IL IL - Chicago, AsianMale 15-25, UP129225, Found at Lane Technical School Campus, Mustache & Goatee, Tattoos, 27 July 2000

[BrownBear]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP129225

Demographics​

Sex: Male
Race / Ethnicity: Asian
Estimated Age Group: Late Teen/Young Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 15-25
Height: 5' 2"(62 inches), Measured
Weight: 132 lbs, Measured
Hair Color: Black
Head Hair Description: Short hair
Facial Hair Description: Mustache and goatee.
Eye Color: Brown
Tattoo: Tattoo of cross on right shoulder. Tattoo of scorpion on left shoulder.
Clothing: Plaid button down shirt and khaki shorts. (On the Body)
Footwear: White sneakers. (On the Body)

Circumstances​

Date Body Found: July 27, 2000
Location Found: Chicago, Illinois
Circumstances of Recovery: Found at Lane Technical School Campus on West Addison Street.
Condition of Remains: Recognizable face

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Huh..are they absolutely sure he wasn't a student there?

 

[mandarini]

The only possible match I found is Mustapha Ba Dao, but there is no indication of him having any tattoos and he does not have a mustache in any of the pictures. The other physical stats and time frame match.

 

[Hochman]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) (PM WARNING)
A postmortem and tattoo photos have been added to his NamUs file

Spoiler: Tattoos

 

[Aurora90]

Interesting to see these images. It has only furthered my suspicions. I have always wondered if he is missing person Phu Tan Nguyen. But I could never explain why. There was never much info on Ngyuen's disappearance and nothing to suggest this. Then last night I found a video that included more information explaining that he committed murder then went on the run (which I linked in his WS thread): Phu Tan Nguyen's Websleuths Thread

Once I learned more about the circumstances of Ngyuen's disappearance, I wondered about the possibility of him being in a gang. I know that a lot of Vietnamese immigrants are Catholic, and I so then wondered about Doe's other tattoo. I then googled: "scorpion Vietnamese gang" and found this:

Exploring The Rise and Influence of Asian Gangs in America
Starting during the 1990s, and continuing into the 2000s, there has been a presence of Asian gangs, like the Red Scorpions and Tiny Rascals. Believed to be of Vietnamese and Cambodian descent.

All of this to say; could this Doe be Phu Tan Nguyen?

Spoiler: Warning: Graphic Image of This John Doe Post Mortem

 

[aurycore]

Case File 4398UMIL: https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/main.html?id=4398UMIL
NamUs Case Number: 129225 - Post Mortem Warning

Date of Discovery: July 27, 2000
Location of Discovery: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Estimated Date of Death: Unknown
State of Remains: Recognizable face.
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 15 - 25 years old
Race: Asian
Sex: Male
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 132 lbs
Hair: Black, Short.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Tattoo of cross on right shoulder. Tattoo of scorpion on left shoulder. He wore a mustache and goatee.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Plaid button down shirt and khaki shorts.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: White sneakers.

Circumstances of Discovery​

The decedent was found at the Lane Technical School Campus on West Addison Street.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Cook County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Unknown
Agency Phone Number: 312-997-4500
Agency E-mail: Unknown
Agency Case Number: 519 JUL 00
Agency Name: Chicago Police Department - Area Three
Agency Contact Person: Unknown
Agency Phone Number: 312-744-8261
Agency E-mail: Unknown
Agency Case Number: F-901343
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 129225

 

[aurycore]

The circled area was where the UID was found. I'm assuming he was a passerby or a student. I'm not so sure about a student, though, since by his guessed age (15-25) it would sort of throw off the guess. When you're around 15, you'd need parental consent to get a tattoo done, probably having to sign a form to even get one in the first place. I know many guys and girls with tattoos in my school (around my age or younger), so he could likely be around 15-1,7 even if he does have tattoos.

He was likely a student at this high school because the avenues he was found on are close to the school's entrance. He either died a few days before or a few hours before going into school. I'm going to see if I can contact the school to try and figure out if there was a student with this appearance.

I hope he gets his name back...

 

[aurycore]

NamUs Case File Link- The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Post Mortem Warning

 

[The4TierBridge]

This person already has a thread here: IL - IL - Chicago, AsianMale 15-25, UP129225, Found at Lane Technical School Campus, Mustache & Goatee, Tattoos, Jul'00

 

[aurycore]

This person already has a thread here: IL - IL - Chicago, AsianMale 15-25, UP129225, Found at Lane Technical School Campus, Mustache & Goatee, Tattoos, Jul'00

oh, they do? I never knew. thank you for telling me!
i thought they didn't have a thread considering that their doe network number didn't load.

 

[aurycore]

Judging by the high perspective of the photo and where the decedent was found, it's highly likely he was a student, maybe a junior or senior: the avenues are right at the entrance. He also has some bruising and swelling on his face, which can indicate homicide by beating or possibly an accident, like death by vehicle.

