LA LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, 14 February 1975 #2

[PatLaurel]

And just to confirm, Mothe Funeral Home was definitely the home responsible for burying him?

That's the only thing we can be sure about! A decent casket was furnished by them, Mr. Mothe Jr attended the funeral, a prayer was said and our BCJD was laid to rest.

 

[PatLaurel]

I made a composite sketch of what he could’ve looked like in color. Unfortunately, the quality of it is pretty low, and when I try to sharpen it at all, it changes the features. This is my first time really reconstructing anything; I hope you guys like it.

I have two versions. The first one has less of a cleft chin than the second one. Hope this helps in any way, shape, or form.

In the previous thread (I reread it yesterday), someone mentioned that BCJD looked Asian. Your sketches definitely give that impression too. Asian or mixed Native. MOO JMO

 

[Romulus]

In the previous thread (I reread it yesterday), someone mentioned that BCJD looked Asian. Your sketches definitely give that impression too. Asian or mixed Native. MOO JMO

All the written reports list this guy as white Caucasian...maybe he's Hispanic...sometimes some people look white but are Hispanic and even vice versa...

 

[PatLaurel]

All the written reports list this guy as white Caucasian...maybe he's Hispanic...sometimes some people look white but are Hispanic and even vice versa...

He could definitely be Hispanic because Hispanic is not a race, it’s an ethnicity. So he could be a White Hispanic.
I don’t know how accurate the original sketch is, but there’s something "Native" about his eyes. MOO JMO

 

[SubzeroSongie]

I'd wish they'd release the whole letter, I get the need to protect him but if people might know who he might be if they did

 

[moonglow123]

Is there a reason Plaquemines Parish won't work with VB on determining whether it could be Bayard Cousins? Does it all go back to how complicated it would be to locate his remains, and them just not being interested in reigniting the investigation?

 

[Beekarina]

Still wish Earl Anthony Joggerst was a rule out. His case still nags at me, years after wondering if he could be this John Doe.

I feel like eye color is comething that could be incorrectly recorded in these older cases.

 

[Teche]

Dbm

 

[SubzeroSongie]

Earl could be the doe, I can see it

 

[lynde]

Still wish Earl Anthony Joggerst was a rule out. His case still nags at me, years after wondering if he could be this John Doe.

I feel like eye color is comething that could be incorrectly recorded in these older cases.View attachment 652703

I sympathize with that. (´＾｀。)

I personally don’t believe our Doe to be Joggerst for a multitude of reasons (even though we will never know for sure): BCJD was never mentioned to have any sternum markings, and he wrote of not having any connections to family nor friends in his letter. Meanwhile, Joggerst left home with two people: another high-school student, and a 30-year-old man.

I also believe BCJD to have been found less than 12 hours post-mortem. Eyes tend to become cloudy after death (thereby lending themselves to a bluer appearance), and in my opinion, a false reading of blue is much more likely than one of brown because of this. Again, though, I am not an expert on this, nor will I claim to be.

 

[Beekarina]

What nags at me:

Yes, he left with his friend, who was later found alive in California. (So there is also a chance Earl "Jay" is a CA UID) She is since deceased, and I have found nothing in the way of a statement from her as to what happened when they left. Did Earl go to CA? Did he leave earlier in the trip? Who the heck was the 30 year-old guy and did they know him prior to running away with him?? The details of that case are so unclear.

If the guy was interested in Gwendoline (I think the spelling is correct), I could see the group splitting up and Earl parting ways. Did the three engage in crimes? Did Earl do something immoral or just have some urges==again as the Doe here indicates in the letter? Young people taking off for California was not unusual in this era, but it IS weird to find one of the 3 alive, and so little information. There was some speculation Earl was gay. Could he have had something going on with the 30 year-old man?

My thought with the eye color was it could be clerical error. Not actual error in interpreting eye color. It seems a local gynecologist, from memory, did the exam and all we have been going on is a newspaper article. So I personally feel anyone who is a possible match should be checked. It doesn't hurt to have a look.

 

[Beekarina]

Also @lynde what he actually wrote: "I was born with a definite pervasive melancholy . . .what frustrated me most in the last year was that I had built no ties to family or friends. There was nothing of lasting worth and value. I led a detached existence and I was a parody of a person - literally and figuratively. I didn't tell jokes - I was a joke".

He wrote of perception, not necessarily reality. When it comes to friends, he is saying in the past year, he feels he "built no ties to family or friends" and that he was "detached" a "parody of a person."

This John Doe clearly had family as he mentioned them when addressing the letter. Depressed people can sometimes mask quite well, so he may have had any number of friends, at least on a surface level, even if he felt like a "parody", and someone who "never developed into a real person." Of course he also may have been a complete loner as well.

IF the Belle Chasse UID is possibly Earl Joggerst, he left home in August of 1972. Which also would give a few years for things to change socially--meaning the original group he left home with to split up and go their own ways--and for any mental illness to develop. (Typical pattern, would think the stress of life on the run would make it worse. IMO)

He was 15 when he left home, and would have been 17 when the Belle Chasse Doe died.

