The Lost and the Found

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/481umma.html

481UMMA - Unidentified Male

 




Date of Discovery: May 22, 1975
Location of Discovery: Burlington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Estimated Date of Death: 1975
State of Remains: Decomposed
Cause of Death: Homicide - 2 gunshots to the head

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 25-35 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 5'8" to 6'0"
Weight: Unknown
Hair: Dark brown, long. Evidence of facial hair.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Upper denture. Extensive dental work with several gold fillings and professional extractions.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Not available.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Army field jacket (size regular small), a t-shirt, jeans, cheap canvass sneakers with black socks, a garrison type belt with a distinctive buckle.
Jewelry: Necklace with a unique medallion attached to it.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown.

Circumstances of Discovery
The victim was located in a wooded area on May 22, 1975 in Burlington, MA. The partially decomposed body had been buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area near Muller Road. It is believed that the man had probably been buried for about 6 months or longer before he was found.

The location he was found was used as a "lovers lane" at the time. The burial site wasn't very far from the road. It was probably within view of passing traffic. There were, and still are, some houses nearby. The rest of the area at that time would have been wooded and isolated. There are a lot of industrial parks nearby now. It's within a mile of Route 95 (what was then only Route 128) and Route 3.

The best clues available to identify the victim are the distinctive belt buckle and the very unique medallion, suggestive of association with a motorcycle gang. At that time, there were reports of motorcycle gangs in town. There were a couple of houses where four or five of them lived.

Black socks and gold fillings in those days indicated one was associated with the military or law enforcement. Dental records would easily confirm the man's identity.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Massachusetts Office of Chief Medical Examiner
Agency Contact Person: Joseph Cahill
Agency Phone Number: 617-267-6767
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: AK75-44

Agency Name: Burlington Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Detective Gary Burdick
Agency Phone Number: 781-272-1212
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 04833

NCIC Case Number: U270005907
NamUs Case Number: 14005

Information Source(s)
NamUs
Burlington Police Department
Woburn Daily Times - 4/7/05

Admin Notes
Added: Prior to 2005; Last Updated: 1/20/19