For his ethnicity, he does look southeast asian, maybe from the Philippines, since they have the highest concentration of Christians throughout Asia. That could explain the cross tattoo, though he could probably be from Timor-Leste, where almost all of the population is Christian.

but for him to have tattoos he must've gotten parental consent, or if he was 18, he probably got them himself. I know many guys and girls at my school (around 16-17) with tattoos, so it's not uncommon. He may also look older because of early puberty. In my school, there are some guys with beards and goatees when they're 16-17, so it checks out.

 

[aurycore]

The only possible match I found is Mustapha Ba Dao, but there is no indication of him having any tattoos and he does not have a mustache in any of the pictures. The other physical stats and time frame match.

The hairstyle certainly looks similar, and so does the face structure.

 

[The4TierBridge]

oh, they do? I never knew. thank you for telling me!
i thought they didn't have a thread considering that their doe network number didn't load.

A good way to search for peoples’ threads is NamUs number + year found. That works most of the time. If that doesn’t work try NamUs number + state found. It’s a lot harder to search for threads from before a NamUs profile was created and cases outside of the U.S. though, so mistakes are bound to happen.

 

[aurycore]

Interesting to see these images. It has only furthered my suspicions. I have always wondered if he is missing person Phu Tan Nguyen. But I could never explain why. There was never much info on Ngyuen's disappearance and nothing to suggest this. Then last night I found a video that included more information explaining that he committed murder then went on the run (which I linked in his WS thread): Phu Tan Nguyen's Websleuths Thread

Once I learned more about the circumstances of Ngyuen's disappearance, I wondered about the possibility of him being in a gang. I know that a lot of Vietnamese immigrants are Catholic, and I so then wondered about Doe's other tattoo. I then googled: "scorpion Vietnamese gang" and found this:

All of this to say; could this Doe be Phu Tan Nguyen?

I didn't know there were gangs in Vietnam.

I can kind of see where you were going for a possible match, but I do feel like the facial structure is different from the decedent, along with the hairstyle. Its also kind of odd because how would he have ended up in Chicago, twelve hours away from Raleigh NC?

 

[aurycore]

I'm still steadfast on my theory that he's Filipino. It is mostly because of the cross tattoo and because the Philippines has the highest amount of Christians, but its also likely he could be vietnamese too.

 

[Goecke]

I doubt he was a student at the school- If he was, this case would have been solved immediately, imo. A connection would've been made between our John Doe and an absent student.

A lot of Koreans are Christian as well, so that's also a possibility. Another option is he isn't Christian at all and just thought the tattoo looked cool.

 

[aurycore]

I doubt he was a student at the school- If he was, this case would have been solved immediately, imo. A connection would've been made between our John Doe and an absent student.

A lot of Koreans are Christian as well, so that's also a possibility. Another option is he isn't Christian at all and just thought the tattoo looked cool.

Interesting.

For me the reason why i thought he was a student was because I've seen a lot of people like him in my school. some of juniors and seniors have tattoos and facial hair and appear older than they usually are. I know a girl with a tattoo behind her neck and another one on her wrist, and I know another girl with a tattoo on her wrist also.

The other reason as to why I theorized he was a student was because he was found at the entrance of the school. It was probably a day where no one was there (weekend) so its why he didn't have a backpack. he could've been a delinquent or chronically absent so its why he may have not been reported at all to the school board.

I also didn't know there were many Korean Christians, too. A bunch of East Asia is very ill say irreligious, like Japan and china. I never knew some Koreans were Christian. I still assume he is filipino, mostly because of the Christian tattoo.

His COD is listed as unknown but there's several bruises (maybe internal bleeding?) on his face that extend to parts of his forehead. It's either he got beaten up or a vehicle struck him and that's how he died. Also, why does his hair look a little wet, and also his ear? was his body cleaned up beforehand?

 

[aurycore]

The only possible match I found is Mustapha Ba Dao, but there is no indication of him having any tattoos and he does not have a mustache in any of the pictures. The other physical stats and time frame match.

I still do think he could be him. The face shape and hair is pretty identical, and the dates he went missing do match up.

the distance from brownsburg and Chicago isn't that far either, only 3 hours by car---that's about how long it would take for me to go to from where I am to Boston MA.

This could very likely be this john doe. Only difference is he doesn't have tattoos or a goatee, but since he was eighteen at the time of being missing (and this doe was found approximately 18 days later after he went missing) a lot of things could have happened in that window.

Have you tried submitting a tip to the police?

 

[Goecke]

He could definitely be a teenager, I just doubt he was a student at this particular school. I live in a state where you can get a tattoo at age 16 with parental consent and went to school with multiple kids who got tattoos on their 16th birthday.

Due to the proximity of the school I assume police asked school staff if they recognized him/they had an absent student matching this description. The fact he was found on a weekend also makes me think it's less likely. I do wonder just how close he was found to the school, though- Was he found just off the road, at the school's front door, etc?

 

[Goecke]

Here's more info about the school, and a google street view:

Lane Tech College Prep High School - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

It's not a "normal" high school, it's a magnet school that students have to take an exam in order to get into. It seems like it's pretty prestigious.