Identified! KY - Eddyville, Lake Barkley, WhtMale 35-50, UP75, wrapped in tire chains anchored by hydraulic jack, May’99 - Roger Dale Parham (Wanted by FBI)

[MadMcGoo]

I’ve seen nothing that fits that image in any of the descriptions.. maybe it’s a button? Or something on the belt? I can’t make it out either... kind of looks like “99” in the center but may not be.

here’s his NamUs:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
And Doe: 225UMKY

 

[PezCandy]

In case anybody's not familiar with equipment--an "8-ton hydraulic jack" doesn't weigh 8 tons. That means its lift capacity is 8 tons. It's a common model to find around barns and shops, anywhere you might need to lift a vehicle larger than a car or pickup. Like changing the tire on a tractor, or something. Most farms would have one, and many if not most working pickups and trucks might carry one in the back routinely. I know my dad did, back when he was making roadside calls for trucks and going out in the fields to repair harvest equipment. In fact I think he had two.

Here's a popular model, for sale at Tractor Supply. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/big-red-8-ton-bottle-jack. There are other designs and styles as well. Notice it's not very big and not very expensive.

I’m glad you posted this, the 8 tons thing can get confusing especially if you’ve never used one before, one might think the item it’s self is 8 tons and massive in size. Many farmers and auto mechanics have these.

my question is, Did the suspect use it to weigh down the body? Like hook the chains to it? I guess I just don’t see how that would work.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I saw it too! I wish there were more about his case though..the circumstances could fit, but he’s on the lower end of the height estimate... then again, 5’6”-6’1” on some reports vs 6’3” on others?! That might be something worth asking about that I feel like could actually be clarified.

I’ve had no luck with the KY agencies I’ve tried contacting so far... it would be nice to have someone on the “inside” who might even be able to answer questions about several of these.

As far as the jack goes, I think they’re not as uncommon as some might think...just the title of it makes it seem like an anchor fit for the Titanic . On the other hand, I doubt many suburban soccer moms or college students carry one in their midsized sedans, IYKWIM. Who knows! Nothing much surprises me anymore.
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/225umky.html

 

[carbuff]

Any clue as to what this may be? I could have missed it...
View attachment 226293

It looks like the kind of brass button they use on pea coats, car coats, etc. There would be a shank and loop underneath for sewing on.

Or it could be the top half of a snap, like the waistband on a pair of jeans. They say he was wearing jeans, so it could be his, but I wouldn't think a picture of the snap or button would be very interesting. None of his other clothing would use that kind of fastener, I wouldn't think.

 

[carbuff]

A friend tells me that a lot of people with fishing boats carry a jack to help maneuver the trailer. Most of them aren't that big, though.

This friend is going to start wondering about me with all the weird questions I've asked him about power equipment...

 

[MadMcGoo]

LOL...I’d throw in a few fun questions just to throw them off!

Not that a boat has anything to do with this particular case, but it’s been coming up a lot in some of the missing person cases... do a lot of people in the area own boats? Or would you see many being pulled (on roadways) throughout the year?

 

[MadMcGoo]

At first I thought maybe that was the Blue Star Transportation band. I actually thought it might have been a badge and not a band but the size of the textured background makes me think it’s the size of, like y’all said, a button of some sort. But I also don’t know why a single button without a description would be added to the photos.

Then when I saw what looked like a “99” I thought of those things you get after so many years of service with a company. But, 99? No. Sooo... I have no clue. But I am now more interested in what exactly it is. Also what significance the Blue Star Transportation band (?) has. It was found 20 feet from the...WAIT WAIT WAIT!!

Okay, I knew something was off about the clothing photos...Mac was found floating (with chains and a jack secured to him??? Mmmkay) in a lake and was thought to have been there for months. Those clothes look pretty new to me. I think it’s because they are! They’re stock photos. I usually take anything coming from an FBI link as gospel so I went back and read the ViCAP alert.

When describing the clothing, the only article specifically labeled as being photographed is the NO FEAR shirt! And it’s described as being white although the photo shows a yellowish color, something I’d more expect to see after being under water and on a decomposing body for months. The alert mentions that additional photos can be found on NamUs.

I checked NamUs (profile created in 2007, ViCAP alert in 2017) and the first photo added of the clothing is from the Florida Institute of Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science and has “CLOTHING RECONSTRUCTIONS” printed on the bottom of it!

NOW, I’ve already looked up the BST company and couldn’t figure out specifically how it would apply to this, but now I think the jacket may not have been a Dallas Cowboys jacket...I think it could have had a star on it that is similar to that of the DC but those photos are not of the actual clothing found on Mac!

 

[carbuff]

You mean it might be a big blue star for Blue Star Transportation? Could be.

If the button says 99 it's almost certainly from his jeans--Levis 99 button-fly, one of their most popular lines.

Seems to me that he would have had to be put in the water from a boat, pier, or bridge, or maybe from a bluff over deep water. Otherwise he would just hang up in shallow water.

Lake Barkley was formed by a dam on the Cumberland River. Per Wikipedia (Lake Barkley - Wikipedia), it's over 130 miles long, though quite narrow. I didn't see a depth listed but the photo of the dam doesn't look like it could be terribly deep. Maybe fifty feet? (that's my own guess.)

