SD SD - Medicine Mountain, MultMale 15-21, UP114536, Skel remains found in area, Nov'78

ProudSuggestion3528

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  • #1
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) - Recon available
NamUs# UP114536
UID White/Native Male
Medicine Mountain, SD

UP114536-1.jpg

UP114536-2.jpg

UP114536-3.jpg

Case Numbers​

ME/C Case Number: 79-4

Demographics​

Biological Sex: Male
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian, American Indian / Alaska Native, Uncertain
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years): 15-21
Height: 5' 7"-6' 1"(67-73 inches) , Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances​

Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: July 1, 1978
NamUs Case Created: January 12, 2024

Location Found Map

Location: Medicine Mountain, South Dakota
County: Pennington County
Found On Tribal Land: No
Circumstances of Recovery: Skeletal remains recovered from Medicine Mountain.


Details of Recovery​

Inventory of Remains: One or both hands not recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

Physical Description​

Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown


Distinctive Physical Features​

No Information Entered​

Clothing and Accessories​

No Information Entered​

0 MP Exclusions
 
  • #2






His remains were found in a shallow grave on November 1, 1978. <ETA: I emailed these links to the NamUs rep, so hopefully the info can be corrected on his profile> He was thought to have been there anywhere from 6 months to a year.

He was estimated to be in his late teens to early 20s, 5’8” to 5’11”, 150-165 pounds and had a muscular body type.

Authorities believed he was of Indian descent, but could not rule out that he was white.

Examination of the skeleton determined that his lower left leg had some form of medical attention about four months prior to the man's death.

They also found overgrowth on the left hip indicating some form of disease that may have required medical attention.
 
Last edited:
  • #3
I was writing this case up in the background on another thread, and was wondering why I could suddenly see clippings of all of the newspaper articles I'd been trying to decipher appearing. This explains it - thank you for posting them :D
 
  • #4
General Information

Date of Discovery - 11/01/1978 (The NamUs file indicates that the remains were discovered on July 1, but comparison with newspaper coverage suggests that the correct date is November 1)

Location of Discovery – Medicine Mountain, Pennington County, South Dakota

Estimated Date of Death – Late 1977 - Early 1978

State of Remains - Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

Cause of Death - Possible Homicide

Physical Description

Estimated Age – 15 - 21

Race - White / Caucasian, American Indian / Alaska Native, Uncertain

Gender - Male

Height - 5'7 - 6'1 (Newspaper reports indicate 5'9 to 5'11)

Weight – Cannot Estimate (Newspaper reports indicate 150 to 165 pounds)

Hair Color - Unknown

Eye Color - Unknown or Missing

Distinguishing Marks / Features – The man had a muscular build. There was evidence that he had undergone some sort of surgery or medical procedure on his lower left leg around four months prior to his death. He also had overgrowth (or bone spurs) on his left hip, which may have indicated that he had some sort of condition that required medical attention.

Clothing and Accessories

Clothing - N/A

Jewelry - N/A

Additional Personal Items – N/A

Circumstances of Discovery

A hunter discovered the partial skeletal remains of the man buried in a shallow grave on Medicine Mountain, in an area of Pennington County located west of Hill City. The remains appear to have been scattered over a fairly wide area, as the pelvic bone was not located until several days after the initial discovery and, as the NamUs file notes, other bones are still yet to be recovered. Authorities initially believed that the man had died from between several months to three years before he was discovered, but later narrowed this time frame down to around a year.

Working with authorities in Colorado, the Pennington County Sheriff's Department were able to determine that the remains most likely belonged to a teenager of Native American descent. However, an initial comparison of the decedent with missing persons reports in South Dakota failed to turn up a match. The following year, pathologists in Denver who had been assisting with the case suggest that the man's skull should be sent to a medical illustrator working with the Federal Aviation Administration in Oklahoma City in order to develop a clay reconstruction.

In August of 1979, the clay reconstruction of the man was completed, and photographs were released to the media where they were widely published throughout South Dakota. Authorities stated that the likeness to the man was ' probably not exact, but close enough that someone might recognise the face'. Although 5 potential leads were received to the victim's identity after the reconstruction was released, all were eventually excluded as being a match to the decedent.

In August of 1980, the Pennington County Sheriff's Department sent out thousands of flyers and letters throughout states in the region, including South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. These were sent to police departments and sheriff's offices, but were also sent to Native American health centres, as examinations had shown that the man's dental work had likely been performed in a public health centre or hospital. These inquiries did result in another 38 leads being explored, but none of these panned out.

In November of 1993, the case was mentioned in relation to another body that was found decapitated in the vicinity of Medicine Mountain. Although there is no evidence to suggest that these cases are related, the newspaper report indicated that, despite extensive investigations, the man located in the shallow grave in 1978 had still not been identified.

Rapid City Journal - November 2, 1978

Rapid City Journal - November 6, 1978

Rapid City Journal - November 13, 1978

Rapid City Journal - November 16, 1978

Rapid City Journal - March 19, 1979

Lead Daily - March 21, 1979

Argus Leader - March 23, 1979

Rapid City Journal - August 3, 1979

Lead Daily - August 6, 1979

Rapid City Journal - August 17, 1979

Rapid City Journal - August 28, 1980

Rapid City Journal - November 16, 1993
 
  • #5
The NamUs was modified today. Medicine Mountain John Doe has one new excusion.

Edward Ulver #MP64667
 
  • #6
There is one new exclusion as of 10/22/2024.

Jewel Wheeler (MP115773) - Missing from Pine Ridge, South Dakota since 1977.
 
  • #7
I wonder if this unidentified man might be a young USAF Airman named Frank Christensen, age about 19, who went missing about 8 July 1977.

He had visited his family in Racine, Wisconsin and departed there on 8 July 1977 to return to his base in Maryland, but never arrived.

Frank has a thread with photos in the "Missing in the 1970's" section oh Websleuths.
 
  • #8
His NamUs was modified 12/14/2024. There is one new exclusion.

Alan Soper (MP7770) - Missing from Tulsa, Oklahoma since 1974.
 
  • #9
His NamUs was modified March 30; there are no new public exclusions.
 
  • #10
what's "indian"

subcontinental or native american
 
  • #11
  • #12

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