PA PA - Reading, WhtMale, 45-55, found dead on the stage @ Astor Theater. August 1986.

[cheemsg]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)​

UP16594​

Demographics​

Biological Sex: Male
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 60
Estimated Age Range (Years): 45-55
Estimated Year of Death: 1985-1986
Estimated PMI: Months
Height: 5' 6"(66 inches) , Estimated
Weight: 140 lbs, Estimated

Circumstances​

Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: August 5, 1986
NamUs Case Created: May 9, 2017

Location Found Map​

Location: Reading, Pennsylvania
County: Berks County
Circumstances of Recovery: Found lying on the corner of the stage in the Astor Theater.

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Details of Recovery​

Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

Physical Description​

Hair Color: Red/Auburn
Head Hair Description: Reddish brown semi-long hair
Body Hair Description: reddish color body hair, had a hairy body and extremities.
Facial Hair Description: reddish brown
Eye Color: Unknown

Clothing and Accessories

Key chain found with body, but unknown if belonged to decedent.
Near the Body

Clothing
Pair of light tan corduroy trousers with a waist size of 33", Green work type shirt with long sleeves, tee shirt under outer shirt was a short sleeve shirt and of army color, teen shirt next to skin was a short sleeve shirt and was white in color.
On the Body

Footwear
high top insulated brown work type shoes with brown laces size 10 1/2, white crew type socks.

 

[lightofmine99]

Laying dead on a Theatre Stage. This sounds like something out of an Agatha Christie work.

 

[iamshadow21]

Laying dead on a Theatre Stage. This sounds like something out of an Agatha Christie work.

Yeah, except I suspect that the theatre in this case was disused. A Christie novel wouldn't have the victim laid there long enough to decompose, which seems to have happened to this person. (I have to admit, that's exactly where my brain went, too, though!)

EDIT: Yep! Out of business since '75, but not demolished for another twenty three years.

Astor Theater (Reading, Pennsylvania) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

MOO

 

[digitective]

Article with some more details here.

It sounds like transients were living in the abandoned theater and John Doe might have been one of them.

 

[digitective]

That's crazy that they cremated John Doe's body just a few weeks after it was found, even though it wasn't identified. Hope they saved some DNA. They also say in this article that the police think he was a vagrant, and the 2 men who were in the theater when he was found weren't involved in his death.