Found Deceased TN - James Sanders, 32, Portland, 1 Jan 1978

[Coffee56]

Demographics
Missing Age32 Years
Current Age73 Years
First NameJames
Middle NameLeander
Last NameSanders
Nickname/Alias--

SexMale
Height5' 10" (70 Inches)
Weight170 lbs
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactJanuary 1, 1978
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 16, 2014
Last Known Location Map
Locationportland, Tennessee
CountySumner County

Circumstances of DisappearanceDate last seen as well as height and weight are unknown. Sanders was last seen leaving a bus station in Sumner County, TN. His plans were to hitch hike to North or South Carolina.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBrown
Head Hair Description--
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBlue
Right Eye ColorBlue

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[glamourkitty1922]

Hitchhiking was so popular and so dangerous in the 70s. He could have ended up anywhere.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Is this the same person ?

40-year-old cold case thaws with identified body found in Immokalee

A 40-year-old mystery is steps closer to resolution after modern technology this week identified the victim.

According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, on Feb. 3, 1981, people found the skeletal remains of a man wrapped in an electric blanket at a remote site in Immokalee.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office says DNA evidence resolved part of a mystery concerning a body found in Immokalee four decades ago. They said the evidence identifies James Leander Sanders as the man. He was reported missing from Tennesee.

On Tuesday, DNA confirmed the body belonged to James Leander Sanders of Tennessee.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Remains found in Florida in 1981 are determined to be missing Tennessee man

 

[MajorHoople]

Remains found in Florida in 1981 are determined to be missing Tennessee man | wbir.com

"A Midstate family has some answers about what happened to their loved one after more than 40 years.

It was ultimately DNA samples that helped crack the case.

43 years ago, James Sanders never returned home to Portland, Tennessee.

"For a long time, they've had to have wondered where their father was," Detective Richard Brinkley with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said.

Detective Brinkley spoke with James Sanders' son on Tuesday. Brinkley explained DNA led to his father's remains being identified in Immokalee, Florida.

"He was grateful for our work too," Brinkley said.

James Sanders' brother called the sheriff's office about a missing man in 2014.

Investigators said a burned body turned up at Poole Knobs Recreation Area in La Vergne in 1978. That's the same year Sanders disappeared."

 

[MajorHoople]

Missing Midstate man brought home after 43 years

posted Sep 2, 2021 - WSMV

 

[MadMcGoo]

Rest peacefully now James.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Can we get this moved to the located forum?