NV NV - John Pappas, 54, Las Vegas, 18 Aug 1976

[TheArtfulDetective]

John George Pappas



Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: August 18, 1976
Location Last Seen: Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada

Description:

• Date of Birth: circa 1922
• Age: 54 years old
• Race: White/Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5' 10" (70 inches)
• Weight: 185 lbs
• Hair Color: Gray
• Eye Color: Brown
• Nickname/Alias: Unknown
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Small growth on left hip.
• Clothing & Personal Items: Unknown
• Identifiers: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Pappas left his residence in Las Vegas, Nevada on the evening on August 18, 1976. He stated he was going to meet an unknown person at a local restaurant about selling his boat. He has never been heard from again.

At the time of his disappearance, Pappas was driving a white 1973 Ford Gran Torino two-door with Nevada plates. Both Pappas and the vehicle have never been located. Few details are available regarding his case and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigators:

• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department: (702) 828-3111
  Reference Case#: 760000044455

NamUs CaseNumber: MP29902
NCIC Case Number: N/A

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[H.P. Loathecraft]

Interesting in that I just saw an article in the British tabloid Daily Mail which asserts that Mr Pappas might well be that body found in a barrel at Lake Mead, now that the lake is drying up.

 

[H.P. Loathecraft]

John George Pappas

View attachment 342574

Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: August 18, 1976
Location Last Seen: Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada

Description:

• Date of Birth: circa 1922
• Age: 54 years old
• Race: White/Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5' 10" (70 inches)
• Weight: 185 lbs
• Hair Color: Gray
• Eye Color: Brown
• Nickname/Alias: Unknown
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Small growth on left hip.
• Clothing & Personal Items: Unknown
• Identifiers: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Pappas left his residence in Las Vegas, Nevada on the evening on August 18, 1976. He stated he was going to meet an unknown person at a local restaurant about selling his boat. He has never been heard from again.

At the time of his disappearance, Pappas was driving a white 1973 Ford Gran Torino two-door with Nevada plates. Both Pappas and the vehicle have never been located. Few details are available regarding his case and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigators:

• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department: (702) 828-3111
  Reference Case#: 760000044455

NamUs CaseNumber: MP29902
NCIC Case Number: N/A

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Interesting in that I just saw an article in the British tabloid Daily Mail which asserts that Mr Pappas might well be that body found in a barrel at Lake Mead, now that the lake is drying up.

 

[H.P. Loathecraft]

...

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Interesting in that I just saw an article in the British tabloid Daily Mail which asserts that Mr Pappas might well be that body found in a barrel at Lake Mead, now that the lake is drying up.

Yes that is very interesting! Recently I submitted this case specifically for that when other Websleuthers were posting about the bodies being discovered in Lake Mead. It was pointed out that we didn't have many missing men cases from Vegas in Hyman's thread so Cappos was added as a possibility.

Great article. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Trisha2022]

This information is not completely accurate. His vehicle was found outside of Circus Circus with the keys inside and he went missing on Aug 16th but it was reported on Aug 18th.

 

[Pennysmom1]

May 8, 2022

A lake recedes, a body emerges, and the ghost of Johnny Pappas rises in my memory - The Nevada Independent

News of the discovery of the remains of a body in a barrel at Lake Mead has Las Vegas buzzing these days.

thenevadaindependent.com

<<On the night of Aug. 18, 1976, Johnny Pappas left home to meet two men who said they were interested in buying the boat he owned that he used on Lake Mead. Johnny’s wife, Cheryl, showgirl pretty in my memory, told police her husband went to the Jo-Jo’s restaurant on Las Vegas Boulevard to negotiate the deal.

He never returned home.

His car was found three days later in the Circus Circus parking lot with the keys in the ignition.

The local newspapers published articles sketching the sparse available facts. Johnny’s mob connections were barely mentioned. A week after he disappeared, a local police sergeant lamely said there was nothing that indicated Pappas was dead and the story began to fade.>>

 

[Pennysmom1]

Still listed as missing at 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

Hair Color Gray or Partially Gray
Left Eye Color Brown
Right Eye Color Brown
Eye Description--

---

Distinctive Physical Features​

Deformity Small growth on left hip.

Clothing and Accessories​

Eyewear Glasses

Jewelry Gold pinky ring with a diamond, Gold link bracelet, Gold neck chain

 

[chaddylex]

John was added to The Charley Project

John George Pappas – The Charley Project

Pappas, circa 1976

• Missing Since 08/18/1976
• Missing From Las Vegas, Nevada
• Classification Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Age54 years old
• Height and Weight5'10, 185 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A gold chain necklace, a gold link bracelet and a gold pinky ring with a diamond.
• Associated Vehicle(s)White two-door 1973 Ford Gran Torino with Nevada license plates
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Pappas had a small growth on his hip at the time of his disappearance. He wears eyeglasses. His nickname is Johnnie Z.

Details of Disappearance​

Pappas was last seen in Las Vegas, Nevada on the evening of August 18, 1976. He left home driving his white two-door 1973 Ford Gran Torino with Nevada license plates, saying he was going to meet someone at a local restaurant about selling his boat. He never returned home and has never been heard from again. Few details are available in his case.

Investigating Agency​

• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 702-828-2907

Source Information​

• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
• NamUs

 

[Caring1]

Bump

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

7 Unidentified Person Exclusions

 

[Pennysmom1]

May 4, 2023

Lake Mead investigators optimistic about solving body in the barrel homicide case

Receding waters at Lake Mead have led to a series of recent discoveries on its shore, including a barrel found with a still-unidentified body inside.

abcnews.go.com

<<Pappas' niece, Patricia Haas, grew up hearing all about her charming Uncle Johnny, her mother's brother from Youngstown, Ohio, who had moved to Nevada and was rubbing elbows with the Vegas showbiz elite.

"He was just that kind of uncle. He'd take you around, show you things. Everybody was, 'Hi Johnny! Hi Johnny!' You could just feel that everybody really respected him," Haas told ABC News.

By the mid-1970s, Pappas was running Echo Bay Marina, a popular Lake Mead spot once known to be associated with organized crime, according to retired Las Vegas FBI agent Marc Kaspar.

Haas said her entire family was planning to move to Las Vegas and work for Pappas at Echo Bay. But in 1976, he suddenly disappeared. Pappas' wife Cheryl told the family that someone had tried to force him off the road as he drove back from Lake Mead, Haas said.

Before Pappas went missing, he was considering becoming a government witness, according to Schumacher.>>