TX TX - Houston, Wht/HispMale 18-30, "Joaquim Puentes" from Piedras Negras, tatts incl "J.P.E.", Sep'81

[Grungster]

596UMTX - Unidentified Male

Left: Artistic rendering of victim; Center & Right: Post mortem image clarifications with varying hairstyles


Date of Discovery: September 3, 1981
Location of Discovery: Harris County, Texas
Estimated Date of Death: Same day
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 18-30 years old
Race: White and/or Hispanic
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8" to 5'10"
Weight: 165-170 lbs.
Hair Color: Black with a thin, light mustache and goatee.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Tattoos: chest (dragon/snake), left forearm (flower and Indian maiden), right forearm (bat/animal), right ankle (Swastika), left hand (arrow) and a heart with an arrow and the initals "J.P.E." on an unknown location.

Identifiers
Dentals: Not available. Natural teeth in good condition.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Not available.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Brown short-sleeved shirt, navy blue slacks with white stripes, burgundy socks, green shorts, and beige high top boots.
Jewelry: White metal necklace.
Additional Personal Items: Brown wallet and a pink comb.

Circumstances of Discovery
The victim was located at 4800 Harrisburg Avenue following an altercation. He was taken to Ben Taub hospital where he passed away. He may have been known as "Joaquim Puentes" from Piedras Negras, Mexico.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Texas Department of Public Safety
Agency Contact Person: Missing Persons Clearinghouse
Agency Phone Number: 800-346-3243 or 512-424-5074
Agency Case Number: TXDPS U0411008

Agency Name: Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
Agency Contact Person: MEO ID Unit
Agency Phone Number: 713-796-6774
Agency Case Number: ME: ML81-5207; LE: 58736481

NCIC Case Number: U510007077
NamUs Case Number: UP #4616

Information Source(s)
NamUs
Texas Department of Public Safety
Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
Texas Rangers' Evidential Art & Facial Identification

Admin Notes
Added: Prior to 2013; Last Updated: 11/3/2019

 

[Grungster]

Note: WHY IN THE WORLD does A Hispanic man have a Swastika on his hand?!

 

[Grungster]

Also, his full name is probably Joaquim Puentes-E. People from Mexico or other Hispanic countries often, when using going by their name, use the first name of their last name, in this case Puentes.

 

[Grungster]

Here's a flyer from Harris County Medical Examiner. *POST MORTEM WARNING

https://ifs.harriscountytx.gov/Missing Person/1981-09-03-5207.pdf

 

[MadMcGoo]

Why would they shave his mustache and goatee? Or am I just not seeing it in the PM? I’d like to see photos of the tattoos. That swastika is a bit unusual. Although it could represent something other than the most obvious. Having it on his ankle says to me that it wasn’t necessarily something he was wanting the whole world to see.

TATTOOS
- chest (dragon/snake)
- left forearm (flower and Indian maiden)
- right forearm (bat/animal)
- right ankle (Swastika)
- left hand (arrow)
- a heart with an arrow and the initals "J.P.E." on an unknown location

 

[FrostOwl]

Note: WHY IN THE WORLD does A Hispanic man have a Swastika on his hand?!

Even if the swastika today is for most people associated with an obscure German political party, the symbol have been around for several thousand years before there was a country called Germany. It's a sun symbol, and it has been found in many cultures around the world, among them the Mayan, where it was seen as a symbol of the solar year. If the unidentified male had Mayan heritage, perhaps the swastika, or sun cross, was a Mayan symbol.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I found a Joaquin Puente on Classmates.com who looks very similar to this UID. He attended Lorenzo (Texas) High School in, at least, 1973 and 1974. That spelling is a little different and not all that uncommon, so I don’t know for sure if he was ever missing. I’m never good at determining that. The resemblance is striking though. Maybe someone can help figure out if this guy is still alive or was ever missing. (PM Photo attached)

Join Ancestry

 

[Grungster]

I found a Joaquin Puente on Classmates.com who looks very similar to this UID. He attended Lorenzo (Texas) High School in, at least, 1973 and 1974. That spelling is a little different and not all that uncommon, so I don’t know for sure if he was ever missing. I’m never good at determining that. The resemblance is striking though. Maybe someone can help figure out if this guy is still alive or was ever missing. (PM Photo attached)

Join Ancestry

View attachment 269247 View attachment 269242

Oh my! That has to be him! I had a conversation with a Houston Police Department investigator today. I am forwarding this information to him!

