NC NC - Michael Rustin, 33, Salisbury, 19 April 2009

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Investigators are searching for the remains of Michael Rustin. They say he was abducted and murdered back in April of 2009.

NamUs

Black and Missing

NAMPN

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: April 19, 2009 from Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: August 15, 1975
Age: 33
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Distinguishing Characteristics: Pierced ears, several missing teeth, tattoo of the word Metro on chest, letter "G" representing life on right arm, a sword on right forearm. words "Established in 1975" on right arm, word "Love" on left
forearm, word "War" on right forearm, bomb on left hand, initials "PM" on right hand, word "Top Shottas" on top left arm, a dollar sign on right arm with letters "ESP."
Clothing: Light gray and white Dickies T-shirt, dark gray sweat pants, black boots.
Jewelry: Beaded African necklace
AKA: Mike, Mikey

Details of Disappearance
Michael was last seen on video pulling into the parking area and exiting his vehicle at the Latin Mix convenience store in the vicinity of the 900 block of Fulton Avenue, in Salisbury. A Hispanic man was seen entering Michael's vehicle and removing an unknown item and is considered an investigative lead. His cell phone is missing, but identification and other personal items left in his vehicle.

According to police Rustin was taken against his will by two men who were operating a blue Chevrolet Impala.


"SBI digging near Caldwell Co. home in connection to cold case"

http://www.wbtv.com/story/29951847/sbi-digging-near-caldwell-co-home-in-connection-to-cold-case

SBI agents say information in a Salisbury missing persons cold case investigation led them to an old farmhouse in the Gamewell section of Caldwell County.

Salisbury police say a tip has led investigators to look for Michael Rustin's body in that well. Rustin was reported missing in 2009 and the initial investigation followed the case as a possible kidnapping.

Family holds out hope for missing brother -January 2012

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Nothing was found during the search conducted earlier this month. Michael has now been added to The Charley Project.

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
• Missing Since: April 19, 2009 from Salisbury, North Carolina
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth: August 15, 1975
• Age: 33 years old
• Height and Weight: 5'9, 155 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes. Rustin's nicknames are Mike and Mikey. He has several missing teeth and pierced ears. Rustin the following tattoos: the letter "G" on his right arm as well as a dollar sign with the letters "ESP", a sword as well as the phrase "Established in 1975" and the word "War" on his right forearm, the word "Metro" on his chest, the word "Love" on left arm, the words "Top Shottas" on his left arm, a bomb on his left hand, and the initials "PM" on his right hand.
• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black shirt with a red and gray Dickies logo, gray sweatpants, black night boots and a brown, yellow and red beaded necklace.

Details of Disappearance
Rustin was last seen in Salisbury, North Carolina on April 19, 2009. Surveillance footage shows him in the parking lot of the Latin Mix convenience store in the 900 block of Fulton Street. He left his vehicle and got into a blue Chevrolet Impala with two Hispanic men. When his girlfriend and sister went to the store to check on him, they found his car there with his identification and other belongings; only his cellular phone was missing. Rustin was reported missing at 11:30 p.m. He has never been heard from again.

Police suspect foul play was involved in Rustin's disappearance and, in September 2015, they dug up an abandoned house and excavated a disused well on the property. Their search turned up nothing. Rustin's case remains unsolved.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Updated Charley Project link:

http://charleyproject.org/case/michael-maurice-rustin

 

[Pennysmom1]

Michael is still missing

Missing Person / NamUs #MP4695

View NamUs missing person case MP4695 for Michael Maurice Rustin missing from Salisbuty, North Carolina. Date of last contact: Apr 19, 2009. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

Have You Seen this Missing Person? Black and Missing Foundation

This person is currently missing. Please #HelpUsFindUs.

blackandmissinginc.com

 

[OliviaG0525]

I live in the Statesville Area of NC and there was an unidentified body found in late 2010 belonging to a “African American male 40-65 in age suspected.” However, He had been deteriorating for around a year so it’s iffy. In 2010 in Salisbury NC Michael Maurice Rustin (39 years old African American) went missing. Salisbury is only an hour from Statesville and I compared the unidentified remains sketch with Michael and it looks kind of similar. Am I onto something?
“I used chat gpt to turn the non colored sketch into a color photo” am I onto something or getting my hopes up for nothing?

 

[HopeRains]

Hopefully, this would have already been considered by LE/ME given "close enough" stats and the somewhat high-profile nature of Michael's disappearance - SBI involvement and I believe several searches and digs for his remains. I believe that would be worth confirming - there are no comparisons or exclusions publicly listed in Namus for either Michael or the John Doe.

 

[GraceG]

The sketches done by a forensic artist using only decomposed or skeletal remains are not as precise as you see depited on TV. For a body that's been out for a year in a non-desert environment, decomposition and environmental effects would likely result in degradation of the remains. Rigor mortis, environmental pressure and animal activity can cause facial feature distortion or surface marks. The jaw of the deceased may become slack due to the relaxation of the muscles of mastication.

The skull is made up of 22 bones, 14 facial and eight cranial bones. Being that complex. even small variations during development and growth, together with soft tissue differences, create the enormous facial variation seen in the human population. But without soft tissue, the artist has much less to "work with" and the resultant sketch has to "fill in the gaps" of what is missing simply from artistic interpretation, which can be inaccurate a large percentage of the time. That is why such drawings are considered by most forensic scientists to be too subjective and heavily reliant on the artistic skill of the individual practitioner. So why do the forensic sketch then?

Having worked with human remains identification in my career along with medical examiners, and forensic anthropologists/pathologists I have learned facial reconstruction is not a method of identification, but rather a tool for recognition; to produce a list of names from which the individual may be identified by DNA assessment, dental record analysis or other accepted methods of identification. In a forensic investigation, it is often the last option when the routine routes of enquiry, (i.e. crime or accident scene evidence, missing person files, and dental record assessment) may have already been pursued without a positive ID. When combined with a publicity campaign, facial reconstruction from skeletal remains may lead to recognition by a member of the public, and hence lead to the identification of that individual.

So kudos to you for looking into this, but I have to say that the artistic rendention is based on an artists impression from the skeletal remains, and using CHATgpt to make a drawing from that, though a very intriguing concept, won't alter that accuracy of the initial drawing.