FL Wahneta, Polk County- Male, Other- 35-45- Right femur shortened and deformed (R 30.5 cm, L 42 cm)- UP9466- Feb.15, 1987

[PatLaurel]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

0 Missing Person Exclusions

3553UMFL

Date of Discovery: February 15, 1987
Location of Discovery: Alturas, Polk County, Florida.
Estimated Date of Death: 1-3 years prior.
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton
Cause of Death: Possibly head trauma/Homicide.

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 35-45 years old
Race: Hispanic
Sex: Male
Height: 5'0"
Weight: Cannot Estimate
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: The right femur is shortened and deformed. Right femur measures 30.5cm in length and the left femur measures 42cm in length. The right patella exhibits a fracture which had been closed by metallic wires.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Short-sleeved buttoned camouflaged shirt, size 32 Paul Warren brand blue jeans without a belt, size 10 1/2 Genesco work boots.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery​

The victim's skeletal remains were found in a wooded area located at 2201 Rifle Range Road in Alturas.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: District 10 Medical Examiners Office
Agency Contact Person: Mickey Branch
Agency Phone Number: 863-298-4600
Agency E-Mail: medicalexaminer(at)polk-county.net
Agency Case Number: FA87-66 ME87-108

Agency Name: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Det. Steve Parker
Agency Phone Number: 863-298-6834
Agency E-Mail: coldcase(at)polksheriff.org
Agency Case Number: 1987-015138

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 9466
Former Hot Case Number: 2261

 

[PatLaurel]

UP9466 - Newspapers.com
UP9466 - Newspapers.com

<modsnip: removed images of articles/copyright>

 

[PatLaurel]

"(...) The man had suffered severe trauma to the right ler and head, which is consistent with injuries that occur when someone hits the dashboard in a traffic accident(...).
The orthopedic procedure used to correct the broken leg is not commonly used by U.S. doctors (...)".
UP9466 <modsnip: removed image of article>

 

[PayrollNerd]

A strong upper body, short stature, work boots and of Hispanic decent. My guess would be brick layer, concrete block work but agricultural fits also. That would explain foreign medical treatment and lack of ID.

 

[Irishknit]

My thoughts on the strong upper body, after accident that caused injury used a wheelchair and then Canadian crutches for mobility, both of which require upper body strength. The leg length discrepency is pronounced, 11.5 cm which is 4.5 inches, the limp would be noticable IMO.

 

[Hochman]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Added October 27, 2023

 

[PayrollNerd]

My thoughts on the strong upper body, after accident that caused injury used a wheelchair and then Canadian crutches for mobility, both of which require upper body strength. The leg length discrepency is pronounced, 11.5 cm which is 4.5 inches, the limp would be noticable IMO.

That’s true too. His gait would be obvious if using walking aids rather than a wheelchair.

His family would be familiar with his gait so it’s surprising that he’s gone unidentified for so long.

 

[PayrollNerd]

The victim's skeletal remains were found in a wooded area located at 2201 Rifle Range Road in Alturas per NamUS. But when you look up 2201 Rifle Range Rd, it’s Winter Haven, FL

The thread title lists Wahneta, FL instead of Alturas, FL. The 2 locations are 7 miles apart.

 

[Goecke]

I have a congenital leg length discrepancy and my left femur is only 1 cm shorter than my right, but it's still enough that I need custom made orthotics to correct my gait. This man must have had an extremely hard time walking, if he could walk at all. The strong upper body despite being otherwise slender also makes me think he used some kind of mobility aid. I also use a wheelchair and forearm crutches, and my arms (and even hand muscles) have gotten very muscular over time even though I'm still very small framed/petite.

I feel like his disability would make him stand out a lot. People would probably recognize him based on his description, even if they didn't know him personally and just saw him around... Which makes me think he probably wasn't from the area.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I can't find any missing men in NamUs that strike me as a potential match, unfortunately.

Maybe he doesn't have family who reported him missing in the U.S. or the report isn't publicly listed in NamUs.

The only work I can think of that we could do on this case is looking again under non-Hispanics, in case that's an error.

I would like to read his story someday. Is anyone out there missing him, waiting for him to be "brought home?"

 

[PatLaurel]

The thread title lists Wahneta, FL instead of Alturas, FL. The 2 locations are 7 apart.

I used the location listed by NamUs, which is Whaneta. Doe Network has the location listed as being Alturas.

UP9466 - Newspapers.com
UP9466 - Newspapers.com

<modsnip: removed images of articles/copyright>

The articles mention both places. Rifle Range Road and "field near Wahneta".