WA WA - Bellingham, Georgia Pacific plant, WhtMal 20-40, 862UMWA, Continental Airlines ticket, Sep'87

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Yeah, that hypothermia cod is weird. I wonder where that information came from. I didn't see anything about that in the article I read online about the case, which was written in about 2008, I think.
 
I wonder if they meant to type "hyperthermia" (like heat stroke). That would seem more likely. Unless he took his coat off to block the heat, the heat went off while he was asleep or something, and he froze to death. Very curious case.
 
I'm not liking the comparison with the reconstructed images, but, Michael Pierce Madden's physical description is right on and he was a student at Western Washington University.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov

It's the same PD as the John Doe so I'd imagine they looked at that. I didn't see him mentioned when I read this thread though. Does anyone know if he was looked at?

William Milligan (suspect in Michael's death) seems to have left Ohio in July 4 ,1986 and was in Bellingham at least by September 1986, then was arrested in Florida November 20, 1986.

William Milligan, a multiple-personality patient charged with leaving a... - UPI Archives

He sounds pretty crazy so I don't think it's to far a stretch for him to dig up a body and chuck it down the chimney before leaving Washington. That would back up the possible date of entering the furnace by like 2 months (Estimated Date of Death: January 8, 1987- September 15, 1987), depending on how long Milligan was in Florida.

If he was getting ready to take off to Florida though that may have been were the airline/baggage ticket came from.
 
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1987%20drawing-photo


A forensic drawing and a photo of the skull of the unidentified body found at the steam plant at the Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Bellingham on Sept. 20, 1987.

2008%20steam%20plant

​
The steam plant building at the Georgia-Pacific waterfront mill site, photographed in 2008, was demolished in 2011 after the waterfront tissue mill was closed in 2007. In 1987, the skeletal remains of a still-unidentified person were found in the chimney there, which was in the squat steel box nestled close to a brick wall and support structures.
2000%20drawing

A forensic drawing, made in 2000, shows what a man whose charred remains were at the steam plant at the Georgia-Pacific mill in 1987 may have looked like. It was drawn by a Bellingham Police Department employee training to become a forensic artist.

1987%20drawings

A forensic drawing, made in 1987 by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Identification, shows what a man whose charred remains at the steam plant at the Georgia-Pacific mill that year may have looked like.

Sept. 20, 1987, was a pleasant Sunday in Bellingham, with a light breeze and temperatures in the 70s.

About 5:21 that morning, Roy Harris, an employee at Georgia-Pacific’s waterfront mill, checked into a smoke alarm for the No. 9 boiler at the mill’s steam plant.

The boiler was one of 10 at the steam plant, with pipes running through its heat-release stack to preheat steam for use in the pulp-and-tissue mill. The boiler was used only occasionally and so wasn’t checked often. A smoke alarm usually meant a steam pipe was leaking.

Harris went to investigate. He climbed to the top of the No. 9 stack, where a four-foot-wide lid was usually left open, and peered inside the 10-foot-square steel structure.

What he saw revealed a mystery that remains unsolved three decades later.

Looking down, Harris saw human remains, described later in an autopsy report as “partially skeletalized, extensively carbonized,” on a grid of 11 parallel pipes about 17 feet below.

Articles of clothing under the body suggested the person tried to use them to seek relief from the heat and injuries. The victim may have tried to climb to safety.
Click to expand...





​
 
Midge Montana said:
Maybe I'm just dumb today, but I can't find a NAMUS for GP Doe.
I was looking to see if this guy was on a rule-out list:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov
Click to expand...

According to Doe Network, this John Doe is NOT listed on NAMUS: 862UMWA

Archer has a Doe Network page: 1092DMWA - Archer Ray Johnson

You could submit to DN (Disclaimer-- I haven't followed this case closely so I don't know if he has been suggested in the past or not).
 
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Bumping! :bump:

This John Doe has long been on my mind, I’m wondering if his DNA is too degraded to submit him to DNA Doe as he would be a great candidate!
Has anyone heard any updates?
 
Bump

This is the case out of many cases that haunts me and lurks on my psyche the most- this poor man. How in the world did he end up here? Burnt to death on this chimney high high up in the air? Something is so not right in this case, something is very wrong, it leaves me with a feeling of great unease and even malevolence- especially when combined with the earlier story of the women whom wanted to climb into the factories broiler and be shut inside, albeit she was denied access I believe?

Anyways bumping for this poor man and his hopeful identity being found- although I know his DNA was too degraded from the vent to be taken for analysis as far as I have heard, has anyone heard different? Or does anyone know if this man has ANY viable DNA available?
 
