WA WA - Alexander Borah Welcher, 72, Tacoma, 26 February 1986

[sasha17]

Alexander Welcher went missing from his Tacoma gun shop on February 26, 1986. At the time of his disappearance, he was 5'10" and 200 pounds with gray hair and hazel eyes.

NamUs #MP14621 - The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

"Dozens of cases have been neglected, including that of Alexander Welcher, 72, who vanished from his Tacoma gun shop in February 1986. Tacoma police say they routinely send form letters to families of missing people to ask for dental records. But Welcher's son, John, said his family was never contacted and any dental records are now long gone. "There are . . . bodies that have been found, that could be him," Welcher said. "But how would they know without these records?" Tacoma police Lt. Tom Strickland said he doesn't know whether officers ever tried to get Welcher's records. The detective who handled the case is long retired, he said. The case languishes, even though police and family members assume Welcher was murdered."

Part 2: Missing-person cases are routinely ignored

 

[Murkywaters]

A photograph and additional details of Alexander's disappearance is featured in this news clipping.

Alexander Borah Welcher / George Nace III, Patricia Colyer, Peggy Wilker article P2 - Newspapers.com

Clipped from The News Tribune Tacoma, Washington 13 Mar 1987

 

[sasha17]

Doe Network page: 5760DMWA - Alexander Borah Welcher

"Alexander was last seen at his gun shop at 6400 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. All three of Alexander's vehicles were still parked at the shop. He could not have walked far because of arthritis in his legs. He lived above his gun shop and left behind personal items. Cash was left in the store register and no guns or rifles were missing. There was no sign of a struggle and the gun store was locked. Investigators learned that a man who went by the name "Fred" had been hanging out at the gun store a few months prior to Alexander's disappearance. He was described as unassuming and stayed in the background of the shop. He spoke only when spoken to and gave conflicting stories of his past. "Fred" had said he was a gunsmith from Iowa. Other times he said he was from Minnesota, North Dakota, or Wisconsin. Tacoma police discovered "Fred" had lived at a motel by the gun shop but the name and ID he had used to rent the room were fake. "Fred" also has not been seen since Alexander's disappearance."