ME ME - Bruce Corey Elwell, 24, York, May 25, 1987

[victoriarobinson642]

NAMUS:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

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Missing Age - 24 Years
Current Age - 59 Years
First Name - Bruce
Middle Name - Corey
Last Name - Elwell
Sex - Male
Height - 5' 10" (70 Inches)
Weight - 135 lbs
Hair Color - Brown
Eye Color - Blue
Race / Ethnicity - White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact - May 25, 1987
Location - York, Maine
Circumstances of Disappearance - Last seen on 05/25/1987 and reported missing to PD in 1988. Circumstances [are] unknown at this time.

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[HopeRains]

Noting 5/25/87 is Memorial Day Monday.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Noting 5/25/87 is Memorial Day Monday.

Interesting - maybe a family get-together for the occasion? Mine sometimes have a barbecue.

 

[Aurora90]

bump

 

[MadMcGoo]

Bruce Corey Elwell – The Charley Project

 

[Pennysmom1]

5897DMME - Bruce Corey Elwell

 

[FindBruceCElwell]

I was a childhood friend of Bruce - we spent many summers at his grandmothers farm in Parsonsfield Maine. The picture posted is not him, he was never in the military. Bruce's father, Don Elwell, told me that his last known whereabouts were in Denver the summer of 1987 based on a jacket purchase he made at an outdoor store. Bruce often travelled for extended periods of time without communicating with his family which is why his family waited a fair amount of time before reporting him missing. Bruce did drink and I suspect to excess at times. His father theorized that he went up into the mountains in Colorado and something happened to him. Eventually his father declared him dead and he has a gravestone on the corner of a field on their family property in Maine, next to the graves of his great grandparents. His date of death is listed as "Be Free", the phrase he always ended his letters with. His father has since passed away and I know one of his sisters, Jennifer Ulsilka, lives in Utah. What happened to him has been a lifelong mystery for me - we spent some formative years together and he was a brilliant and sometimes troubled soul.

 

[JSolt1210]

I was a childhood friend of Bruce - we spent many summers at his grandmothers farm in Parsonsfield Maine. The picture posted is not him, he was never in the military. Bruce's father, Don Elwell, told me that his last known whereabouts were in Denver the summer of 1987 based on a jacket purchase he made at an outdoor store. Bruce often travelled for extended periods of time without communicating with his family which is why his family waited a fair amount of time before reporting him missing. Bruce did drink and I suspect to excess at times. His father theorized that he went up into the mountains in Colorado and something happened to him. Eventually his father declared him dead and he has a gravestone on the corner of a field on their family property in Maine, next to the graves of his great grandparents. His date of death is listed as "Be Free", the phrase he always ended his letters with. His father has since passed away and I know one of his sisters, Jennifer Ulsilka, lives in Utah. What happened to him has been a lifelong mystery for me - we spent some formative years together and he was a brilliant and sometimes troubled soul.

That is very alarming if the photo above is not Bruce. Who is that man then, and how did his photo become attached to Bruce's case? Maybe this is why the Doe Network does not list a photo.

The details you provide, however, do fill in some of the blanks. If Bruce traveled a lot without communicating with loved ones, then this could explain why he wasn't reported missing until the following year. Maybe police are unable to verify that Bruce was the one who bought the jacket in Denver over the summer, so this is why they give his "last seen" date and location as Maine in May 1987 because this is a confirmed sighting.

Is there anything else you feel comfortable sharing about Bruce? Any photos of him? There seems to be so little information available out there. Perhaps Bruce's sister or other living relatives can join and share what they know. If you like, you can also become a Verified Insider on Websleuths. After verification, anything you post about Bruce or his case would not need to be backed up by mainstream media.

I am so sorry that you, Bruce's family, and other loved ones have had to deal with this mystery for so long, but hopefully we can get some answers.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Here's a yearbook photo of Bruce. I wonder if that photo is of his father, who was in the military.

 

[JSolt1210]

View attachment 571888
Here's a yearbook photo of Bruce. I wonder if that photo is of his father, who was in the military.

Great find! Thanks for posting it!

It makes sense that the dad's photo could've somehow become mixed up with his son's.

Is there a way to update the info on Namus and other sites?

 

[apearn]

The USMC photo is the one NamUs is using. They should be contacted to make corrections if that is not him.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Pennysmom1]

NAMUS and Charley both have the military photo of Bruce.



Here is Bruce's dad's obituary, which uses the military photo. Bruce Jr is listed as surviving Bruce Sr.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/name/bruce-elwell-obituary?id=7621022

<<He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Judie Elwell, of Portland; sons, Bruce Elwell Jr., of Portland; >>

 

[DS2021]

NAMUS and Charley both have the military photo of Bruce.



Here is Bruce's dad's obituary, which uses the military photo. Bruce Jr is listed as surviving Bruce Sr.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/name/bruce-elwell-obituary?id=7621022

<<He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Judie Elwell, of Portland; sons, Bruce Elwell Jr., of Portland; >>

I just want to thank you for all you do!

 

[Carley]

I was a childhood friend of Bruce - we spent many summers at his grandmothers farm in Parsonsfield Maine. The picture posted is not him, he was never in the military. Bruce's father, Don Elwell, told me that his last known whereabouts were in Denver the summer of 1987 based on a jacket purchase he made at an outdoor store. Bruce often travelled for extended periods of time without communicating with his family which is why his family waited a fair amount of time before reporting him missing. Bruce did drink and I suspect to excess at times. His father theorized that he went up into the mountains in Colorado and something happened to him. Eventually his father declared him dead and he has a gravestone on the corner of a field on their family property in Maine, next to the graves of his great grandparents. His date of death is listed as "Be Free", the phrase he always ended his letters with. His father has since passed away and I know one of his sisters, Jennifer Ulsilka, lives in Utah. What happened to him has been a lifelong mystery for me - we spent some formative years together and he was a brilliant and sometimes troubled soul.

Would love to connect and hear stories. I am his niece. I never got to meet him. But my Mom always said I reminded her so much of him. I have spent so much time trying to solve this mystery. And you're right that military picture isn't Bruce and it isn't his Dad either. I have photos from when my Papa was in the military and it's not him. Jennifer, who you referenced, is my Aunt.

 

[Carley]

NAMUS and Charley both have the military photo of Bruce.



Here is Bruce's dad's obituary, which uses the military photo. Bruce Jr is listed as surviving Bruce Sr.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/name/bruce-elwell-obituary?id=7621022

<<He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Judie Elwell, of Portland; sons, Bruce Elwell Jr., of Portland; >>

Just to update that actually isn't Bruce's dad's picture, or Bruce's dad's obituary. This is Bruce's father's obituary, Donald Elwell was Bruce's father. He was my grandfather, who passed away in 2010 and is survived by Kathy, not Judy. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bennington/name/donald-elwell-obituary?id=28090787