Even though it’s stated on Doenetwork that the chimney stacks heat destroyed his viable DNA I am seriously wondering with the incredible advancements in DNA technology since he was found in 1987 if their exist different methods to extract DNA from his intact skull or other remaining body parts (for example). This case just breaks my heart, and I think either mental illness or foul play is at hand.
 
I'm a local in regards to the other case @dotr mentioned above. It appears that the two bodies were found almost exactly two years apart and the age range and vitals seem similar. In the other thread I had a list of young men that might have gone missing between 1986-1989 that fit that criteria, which might be worth a look and I'd be able to copy it over later. There was one guy in particular that mentioned Portland, OR (closer than any other potential match I'd found for this UID) and likely fits this case's timeline better than the Madison one.

Only real connections I see are that Bellingham and Madison could both be considered "college towns" with a lot of students moving in and out after short periods of time and strong music scenes. Does anyone know if Bellingham authorities were informed of the Madison case and vice versa? These seem too chillingly similar to not investigate possible links further.
 
This case continues to hold my attention. This poor fella deserves to have his name restored. I had posted my observations regarding the matter under the above video entitled, "The Body in Boiler Stack 9" about a year ago. I will share it with everyone here:


A few interesting observations. First the skeletonized remains were found on Sunday, Sept 20, 1987. 13 days before had been labor day (7 Sept 87) Meaning a long weekend from Friday, (4 Sept 87) to Tue (8 Sept 87). This is important for reasons which will soon become apparent.

  1. I suspect, as someone in another posting mentioned the Georgia Pacific company was a Union outfit. Thus, it was likely closed for the entire long labor day weekend.

  2. The information provided by this story (1) indicates "the victim was described as a 20- to 40-year-old male;"

  3. The information provided by the story (1) also indicates, "the skeleton was likely male due to pelvic measurements. Officials estimated the body had been inside the chimney for a few days. . ." 3. The same source (1) also states, "He was between 5 feet 8 to 9 inches tall, and weighed somewhere between 130 and 155 pounds. The victim had small feet, probably wearing a size 8 shoe, and exhibited good dental work, including a number of fillings and evidence of a root canal." and "Although tissue remained, the skeleton was badly burned due to extreme temperatures in the chimney, Jensen says."

  4. A differing article, (#2) gives this: "The victim wore a lightweight shirt, jeans, a denim-like jacket, and about size-8 sneakers, not hard-toe shoes that workers often wear. It appeared the victim tried to remove his pants, the jacket was found underneath the body, and the shirt was wrapped around a leg, all perhaps to buffer the heat and to bind injuries. The victim had put his socks on his hands, and marks on the inside wall suggest he tried to climb to freedom."

  5. From the same article: "Prank gone bad: Another possible explanation came to the attention of police after a 2006 Bellingham Herald story about the case. A former employee of Mt. Baker Plywood told Detective Jensen that he had chatted with someone who was visiting the Bellingham plant in 1987, after the skeleton had been discovered. The visitor mentioned that he and some friends would enter G-P and CLIMB TOWERS FOR FUN. The visitor said a member of the group WORKED at G-P and helped them gain access to the mill AFTER HOURS. If a climber feared detection, he would blow a whistle and they would meet at a pre-arranged place. The visitor said a newer member of the group was a man from New York, and on a recent outing the New Yorker did not show up at the pre-arranged location."

  6. Also from the second article, "Police concluded the victim entered from the top, because the nuts on the hatch bolts were rusty (it took police nearly two hours to open the hatch) and the hatch could not be secured from the inside." AND ". . .Looking down, Harris saw human remains, described later in an autopsy report as “partially skeletonized, extensively carbonized,” on a grid of 11 parallel pipes about 17 FEET BELOW.

  7. The boiler was fired intermittently in the months before the skeleton’s discovery, including for 34 hours over Sept. 17-18, (Thursday and Friday) a few days before the skeleton was found. (Source 2.)

  8. "I remember 4 tours of GP that I have taken over the years. They used to offer tours during summer months at regular times. I showed up for one in the late 1970s and got a souvenir box of tissue products. In the 1980s, there was a computer club called "Bellingham User's Group." BUG for short. We toured GP and looked at the computers. That club had a lot of GP employees as members. It met in a drab old classroom at one of GP's administrative buildings. Later in the 1980s a friend of mine worked as a tour guide. I took his tour. Eventually tours were not offered anymore, except under special circumstances. " (Source 5)
Given the last sentence in item 3 above states, "Although tissue remained, the skeleton was badly burned due to extreme temperatures in the chimney, Jensen says." It does seem to indicate the body had not been there long enough for all soft tissue to have disintegrated. This would lead one to believe that the body had not been there very long. It was discovered on Tuesday the 20th. It would seem at temps approaching 370 degrees, (hotter than a typical oven) and with intermittent firing of boiler 9. It would not take long to dessicate and then incinerate a body.

