NC NC - Dunn, BlkMale 40-55, UP1744, near bean field, poss migrant worker, clothes, blanket, Nov'79

[aThousandYearsWide]

1931UMNC - Unidentified Male

Date of Discovery: November 18, 1979
Location of Discovery: Dunn, Sampson County, North Carolina
Estimated Date of Death: 3 months prior
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 60-99 years old
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Height: 5'7"
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Right femur intertrochanteric fracture with stainless steel prosthesis. Osteoporosis - left femur bowed anteriorly.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. No teeth lower jaw.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Sample available - Not yet submitted.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Several pairs of pants - khakis, green pants, and a pair of black, white, and rust houndstooth pants, white long-john type undershirt, green shirt. and a blue baseball cap.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: A portion of some type of blanket.

Circumstances of Discovery
The victim's skeletal remains were found by a hunter at the edge of the woods near a bean field where migrant workers had been earlier in the season. His remains were spread out over a 25-50 yard area.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Agency Contact Person: Clyde Gibbs
Agency Phone Number: 800-672-7042
Agency Case Number: 79-800

NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: UP #1744 Former Hot Case Number: 1312

Information Source(s)
NamUs
1931UMNC

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

Photos from Sampson County John Doe (1979). They have larger photos of this Doe.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

I created a thread for unidentified and/or murdered migrant workers.

Violence against migrant workers/unidentifed or murdered

 

[Goecke]

NamUs now says he's 40-55. Looking at the recon I'd guess he's in his 50s or 60s, but who knows how accurate that is.

 

[YaYa_521]

Bobby Joe Horn aka Bob "Nighthawk" Terry disappeared from Wash., D.C. in 1977 under suspicious circumstances. His burned out car was found in Raleigh, N.C. which is only about an hour & 15 mins from where these remains were located. Race and age are the only stats avail to match as Bobby's height is unknown as is JD's weight. A visual comparison is difficult for me to determine but I do see some resemblances. Theories surrounding his disappearance include:

1) him leaving voluntarily due to tax evasion charges
2) involvement with the mob
3) murder over business disputes and /or drug deals

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Bobby Joe Horn – The Charley Project
DC - DC - Bobby Joe Horn, 41, Washington D.C., 31 Aug 1977
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...-murder/4c7f0098-c701-4b7c-a89c-b49f092153f5/
Sampson County John Doe (1979)

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

Bobby Joe Horn aka Bob "Nighthawk" Terry disappeared from Wash., D.C. in 1977 under suspicious circumstances. His burned out car was found in Raleigh, N.C. which is only about an hour & 15 mins from where these remains were located. Race and age are the only stats avail to match as Bobby's height is unknown as is JD's weight. A visual comparison is difficult for me to determine but I do see some resemblances. Theories surrounding his disappearance include:

1) him leaving voluntarily due to tax evasion charges
2) involvement with the mob
3) murder over business disputes and /or drug deals

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Bobby Joe Horn – The Charley Project
DC - DC - Bobby Joe Horn, 41, Washington D.C., 31 Aug 1977
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...-murder/4c7f0098-c701-4b7c-a89c-b49f092153f5/
Sampson County John Doe (1979)

What a great find! On his Charley profile this was chilling!

"There were rumors that he was murdered, his body dismembered and the parts scattered in North Carolina. These stories have never been confirmed."

I think Horn is a good candidate for Sampson County Doe.

His Doe Network profile- The Doe Network: Case File 4271DMDC

 

[YaYa_521]

What a great find! On his Charley profile this was chilling!

"There were rumors that he was murdered, his body dismembered and the parts scattered in North Carolina. These stories have never been confirmed."

I think Horn is a good candidate for Sampson County Doe.

His Doe Network profile- The Doe Network: Case File 4271DMDC

Yeah, those circumstances jumped out at me, too. There's no indication that these remains were dismembered, as one of the theories suggests. I think I'll submit him to LE so they can make a determination as to whether this is him. From there they'll then be able to investigate the hows and whys of him being in NC, if these are his remains. The timeline of ~2 years, the location near a migrant farm, and the blanket lead me to believe that most likely he left on his own, lived homeless while working migrant-type, cash jobs, then died months before he was found...but that's just speculation on my part. Ty for the feedback. I'll submit him as a potential match today.

 

[YaYa_521]

James Harold Smith more strongly resembles the composite than Horn does, imo. However, his height is off by about 7" and he's 7 years younger then what's estimated for JD. He went missing about 3 hours away in Charlotte, NC only 5 months before JD was located (PMI 3 mos.). Wouldn't they have investigated him as a PM, though? Ugh...what do the rest of you think?

James Harold Smith – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

Yeah, those circumstances jumped out at me, too. There's no indication that these remains were dismembered, as one of the theories suggests. I think I'll submit him to LE so they can make a determination as to whether this is him. From there they'll then be able to investigate the hows and whys of him being in NC, if these are his remains. The timeline of ~2 years, the location near a migrant farm, and the blanket lead me to believe that most likely he left on his own, lived homeless while working migrant-type, cash jobs, then died months before he was found...but that's just speculation on my part. Ty for the feedback. I'll submit him as a potential match today.

You're welcome . I agree, doing odd jobs and under-the-table work is plausible. It actually makes me wonder if people running from the law do this often. I think you should submit him!

James Harold Smith more strongly resembles the composite than Horn does, imo. However, his height is off by about 7" and he's 7 years younger then what's estimated for JD. He went missing about 3 hours away in Charlotte, NC only 5 months before JD was located (PMI 3 mos.). Wouldn't they have investigated him as a PM, though? Ugh...what do the rest of you think?

James Harold Smith – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Wow! If Horn isn't Sampson Doe then he seems highly likely! When it comes to height and age I think they can be way off sometimes, especially with skeletal remains. Age is another one that varies person to person. Andrea Kuiper was believed to be a young teen but she ended up be 26 years old. Another identifed case (I forgot her name) she was also estimated to be a teen/young adult early 20's and she was actually pushing 40. I definitely think you should submit him . Especially with him being from Charlotte!

 

[Grungster]

James Harold Smith more strongly resembles the composite than Horn does, imo. However, his height is off by about 7" and he's 7 years younger then what's estimated for JD. He went missing about 3 hours away in Charlotte, NC only 5 months before JD was located (PMI 3 mos.). Wouldn't they have investigated him as a PM, though? Ugh...what do the rest of you think?

James Harold Smith – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

James Harold Smith has been identified as a homicide victim from NC in 1979.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article256256132.html

 

[YaYa_521]

James Harold Smith has been identified as a homicide victim from NC in 1979.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article256256132.html

TY for the update! That pretty much rules James out as a match to JD.

I see there still aren't any exclusions shown on JD's NamUs. I've never heard back from NamUs or LE regarding Horn as a PM. Hopefully they're working on a comparison.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

James Harold Smith has been identified as a homicide victim from NC in 1979.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article256256132.html

Wow. It took 35 years to report him missing:

no one reported Smith missing until his brother from Wingate filed a missing persons report with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in 2014. According to the 2014 CMPD report, Elwood Smith said he hadn’t seen his brother since June 1979. Elwood Smith told police he filed the missing persons report “because he is concerned for his brother ... who has not been in touch with him or any other family members.”