Alabama > Alabama
MARSHALL COUNTY JOHN DOE: WM, 19-34, found off Eagle Point Road - 15 April 1997
Scorpio:
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/888/details
In April 1997, the body of a white male was found in rural Marshall County Alabama (off Eagle Point Road).
Scorpio:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1702umal.html
A man looking for a place to fish in a creek in the Ruth community discovered the decedent's remains around 11 a.m. and called authorities. The remains were found off Eagle Point Road, about three miles west of Arab and about half a mile from the Morgan County line. The body was partly in the creek and was missing the head, hands, and feet. A rope was tied to the his legs.
Investigators believe he may be the victim of a homicide and murdered elsewhere before being dumped at the location where he was found.
Scorpio:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1702umal.html
Date of Discovery: April 15, 1997
Location of Discovery: Marshall County, Alabama
Estimated Date of Death: 1997
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Mummified
Cause of Death: Unknown
Physical Description
Estimated Age: 19 - 34 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9" (Estimated)
Weight: 120 pounds (Estimated)
Hair Color: Unknown. Body hair was sandy or reddish
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
Identifiers
Dentals: Not available
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Short-sleeved "Faded Glory" blue, green, and gray, vertically striped, pullover shirt; "Levi Strauss" 501 jeans (32W-30L)
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Scorpio:
The sheriff's office has a drawing of a man seen near Cataco Creek around the time the body was found who might be involved in dumping the man. He was driving a 1990s model maroon Chevrolet truck with tinted windows and a Georgia tag. It's unknown where he was from.
Scorpio:
https://www.waaytv.com/content/news/Marshall-County-Sheriffs-Office-looking-for-help-in-decades-old-cold-case-560274021.html
[size=16]Marshall County Sheriff's Office looking for help in decades-old cold case[/size]
The Marshall County Sheriff's Office is working to solve a decades-old murder. A man's mutilated body was found in April 1997 on the bank of a creek in Union Grove.
"I've been in law enforcement for 33 years, and 19 years of that has been an investigator here with the sheriff's office, and this is the only case I know like this," said Keith Wilson, the Marshall County Sheriff's Office Investigator on the case.
Investigator Wilson said he's been working on the case since 2000.
"There had been obvious attempts to keep us from identifying the body. The head and the hands had been removed and a surgical type wound to the victim's chest. That looked like someone was trying to hide an injury," he said.
Investigators know the man was between 20 and 30 years old, weighed about 150 pounds and was five feet, nine inches tall. The investigator said they believe he also had strawberry blonde hair. They don't think he was ever reported missing.
"The main focus right now is to look for a person that may be possibly missing that has never been reported. If anybody knows anything like that, if they would call us, that would be great," he said.
In a gruesome twist, the man's heart and spleen were surgically removed. Investigators are not exactly sure why but said it could have been to hide a stab or gunshot wound, and they think the murder didn't happen where the body was found.
"The body was only there a matter of days, or less. The decomposition occurred somewhere else. The body had been stored somewhere else before it was disposed of in that creek," Wilson said.
Wilson said the case has been looked at by many investigators, and they want closure for themselves and for the family.
"Every investigator since 1997 that has come through the sheriff's office has in some way touched this case, interviewed somebody, or followed up on leads. I have done extensive work on it. I would love to solve this case before I retire," he said.
The sheriff's office has a drawing of a man seen near Cataco Creek around the time the body was found who might be involved in dumping the man. He was driving a 1990s model maroon Chevrolet truck with tinted windows and a Georgia tag. It's unknown where he was from.
Investigator Keith Wilson said the sheriff's office has tested the DNA, done analysis on the evidence and hasn't had any hits. The latest DNA test happened as recently as six months ago on the 22-year-old case.
“It’s a matter of identifying that person, and I think that’s been the hold up of the case all along," he said.
Wilson shared they're looking into private companies that collect DNA to see if any of them could provide any sort of DNA match.
"That's been recent people solving crimes through private DNA companies," he said.
He said it's something that still needs lots of research.
"We're researching it. It's a matter of how we are getting one of the private companies to do that," he said.
Another option the sheriff's office is looking at is to hire a private company that could analyze the DNA and try to make a sketch of the man who was found dead.
It's been something they haven't been able to do because he was found with no head, and the cost for something like that could be near $10,000. The sheriff's office said the're still in the early stages of determining if they could use this technology and still have to secure funding.
The Marshall County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call 256-582-2034. A reward may be available for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version