If we consider the possibility of Urban exploration/infiltration, item 5 above is indeed a possibility. Although "Urban Exploration" did not come into vogue roughly with a 2006 film by the same name. (3) Documented cases of individuals exploring former industrial sites and locations are certainly not unknown. I remember reading information online about similar accidents in 2007. See #4 (article about a 27 year old man who fell to his death, while exploring an abandoned power generation plant while alone "Authorities determined the man had fallen to his death from a beam five stories above the ground between 5:30 pm and 10pm.")

This would fit well with several facts in this case. The age and sex of the victim are consistent as are the risk taking behaviors. Also of note are items the victim was wearing. . Denim jacket, pants, "and about size-8 sneakers, not hard-toe shoes that workers often wear." Also consistent with items such a person would likely wear.

It also goes without saying that someone could be familiar with the plant without working there. Reading #8 above from theslowlane blog, indicates that tours were frequent during the 70's and 80's. Someone could have taken a tour several times in fact. Worse, if someone had a friend who worked at the mill and was complicit in granting unauthorized persons access, such actions would engender criminal liability. A good reason to keep one's mouth shut. Perhaps the missing "New Yorker" has a element of truth, perhaps the person who could not be located was but one of several unrelated groups or persons "exploring" the largely empty factory over labor day weekend. Or perhaps the mysterious tour girl had been with the victim when he fell 17 feet into the stack and broke a leg. 17 feet would effectively entrap someone, especially if they broke a leg during the fall. Without a ladder or a rope, escape would have been impossible. It is not hard to imagine companions (if any) would flee out of fear.

If you look at the picture a 1:44, (The body in Boiler stack 9) it is easy to see how a curious searcher might have taken a fatal jump to see what was in the stack or walk the top of it. It certainly seems logical that someone could have fallen and gravely injured themselves while alone and died of thirst or injuries before the boiler was fired. . Then again, it seems logical that someone in the area DOES know something and has been keeping quiet about it. Likely, the person was between 20 and 40, as was the man in reference #4. Likely, he was a loner and adventure seeker. Likely it cost him his life.

But one things troubles me. The airline ticket. Generally speaking, urban explorers don't fly to distant locations to explore.

Perhaps he had just sent a former wife or girlfriend away after a bad divorce. Perhaps he was estranged from his family. But I suspect Occam's razor applies. That he was alone, fell in and become trapped. He probably broke his leg in the 17 foot fall, hence the shirt around his leg. He succumbed to his injury and thirst before the boiler ever fired. The simplest explanation is the most likely.

I will also add an important distinction. The issue of Robert Severson (now deceased) and the young lady who wanted the tour. It is important to note that Severson DID NOT WORK at the GP site. The incident he discusses happened at the Western Washington University, NOT GP. There are some police notes (I will reference later) that indicate early investigations did not feel the woman was in any way related to the incident.

AND

While reference 1 notes "The remains were cremated and put to rest, Jensen says. However, the police department still retains copies of all physical records involved."

If the skull still exists, it would be an excellent candidate for forensic reconstruction.

The following individuals associated with the case are known to have passed on:

Roy Harris -employee at GP Waterfront mill responded to Smoke alarm on 20 Sept 87 at 05:21
Discovered body
Deceased 12 Sept 2017
Roy Lee Harris Obituary - ,

Dr. Robert Gibb -Whatcom County deputy medical examiner.
Deceased July 2018
View Robert Gibb's Obituary on bellinghamherald.com and share memories

Richard Severson -Steam engineer at WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Richard Harland Severson Deceased 6 Feb 2010
View Richard Severson's Obituary and express your condolences

See also: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/36p2ro/in_1987_in_washington_remains_were_found_inside_a/

Addendum

Since this case came on the scene in 1987, there are forensic tests which would give more information about the deceased. For instance, this article (6)(7) could give a better idea about the time the body was exposed to high temperatures, and thus how long it had been there. Other data could greatly assist in post mortem bone fractures caused by heat as opposed to pre mortem. (8)

Lastly, to address the issue of clothing found under the body and cause of death. Assuming the deceased fell 17 feet into the stack, over the Labor day weekend. As I had noted above, the likelihood that he was grievously injured by a fall into a dark stack and onto uneven pipes would likely result in significant injuries to his legs, most likely fractures. Such fractures of the Femur can allow for the loss of several pints of blood into the surrounding tissue. Thus, hypothermia as a cause of death is likely. (10) Additionally, people suffering hypothermia often paradoxically remove their clothing. The results, coupled with the average temperatures that weekend (item 9, show the temp was between 50 and 70 degrees.) would have easily killed him before the boiler was ever fired.

