LA LA - Darrow, Mississippi River, WhtMale 18-21, UP1874, chipped front tooth, Western shirt, jeans, 2 February 1982

[GJKJR]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/199umla.html

Details of Discovery:
Date of Discovery: February 2, 1982
Found near: Darrow, Louisiana (Ascension Parish)
Circumstances of Discovery: Decedent was found floating in the Mississippi River near Geismar and Gonzales in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.

Information Regarding Death:
Estimated Date of Death: 1 week prior (late January 1982)
Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Unknown cause of death

Physical Attributes:
Estimated Age: 18-21 years of age
Race: White/Caucasian
Sex: Male
Height: 5'7" to 5'10" (Specifically, 5'9" on NamUs)
Weight: 130-140 lbs? (Unknown on NamUs)
Hair Color: Possibly brown based on body hair found
Eye Color: Unknown due to decomposition
Unique Features: None listed

Clothing:
Clothing: Brown, blue, and gold plaid Western shirt from Sears, size 14 to 14 1/2. Sears blue jeans in size 30. A black belt. White tennis shoes with 3 white stripes (brand and size unknown). Fruit of the Loom jockey-type underwear in white, size 32.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Items: Unknown

Identifiers:
Dentals: Available
* Details of Dentals: Slight overbite. Teeth #1, #16, #17, #32 unerupted, with #17 and #32 impacted. Amalgam fillings on occlusal surface for teeth #2, #15, #18, and #31. Amalgam filling on buccal surface for tooth #30. Distinctive chip on upper-left front tooth which may have occurred post-mortem.
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available

 

[GJKJR]

I feel like Timothy S. McCarty is a pretty good potential match for our "Darrow Doe:"

Timothy S. McCarty
* The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
* Timothy S. McCarty – The Charley Project

- Age is within range.
- Height (5'5" - 5'8") is not unreasonable, and neither is the weight of 125 lbs.
- Hair color aligns with the body hair color of Darrow Doe.
- The circumstances of McCarty's disappearance sound like he could have been hitchhiking around the country? Which would explain the gap in location and time, perhaps.

 

[folieadeuxnola]

NAMUS Rule Outs - 07/10/20

Allen, Anthony - MP1
10/01/1978 - Sebastian, AR

Kelley, Dale
CA

Phelan, Sean
CA

 

[Melt71]

No updates to this case & still the same 3 ruleouts listed above back in 2020.

 

[HopeRains]

Darrow is approximately 1/2 way (down the Missippi) between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

 

[Caring1]

May 12, 2025

ASCENSION PARISH, La. (WAFB) - A new image of an unidentified male has been released decades after his body was recovered from the Mississippi River.

According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the male’s body was discovered on February 2, 1982, in the river near Darrow. All this time later, he still hasn’t been identified.

Image of unidentified male released decades after authorities found his body in river

A new image of an unidentified male has been released decades after his body was recovered from the Mississippi River.

www.wafb.com

 

[The4TierBridge]

Now a DNA Doe Project case: John Darrow Doe 1982 | DNA Doe Project

 

[Melt71]

DDP page was updated in November 2025 and now shows Research in Progress.

 

[djanga]

I was checking for any articles on him and found none. I found this young man who I think fits the John Doe: William Denzel Newman

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[djanga]

Also what about 23 years old John Savoy? He was last been seen on the north end of the Morganza Spillway, by the Mississippi River, with a known friend on January 19, 1980.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov