UT UT - Box Elder Co, BlkMale Adult-Pre 40, UP80249, fell off train, boarded train in CA, Aug'65

[Moonwalker9]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Case Numbers
NCMEC Number--
ME/C Case NumberD-348
Demographics
SexMale
Race / EthnicityBlack / African American
Possible First Name--
Possible Middle Name--
Possible Last Name--
Nickname/Alias--
Estimated Age GroupAdult - Pre 40
Estimated Age Range (Years)--
Estimated Year of Death1965
Estimated PMI1 Hours
HeightCannot Estimate
WeightCannot Estimate
Circumstances
TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundAugust 22, 1965
NamUs Case CreatedMay 11, 2021
ME/C QA Reviewed--
Location Found Map
LocationRural Box Elder County, Utah
CountyBox Elder County
GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--
Found On Tribal LandNo
Circumstances of RecoveryAn unidentified man was found along the Southern Pacific tracks in Western Box Elder County approximately 100 miles from Brigham City. According to investigators, the man was killed in a fall from the train and learned the victim had boarded the train from California and bought a loaf of bread in Elko, Nevada prior to his death. He appeared to be a transient.
Details of Recovery


Inventory of Remains--
Condition of RemainsNot recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Physical Description
Hair ColorUnknown
Head Hair Description--
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorUnknown
Right Eye ColorUnknown
Eye Description

What was a black male doing on a train in UTAH in 1965? was he from California? and where was his FINAL destination? someone met him in Nevada and should have had decent look at his face. Did he fell off the train or was he pushed? His face was not recognizable but he was found just 1 hour after which seems strange unless he was badly injured ofcourse. Height/Weight and age could not be estimated, somehow I feel like there is more to this story. What do you think?

 

[RookieInvestigator]

I wonder where he's originally from (CA ?) and whether he was ever reported missing.

They listed his remains as showing decomposition/putrification, so he must have sustained some major injuries.

Was he pushed is a great question!

 

[DS2021]

So I looked through NamUs for potential matches for the decedent. Joseph Edwards is the only black man missing before 1966 and I do not believe he is the decedent due to the circumstances of his disappearance. However there is another man by the name of Raymond Lee Hamilton who doesn't have a date of last contact listed in NamUs. The height is similar but the weight is not.

 

[Laughing]

What was a black male doing on a train in UTAH in 1965?

Reporting to Hill AFB?

A Short History of Hill Air Force Base > Hill Air Force Base > Display

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[HopeRains]

The Daily Herald, 24 Aug 1965, page 14

 

[meanmaryjean]

I'm guessing he was riding the rails and not a paying passenger perhaps?
And Utah is in between a lot of places and California. Why should he NOT pass through there?

 

[heartanium]

23 Aug 1965, Deseret News, pg 26

24 Aug 1965, The Box Elder News, pg 8