 

[MadMcGoo]

Oh my! That has to be him! I had a conversation with a Houston Police Department investigator today. I am forwarding this information to him!

I’ve found several more photos of him. One in particular might definitely help with dental comparison. His teeth look good except for some overcrowding on one side. Definitely unique dentition. Let me know if you need more info!

Thanks for contacting authorities!

 

[MadMcGoo]

Link for original post:

596UMTX

 

[Grungster]

I’ve found several more photos of him. One in particular might definitely help with dental comparison. His teeth look good except for some overcrowding on one side. Definitely unique dentition. Let me know if you need more info!

Thanks for contacting authorities!

Are you able to attach all/or some more photos of him?

 

[MadMcGoo]

Are you able to attach all/or some more photos of him?

1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974



There are a couple of more group photos, but these showed him the best. FWIW, he appears next to an Esther and Elizabeth in each of these yearbooks. I’m not sure if I’d venture to say they’re triplets, but they’re most definitely related!

 

[Tabirey]

View attachment 269300 1967
View attachment 269299 1968
View attachment 269296 1969
View attachment 269294 1970
View attachment 269293 1971
View attachment 269295 1972
View attachment 269292 1973
View attachment 269291 1974

View attachment 269297 View attachment 269298

There are a couple of more group photos, but these showed him the best. FWIW, he appears next to an Esther and Elizabeth in each of these yearbooks. I’m not sure if I’d venture to say they’re triplets, but they’re most definitely related!

I wish the PM photo actually showed his ears! With all of these pictures (Awesome job btw!), I see similarities, but ears are usually a really good way to compare UIDs with a possible match.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I wish the PM photo actually showed his ears! With all of these pictures (Awesome job btw!), I see similarities, but ears are usually a really good way to compare UIDs with a possible match.

YES! I was thinking the same thing! The PM photo is cropped quite a bit,. The only thing I can tell for sure is that both guy's lobes are attached. But it would be nice to see the rest because you're right, that's a good way to compare the two.

 

[Friday Fan]

I guess he must have told someone his name before he died.

Did authorities try to locate a family in Piedras Negras? My hunch is he probably was recently from there..although it is possible he went to school here and moved back and forth. Not uncommon.

 

[Grungster]

Why would they shave his mustache and goatee? Or am I just not seeing it in the PM? I’d like to see photos of the tattoos. That swastika is a bit unusual. Although it could represent something other than the most obvious. Having it on his ankle says to me that it wasn’t necessarily something he was wanting the whole world to see.

TATTOOS
- chest (dragon/snake)
- left forearm (flower and Indian maiden)
- right forearm (bat/animal)
- right ankle (Swastika)
- left hand (arrow)
- a heart with an arrow and the initals "J.P.E." on an unknown location

He got shot in the head, I think they removed hair for the failed procedure.

 

[Grungster]

The COD was obtained from my contact at HCIFS. About the Swastika, Hitler did steal it, so maybe it represents its original meaning.

 

[Grungster]

As @FrostOwl said

 

[Grungster]

Alright, I think we need to get to the bottom of this.

I was able to obtain the autopsy report under this John Doe's ML number. The report indicated the following....

John Doe and another male got into an argument with 20-year-old Martin "Mart" Cuevas on the night of September 2. Mart pulled out a gun and shot both men. The other guy was dead at the scene while John Doe was taken to Ben Taub, where he died the next day. It was believed that John Doe was approximately 19 years old. Mart ended up going to trial but I don't know what happened to him after that. Something interesting I noticed in the external examination report was that there was no mention of his tattoos.

I then obtained the report for the other victim, and that's where things get weird.

The other victim's name was identified on the initial report as Joaquin Tuente, 20. He was reported to have the exact clothing, hair, and tattoos that John Doe supposedly had. Later investigation would reveal that Joaquin Tuente was not his real name - fingerprint research revealed he was a subject wanted by police in Florida after he had escaped a prison. His real name was similar to Joaquin Tuente but I won't share it out of respect for him and his family.

I'm not sure what to make of this but I can follow up with HCIFS tommorow. I don't think they would do an error like this though....maybe there was some sort of mixup?

 

[Friday Fan]

The initials on the tattoo correlate with Joaquin Puente (JPE)

Was his name Joaquin or Joaquim (Joaquim is Portuguese) ?