with plastic band.
On the Body

———————————————————————

I hail from Pueblo, so this UID stood out to me while I was going through NamUs. Information on what happened to him is pretty sparse - there isn’t a cause of death listed for him.

I wanted to make a post about him because I think I may have found a match for him. I am super new to sleuthing and I may be entirely off - some of the demographics don’t line up exactly - but I think the resemblance is really striking and the dates kind of match up.

The missing person is Michael Bruce Gove, MP18142. Michael went missing from Sunset Beach, California on September 9th, 1988. He was apparently headed to Las Vegas, and was never seen or heard from again.

The demographics between Michael and the UID mostly match up - UID was estimated 5’10”, Michael was 5’9”. UID was estimated 160 lb, Michael was 150. UID was estimated to be 40-60, Michael was 41 when he disappeared. Both had mustaches and what looks to be long, shaggy hair. The hair color doesn’t match - Michael’s hair is described as brown, and the UID’s is described as red/auburn. But the picture we have of Michael makes it look more sandy, and possibly could be interpreted as auburn, if there are tinges of brown. The clothing description even matches somewhat - plaid/flannel shirt and blue jeans.

The file on Michael here says that he had drug issues, as well. The time between Michael’s disappearance and the UID’s discovery is a little under a year, which I think is more than enough time for Michael to get from California to Vegas to Pueblo, for whatever reason. Reason would you lead you to think that somebody would have spotted Michael in that year time-frame, but I can’t find any information on when he was actually reported missing, so it’s possible nobody was looking for him at that time.

Here is a side-by-side of the two:

What do y’all think? Am I crazy? I’ve never done actual sleuthing before so I’m a little in the dark. And if I’m breaking any rules or doing anything improperly, please let me know.

 

[fantascination]

Hey y’all, I made my own thread for this UID, didn’t realize there was already a thread.

I think this might be Michael Bruce Gove: NamUs, Doe Network

It’s kind of a long shot, I know - Michael went missing from CA, and the hair color doesn’t match. But I think enough of the demographics match for it to be worth consideration, and I personally see a strong resemblance between Michael and the sketch. Michael’s Doe Network file also says he had addiction issues, and Pueblo has had a problem with drugs for a long time. There’s a little under a year between when Michael went missing and when the UID was found - which is more than enough time for Michael to end up in Pueblo, for whatever reason. Logic would lead you to think that somebody would have spotted Michael in that year, but I can’t find any info as to when Michael was actually reported missing, so it’s possible nobody was looking for him at that time.

I’ve submitted it to the Doe Network as a potential match, just to see what they say. Here’s a side-by-side:

What do y’all think?

 

[MadMcGoo]

Sorry y’all, just realized there was already a thread on this UID. How do I delete a thread?

You can just “report” your original post and the threads can be merged. I can’t see the rule out list, but Michael looks like a very good possibility! You did wonderful with the post by the way

 

[fantascination]

Hey all - following up on my post from February. I did submit Michael as a potential match to the Doe Network back in February, but I never did hear anything back - so I'm thinking he most likely wasn't a match. I'm going to keep looking for potential matches for the Doe and will post if I find anything.

 

[fantascination]

Hey all - following up again. Michael Gove is officially ruled out.

I reached out to the Pueblo Police Department to see if they had any additional information they could give me. His Doe Network and NAMUS files are pretty sparse, so it can’t hurt to see if they have any more info.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

John Doe​

Case Details​

Case Type: Unidentified
Height: 6' 0"
Case Status: OPEN
Weight: 160 lbs
Aliases:
Identifying Marks: Bushy mustache
Incident Date: 08/14/1989
Occupation:
Agency: Pueblo Police Department
City: Pueblo
Date of Birth: Unknown
County: Pueblo
Date of Death: 08/08/1989
Agency Case #: 89-16501
Age: 39
Judicial District: 10th Judicial District
Gender: Male
Year Solved:
Race: Caucasian
NamUs Case #: UP9865
Eyes: Unknown
NCMEC Case #: Unknown
Hair: Red/Auburn

About this Case:​

Height and weight are estimates. Clothing-blue, yellow and white flannel shirt with arms cut off, old blue jeans, black Athletix tennis shoes, black Casio watch with plastic band.

If you have any information about this case, please contact:​

Pueblo Police Department

Pueblo

Colorado

Colorado Cold Case Files - Case Detail: John Doe

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[iulia]

He has been identified per Doe Network:

Located & Identified Persons

2890UMCO discovered on August 14, 1989 in Pueblo, Colorado has been identified as Russell Martin Block per family member.

 

[lightofmine99]

Article from DN about the identification.

https://www.doenetwork.org/closed/articles/2890UMCO_article.pdf

 

[summergirl1]

This is a interesting case. It shows even today, family members of missing persons sometimes encounter LE that aren't helpful and in general need more awareness about missing persons' cases, as many missing people ( particularly if they haven't turned up in decades) aren't "living their life out there somewhere".

 

[Goecke]

This article on his identification was written in 2019: The case of the body in the river So his name has been out there since then at the very least. But he's still on NamUs and listed as a John Doe on the CO cold case website. Not sure if Michael Gove, who was compared/ruled out in 2022 (so after the identification) was automatically ruled out somehow or if he was more thouroughly compared against Block?

 

[summergirl1]

It sounds like the Pueblo police were just really busy with current cases too and that explains to some extent why they didn't want to run his DNA so she had to go elsewhere. But when it's a family member very convinced that there's a match between a Doe and their family member, it definitely helps to be more open minded.

It seems the story mentioned in the article is likely why he was murdered. I get it the guys cared about their truck and maybe were drinking, but beating someone up the point where they killed him and then tying him up on top of that was a definite over reaction. It seems like they intended to kill Block, and not just beat him and it wasn't an accident that it went that far. Certainly, by the time they tied him up and dumped him into the river, it seems they were intent on killing him..all over an incident which could have been handled much better.

It's too bad by the time he was identified that the police in Pueblo didn't have the resources to investigate further and track down and interview and polygraph the men who were said to have done this, depending on which were living, if not all were. They probably would have denied it, but at least police would have tried. Unfortunately, as is mentioned in the article, there's no physical evidence of who killed Block, and without that, it's very often difficult to impossible to prosecute cold cases, especially when police are swamped with current cases. At least his sister has some answers, although his murder case will never be officially solved.