NV NV - Trevor Angell, 28, Primm, 22 Sept 2000

[dulcinea]

Is there a chance he didn't know it was stolen at that time?

It's been a few years since I've been out that way, but there isn't/wasn't much around WP's and I suspect in 2000 there was even less. He could've had someone give him a ride, but I'm just not getting that vibe.

I would think faking stomach pain would draw more attention rather than get people to ignore him. I really think he could've just walked away and no one would've thought twice about it.

 

[JSolt1210]

Is there a chance he didn't know it was stolen at that time?

It's been a few years since I've been out that way, but there isn't/wasn't much around WP's and I suspect in 2000 there was even less. He could've had someone give him a ride, but I'm just not getting that vibe.

I would think faking stomach pain would draw more attention rather than get people to ignore him. I really think he could've just walked away and no one would've thought twice about it.

Yeah I agree about the stomach pain, and I don't think he faked it either. I was just throwing out ideas. To me it seems genuine, and that's why I wonder if he was poisoned because it's just such a strange detail. If he poisoned himself, maybe he then regretted it and that's why he asked for help? Someone upthread suggested (accidental?) alcohol poisoning, but wouldn't that mean he'd still have been drunk in the morning? The waitress didn't seem to notice that.

Good point about him possibly not knowing right away that his debit card was missing (if that's what happened). Maybe he already had cash on him, and that's what he used to pay for the oatmeal. If he'd been drinking heavily, maybe he was waiting for it to wear off before reporting his debit card as lost.

 

[Tired Professor]

Speaking of ATM machines and Whiskey Pete’s…

https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/sandiego/press-releases/2012/fourteen-charged-in-million-dollar-gone-in-60-seconds-bank-fraud

This ring was busted after Trevor went missing. I am fairly certain it probably has nothing to do with this case but you never know and I’m sure there are lots other illegal happenings we don’t hear about or that the casino themselves isn’t even aware of. I’m not sure exactly what happened but I am thinking that it was not a coincidence that he disappeared on what was supposed to be his last haul.

 

[dulcinea]

The stomach pain has me. I feel like it's a key piece to solving this. An adult male clutching his stomach and asking for help sounds serious to me. Could he have had appendicitis? Heavy drinking (I don't know how much he drank) could cause a flare up and disorientation could be a symptom. I just can't think of anything else that would cause an adult male to clutch his stomach. It is my understanding that this can come on suddenly, which would explain why he was seemingly okay at breakfast and previous to breakfast. Regardless of what he was suffering from, where in the world did he go?

 

[Tired Professor]

The stomach pain has me. I feel like it's a key piece to solving this. An adult male clutching his stomach and asking for help sounds serious to me. Could he have had appendicitis? Heavy drinking (I don't know how much he drank) could cause a flare up and disorientation could be a symptom. I just can't think of anything else that would cause an adult male to clutch his stomach. It is my understanding that this can come on suddenly, which would explain why he was seemingly okay at breakfast and previous to breakfast. Regardless of what he was suffering from, where in the world did he go?

The fact he was seen like that in the parking lot asking for help (and not the casino) makes me wonder if someone (or a group of someones) had hurt him and he was trying to get out of there before meeting with up with them again.

 

[JSolt1210]

The fact he was seen like that in the parking lot asking for help (and not the casino) makes me wonder if someone (or a group of someones) had hurt him and he was trying to get out of there before meeting with up with them again.

That's also a good theory. If someone just punched (as opposed to stabbed) him outside, there would be no blood, so the scene wouldn't look too suspicious—just some poor guy suffering stomach pain.

The thing is, though, if one or more people hurt him outside, did they just hide nearby? No one reported seeing anyone suspicious. Did they then come back out after the witness left to finish the job? Seems risky because the aggressor(s) would know that other people are now aware of the scene.

Still, at this point, this is as good a possibility as any.

 

[Tired Professor]

That's also a good theory. If someone just punched (as opposed to stabbed) him outside, there would be no blood, so the scene wouldn't look too suspicious—just some poor guy suffering stomach pain.

The thing is, though, if one or more people hurt him outside, did they just hide nearby? No one reported seeing anyone suspicious. Did they then come back out after the witness left to finish the job? Seems risky because the aggressor(s) would know that other people are now aware of the scene.

Still, at this point, this is as good a possibility as any.

If that is the case, it could have happened anywhere- up in one of the rooms or even in the cab of one of the trucks in the parking lot. If there was an employee at the hotel involved, maybe something went down in one of their back rooms. If it was feared he was about to turn someone in and/or he was attracting too much attention in the parking lot then maybe someone did come back for him as you stated.

 

[dulcinea]

Do we know if he spent the night in his truck or Whiskey Pete's?

 

[Tired Professor]

Do we know if he spent the night in his truck or Whiskey Pete's?

Good question. If it was him making all of the withdrawals, then I’m guessing he might have spent most of the night in the Casino? I really have no idea though.

 

[dulcinea]

Thinking through some things

All my speculation: Trevor goes to Whiskey Pete's. He's thinking it's going to be his last time there, so what the heck, why not have a good time? Things aren't going well while he's gambling and he's enjoying some drinks. He takes out some money. And some more. And some more. 9 times total and his most recent paycheck is gone.

Supposed facts: In the morning, Trevor has some oatmeal, pays with the money he has left. No credit card is used. Nothing seems amiss, at least not per the information we have.

More supposed facts: Some time later, Trevor is in the parking lot clutching his stomach and disoriented, asking for help.

