TN TN - John Thrasher, 22, Cookeville, 15 Aug 2004

[jodierenee]

I was browsing across the AMW website and this guy was on there. I have never heard of him before this. Picture on the website.

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/case.cfm?id=37090


Personal Website:
http://www.johnmatthewthrasher.com/



John Thrasher disappeared on Saturday, August 14, 2004, from the Putnam County Fair in Cookeville, Tennessee.
No one has seen nor heard from him since. So what really happened to John that night?
Description
Age: 21 Height: 6'1" Weight: 180 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown
If you have any information concerning this case,
please contact The Livingston Police Department at (931) 823-5635 immediately

 

[meggilyweggily]

He has a Charley Project casefile: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/thrasher_john.html

 

[hoppyfrog]

http://www.waaytv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8787469

5 August 08

Searchers in a sinkhole have failed to find the body of a young Overton County man missing for four years.

Rescuers rappelled their way down into a 160-foot sinkhole on Linder Mountain, but did not find the body of John Matthew Thrasher, missing since August 2004.

Overton County Sheriff W.B. Melton said the sinkhole was searched because of a tip in the case.

Thrasher was 21 when he disappeared. He was last seen at the Putnam County Fair.

The sheriff said the investigation and the search will continue.

 

[monkalup]

Investigators Hope Water Searches Uncover In Cases

Posted: Nov 18, 2008 12:47 AM EST

Video Gallery <1>

Investigators Hope Water Searches Uncover Clues In Missing Persons Cases
2: 04
Divers Suspend Search For Body
1:31

Divers Suspend Search For Body

LIVINGSTON, Tenn. - A Federal Bureau of Investigation dive team suspended its search for a body in Overton County Monday.

Divers and crews searched inside Standing Stone State Park. Cadaver dogs indicated that they sniffed something in the water. According to Overton County Sheriff's investigators, sonar readings indicated a body may have been in the water.

Six FBI divers from Virginia didn't find any human remains in the state park, which covers nearly 11,000 acres on the Cumberland Plateau in north-central Tennessee.

"You know, you're looking for one person and you end up having to use the dogs and of course, you speculate that possibly it could be something and that's the only person that I know of that we have missing in Overton County," said Overton County Sheriff's detective Gary Ledbetter about John Matthew Thrasher.

The 21-year-old vanished from the Putnam County fair in 2004. It remains an unsolved case.

Divers Monday searched the same area were two weeks ago murder victim Jennifer Cornell first went missing. Her body was not found either in the water.

"Any leads we get we try to track down. We were not necessarily hoping to find a body today, but we were hoping to get some closure if was John actually there," Ledbetter said.

Thrasher's mother said she is hopeful for an unexpected outcome, but realistic about the prospect that her son won't be found alive.

The dam inside the state park was the site of a search two weekends ago for Cornell.

"There may be some things in the future we may try just to make absolutely sure that there's not somebody out there," Ledbetter said.

He more water searches are a very real possibility. He doesn't regret summoning FBI divers from Virginia on a hunch based on two cadaver dogs.

If anyone has information on John Thrasher's whereabouts, call the Livingston City Police at 931-823-6496. Investigators said callers can remain anonymous.

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=9368177

 

[summer_breeze]

Project Jason

http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=2912.0

North American Missing Persons Network

http://www.nampn.org/cases/thrasher_johnathan.html

NamUs Profile

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/178

 

[~Lyric~]

I was going thru NamUs just a couple of minutes ago and saw John's picture there. He disappeared just right down the road from me. I think the fairgrounds is 2 miles.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/178/109

 

[~Lyric~]

 

[~Lyric~]

John Thrasher's Vitals:
Date of Birth: November 26, 1982
Date Missing: August 15, 2004
Age at Time of Disappearance: 21 years old
From City/State: Overton County, Tennessee
Missing from: Overton and/or Putnam County, Tennessee
Height: 6' 0" to 6' 1"
Weight: 180 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Tattoos: "Thrasher" written in Old English on inside right forearm, tattoo of a 1" wide "rope" with a "knot" around left bicep, tattoo across back of neck, tattoo of an unusual design with the initials "JT" in the center across lower back.
Clothing: White T-shirt with logo and blue jeans.

 

[wendybtn]

Praying for his family,LE, and the searchers!

 

[~Lyric~]

To John's family, I just wanted you to know that on this Easter Sunday, John is not forgotten~

 

[justagirl247]

crazy how many cases there are in TN that ive never heard of at all this being one glad this was started

 

[ElemenohP]

Pickett County Press: August 2015 | Overton County man still missing after almost 11 years
- By: Joshua Savage - NamUs Communications, Administrative Specialist

 

[Cagle]

Law enforcement continues to field occasional tips, and the cold-case investigation is still technically active. Local law enforcement says they still want to find out what happened to the missing young man.

The only significant development was an additional tragedy in the ensuing years. Because the only line-of-duty law enforcement death in Overton County history happened in April 2010, during a search for Thrasher.

Where is John Thrasher? Disappearance and Death in Small-Town America

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bump

 

[Atombudd]

Appalachian Unsolved: John Thrasher, missing 15 years

John Thrasher was 21 years old when he disappeared from Livingston in August 2004.

www.wbir.com

Cold case rips apart family, kills sheriff’s deputy and remains mystery

No one has seen or heard from John Thrasher in 15 years. However, his older brother does not believe he is alive.

www.wkrn.com

JOHNATHAN M. THRASHER - COOKEVILLE, TENNESSEE | Federal Bureau of Investigation

Cookeville, Tennessee August 14, 2004

www.fbi.gov

 

[Ciriii57]

He's on ViCAP specifically for the attention of homicide and missing person's crime analysis units.

