citizen_sleuth
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This case is not in NamUs but I have not been able to find any evidence of Ray after 1974 nor have I been able to find any record of his body being found.
Raymond Wilbur Seiwert
Missing from: Bay Lake, WA
Date of Last Contact: June 17, 1974
Missing Age: 59
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
Height: 5'8" - 5'9" (68 - 69 inches)
Weight: 173 lbs
Hair Color: Gray
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Features: Soft spot about the size of a nickel just above his left ear and another soft spot on the back of his head about 3 inches above the nape of his neck. He had recently undergone brain surgery and has difficulty walking.
Clothing Description: Red sweater, dark plaid shirt, dark green trousers, boots, and brown framed glasses.
Circumstances: Raymond Wilbur Seiwert, better known as Ray, was last seen at Fisherman's Camp in Lakebay, WA at around 7 p.m. on June 17, 1974, when he left for an evening stroll. At the time of his disappearance, Ray lived in Portland, OR with his wife but was visiting his brother-in-law at his lakeside cabin outside of Gig Harbor, WA. He was planning on walking through a garden located around 100 yards from the cabin, but when he didn't return after 20 minutes, his relatives notified authorities.
Ray was a veteran, and served in the U.S. Navy for 29 years before working as the head of maintenance for Mt. Hood Community College. He reportedly suffers from a rare viral disease and inflammation of brain tissue for which he took daily medication. When he left for his walk, Ray did not take any medication, money, or identification with him. He reportedly suffers from memory lapses and is known to rub his fingers on his right hand against him thumb to try and soothe numbness.
Despite extensive air, water, and ground searches, including the use of search dogs, no trace of Ray was uncovered. Nearly two months after he went missing, Ray's wife reported that she had spoken with people who reportedly saw Ray in Ilwaco (roughly a 3-hour drive from Lakebay) on July 14, 15, and 16. The witnesses said Ray appeared to be clean and well-dressed, as if someone had been caring for him, although this sighting was never confirmed.
In October 1974, two hunters discovered a skeleton on a sand bar near Huckleberry Creek outside of Mt. Rainier National Park. Deputies initially speculated it to be Ray, but a dental comparison later ruled him out.
Sources
"Ill Lakebay visitor missing," News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 18 June 1974, A6.
Deputies said Ray W. Seiwert was visiting relatives in Lakebay while recuperating from brain surgery. The missing man's wife said he is badly disoriented and needs daily medication for another disorder. In addition, he has difficulty walking, she said.
[...]
Seiwert was last seen at 7 p.m. as he left the cabin to walk through a garden about 100 yards away. When he didn't return after 20 minutes, a search was begun.
The cabin is located next to the Bay Lake fish camp. A search of the adjoining lakefront and nearby roads and businesses failed to turn up any trace of the man.
"Search Off," Kitsap Sun [Bremerton, WA], 27 June 1974, 9.
"Information on missing man sought," News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 2 July 1974, A5.
Sheriff's divers searched Bay Lake, helicopters hunted from the air and search dogs combed the area, to no avail.
Deputies said they have no leads on Seiwert's whereabouts, but a "remote possibility" exists that he still is alive.
"Help Wanted To Find Missing Man," Greater Oregon [Albany, OR], 26 July 1974, 8.
Seiwert, a retired Navy commander, served his country well for 29 years and has been happily married for many years. His wife and family are distrait [sic]. He requires daily medication for treatment of what is described as a rare viral disease and inflammation of the brain tissues. He constantly rubs fingers of the right hand against the thumb to soothe the tingle or numbness. He has memory lapses relating to present situations, but remembers the past. He may express a desire to visit his mother in Akron, Ohio....go to church, or visit friends in Portland.
"Ilwaco residents may have seen man," Longview Daily News, 8 August 1974, 2.
His wife, Evelyn, said she had talked with people who reportedly saw her husband in Ilwaco on July 14, 15 and 16. They said he was neat and clean, which indicated someone there had been caring for him.
"Ring may disclose skeleton's identity," News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 24 October 1974, C15.
Coroner Jack Davelaar said Wednesday the dental and medical records of a missing Portland man were checked, but do not match the skeleton.
The man, Ray Wilbur Seiwert, 59, has been missing since June 17, when he walked away from a home he was visiting at Bay Lake on the Longbranch Peninsula.
