Identified! MO - Troy, WhtMale 40-80, UP5012, GSW, Bill Blass suit & coat, Jun'84 - Jack Langeneckert

[Laughing]

I find the underwear a little odd, but odder still are the socks.

Black suit with red pinstripes, from a nice line, Bill Blass.
Black/dark navy coat from a nice line, Bill Blass.
Black shoes.

Brown socks??? Huh???

Were black socks found in that suitcase?

IDK, just seems out of place to me.

 

[carbuff]

Good catch. I kind of noticed that but it didn't really sink in. Brown socks with the rest of that neat well-matched outfit is really really out of place.

Maybe they were black but faded while the body was lying there? (Fading could also be why the tie is described differently in some of the descriptions.)

Maybe he was traveling and that was the only clean pair he had left?

Hm, there's a rancher missing from Texas I remember was heading to the midwest on business. I think the timeline doesn't match up, however. Let me go see if I can find him again.

 

[dogperson]

This missing man might have turned up anywhere, especially since his wife said he would be willing to fly anyone anywhere. His stated weight is a bit over the limit, but he might have been the type to dress well when flying people here and there, plus if willing to fly for anyone if the money was there, he could have ended up with the wrong kind of people and they killed him. The UID sounds like his death was an execution.
http://charleyproject.org/cases/m/markham_jesse.html

 

[dogperson]

This man might be another possibility, a self-employed businessman, was supposed to travel from Florida to Ontario that day. Why he was traveling or how he was traveling is not explained.
http://charleyproject.org/cases/k/kladakis_konstantine.html

 

[Laughing]

Good catch. I kind of noticed that but it didn't really sink in. Brown socks with the rest of that neat well-matched outfit is really really out of place.

Maybe they were black but faded while the body was lying there? (Fading could also be why the tie is described differently in some of the descriptions.)

Maybe he was traveling and that was the only clean pair he had left?

Long ago in a galaxy far away I worked menswear. Fading is certainly a possibility, the wool of the suit & overcoat would hold color long after cotton socks gave it up.

Such an odd, execution-style shooting!

 

[notamisfit]

Everything about this says "mob hit" to me. St. Louis had a shooting war in the early 1980's between two different mob factions.

Even the underwear. If the UID was a mobster, he would be running with younger guys and probably pick up style cues from them.

 

[Laughing]

Does everyone figure that the face was destroyed by the exiting bullet?

Those are nice men's clothes. Someone missed this man from their life!

 

[tifflee]

I decided to Google "Rex Douglas" to see if any new information popped up and came across these four news articles related to the exhumation of this UID for comparison against Douglas. There are some photographs of the exhumation. Sounds like it was an interesting piece of news locally. I'm glad that Coroner Walters is making a proactive effort to work with the public, NamUs, Doe Network, and law enforcement to identify these people to bring them home to their families!

It's kind of neat to be a part of this story, even from afar and over the internet.

I do feel badly for Douglas' family, including his 89 year old wife (mentioned in the article), because the lack of a match means continued lack of closure. I think that highlights how important it is to approach discussing theories and matches with empathy for how the families feel because our actions can be felt by people we've never met.


October 21, 2015: http://www.elsberrydemocrat.com/indentity-of-john-doe-may-be-unearthed/

"I had the opportunity to go to Warrenton to [witness] their exhumation of an unidentified [person] at the beginning of the year," said Walters. "While I was there I met representatives from Doe Network and from Namus [two online organizations that are devoted to assisting with the location and identification of missing persons]. They were interested in talking to me. They knew we had some cases here in Lincoln County and they wanted to get back with me to work on those cases."

That was in May of 2015, and it marks a new twist in the story.

The email that started it all

"Within a week or two of things being updated I got an email from a lady," said Walters. "There are people all across the nation who look at these sites and attempt to match people."

The woman stated that she had noticed an update to some of the missing persons information that she had been tracking.

Some of that information included a change in the possible age range for the "John Doe" who was buried in Elsberry in 1984.

Based on that change, the woman now believed there was a strong possibility that Elsberry’s "John Doe" could be the missing pastor from Colorado.

After a number of procedural hurdles had been cleared, the matter made its way to a review board and the decision was made to move forward.

"Some select biological material recovered from the grave in Elsberry will be submitted to the University of North Texas for processing, DNA extraction and DNA sequencing or profiling," said Ainsworth. "That profile will be compared to that of Rex Douglas. If it matches him, I will be able to notify his wife [she is 89 years old] and my case will be closed."

October 14, 2015: http://www.lincolncountyjournal.com/review-of-case-results-in-exhumation-of-body/

Authorities on Wednesday closed off the Elsberry City Cemetery as they exhumed the body of a male who had been buried there since 1984, said Lincoln County Coroner Kelly Walters. The teams included the FBI and a forensic anthropologist.

When Walters took office, she began to look at some cases which had not been resolved through websites operated by several law enforcement agencies including the Department of Justice. During a review and piecing together of the evidence Walters found out that the body could possibly be from Colorado. She made contact with Detective Steven Ainsworth with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department. They reviewed the possible evidence which led to Wednesday’s exhumation. They believe the body could be that of Rex Douglas, missing from Colorado. Colorado detectives have his DNA.

October 14, 2015: http://www.elsberrydemocrat.com/elsberry-city-cemetery-sealed-off-by-law-enforcement/

The body, according to a July 5, 1984 edition of The Elsberry Democrat, was found in a pumphouse on a farm on June 11, 1984 in northeastern Lincoln County. The body was decomposed and was a male of medium build between 35 and 45 years of age about 6 feet in height. He was dressed sharply and authorities suspected foul play. He had been dead from four to 10 months.

