This is a fairly-recent case. Based on the description of the condition of this UID's body, I initially assumed that he had died as a result of being hit by a train shortly before being discovered.
However, further sleuthing on my part failed to uncover any reports of a train incident the day that the body was located. Instead, I managed to discover several articles that speak of an unidentified man who was found dead at an NYC train station on November 2. While these articles don't mention possible race demographics or the tattoo mentioned on NamUS, there were enough consistencies between the articles and the NamUS profile to the point where I was satisfied that they were describing the same person.
From what I gather, it appears that the UID had actually been dead for a bit of time before his body was discovered, which sort of rules out my previous assumption that this was a train vs pedestrian accident / suicide. The remains are described as being both burned and decomposed, and several articles state that the UID is believed to have been homeless. While some articles hypothesize that the UID may have been electrocuted upon making contact with a rail at the station, I personally think that he could have died of natural causes (COVID, maybe?) and that the burning of the remains may have taken place postmortem, perhaps as the result of a fire at the station or the UID's already-deceased body making contact with the aforementioned electrified rail. Either way, this is a sad case. He was quite young.
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NCMEC Number --
ME/C Case Number M20-65791
Demographics
SexMale
Race / EthnicityBlack / African American
Possible First Name --
Possible Middle Name--
Possible Last Name--
Nickname/Alias--
Estimated Age GroupAdult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years)18-30
Estimated Year of Death--
Estimated PMI--
Height 5' 7"(67 inches) , Measured
WeightCannot Estimate
Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundNovember 2, 2020
NamUs Case CreatedNovember 5, 2020
ME/C QA Reviewed--
Location Found Map
Location New York, New York
CountyNew York County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--
Found On Tribal LandNo
Circumstances of Recovery Unknown male individual found on the subway tracks of the #2 train in Manhattan. There are no leads to his identity.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains --
Condition of RemainsNot recognizable - Traumatic injuries
Physical Description
Hair Color Black
Head Hair Description Short, tightly curled black hair
Body Hair Description --
Facial Hair Description --
Left Eye Color Unknown
Right Eye Color Unknown
Eye Description --
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Tattoo
Monochromatic tattoo of the name "Shaundel" or "Chaundel" on the inner upper left arm
Clothing and Accessories
No Information Entered
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However, further sleuthing on my part failed to uncover any reports of a train incident the day that the body was located. Instead, I managed to discover several articles that speak of an unidentified man who was found dead at an NYC train station on November 2. While these articles don't mention possible race demographics or the tattoo mentioned on NamUS, there were enough consistencies between the articles and the NamUS profile to the point where I was satisfied that they were describing the same person.
From what I gather, it appears that the UID had actually been dead for a bit of time before his body was discovered, which sort of rules out my previous assumption that this was a train vs pedestrian accident / suicide. The remains are described as being both burned and decomposed, and several articles state that the UID is believed to have been homeless. While some articles hypothesize that the UID may have been electrocuted upon making contact with a rail at the station, I personally think that he could have died of natural causes (COVID, maybe?) and that the burning of the remains may have taken place postmortem, perhaps as the result of a fire at the station or the UID's already-deceased body making contact with the aforementioned electrified rail. Either way, this is a sad case. He was quite young.
----
NCMEC Number --
ME/C Case Number M20-65791
Demographics
SexMale
Race / EthnicityBlack / African American
Possible First Name --
Possible Middle Name--
Possible Last Name--
Nickname/Alias--
Estimated Age GroupAdult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years)18-30
Estimated Year of Death--
Estimated PMI--
Height 5' 7"(67 inches) , Measured
WeightCannot Estimate
Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundNovember 2, 2020
NamUs Case CreatedNovember 5, 2020
ME/C QA Reviewed--
Location Found Map
Location New York, New York
CountyNew York County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--
Found On Tribal LandNo
Circumstances of Recovery Unknown male individual found on the subway tracks of the #2 train in Manhattan. There are no leads to his identity.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains --
Condition of RemainsNot recognizable - Traumatic injuries
Physical Description
Hair Color Black
Head Hair Description Short, tightly curled black hair
Body Hair Description --
Facial Hair Description --
Left Eye Color Unknown
Right Eye Color Unknown
Eye Description --
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Tattoo
Monochromatic tattoo of the name "Shaundel" or "Chaundel" on the inner upper left arm
Clothing and Accessories
No Information Entered
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