Raymond Wilbur Seiwert
Missing from: Bay Lake, WA
Date of Last Contact: June 17, 1974
Missing Age: 59
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
Height: 5'8" - 5'9" (68 - 69 inches)
Weight: 173 lbs
Hair Color: Gray
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Features: Soft spot about the size of a nickel just above his left ear and another soft spot on the back of his head about 3 inches above the nape of his neck. He had recently undergone brain surgery and has difficulty walking.
Clothing Description: Red sweater, dark plaid shirt, dark green trousers, boots, and brown framed glasses.
Circumstances: Raymond Wilbur Seiwert, better known as Ray, was last seen at Fisherman's Camp in Lakebay, WA at around 7 p.m. on June 17, 1974, when he left for an evening stroll. At the time of his disappearance, Ray lived in Portland, OR with his wife but was visiting his brother-in-law at his lakeside cabin outside of Gig Harbor, WA. He was planning on walking through a garden located around 100 yards from the cabin, but when he didn't return after 20 minutes, his relatives notified authorities.
Ray was a veteran, and served in the U.S. Navy for 29 years before working as the head of maintenance for Mt. Hood Community College. He reportedly suffers from a rare viral disease and inflammation of brain tissue for which he took daily medication. When he left for his walk, Ray did not take any medication, money, or identification with him. He reportedly suffers from memory lapses and is known to rub his fingers on his right hand against him thumb to try and soothe numbness.
Despite extensive air, water, and ground searches, including the use of search dogs, no trace of Ray was uncovered. Nearly two months after he went missing, Ray's wife reported that she had spoken with people who reportedly saw Ray in Ilwaco (roughly a 3-hour drive from Lakebay) on July 14, 15, and 16. The witnesses said Ray appeared to be clean and well-dressed, as if someone had been caring for him, although this sighting was never confirmed.
In October 1974, two hunters discovered a skeleton on a sand bar near Huckleberry Creek outside of Mt. Rainier National Park. Deputies initially speculated it to be Ray, but a dental comparison later ruled him out.
Sources
"Ill Lakebay visitor missing," News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 18 June 1974, A6.
Deputies said Ray W. Seiwert was visiting relatives in Lakebay while recuperating from brain surgery. The missing man's wife said he is badly disoriented and needs daily medication for another disorder. In addition, he has difficulty walking, she said.
[...]
Seiwert was last seen at 7 p.m. as he left the cabin to walk through a garden about 100 yards away. When he didn't return after 20 minutes, a search was begun.
The cabin is located next to the Bay Lake fish camp. A search of the adjoining lakefront and nearby roads and businesses failed to turn up any trace of the man.
"Search Off," Kitsap Sun [Bremerton, WA], 27 June 1974, 9.
"Information on missing man sought," News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 2 July 1974, A5.
Sheriff's divers searched Bay Lake, helicopters hunted from the air and search dogs combed the area, to no avail.
Deputies said they have no leads on Seiwert's whereabouts, but a "remote possibility" exists that he still is alive.
"Help Wanted To Find Missing Man," Greater Oregon [Albany, OR], 26 July 1974, 8.
Seiwert, a retired Navy commander, served his country well for 29 years and has been happily married for many years. His wife and family are distrait [sic]. He requires daily medication for treatment of what is described as a rare viral disease and inflammation of the brain tissues. He constantly rubs fingers of the right hand against the thumb to soothe the tingle or numbness. He has memory lapses relating to present situations, but remembers the past. He may express a desire to visit his mother in Akron, Ohio....go to church, or visit friends in Portland.
"Ilwaco residents may have seen man," Longview Daily News, 8 August 1974, 2.
His wife, Evelyn, said she had talked with people who reportedly saw her husband in Ilwaco on July 14, 15 and 16. They said he was neat and clean, which indicated someone there had been caring for him.
"Ring may disclose skeleton's identity," News Tribune [Tacoma, WA], 24 October 1974, C15.
Coroner Jack Davelaar said Wednesday the dental and medical records of a missing Portland man were checked, but do not match the skeleton.
The man, Ray Wilbur Seiwert, 59, has been missing since June 17, when he walked away from a home he was visiting at Bay Lake on the Longbranch Peninsula.