According to Walters, she had updated some information on a website that triggered the possibility that the John Doe buried in the Elsberry City Cemetery may be Douglas.

This morning with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation the body was exhumed and DNA samples will be taken to see if the body is in fact Douglas.

January 28, 2016: http://www.elsberrydemocrat.com/crime-lab-said-dna-sample-is-not-of-a-missing-colorado-minister/

Lincoln County Coroner Kelly Walters received notification that the DNA sample she sent to a Texas crime lab was not that of a missing Colorado minister.

That minister, Rev. Rex Douglas, went missing approximately the same time as a body of a male was discovered in a cistern near Annada. The body was exhumed late last year where it had been buried in the Elsberry Cemetery since the mid-1980s.

 

[Mims]

Tifflee,

OT here, but you had posted a long while back on the Robbin Simpson thread. A lady who states she is Robbin's closest and oldest friend posted on the WS FB page, trying to get a hold of several of you that posted on that thread. She wanted to answer any questions you might have had about Robbin. Her name is Julie Compton Hertager, if you want to look her up in FB. She mentioned your name specifically, along with a couple others. She couldn't figure out how to post here.

I don't know her, but I saw her post and thought I'd pass it along. Sorry to get off topic here!!!

 

[carbuff]

Rex Douglas is still the only ruleout. https://identifyus.org/en/cases/5012

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Hm. Wonder if he was dressed up for an assignation and her husband/boyfriend came home?

I think it's more likely to be business related, since a shot to the back of the head is classic execution style. An angry husband or boyfriend is more likely to just grab a gun and start shooting.

That said, I don't rule out said husband/boyfriend being able to force a lover onto his knees and shoot him in cold blood, but in that case he'd either have to kill his wife/girlfriend as well or be very sure she'd keep her mouth shut.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Looking at the inventory of this guy's expensive clothing, gold money clip etc, the one obvious thing that's missing is his watch. This was a man who either had money or liked to give the impression he did, so it's inconceivable he didn't have a quality watch yet it seems to be missing.

I would guess his was the sort of watch whose serial number would have led back to his identity, so it was removed and probably disposed of elsewhere.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

How exclusive was a Bill Blass suit? I note that the approximate cost was given as $250-$500 in 1984 so what would the equivalent value today be? If the suit was made to measure rather than being bought off the peg it's possible the owner might be identifiable from it.

I also notice that he was wearing a dress shirt rather than an ordinary one, suggesting he had attended or was planning to attend some sort of function. A man wouldn't normally wear a dress shirt to the office.

Also, is there any indication as to whether he was brought to the pump house and shot there or whether his body was simply dumped after the fact?

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

How exclusive was a Bill Blass suit? I note that the approximate cost was given as $250-$500 in 1984 so what would the equivalent value today be? If the suit was made to measure rather than being bought off the peg it's possible the owner might be identifiable from it.

It's really hard to say with Bill Blass. He was one of the first fashion designers to really embrace commercialization. He licensed his name to be used on anything and everything. A contemporary equivalent would probably be Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, or Tommy Hilfiger. You could purchase really high end Ready-to-Wear sold in the boutiques or lower end off the rack from department stores. Considering he was wearing an Arrow shirt, I'd guess it's the latter.

I also notice that he was wearing a dress shirt rather than an ordinary one, suggesting he had attended or was planning to attend some sort of function. A man wouldn't normally wear a dress shirt to the office.

It sounds like he was in business formal attire, so possibly, an office outfit. A dress shirt can simply be a button down.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

It's really hard to say with Bill Blass. He was one of the first fashion designers to really embrace commercialization. He licensed his name to be used on anything and everything. A contemporary equivalent would probably be Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, or Tommy Hilfiger. You could purchase really high end Ready-to-Wear sold in the boutiques or lower end off the rack from department stores. Considering he was wearing an Arrow shirt, I'd guess it's the latter.

Thanks. The suit may not necessarily help in that case.

It sounds like he was in business formal attire, so possibly, an office outfit. A dress shirt can simply be a button down.

There may be a difference between the UK and the US in the way the term is used. These are what are regarded as dress shirts in the UK:

https://www.moss.co.uk/dress-shirts

If by "button down" you mean a shirt where the collar is buttoned down, then in the UK these are almost always fairly casual. OK in the office for dress down Friday but not for an interview or a meeting with clients.

 

[carbuff]

Data point: Mr. Carbuff had occasion to buy a couple of suits in the early 80s. You could get a good-quality off the rack suit that would be good for most business purposes for around $150-$200. Higher quality suits started at around $750. Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, etc were trendy and came in at a price point between the everyday suits and the high-quality ones.



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[scruffydog]

Forgive me if this has been brought up before. Obviously this man was at least middle class or higher, and had sufficient funds for nice things. I would say it is a given that this man would have a vehicle-were any vehicles reported abandoned, burned or otherwise destroyed during the time period that the murder would have occurred? (within maybe a 50 miles radius of the location of where the body was discovered?) I really cannot see him having driven to that location-I believe he was taken there and murdered.

 

[Finders]

I agree with the previous poster that said Mob hit. I think this screams of a hit. I'd expect a 1980's power broker to have a watch and a briefcase. Neither were reported to be with the victim.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

I agree with the previous poster that said Mob hit. I think this screams of a hit. I'd expect a 1980's power broker to have a watch and a briefcase. Neither were reported to be with the victim.

It's possible. This timing does fall around the beginning of the end for the Giordano Crime Family in St. Louis. The early 80s were the last time they made big news.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

It's possible. This timing does fall around the beginning of the end for the Giordano Crime Family in St. Louis. The early 80s were the last time they made big news.

That's interesting. Is there any way to find out if any members fitting the general description of this man remain unaccounted for, eg not in prison at the time, not known to have been killed etc?