Identified! PA - Chester Co., WhtMale 1280UMPA, 20-30, Nov'68 - Robert Corriveau

[Richard]

I found the following interesting posting on a website where former service men and women try to locate and reconnect with other service members. In this case, the website is primarily for Marines.

It includes some more information on Corriveau's military history.

Note that the e-mail address is inoperable.

---------------------------------------------------------

Trying to locate: CPL.ROBERT D. CORRIVEAU SER.# 2140499
Branch of Service: Marine
Unit was: I CO. 3BATT.3 FOURTH MAR.DIV>
Where served: HE ARRIVED IN COUNTRY 10/12/66 7/24/67 DONG HA. QUING TRI, CAMP JJ. CAROL MORE TO FOLLOW,
When served: WENT FROM KADENA AFB OKINAWA,10/8/66 TO DONG HA RVN> Message is:
Please contact: DAVID E. BEEMAN 144-5827 USMC.
Mailing address: 100 COLONIAL DR. #56
City, State, Zip: IPSWICH MA 01938
Or send email to DAVID E. BEEMAN 144-5827 USMC. using this automatic email form"
[email protected]

LINK:

http://www.vietvet.org/usmc110.htm

 

[Richard]

The nature of the young man's healed bullet wound can be seen in one of the photos at the below link. Click on the black and white picture of the left arm with the swallow tattoo, and you can see the scar on the upper arm between the elbow and shoulder.

If this wound was received in Vietnam, then he would have been awarded a Purple Heart - among other medals and service ribbons. A Purple Heart guarantees a serviceman the priviledge of being buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

LINK (note contains morgue photos)

http://www.pennsylvaniamissing.com/1...a11181968.html

 

[Cubby]

Everytime I see this thread bumped I hope to see an official id is finally made.
It's been just over 2 months since Carlk posted with the NamUs info. According to that post it was back in October that this match was in the process of being made.

I wish we knew when Cpl. Corriveau's sister submitted dna. If we go back to October we're almost at the 6 month mark.

Praying for an official id soon.

 

[Cubby]

I found the following interesting posting on a website where former service men and women try to locate and reconnect with other service members. In this case, the website is primarily for Marines.

It includes some more information on Corriveau's military history.

Note that the e-mail address is inoperable.

---------------------------------------------------------

Trying to locate: CPL.ROBERT D. CORRIVEAU SER.# 2140499
Branch of Service: Marine
Unit was: I CO. 3BATT.3 FOURTH MAR.DIV>
Where served: HE ARRIVED IN COUNTRY 10/12/66 7/24/67 DONG HA. QUING TRI, CAMP JJ. CAROL MORE TO FOLLOW,
When served: WENT FROM KADENA AFB OKINAWA,10/8/66 TO DONG HA RVN> Message is:
Please contact: DAVID E. BEEMAN 144-5827 USMC.
Mailing address: 100 COLONIAL DR. #56
City, State, Zip: IPSWICH MA 01938
Or send email to DAVID E. BEEMAN 144-5827 USMC. using this automatic email form"
[email protected]

LINK:

http://www.vietvet.org/usmc110.htm

Thanks for finding this Richard. I thought maybe the link would be dated, unfortunately it is not. If Mr. Beeman googles his name, I'm sure he'll find us and this thread.

 

[9InchNails]

Is a DNA testing always required to make an official ID in such cases?

I mean, it seems so obvious that this is Cpl. Corriveau. Everything is a match, timeline, location, his face was recognizable and the tattoos match too...

I remember looking at the morgue photos last year and thinking that he should have been identified so long ago. And then I saw that they identified him as Cpl. Corriveau which I thought was great, so I was a bit surprised when I read here that they were still waiting for the DNA testing to be made.

 

[necco]

I wonder if they're dotting their i s and crossing their t s extra carefully because of the multiple jurisdictions and the military benefits that someone may be entitled to now. It's very obvious this is the same guy. I've never seen pics match so well.

 

[Richard]

This is an interesting case on many levels. Note that far from being a complete unknown, this missing Marine has had people seeking him over the years: Marine Corps buddies, his sister, Navy Hospital staff, USMC Headquarters, NCIS, etc.

Back in 1968, a positive identification COULD have been made by any of the above without the benefit of DNA matching. In fact, DNA was unknown back then. But today, some 43 years later, DNA has become the rule in positive identification.

I do not know why it has been taking so long for a positive identification in this case, but I can say generally that the military has a protocol to follow. Even after they have what they believe to be a positive ID, they cannot release that information to the public until the next of kin is identified/located, personally contacted, and the identifying information is presented and accepted.

 

[CarlK90245]

I do not know why it has been taking so long for a positive identification in this case, but I can say generally that the military has a protocol to follow. Even after they have what they believe to be a positive ID, they cannot release that information to the public until the next of kin is identified/located, personally contacted, and the identifying information is presented and accepted.

We do know that his sister has been identified/located, and personally contacted. She was the one who provided the DNA FRS.