Map showing lake: Google Maps

 

[PezCandy]

That button bugs me, I was researching yesterday about buttons and the closest resemblance I’ve seen were the Levi’s 99 & button fly GAP jeans. I couldn’t find the exact match just similar. I’m anyone notice that jeans, blanket, band, are excluded from the NamUs photos? Is the only legit photo of what was on John Doe the no fear shirt?

 

[MadMcGoo]

I’ve never heard of Levis 99? I only remember 501s I’m not saying they don’t exist, this thing is just driving me crazy trying to figure it out. I see the shadow now so I think it’s probably a button...I’m going to browse through vintage button-fly buttons! (It will at least keep me off of Denim’s thread )

Levi's Numerology - A Levi's Jeans Style and Fit Guide

eta: Pez, I think so...and possibly this button...

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The only thing that comes up for me is LEVEL 99 JEANS, which seems to be exclusively women's jeans. Since he was found it 1999, maybe it had something to do with the year.

 

[momrids6]

One article states the tire chains were for a semi, which would go along with the bigger jack. Even my sons' lifted Silverados don't have tires that big. The jacks for our trucks are 2 and 4 ton, smaller as well.

 

[carbuff]

The only thing that comes up for me is LEVEL 99 JEANS, which seems to be exclusively women's jeans. Since he was found it 1999, maybe it had something to do with the year.

Hm, that's interesting, I thought they were unisex.

I'm thinking that all these years I've been thinking Levi 99 when they were in fact Level 99. I've never owned a pair.

 

[YaYa_521]

Vintage Fashion Guild : Label Resource

This might help those of you searching info about that button.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I guess the “button” could be completely irrelevant. But now I have more question. His pants were 38x30, shoes were 10.5W, shirt XL and he weighed around 250 pounds and over 6 feet tall? (I still don’t know where the 5’6-6’1 came from) Is that right?

I think the jacket is only important because ‘Dallas Cowboys’ vs ‘blue with a star’ could potentially change his place of origin, or where we search for missing people. Maybe it proves to be a good thing, but had the Cowboys not been mentioned, Texas would have been the last place I looked, not one of the first.

He still could be from anywhere, but IMO, that one detail makes a difference.

Thank you for that resource @YaYa_521 ! That’s handy!

 

[PezCandy]

This is the only similar no fear shirt I could find. Has anyone tried contacting NamUs for more info or pics of clothing? I have never had any luck getting a hold of them. *sigh *

 

[MadMcGoo]

NamUs finally took me off of restriction (I remembered my password )

Current list of Missing Person Exclusions per NamUs:
MP4995 Ronald Kinser 12/23/1993 Warren KY
MP18367 Brandon Hanson 02/28/1999 DuPage IL
MP1199 Robert Kovack 09/18/1998 Montgomery VA
MP9869 Robin Veudreuil 04/17/1995 Worcester MA
MP9292 Ralph Coppola 09/16/1998 Bronx NY
MP19371 Craig Alexander 01/28/1985 Chittenden VT
MP20595 Christopher Winkler 02/16/1987 Racine WI
MP14581 Kim Allgood 10/07/1991 Warren KY
MP9109 Jeremy Goodwin 12/23/1998 Miller AR
MP7017 Charles Massey 03/30/1997 Hopkins KY
———— Jeffery Quick -- -- VA
MP10495 Roy Hagel 03/06/1989 Burleigh ND
MP8005 Lloyd McKinney 04/10/1998 Lewis KY
MP1972 Allyn Kellar 03/25/1986 Adams NE
MP8480 William Crumpacker 04/03/1998 Travis TX
MP2358 Robert Weems 06/05/1997 Lauderdale AL

 

[prncsspeech]

LOL...I’d throw in a few fun questions just to throw them off!

Not that a boat has anything to do with this particular case, but it’s been coming up a lot in some of the missing person cases... do a lot of people in the area own boats? Or would you see many being pulled (on roadways) throughout the year?

BBM

I'm from this area, grew up in western KY and have lived here the majority of my life. Lake Barkley and the lake it's connected to, Kentucky Lake, are both BIG reservoirs that stretch across multiple counties. It's not uncommon at all for people to own boats. Unless you're an avid fisherman, "lake season" is late spring-summer, so you would definitely see more boats on the road around the middle of the year.

 

[prncsspeech]

Thinking about when he was found vs how long they thought he'd been in the water, I did some research into the local weather from November of 1998 to May of 1999. For reference, Paducah is the closest "large" city to Eddyville and is 35 miles away. West Paducah, KY Weather History | Weather Underground Granted, I only looked at one day per month (darn work getting in my way!) but it appears that it was below freezing once or twice during that time period. Like I said, though, it could've been below freezing many more times and I wouldn't have known.

I bring this up because I'm curious if the body had recently surfaced. If he had been deceased for as long as LE claims he almost would've had to be under the surface or tangled up in some trees for no one to have seen him for so long. As I mentioned up thread, Lake Barkley is only visited by fishermen in the winter/late fall, so that lessens the amount of people that could potentially find him.

I'm just babbling at this point, but hopefully someone can catch my drift!

 

[MadMcGoo]

Thank you @prncsspeech !! That’s exactly what I was wanting to know! There are numerous lakes around me (although not large and definitely not close together) and you definitely know when people have either just winterized their boat or are taking it to the lake for the season. I get what you’re saying about the weather too... I think it definitely could have played a part in when he was found, among other things.

I’m still thrown off about the button and these clothes, I had to take a break from his case for a bit.