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NamUs #UP1692 / DoeNetwork 685UMNJ
Demographics
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black / African American
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years): 21-28
Estimated Year of Death: 1986
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'7" (67 inches), Estimated
Weight: 135 lbs, Estimated
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: June 20, 1986
NamUs Case Created: March 31, 2008
ME/C QA Reviewed: N/A
Location Found: Burlington Township, New Jersey
County: Burlington County
Circumstances of Recovery: The body was discovered after a passerby called the fire department to report smelling smoke in the area shortly before 10 p.m. on June 20, 1986. Firefighters responded and found the badly burned body of a young black male in a desolate area between Neck Road and Dulty's Lane.
State medical examiner Claus Speth said that it appeared the deceased man constructed a makeshift funeral pyre out of wood and speculated that the man could have been engaging in some sort of occult ritual. An empty canister was also found at the scene. It is believed that the canister contained some kind of accelerant due to the high temperature of the fire.
The death was ruled a "probable suicide," although authorities stated an accident could not be ruled out. There were no signs of foul play. Based on keys found near the body, the man may have had ties to the Harlem area.
Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Charred/burned
Physical Description
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Physical Features: Temporary filling in tooth number 29, several teeth missing
Clothing and Accessories
- The victim was in possession of two keys. The first key was made at the Trevors Lock Company, 2123 7th Avenue, New York City. The second key was made at Lenox Hardware, 613 Lenox Avenue, New York City (Near the Body)
- Button with the word "Lees" on it
- Empty canister (Near the Body)
- 11 stiff metal wires, arranged in pyramid formation
News Coverage
"Police seek identity of man whose body was found burned," Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 June 1986, 2B.
Charlie Frush, "Police request public's help in identifying victim," Philadelphia Inquirer, 29 June 1986, 8BR.
Although investigators have ruled that the death is a probable suicide, they also have said that the date of the incident –– the eve of the summer solstice -- as well as the bizarre circumstances of the man's death suggest that the death may have been connected with an occult ritual.
[...]
Burlington Township police Det. Tim Richardson said: "It did appear that some ritual was involved. There was a lot of decoration [at the site], plus the fact that he prepared himself a bed before he actually started the fire."
[...]
"What we found [at the site]," said Speth, "were sticks that were 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide, put down parallel to each other, like a platform on the ground and laid right on ground, surrounded by larger limbs that were used to outline the perimeter of this rectangular area."
[...]
The fire temperature exceeded that produced just by wood, Speth said, leading Speth to conclude that "an accelerant was present. There was an empty can but we can't tell what was in it because the interior of the can was burned, too."
[...]
"The boy had a temporary filling for a large restoration in tooth number 29," Speth said, the tooth that is fourth from the rear on the bottom of the mouth proceeding from the back to the front.
"He had a lot of restorative work done in his mouth," Speth said, "and has several teeth that are missing and the sockets are closed, which means they have been missing for a long time."
Demographics
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black / African American
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years): 21-28
Estimated Year of Death: 1986
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'7" (67 inches), Estimated
Weight: 135 lbs, Estimated
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: June 20, 1986
NamUs Case Created: March 31, 2008
ME/C QA Reviewed: N/A
Location Found: Burlington Township, New Jersey
County: Burlington County
Circumstances of Recovery: The body was discovered after a passerby called the fire department to report smelling smoke in the area shortly before 10 p.m. on June 20, 1986. Firefighters responded and found the badly burned body of a young black male in a desolate area between Neck Road and Dulty's Lane.
State medical examiner Claus Speth said that it appeared the deceased man constructed a makeshift funeral pyre out of wood and speculated that the man could have been engaging in some sort of occult ritual. An empty canister was also found at the scene. It is believed that the canister contained some kind of accelerant due to the high temperature of the fire.
The death was ruled a "probable suicide," although authorities stated an accident could not be ruled out. There were no signs of foul play. Based on keys found near the body, the man may have had ties to the Harlem area.
Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Charred/burned
Physical Description
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Physical Features: Temporary filling in tooth number 29, several teeth missing
Clothing and Accessories
- The victim was in possession of two keys. The first key was made at the Trevors Lock Company, 2123 7th Avenue, New York City. The second key was made at Lenox Hardware, 613 Lenox Avenue, New York City (Near the Body)
- Button with the word "Lees" on it
- Empty canister (Near the Body)
- 11 stiff metal wires, arranged in pyramid formation
News Coverage
"Police seek identity of man whose body was found burned," Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 June 1986, 2B.
Charlie Frush, "Police request public's help in identifying victim," Philadelphia Inquirer, 29 June 1986, 8BR.
Although investigators have ruled that the death is a probable suicide, they also have said that the date of the incident –– the eve of the summer solstice -- as well as the bizarre circumstances of the man's death suggest that the death may have been connected with an occult ritual.
[...]
Burlington Township police Det. Tim Richardson said: "It did appear that some ritual was involved. There was a lot of decoration [at the site], plus the fact that he prepared himself a bed before he actually started the fire."
[...]
"What we found [at the site]," said Speth, "were sticks that were 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide, put down parallel to each other, like a platform on the ground and laid right on ground, surrounded by larger limbs that were used to outline the perimeter of this rectangular area."
[...]
The fire temperature exceeded that produced just by wood, Speth said, leading Speth to conclude that "an accelerant was present. There was an empty can but we can't tell what was in it because the interior of the can was burned, too."
[...]
"The boy had a temporary filling for a large restoration in tooth number 29," Speth said, the tooth that is fourth from the rear on the bottom of the mouth proceeding from the back to the front.
"He had a lot of restorative work done in his mouth," Speth said, "and has several teeth that are missing and the sockets are closed, which means they have been missing for a long time."