JOHNATHAN M. THRASHER - COOKEVILLE, TENNESSEE | Federal Bureau of Investigation

Cookeville, Tennessee August 14, 2004

www.fbi.gov

 

[Beldridge]

I recall this case as a child or becoming an adult I am very familiar with the area in Overton County, it doesn’t seem this case has any traction in sometime, also I don’t see a update where a deputy with the offering county sheriffs office actually Sub come to injuries as stained during the search That was performed. The justice center has a monument. I believe his name was Chad in honor of his service from my understanding from inside info. An informant was Used and that informant misled police, but however, I have an old-time friend that I just recall made a statement regarding this case. To be honest it’s to say an unsettling statement that I will have to keep personal for now because this friend is also deceased. He may have taken it to the grave I’m uncertain..

 

[JSolt1210]

Law enforcement continues to field occasional tips, and the cold-case investigation is still technically active. Local law enforcement says they still want to find out what happened to the missing young man.

The only significant development was an additional tragedy in the ensuing years. Because the only line-of-duty law enforcement death in Overton County history happened in April 2010, during a search for Thrasher.

Where is John Thrasher? Disappearance and Death in Small-Town America

The link above no longer works, but the Doe Network has an archived version.

The article reports a very interesting rumor and find:

Many of the rumors center on a break-in shortly before John Thrasher vanished.

Clark's Pharmacy on Roberts Street was broken into in the time before Thrasher's disappearance – and involved the theft of a large quantity of narcotics from the establishment, according to an official with knowledge of the case. The since-closed business has become a division office for the Overton County Sheriff's Office.

A hand-drawn map of the layout of a business – including a safe – was found by Charles Thrasher in John's room shortly after his brother's disappearance. It showed words and markings making it clear it was a business, and the location of the safe. It was a map of the pharmacy, the brother said. But when authorities arrived a few days afterward, the paper was gone.

"I really believe he had the drugs (in that backpack when he left), but he didn't rob the place," said Charles Thrasher, of his long-lost little brother.

John Thrasher was never seen at the Putnam County Fair on Aug. 14, 2004, the brother guesses. Instead, he and others believe the "sighting" was simply reported by someone to muddle the investigation, by potentially bringing in other agencies.

Several people also spoke about rumors of a shovel and other tools being borrowed from one of the persons of interest's home the night John Thrasher went missing. Forensic Magazine heard many of these rumors – and names associated with such rumors – but is withholding them pending further developments in the case.

Is it possible John robbed the pharmacy (whether acting alone or not), passed off the narcotics to other associates, who then killed him in order to cover up the robbery?

It just seems like an extraordinary coincidence that he disappears shortly after a narcotics break-in that he could potentially be connected to.

It's a shame the map went missing. We could've compared it to known samples of John's handwriting to determine if he made it. And if he didn't, then we'd know others were involved.

And who had access to John's room where Charles, the brother, found the map? Did John have roommates? Could family members (other than Charles who divulged the contents) have taken the map in order to keep John's name clean? Is that why, according to this article, "Charles said shortly after John disappeared, ... a rift formed between him and his surviving family members"?

This case is so frustrating because I feel like the speculation is leading in one specific direction, but there's no physical evidence to take it past that final step.

 

[Beldridge]

Clark’s pharmacy was a high end drug store with corrupt pharmacist who was later indicted, the Overton SO has it as an investigation diversion for the county detectives. The officer that cracked the case actually become chief of police in Livingston. I still talk to him occasionally, but he was pushed out of office by people wanting his job and a $17,000 scam. They tried to pin on him. I’ve been in Dr. Clark’s home myself and stayed there with his sons own and off again, girlfriend. If the Clark side of the family had anything to do with it, I would know. Junior Clark still resides there. I do not go into that county specifically or that state due to lawsuits I have pending. The information I heard come from someone that’s deceased and he planned on taking it to the grave. I believe the man because he was like a brother. His son son-in-law was the one that got the Deputy killed by sending him to the wrong area

 

[Beldridge]

I received credible info regarding the situation from someone that’s now deceased. The deceased person ended up only distributing/selling of a large amount of narcotics that only could have came from the pharmacy with the amount he asserted. I was inside the facility on my charge at the time I know who spoke to Deputy Tharpe. That was a plowing to decoy officers and send them in to the sinkholes purposefully because at the same time, if you recall, another murder had occurred recently around that time where defendant and Jason Hancock killed ex-wife over child support with rebar sticking through her and burying her in his backyard. Those two investigations crossed paths around standing in stone park area. They had not recovered Jennifer’s body so detective Ledbetter decided to dive at standing Stone Park looking for her body which inmates name so the female went ahead and sent the deputies on a wild deadly goose chase. Law enforcement is not favored in Livingston, actually Tennessee. Law-enforcement is not favored right now. The elderly man that deceased advised me one of his last true friends, his son was involved because he was the one that asked him to move the large quantity of narcotics. And also back around this time the elderly gentleman I’m talking about had connections of many kinds, and the Clarks might’ve been one of them, and if so, well, it would had been a worse ending. We were talking about a Pharmacist and nowadays because of forensic files and stuff. It’s very knowledgeable. You can drop someone in a 50 gallon drum of acid and not have to worry about nothing ever surfacing, unlike back in 2004. For my understanding, the body is somewhere.