FL FL - Miami, WhtMale 662UMFL, 16-20, blonde, alias 'Bobby Copeland', Jan'88

[madamx]

View attachment 158130

Another recon

Thank you Lucy for this recon. He looks so much older to me in this one.

 

[madamx]

Does anyone know how I can upload an image or file?

When you hit reply you will then get a new txt box . On the bottom in one of the little boxes it says Upload file

 

[carbuff]

Oh thank you for doing SIDE by side. I think Iam fixated on his forehead. Bobbys forehead seems way bigger almost like a receding hairline no?

Bobby's hair appears to be pulled back, either combed back by the ME or pulled back in a ponytail. There's no way to tell what Robert Hampton's hairline and forehead would look like if he pulled his hair back the same way.

 

[taramarie]

Robert Hampton side by side with "Bobby." Lots that matches. Hampton's eyes are said to be blue, however.

Thanks for the side by side, Carbuff. Great find, Nate_Bro! I think this looks like a very possible match. Lots of similarities and same overall look. Please submit!

 

[alucardsdream]

Here they are for comparison:

Robert Eugene Hampton
Missing from Port Orchard, Washington. November 26, 1986.
Unidentified found Miami, Florida. January 5, 1988.
Missing:
Missing Person Case
Robert Eugene Hampton – The Charley Project
Unidentified:
Unidentified Person Case
662UMFL
Map:
Google Maps

There are definitely a lot of similarities...good find! I hope it is him!

 

[madamx]

He was shot and they did catch and prosecute the man responsible.

Cold Cases: 1980-1989

So the man who killed him was prosecuted.. I don't know how I had missed this.. I wonder why he killed him and where he met him..

 

[madamx]

This guy's profile was updated on Charley today and when I looked back and saw that Chester Wetmore had been ruled out as a match for "Bobby Copeland" earlier.

Anybody know what gives here?

Hopefully Megan of Charley will know a little more...

It sounds like the guy admitted it that it was indeed Chester Wetmore that he'd killed back then.
...But then somehow Wetmore is ruled out as the body from when he said he killed Wetmore???

Chester Wetmore has a thread here in WS.. But for some reason you cant post on it. Does anyone know why? thank you

 

[LucyOso]

This is Chester’s Charley page. It looks like he said he buried him? I thought our doe was found in a hotel?

Chester Ralph Wetmore – The Charley Project

 

[carbuff]

This is Chester’s Charley page. It looks like he said he buried him? I thought our doe was found in a hotel?

Chester Ralph Wetmore – The Charley Project

Our UID is NOT NOT NOT Wetmore. They've even posted the fingerprint report on Bobby's Namus.

https://www.namus.gov/api/CaseSets/NamUs/UnidentifiedPersons/Cases/1212/Documents/938

 

[LucyOso]

Thank you carbuff

 

[MandiH82]

Here they are for comparison:

Robert Eugene Hampton
Missing from Port Orchard, Washington. November 26, 1986.
Unidentified found Miami, Florida. January 5, 1988.
Missing:
Missing Person Case
Robert Eugene Hampton – The Charley Project
Unidentified:
Unidentified Person Case
662UMFL
Map:
Google Maps

Great find Nate Bro! Was this submitted? That facial similarity is pretty incredible. I'm most drawn by the matching shape of the jaw line, chin, nose, mouth, teeth (at least front), and eyebrows. That's worth a submission just based on the striking physical similarities.

His circumstances are so vague that it's a bit hard to theorize. If there was any indication he could have started out as a runaway, a great distance could be explained.

That independent film "American Honey" with Shia LaBeouf is rattling around in my head, as far as the lifestyle of these young magazine salesman (and women) and the kind of dangerous "roadie" way they lived. Groups of youngsters traveling around and picking up other young runaways who were disillusioned with life and offering them something exciting. They often stayed in sketchy motels, stole from people to pay for food and lodging if their sales weren't high enough, and regularly fought with one another over girls, money, status. In short, it's a very "at-risk" lifestyle.

Could be that Robert Hampton met one of these groups and joined them spur of the moment, as they often hung out in parking lots of malls, convenient stores, etc. -- places he could have simply walked to to grab a soda or something after being dropped off at home. Then over the period of 18 months, it would be entirely possible for the group to end up on the other side of the country, as they were technically "traveling salesman."

Interesting article on these Magazine Sales Crews: Trapped Into Selling Magazines Door-to-Door

 

[alucardsdream]

Great article, Mandi, thanks! I've seen quite a few cases where a missing teenager has been involved in magazine selling, I didn't realize how prevalent it was.

 

[carbuff]

In my experience with the unidentified cases, distance is only a factor when it appears the missing person was killed when they disappeared. When people leave willingly, such as running away, hitching rides, working truck stops, etc., they can travel anywhere.

There's no indication Hampton was killed that night, so the theory that he fell in with a traveling sales group is certainly plausible.

 

[LucyOso]

In my experience with the unidentified cases, distance is only a factor when it appears the missing person was killed when they disappeared. When people leave willingly, such as running away, hitching rides, working truck stops, etc., they can travel anywhere.

There's no indication Hampton was killed that night, so the theory that he fell in with a traveling sales group is certainly plausible.

I totally agree. And Florida was a happening place in the 1980s. Like California was is the late 1960s. So, it could be a good place to runaway too.

 

[taramarie]

Personally, I think this could be him...
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/25796
http://charleyproject.org/case/robert-eugene-hampton

Personally, I think this could be him...
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/25796
http://charleyproject.org/case/robert-eugene-hampton

@Nate_Bro Have you submitted? I really think this could be a match. Happy to help if needed. Thanks!

 

[Gourami Watcher]

Personally, I think this could be him...
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/25796
http://charleyproject.org/case/robert-eugene-hampton

I sent this to the Doe Network back when someone commented on the Unidentified Wiki in May 2018. I'm hoping law enforcement can at least compare the two cases because the two are quite similar.

 

[Romulus]

Is male or female? Doe Network link have two sex, Namus only male.

 

[Gourami Watcher]

Is male or female? Doe Network link have two sex, Namus only male.

That was a typo. I'll make sure that gets fixed. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

[MadMcGoo]

I’m reallllllly hoping someone will help me out with this one! “Bobby” appeared on my Facebook timeline today and I’ve seen him many times but figured I’d search again. I decided to see what came up for the name “Copeland”. I found one possible.... Edward Frances Copeland.
44DMCA - Edward Frances Copeland

BUT... even though the details didn’t really match up, I went ahead and did an Ancestry search for his name, hoping there was another photo of him. I did find at least one other high school photo of him.

I also found another “Edward Copeland/Copelin” born around the same time who looks IDENTICAL to Bobby! Teeth and all. Especially the high forehead. I’m not trying to sleuth people who aren’t missing, I’m trying to figure out if this could be the same person and if not, why he looks so much like Bobby!

I’d be so appreciative if someone would look around La Habra, CA’s yearbooks around 1981 and tell me if I’m seeing things...

 

[carbuff]

The most likely explanation would be a missing brother or other close genetic relative.