ME ME - Joseph Bichrest, 34, Shirley, 16 Oct 1976

[Rigor_Mortis_Tortis]

Joseph J. Bichrest, 34, missing since October 1976 from Shirley, Piscataquis County, Maine.

Vital Statistics
Date of Birth: Circa 1942
Age: 34 years old at time of disappearance
Race: White / Caucasian
Sex: Male
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Facial Hair: Beard and mustache

Jeep Color: White and blue
License Plate: 550-212 State: Maine

Circumstances of Disappearance
NamUs & DoeNetwork
Bichrest was reported to be having marital and financial problems. He was being investigated by the local DA for theft, by the AG's Office for Bar Association complaints and had been borrowing large amounts of money and passing bad checks with overdrawn accounts. The IRS was investigating him for tax evasion. Bichrest had recently become despondent and making suicidal threats. He may have gone to the local DA during the weekend of his disappearance.

Maine State Police
Joseph Bichrest, formerly of Pennsylvania, was an attorney living in Greenville. In 1976, he disappeared, along with his jeep. Investigation revealed that a credit card in his name was used in Philadelphia two days after his disappearance. His jeep has never been found. Anonymous reports persist that he was murdered. Rumors that he and his jeep are in a quarry in Greenville abound, and several quarries have been searched over the years.

Greenville and Shirley are both towns in Piscataquis County, ME and they border each other so whether Bichrest went missing in Shirley or Greenville, it's roughly the same area

Maine State Police
(207) 973-3750

Sources
Maine State Police
DoeNetwork (4888DMME)
NamUs (MP19726)

 

[DS2021]

Bump

 

[VaYank5150]

Another missing person with a missing vehicle....

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Joseph J. Bichrest – The Charley Project

 

[Diane Redfern]

I would like to know what the credit card was used for.

 

[Diane Redfern]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Maybe?
As far as I know, Berks county John Doe only has these exclusions: James Charapko, John Chocha and Warren Niederfringer

 

[ProductiveOne]

I didn't submit this to NamUs, but I passed it off to both agencies involved as I didn't feel great about the poor quality photo, and I've already been in contact with the Medical Examiner on a few other occasions.

I went through over a thousand cases trying to make a visual identification for a UID, and Joseph J. Bichrest is the only person I couldn't visually rule out. I understand Bichrest photo is of poor quality but I believe he has potential to be the UID. They both have the same hairline, facial hair growth pattern, and facial structure. Their case details align fairly well. I will say that Bichrest's hairline seems to be higher, and you cannot make out his eyebrows.


"[Bichrest] was an attorney and was being investigated for tax evasion and theft. He had allegedly borrowed large amounts of money and passed bad checks on overdrawn accounts."

"Two days after [Bichrest] disappearance, one of his credit cards was used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bichrest is originally from that city and moved to Maine a few years before he went missing."

It would be no surprise that Bichrest could have been living in New York City given the short distance.

Spoiler: WARNING: Side-By-Side with post-mortem photo

Joseph J. Bichrest (NamUs #MP19726)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

New York, NY Unidentified (NamUs #UP6919)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov