FL FL - Tampa- Male, Asian, 20-30- Found in vacant, burned residence- UP194- March 18, 1992

[PatLaurel]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Estimated Age Range (Years) 20-30
Estimated Year of Death 0-1992
Estimated PMI--
Height 5' 5"(65 inches) , Measured
Weight 126 lbs, Measured

Circumstances of Recovery- He was found in vacant, burned residence in Tampa, Fl. He weighed approximately 126 pounds, had brown eyes, sparse facial hair, and medium length, wavy, dark brown hair. At the time of his death, he was wearing a white “Kevin’s Cutting Co.” t-shirt, red sweatpants, and black “Attack Force” running shoes. Local residents described him as an “Oriental boy” and noted he had been living in the house for at least 8-9 months. Anthropological analyses by IFAAS reveals the boy was likely Hispanic, 5’4” to 5’7” ft. in stature, between 14-16 years-old. Chemical isotope analysis suggests he spent the first years of his life outside of the United States, possibly along the Pacific coast of South America such as Ecuador or Colombia, but likely lived in the USA during the last few years of his life.

Hair Color- Brown
Head Hair Description- wavy, dark brown hair; mid-neck length hair
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description- sparse facial beard on chin, sparse moustache.

Scar/mark
upper left abdomen- 3 inch vertical scar appearing surgical; right shoulder is a pigment scar appearing to be a vaccination scar; scar on left shoulder; vertical 1/2 inch white scar on left hand between wrist and knuckles and between knuckles of middle and

Clothing
white t-shirt with woman's head on it. "Kevins Cuttin Co" "813-544-3210". red sweat pants.
On the Body

Footwear
black “Attack Force” running shoes
On the Body

 

[PatLaurel]

 

[HopeRains]

There is a FB page for the company referenced on the shirt. Here's a snip:

 

[PayrollNerd]

He doesn't look Asian to me. I wonder if the people who said that mistook him for another kid in the area. He looks more Ecuadorian or Colombian as his isotopes suggest.

 

[HopeRains]

He doesn't look Asian to me. I wonder if the people who said that mistook him for another kid in the area. He looks more Ecuadorian or Colombian as his isotopes suggest.

Or, he could have lived in an area where people had little to no experience with people/cultures who were/that were different than they.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Or, he could have lived in an area where people had little to no experience with people/cultures who were/that were different than they.

That crossed my mind also. However, the Ybor City area of Tampa has a large Hispanic & Cuban population. Definitely sad that at his young age he was living in an abandoned house for months.

 

[HopeRains]

I do wonder when the analyses were conducted. This is not always entirely accurate and is based on sampled/controlled info. I am familiar with a case where the forensic anthropology report (on a 1998 case with analysis conducted a number of years later, maybe even a decade+) indicated the person was a centro-mezo origin; he was identified and was in fact asian/caucasian mix with Zero centro-mezo affiliation.

Sometimes even the best guestimates by the experts are incorrect. Hopefully more definitive criteria (dentals, DNA, xrays, etc) will be used. I wonder what sample (bone/teeth/hair) was used for isotopes? Noting if he had a recognizable face, identifiable clothing, etc. then PMI was recent without significant damage due to fire. Now that I read all of this again - it's quite strange to me.

 

[PatLaurel]

636UMFL