FL FL - Ocala Natl Forest,WhtMale 281UMFL, 36-45, Australian coin, Dec'97

[Chrhen]

I am Ian Homfray's nephew. He was a British citizen living in Australia. He was not a veteran.
It is a very sad part of our family history.
Sadly he is still missing.

 

[Melt71]

@Chrhen thank you for posting. Has your uncle been formally ruled out via DNA against this case? M I’m so sorry that he’s not been found.

Was there any suggestion that yr uncle may have travelled overseas? I know from my work that historical Immigration records are not always perfect and also that 1997 was before facial recognition and electronic verification of documents, so a number of people were able to leave Oz under other names to start new lives overseas.

 

[Nate_Bro]

He does bear a striking resemblance to a man who went missing in Australia in 1994. The recreation seems to me that they were trying to go for an middle eastern man, or somewhere east of there towards India. And I believe the missing man was Sri Lankan.
Stacy DE SIELVIE

 

[Nate_Bro]

Side by side:

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping case up for more views/ideas. This really could be an international case, complicating identification.

 

[dotr]

Bump.

281UMFL

''Date of Discovery: December 30, 1997
Location of Discovery: Ocala, Marion County, Florida
Estimated Date of Death: 1997
State of Remains: Skeletal
Cause of Death: Suicide by hanging

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 36-45 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 5'6" to 5'7"
Weight: 144 lbs.
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Healed gunshot injury to lower left leg.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Green Nike cap, an Eddie Bauer jacket; blue Rustler jeans, size 33; a brown belt, brown hiking boots and thermal underwear. The golf logo on the man's shirt was traced to a country club in California.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: White handkerchief, blankets, a pocket knife and a Swiss army knife attached to a chain around his neck. Luxottica eyeglasses. Three laminated four-leaf clovers. An Australian dollar coin was also found, leading investigators to believe he could be foreign to the country.

Circumstances of Discovery​

The decedent was found December 30, 1997, lying face down at the base of a tree in the Ocala National Forest. A nylon strap with a plastic buckle dangled from a tree branch about 10 feet above him, leading deputy sheriffs to conclude he hanged himself''.

 

[cakes323]

“A nylon strap with a plastic buckle dangled from a tree branch about 10 feet above him, leading deputy sheriffs to conclude he hanged himself.”

How long was this strap? If it’s a plastic buckle it won’t hold the weight of a human for long. Even if it did, the Florida sun & heat would deteriorate the plastic quickly.

Did Ian tell his family he was traveling to the US or Florida in particular? Seems like a long way to go to commit suicide.

It could hold long enough to do the job. The buckle could be there, but just as a loose end; using the strap alone as a noose.
It is very likely he fell after decomp set in and his tissues weren't holding together or scavenger birds got to him.

This area is close to State Road 40, which goes from Ormand Beach almost all the way to the Gulf. It also has a lot of big rigs, so hitch hiking is a possibility.