 

[Richard]

We do know that his sister has been identified/located, and personally contacted. She was the one who provided the DNA FRS.

I believe that Corporal Corriveau may have been married and that his wife is also seeking information on his case. She states that he was a native of MA.

 

[Richard]

DNA testing is complete. Official results are pending.

Quote: "DNA Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete" Unquote

Source:

NamUs - National Missing Persons Data System - Robert Corriveau - MP # 13664


LINK:

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/13664/1

 

[CarlK90245]

This is interesting:

NamUs just added a casefile for a Leon Rene Corriveau, who was last seen in 1986 in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14556/6

He strongly resembles "Bobby Dan" Corriveau. I wonder if they are related. He would have been about 2 years old at the time of Bobby Dan's death/disappearance.

 

[Richard]

This is interesting:

NamUs just added a casefile for a Leon Rene Corriveau, who was last seen in 1986 in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14556/6

He strongly resembles "Bobby Dan" Corriveau. I wonder if they are related. He would have been about 2 years old at the time of Bobby Dan's death/disappearance.

Interesting case, Carl. If you haven't already, you could put post a new thread for him in the "Missing in the 1980's" topic area of "Missing but not forgotten" here on Websleuths.

While they both have the same last name, and it is possible that this young man could be a relative of Missing Marine Corporal Robert Daniel "Bobby Dan" Corriveau, I do not think that their cases are connected.

There are quite a few Corriveaus in the Northeast U.S. So it might also just be a coincidence of them having the same last name. But I also see the resemblence in the photos.

 

[Richard]

Bumping case up. No official word on DNA results has been released as yet.

 

[Richard]

IDENTIFIED

The Downingtown John Doe has been positively identified through DNA analysis, and other means as Corporal Robert Daniel Corriveau, United States Marine Corps.

His family has been notified officially. Further arrangements are pending. The investigation into his aparent murder is ongoing.

Corporal Robert Daniel Corriveau was an active duty Marine who had been wounded in action on three separate occasions in the Quang Tri Province of Viet Nam in 1967. He was recovering from his wounds at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital when he was reported missing on Monday, 18 November 1968.

This identification was made possible through the efforts of Corporal Corriveau's family, the Pennsylvania State Police Cold Case Unit, the Pennsylvania Medical Examiner, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), The United States Marine Corps, several Missing and Unidentified websites, and through the efforts of the many interested individuals hoping and praying for a resolution in this case.

 

[tatertot]

This may be a strange question, but while knife murders are far less common than shooting deaths (and I would assume the same held true for 1968), is it extremely unusual for a murderer to kill with a single wound to the heart?

Aside from the murder method, there is nothing to link the two, but Betsy Aardsma was murdered the same way a year later, 33 miles away in State College, PA, apparently by someone who simply left after the murder.

May Cpl Corriveau Rest in Peace.

 

[Richard]

This may be a strange question, but while knife murders are far less common than shooting deaths (and I would assume the same held true for 1968), is it extremely unusual for a murderer to kill with a single wound to the heart?....

The nature of the wound - a single stab to the heart - is an indication that Corporal Corriveau was, in fact, murdered. There is no way that he could have inflicted the wound on himself (and then got rid of the weapon).

It is also an indication that the murderer knew exactly what he was doing and that he was skilled in this method. This was not an accident - it was very deliberate.

Note that the weapon was not a knife, but rather a round spike - like object. It may have been a sharpened nail, screwdriver, or ice pick.

This was not a fight. It was a cold blooded and sudden attack. Corporal Corriveau was a combat trained and experienced Marine. If he had seen it coming, the result would probably have been very different.

While Corporal Corriveau has finally been identified, this case is still unsolved and the investigation is on going.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

What can we learn from this case? How could it be that he was unidentified for so long? Was it a factor of his body being discovered before he was listed as missing? Not enough media coverage at the time? A small story and description of the UID in the Philly papers might have allowed someone to connect the dotted line and find him. Downingtown is only a few miles from Philadelphia. This is one that should have been solved in hours, not decades. Ironic that this man survived three wounds in Vietnam but Philly turned out to be more hazardous.

 

[Richard]

While Corporal Corriveau has finally been identified, his death remains unsolved. He was obviously murdered - but by whom and for what reason? That investigation continues.

 

[tamar]

Here is one scenario...


A single frontal stab wound directly to the heart indicates that the victim allowed his murderer to get very close to him, (that he knew or trusted him/her) and that he didn't feel very threatened. Also, there was no overkill that points to rage... Perhaps the victim saw the weapon, but didn't believe the murderer would actually follow through, or perhaps he viewed the murderer as smaller or weaker and "only holding a screwdriver". He probably didn't anticipate such deadly aim.

The fact that he sat down and was not kicked over by the perp, or injured further, makes me suspect that the murderer ran immediately after that single stab wound-- not checking to see if the victim was actually dead. A panic move.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

...except that the killer stayed around long enough to take the wallet. If he hadn't there would have been ID on the body.
Anyone know of similar ice pick/awl murders in the area at that general time? The killer may well have been caught for another similar crime.