***************************REFERENCES**********************************

  1. http://klipsun.wwu.edu/archives/w07a/story.php?name=restlessbones

  2. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article173627656.html

  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Explorers:_Into_the_Darkness

  4. Daily Oklahoman 31 Oct 1990 "Moore man falls to death inside abandoned power plant." p.37

    CHIMNEY SPECIFIC:
    See also: Man who was trapped on Dixon's Chimney in Carlisle has died, Cumbria Police confirm - CNN Video

    And: Man dies after falling down smokestack of downtown Chicago hotel

    Daredevil couple climb Europe's tallest chimney | Daily Mail Online
See also: http://www.startribune.com/woman-falls-to-her-death-in-abandoned-minneapolis-grain-elevator/306414971/

and: http://gothamist.com/2016/01/29/connor_cummings_fall_death.php

and: http://www.westword.com/news/urban-explorers-still-drawn-to-abandoned-gates-factory-despite-tragic-accidents-5850158

5. http://www.theslowlane.org/search/label/bellingham_waterfront (dated Dec 16, 2008)
6. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02407181 7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073808000996 8. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/jfa.2001.28.3-4.437 9. https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KBLI/1987/9/10/DailyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=
7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073808000996
8. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/jfa.2001.28.3-4.437
9. https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KBLI/1987/9/10/DailyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=
10. See: J Forensic Sci. 1979 Jul;24(3):543-53. "Paradoxical undressing" in fatal hypothermia. "Paradoxical undressing" in fatal hypothermia. - PubMed - NCBI

See also (Non technical) Why Freezing to Death Makes You Want To Get Naked



Regards,
Wesley Horton
 
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Incidentally, If anyone is interested, the casefile of the Bellingham police department on this issue is available here:

The Georgia-Pacfic doe. #862UMWA | Dna Profiling | Law Enforcement

It contains approx 203 actual pages. Being scribd, it does require a membership, but you can join for 30 days for free. (I find a lot of complaints about the service though.) They also apparently have files on some other high profile cases.
 
CarlK90245 said:
The Doe Network:
Case File 862UMWA 862UMWA

862UMWA1.jpg
862UMWA.jpg

Reconstruction of Victim

Unidentified White Male
* The victim was discovered on September 20, 1987 in Bellingham County, Washington
* Estimated Date of Death: January 8, 1987- September 15, 1987
* Cause of Death: Hypothermia
* Charred & Skeletal Remains

Vital Statistics
* Estimated age: 27 - 37 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'8"-5'9"; 130 - 155 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: The victim had small feet, probably wearing a size 8 shoe.
* Dentals: Available. Dental work, including silver and gold fillings and possibly a root canal. It was not indigent dental work, it was good quality care for the time frame.
* Clothing: Charred remnants of denim pants and a denim jacket, a lightweight shirt, and rubber-soled shoes. The coat was found under the body, apparently to shield him from the heat. The shirt was draped or wrapped around one ankle, possibly to bind an injury. Police also found a burned remnant of a Continental Airlines ticket or baggage claim, but could not make out the numbers to trace the ticket.
* DNA: The chimney heat destroyed DNA.

Case History
The victim was located inside a Georgia-Pacific West Inc. chimney No. 9. A worker checking for a possible water leak found the body on September 20, 1987.

The victim's crumpled skeleton was found atop parallel pipes near the bottom of the chimney. The pipes, which carried water heated by boiler exhaust, were 240 degrees. The air was 95 degrees, unless the boiler was running, when temperatures reached 370.
Officials estimated the victim had been in the chimney a few days to a few weeks. Records showed the boiler operated for 34 hours during September 17 and September 18, two days before the body was found, plus more hours the previous month.

No keys, ID, wallet, ring, watch nor clothes or tools indicating the victim was a worker were located. No missing workers were reported and no abandoned vehicle was found.

The chimney was difficult to reach. The person had to climb a number of stairs inside the plant, and then make his way to the roof of the building.
Although a metal door was present at the base of the stack, it took police two hours to pry it open, making it an unfeasible way for the victim to have gotten in.

A medical examination yielded the presence of broken bones, indicating the body probably fell into the stack.
The unusual location of the body fueled speculation that the discovery was that of a murder or suicide victim.

Two images of the man were drawn years apart, in 1987 and 2000, by different artists. They represent independent guesses of what he looked like, based on his intact skull.
Click to expand...
Records showed the boiler operated for 34 hours during September 17 and September 18, two days before the body was found.
Does anyone know why that 'inactive' boiler was run during that time? Who operated it during that time? Is it stated on the record?
Seems that only people who worked at that plant at the time would know. Who,what,when,and how. Ie who had access, who knew how to operate the controls?
I think it's much like being in a fish bowl, and very much narrows the pool of persons who would know anything, thusly narrowing the number of person/s involved.
MOO
 
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