Identified! IN - Henry County, Male UP, 17-24, Found Behind Gas Station, Oct'03 - Daniel Diaz

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

The Indy Star: (WARNING: #4 contains the PM photo of the John Doe)

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

This article from the Indy Star discusses a situation the detective in this case encountered where he hit a wheelchair-bound man in the face. I find this story peculiar in a way that it could somehow be connected to this John Doe.

 

[booghawk]

Ahhh, when I saw his post mortem photo I KNEW I had just seen an MP that looked identical him. I found him, but nothing matches up besides facial similarities unfortunately.

It was Marcus Rutledge. But he's a black male & 6 feet tall, no dice. They sure do look alike though!

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

Ahhh, when I saw his post mortem photo I KNEW I had just seen an MP that looked identical him. I found him, but nothing matches up besides facial similarities unfortunately.

It was Marcus Rutledge. But he's a black male & 6 feet tall, no dice. They sure do look alike though!

Yes they do look very close! I wonder if the JD could have an African lineage somewhere. He looks like he could be closer to Afro-Cubano or May have a parent that could have been black. But idk...the morgue photo does make it hard to tell with all the cosmetics done to the face.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

@JasonFutchLakeCityFL Thank you SO MUCH for posting those clippings. I still think the police story sounds fishy. This case is really fascinating! I've been thinking about this guy a lot lately

 

[Laughing]

and why, exactly, were Indy cops that far out of the city? Undercover, I get that -- but.

Google indicates a Love's at the intersection -- was a truck stop there in 2003?

Was this a nice red car? Was our UID shot by a hijacker after the car?

Does anything remain of this gas station? Was this gas station routinely a place for drug deals?

More questions, more questions!

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

and why, exactly, were Indy cops that far out of the city? Undercover, I get that -- but.

Google indicates a Love's at the intersection -- was a truck stop there in 2003?

Was this a nice red car? Was our UID shot by a hijacker after the car?

Does anything remain of this gas station? Was this gas station routinely a place for drug deals?

More questions, more questions!

It sounds like the Indy cops were there for an assignment, not sure what assignment, and were taking a break at the abandoned gas station. I guess one of them felt like they needed to walk and stumbled on the remains...or so they say! Now, here’s the thing: one of these officers has had issues with himself. A theory I had was maybe one of these officers could have killed the man with another gun the night before and made sure to clear the evidence before he left so that way they could make news somehow that they found a body....far fetched but just a theory!

I think the Loves was there, but I would have to probably reach out to a clerk in the county to get records on that. Most Loves are usually established for many years.

The red car, no one knows much about nor will HCSO tell us anymore about it other than it was seen in Ohio shortly before the man died. I think adding pressure about the car would help!

The gas station is pretty dilapidated and run down based on satellite imagery I have seen. It looks like it’s been closed for many years, the newspaper clipping indicating that a robbery homicide had occurred there 19 years prior. That may have been the last time it was opened. I could see the spot being used for shady business deals and drug dealers to peddle their wares.

Whatever the case may be, IPD and HCSO is not doing enough to get this case out there, and that should change.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

@JasonFutchLakeCityFL did you check the papers in Ohio, since he was seen at the Walmart in Reynoldsburg?

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

@JasonFutchLakeCityFL did you check the papers in Ohio, since he was seen at the Walmart in Reynoldsburg?

Not yet but that will be my next mission!

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

Another interesting newspaper article I found on this case. Looks like the officers were escorting a prisoner around Henry County because he was showing them areas where he committed crimes. He needed to use the bathroom, and I reckon they let him use it behind the gas station...where they made the discovery. The further I dig, the more bones I find, lol.

 

[TruckersWife]

Any updates ?

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

Any updates ?

No updates! But I did just finish recording his episode of True Cold Case Files with myself and @DaisyChains, set for a November release, and I must say, there will be a lot of things discussed. I’ll post the link when it’s available.

 

[Badwolf47]

So I live in Indy....so if there is anything I can do or lookup to help out please let me know and I can do my best. I was only 10 in 2003 so I don’t remember this story but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t on the media.
Something I found that was strange was how much he kinda looks like my DH. Now my DH was adopted so sometimes I have to wonder. Am I allowed to post a pic? Or can I send one to someone and you tell me if I’m crazy? Lol. I’m going to try harder to get him to submit his DNA to ancestry and stuff like that. Anyone have any recommendations while I’m at it?

 

[Laughing]

So I live in Indy....so if there is anything I can do or lookup to help out please let me know and I can do my best. I was only 10 in 2003 so I don’t remember this story but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t on the media.
Something I found that was strange was how much he kinda looks like my DH. Now my DH was adopted so sometimes I have to wonder. Am I allowed to post a pic? Or can I send one to someone and you tell me if I’m crazy? Lol. I’m going to try harder to get him to submit his DNA to ancestry and stuff like that. Anyone have any recommendations while I’m at it?

You've probably noticed that WS is very, very protective of family members -- best to leave your DH out of it!

Ancestry or 23&Me would be interesting. He'll be able to view a map showing where his ancestors were! Mine is accurate to the county in Ireland.

Keep us posted from CircleCity, Badwolf47.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

Bump. Thinking about this guy lately.

 

[Tabirey]

Don't have time at the moment to go back through the thread, but I wonder what made LE sure that this gentleman is Hispanic? In his PM pic, he doesn't look Hispanic to me, imo he looks African American.

 

[Tabirey]

Ahhh, when I saw his post mortem photo I KNEW I had just seen an MP that looked identical him. I found him, but nothing matches up besides facial similarities unfortunately.

It was Marcus Rutledge. But he's a black male & 6 feet tall, no dice. They sure do look alike though!

Holy wow is that a resemblance!! The eyebrows, mustache, lips, face shape are eerily similar!

 

[carbuff]

The UConn sweatpants sent me to look for missing men in southern New England. The only likely person I found was Miguel Flores, who went missing from Meridien CT in May 2003. Quite a resemblance, but age and height are off, and there's a tattoo not mentioned on the decedent.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Grungster]

Jason said that there was a questionable action done by one of the detectives a week after this incident. What was it?

 

[R. Towle]

So read this entire thread and something smells off about all of this. Just my opinion but I feel LE is saying this is gang related because they won't be questioned for not doing much on this case.
The PM even states he has no gang related tattoos or any tattoos for that matter. He actually looks like a clean cut kid.
After reading all of this my thoughts were, he was possibly on a road trip and was not local (hence why he has not been identified) I have no theories as to where he was coming from or going, without more information on the car he was driving or what he bought. One thought I had was maybe he needed to stop and relieve himself and saw something he wasn't supposed to and lost his life for it, the murderer then stole his car.
Is there any way of searching for abandoned cars for say a 100 mile radius in the six months after the death of this UID?