WI Madison, white male 35-50 years, #UP4731, on train tracks, July 3, 2002

[Keiri]

Date Body Found July 3, 2002
Location Found Madison, Dane County
Estimated Age Range 35-50 Years
Exclusions: 2
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 5'6" to 6'0"
Weight: 150-170 lbs.
Hair: Long, wavy brown with gray
Clothing: Blue stocking cap, black jacket, dress shoes, socks, and a multicolored plaid shirt.
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Unknown
Case Owner: Madison Police Department - Central District
Agency Case Number: 02-1015
(608) 261-9694

Doe Network https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/main.html?id=1773umwi
NaMus The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Exclusions: Douglas Nowak MP28661
John Christoph MP14870

Moderately decomposed body was found on July 3, 2002 in a wooded area near railroad tracks on the north side of Madison, WI.

 

[iulia]

His NamUs page has been removed.

 

[Keiri]

If anyone knows more please tell us

 

[SarahSki]

Took a look at Doe Network today and it's saying "Identified", but doesn't have any info about identity?
Doe Network - 1773UMWI

 

[The4TierBridge]

Took a look at Doe Network today and it's saying "Identified", but doesn't have any info about identity?
Doe Network - 1773UMWI

That just reflects the fact that the NamUs profile is out of public view (hence, per NamUs). It doesn't really mean anything official at all; it's best to just ignore those unless it says "per law enforcement" or something similar.

 

[SarahSki]

That just reflects the fact that the NamUs profile is out of public view (hence, per NamUs). It doesn't really mean anything official at all; it's best to just ignore those unless it says "per law enforcement" or something similar.

Nice to know, thanks!

 

[HopeRains]

That just reflects the fact that the NamUs profile is out of public view (hence, per NamUs). It doesn't really mean anything official at all; it's best to just ignore those unless it says "per law enforcement" or something similar.

Are you indicating that the Doe Network page stating the unidentified as identified, and the Namus page being removed, does not mean that the Doe was identified?

 

[The4TierBridge]

Are you indicating that the Doe Network page stating the unidentified as identified, and the Namus page being removed, does not mean that the Doe was identified?

It usually does, but the Doe Network closing out a case doesn't mean anything more than a NamUs profile being removed (not every case receives a public resolution, and it's good that they close out the cases with downed government profiles, but I just wish they were more clear on how DN isn't an official source of identifications). They don't have any special knowledge.

Sometimes a NamUs profile was only removed from public view temporarily (you've been here much longer than I have and have probably seen this at least a few times), and the Doe Network has had to retract an "identification" and reopen their page for the case (not to mention several that have just been mistakes on their end). Sometimes, this takes years.

I guess my advice would be that NamUs is the only definitive thing to to pay attention to and be very careful reading the DN's wording?

For example, this person's case was closed out "per law enforcement" on the DN website, weeks before the NamUs was removed. Clearly they had a heads up that the case was resolved.

But this man's profile on the Canadian UID website was removed more than two years ago in January 2023, and his DN profile was only closed out this October; clearly, it took a while for them to notice.

This missing man from Australia was found alive and suffering from amnesia in 2012. This was a big news story with a lot of coverage at the time I'm confused at how it stayed open for so long (and why he received the no further info boilerplate as well); Man Thought Dead Turns Up 23 Years Later With A Rare Form Of Amnesia

This person was publicly named by law enforcement and media as Rodolfo Barcenas Guerrero several days before his NamUs went down and one week or about before his Doe Network profile was removed, but nobody there noticed and his profile was closed out with the "ID'ed by NamUs, no further info" boilerplate. Sometimes they'll go back and make updates, it hasn't happened with this one yet; Hillsborough Medical Examiner Uses DNA to Solve 28-Year Cold Case

This man was removed from NamUs in 2020 (former #UP1437) and only closed out by DN earlier this year; I don't know what happened here because they're usually pretty on-top of keeping track of NamUs removals.

These aren't even all the mistakes I found in the 2025 index, just the most confusing ones. DN is a very helpful website, but it's not run by any government agency like NamUs is and won't have the full story.

 

[HopeRains]

@The4TierBridge - thanks - I appreciate your perspective and examples.

 

[Keiri]

Actually sometimes DN does get inside info, since they often coordinate directly with LE. But they don't always get it and probably don't usually release it even if they do.