Potential reasons he's having stomach pain: Ailment, indigestion, punched in the stomach, faking

My assumptions: We don't know who saw him in pain. We don't know if anyone helped him.

Supposed facts: Trevor disappears from the parking lot. No one sees him. His wallet is left behind in his semi.

I would be curious to know if anyone was with Trevor while he was gambling. Did he owe someone money when he ran out? Did someone see him going repeatedly to get money and assumed he had more?

If Trevor decided to walk away, how did he do it? Would he have left his son and wife behind if he was really thinking about changing careers to spend more time with his family?

 

[Tired Professor]

All my speculation: Trevor goes to Whiskey Pete's. He's thinking it's going to be his last time there, so what the heck, why not have a good time? Things aren't going well while he's gambling and he's enjoying some drinks. He takes out some money. And some more. And some more. 9 times total and his most recent paycheck is gone.

This very well could have been what happened and maybe he was so upset and thought disappearing was better than dealing with the fallout.

If Trevor decided to walk away, how did he do it? Would he have left his son and wife behind if he was really thinking about changing careers to spend more time with his family?

Good question. That’s the one thing that holds me back from the willful disappearance theory.
If he knew this was his last run, my question is what was he leaving this job for? Another job? People generally don’t plan in advance to quit their job unless they had something else in place first. That timeframe is generally not when someone would quit their job to go back to school either.

 

[Aurora90]

I have submitted this John Doe

 

[JSolt1210]

I have submitted this John Doe

I can definitely see the resemblance!

Interesting that the remains were "not recognizable, mummified," but that the estimated PMI is "2 days." I'm sure Nevada summer heat can be brutal, but could it really mummify a body in 2 days? If this is a mistake and they meant 2 years, then this would fit perfectly with Trevor's case.

Also, the location is closer to Las Vegas. Could Trevor have asked someone for a ride to a hospital, and something bad happened on the way, and his body was disposed of?

 

[Tired Professor]

I can definitely see the resemblance!

Interesting that the remains were "not recognizable, mummified," but that the estimated PMI is "2 days." I'm sure Nevada summer heat can be brutal, but could it really mummify a body in 2 days? If this is a mistake and they meant 2 years, then this would fit perfectly with Trevor's case.

Also, the location is closer to Las Vegas. Could Trevor have asked someone for a ride to a hospital, and something bad happened on the way, and his body was disposed of?

Good point about the mummification. Two days seems too short for that description. If Trevor did get a ride into Vegas and lived homeless for awhile, it might explain the presence of the tattoo and beard though.

 

[Tower]

I can definitely see the resemblance!

Interesting that the remains were "not recognizable, mummified," but that the estimated PMI is "2 days." I'm sure Nevada summer heat can be brutal, but could it really mummify a body in 2 days? If this is a mistake and they meant 2 years, then this would fit perfectly with Trevor's case.

Also, the location is closer to Las Vegas. Could Trevor have asked someone for a ride to a hospital, and something bad happened on the way, and his body was disposed of?

I did some online checking and 2 days does seem too fast for true mummification. But maybe LE used the word to mean very dehydtated and not recognizable due to extreme heat. Maybe it was an imprecise term and the body was not truly mummified? It’s an interesting question.

How to Make a Mummy (Accidentally) (Published 2017)

Bodies can be preserved spontaneously under certain conditions, leaving remains that are of tremendous scientific importance.

www.nytimes.com

Decay rates of human remains in an arid environment - PubMed

The environment of southern Arizona with mild winters and hot, dry summers produces great variability in decay rates of human remains. Summer temperatures, which range well over 38 degrees C (100 degrees F), induce rapid bloating as a result of the accumulation of decompositional gases. However...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Ciriii57]

Is it possible he was taken to hospital and died. No one knew who he was and somewhere there is a John Doe who died in hospital?
What's the closest hospital he would have been taken to?

 

[Tired Professor]

Is it possible he was taken to hospital and died. No one knew who he was and somewhere there is a John Doe who died in hospital?
What's the closest hospital he would have been taken to?

Good point. Maybe Sunrise or UMC if it was by ambulance to LV.

 

[Tired Professor]

Tomorrow is the 24 year anniversary of Trevor’s disappearance. I wonder if he will ever be found or if at the very least, the truth of what happen might be discovered so that his family can have closure.

 

[Tower]

Good point. Maybe Sunrise or UMC if it was by ambulance to LV.

Having worked at both hospitals at exactly the time of Trevor’s disappearance, I can say John Does who passed away in the hospital were submitted to LE and would be in NAMUS or similar in 2000. I certainly can’t speak for other jurisdictions, but I had many interactions with Metro here in Vegas when they were investigating identity. They were usually very quick in identifying unknown folks who came in to trauma. I would guess it was a common part of their job compared with other places because a huge percentage of our trauma patients are tourists.

I will never forget multiple bad crashes with tourist busloads of people crashing hospitalized, not able to speak English or traveling far from home. One of my friends even got a paid trip to South Africa to accompany an injured patient back home. That person took weeks to identify. After reuniting them with family, she travelled overseas for a month, free airfare.

Long story long, the John Doe would be listed as dying in an LV hospital on all the major UID sites.

 

[Aurora90]

@Tower Nevada historically does not put a lot of their missing people or unidentified does in NAMUS or other mainstream places. There was a recent Jane doe case that was solved and she was identified years later as a young woman who was reported missing the exact same day. And there was no information available that she was reported missing. However Nevada police said they always had the police report.

So unfortunately I have to disagree a bit.

Only a handful of states are required by law to enter cases into NAMUS and even then it is allowed to take decades to be entered. I hope that changes soon.