I am not saying Earl definitely IS this John Doe, only I would really like it to be ruled out.

 

[Beekarina]

I wonder if @othram has ever been tagged in this case? There is information earlier in the discussion that suggests this UIDs remains are still buried in Woodlawn Cemetery and could be located.

 

[lynde]

Also @lynde what he actually wrote: "I was born with a definite pervasive melancholy . . .what frustrated me most in the last year was that I had built no ties to family or friends. There was nothing of lasting worth and value. I led a detached existence and I was a parody of a person - literally and figuratively. I didn't tell jokes - I was a joke".

He wrote of perception, not necessarily reality. When it comes to friends, he is saying in the past year, he feels he "built no ties to family or friends" and that he was "detached" a "parody of a person."

This John Doe clearly had family as he mentioned them when addressing the letter. Depressed people can sometimes mask quite well, so he may have had any number of friends, at least on a surface level, even if he felt like a "parody", and someone who "never developed into a real person." Of course he also may have been a complete loner as well.

IF the Belle Chasse UID is possibly Earl Joggerst, he left home in August of 1972. Which also would give a few years for things to change socially--meaning the original group he left home with to split up and go their own ways--and for any mental illness to develop. (Typical pattern, would think the stress of life on the run would make it worse. IMO)

He was 15 when he left home, and would have been 17 when the Belle Chasse Doe died.

I am not saying Earl definitely IS this John Doe, only I would really like it to be ruled out.

That makes complete sense. I’d like to see him ruled out as well.

Regarding the note, though, there are a few bits that wouldn’t match, namely: “My brain always worked at cross purposes to my real development. I refused to express any emotions or deal with people on a social basis. In effect, I refused to accept that I was an animal and that I needed social ties,” and: “I was a withdrawn baby who became an unpleasant, withdrawn person.”

Still, since we do not know of the relationship between Joggerst and the people he left with, there is a chance that they were little more than acquaintances — and, of course, as you’ve said: the feelings expressed in the note could be born of warped perception. I hope I did not come across as too dismissive; I truly believe that you raised some good points. (´＾｀。)

 

[PatLaurel]

I wonder if @othram has ever been tagged in this case? There is information earlier in the discussion that suggests this UIDs remains are still buried in Woodlawn Cemetery and could be located.

Many times, and @othram said they would take a look!

Talking about possible identities is kind of useless if we can't do anything about them.
Locating the body should be a priority. I don't know if GG companies like Othram would get involved if the body isn't located. I guess it's up to the LE department to locate it, but since this is a suicide I'm afraid it's considered low priority.

@othram Would there be anything you could do in a case with these circumstances?

I'm going to reach out to othram to see if there is ANYTHING they can do in regards to this case. They are the best of the best..it's a long shot, but worth a try. We can't be 100 % sure there is nothing left to test (?)

I messaged othram...
Would be great to have a fresh set of eyes on this case!

@othram I don't know how it works but are you dealing with this case too? Can you take a look at it?

I hope it is possible that this case will be solved one day and that his body can be exhumed for dna testing and use of genetic genealogy as I feel that’s the only way it’s getting solved at this point. Maybe othram will be able to help in getting him identified if his body is located.

Just curious, is anyone in contact with Mothe Funeral Home to try to locate the remains? This would almost surely provide DNA evidence, maybe even clothing, hair etc. then maybe Othram labs would be willing to assist with testing. Im sure this has been brought up before, I just don’t remember what came of it/can’t find the threads.

I wonder if he will fall within the remit of @othram's program to ID all the unidentified children that are in Namus, since he is thought to be 16-17yo. I don't recall seeing an age range on the Namus/Othram initiative.

This would fit. We will take a look.

Thank you for finding this post; I remembered reading it but couldn’t find it.

I wish @othram would reach out to the investigating LEA.

BBM
I don't how many times the agency handling the case has been contacted. From what I remember, all the cemetery files were lost (to a fire?) and caskets were displaced during Hurricane Katrina, I also remember that Mothe Funeral Home had no records, though someone here said Mr. Mothe knew exactly where John Doe was laid to rest. Since we’re not sure how accurate these accounts are, it wouldn’t hurt to contact the PPSO again, and maybe ask for @othram's help? MOO JMO

 

[moonglow123]

I just think the time jump is too big for me to lean towards Earl. The letter seemed to suggest more recent contact with family and friends than 2.5-3 years previously. I'd more suspect Earl ran into foul play at the hands of the 30 year old friend. And blue eyes v. brown.

That being said, it's possible and the ages would potentially line up. I would be interested in seeing him excluded, but who knows if they have the capability to do that.

I wish we had more info about Bayard and could know whether his father was ever stationed in Belle Chasse, or whether he would be familiar with the area for any reason. It seems most of his exclusions are VA or other very close by Does.

All that said, I really hope Othram can work on this case one day because I’d have no doubt they could solve it.