UNIDENTIFIED: Flathead County Doe

[00:00] Hi, Crime Junkies. It's Britt, and I have big news. One of my favorite seasonal shows, CounterClock, is back with a brand new season, and it is wild. Host Delia D'Ambra is digging into the 2008 Lane Bryant murders. I mean, this isn't just a recap. It is a reinvestigation. She's talking to law enforcement, people from the community, even sources who have never spoken publicly until now. And you know I love a show that asks all the questions. Listen to CounterClock Season 8 now wherever you get your podcasts. [00:30] Hi, Crime Junkies. Just Ashley Flowers here to bring you a very special midweek episode. Didn't see that coming, did you? Well, I'm here because I got a very special request from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office out in Montana. They have an open cold case of a John Doe that they have been working tirelessly to solve. But before they can determine how or why this person died, they have to know who he is. They have enlisted the help of the DNA Doe Project, [01:00] And you guys know we love the DNA Doe Project. And they have gotten so close to the finish line. But the sheriff's office needs your help because you out there listening right now, they believe you could hold the final key to solving this mystery. So listen close to the story of Flathead County John Doe. [01:25] *music*

[01:57] According to the Farmer's Almanac, late October 2003 was cold in Flathead County, Montana. It's a good time for hunting, though, and two hunters were taking advantage of the good conditions. They were walking at the top of a cliff near a wooded area when they spot something. It's a tattered nylon bag. They look at each other and side to side, realizing that no one seemed to be around as far as they could see. [02:26] so they decide to take a peek. [02:28] Inside, one of the hunters finds a .22 caliber pistol, and nearby there's a butterfly knife and a nickel. [02:36] And this is strange, yes, but honestly, to two dudes out there that day, it didn't mean much. However, one of the hunters told his wife about his findings when he got home. And I have to believe that she was a crime junkie based on her response because she tells him, maybe you should go back out there and see if there's anything else. Like you found this at the top of a cliff and no one around. Like, think about that, honey, top of a cliff. You got to go check the bottom of that cliff. [03:06] The guy goes back on October 26th, and sure enough, [03:09] Wifey was right. There at the bottom of the cliff among brush was a human skull. [03:15] Next to it, he also saw a tennis shoe, a water bottle, and a small pack rat's nest nearby. He decided to look through the nest to see if there was anything else identifiable, and he found sunglasses, a marijuana pipe, and a collection of other random items. It's at this point the hunter calls the sheriff's office to report the findings. Now, what's interesting is that the sheriff's team can't just jump in their cars and get there right away. And here's why.

[03:45] by foot, as proven by the hunter, you can't actually get there by vehicle unless you have a key. Because this area where the remains were found is this wooded area off of a gated road. So the sheriff's office had to call in a fish and wildlife officer to come meet them at the gate with a key so they could drive back there. And this might not seem like a big clue, and maybe I'm reading into it too much, but I think it's worth noting because it means that our John Doe probably got back there [04:15] by any sort of vehicle. [04:17] The sheriff who responded waits for detectives to arrive who take over the scene and a crime scene specialist joins them to collect the skull, other bones scattered around nearby and items that were found as well. And then all of it is sent off for processing. [04:33] Investigators tried to glean information from the scene itself, but it was hard. Just by the condition of the remains and the items left behind, it was clear that they had been there for a long time. And the bones themselves had been so spread apart by animals that it was impossible to even determine where the initial crime scene was. [04:53] While most of the bones were scattered on the base of the cliff, there was a single clavicle bone found at the top, which could potentially indicate that's where whatever happened to this man took place. I remember in my research for the Mitrice Richardson case that there was one expert who I believe said that animals don't usually move things up to higher ground. They would take something like human remains and move them down. And I don't know if that's the case here. And truthfully, neither do the investigators.

[05:23] was use the skull as their marker and then fan out one to two hundred yards in every direction looking for clues. [05:30] In addition to all the items found by the hunter, they also find additional coins, a bottle of Aleve, and a handheld poker game. [05:38] The most recently dated coin was from 1990. So at least their window is narrowing a bit. We went from, you know, this could have happened at any point to, well, it could have happened at any point after 1990. But using other things at the scene, they narrow it down even further. Within days, while they're still waiting for a forensic exam to come back and tell them more about their victim, the detective does some legwork to try and narrow down this window even further. [06:08] this great idea to call the Aleve customer hotline who were able to tell him more about that particular bottle that they found at the scene. They say that Aleve was first distributed over the counter in June of 1994. And back then, Aleve was made by Procter & Gamble. But in January of 1997, Bayer took over distribution. And when they took over, the style of the bottle [06:38] that was at this scene matched the kind that Procter & Gamble used to produce. Meaning, our 13-year window just shrunk to two and a half years, sometime between June 1994 and January 1997.

[06:56] On October 29th, just three days after the skull was discovered, an evidence technician actually did the same thing with the Adidas shoe found at the scene. They were able to give Adidas the description of the shoe along with some numbers that appeared on the shoe. And the tech was told that the shoe was manufactured in May of 1995, making our window even smaller. But the biggest clue of all was that gun. Or at least it should have been. [07:26] This case that seems like they're moving so quickly on is about to have its first dead end, and it would be a sign of what's to come. [07:38] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers, and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades. [07:57] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [08:04] wherever you get your podcasts. [08:07] Guns that are manufactured and sold through official channels have a serial number. And this gun that the hunter found in that bag was no exception. Within the first few days of the investigation, detectives are able to track down the purchase history of the weapon. And they find that in January of 1994, it was purchased by a man in Sandy, Utah. But when police look into this guy, he is alive and well. That skull found at the base of the cliff clearly doesn't belong to him.

[08:37] But surely there must be some connection. So investigators contact this guy to see why his gun wasn't with him and how it could have been that it was found near the set of remains two states away. The man's response was simple. He said he had sold all of his firearms between March and June of 1994. So essentially two to six months after purchasing it. He said he decided to sell it and he has no idea what happened to it after that. [09:07] question, like probably yours, is, well, who the heck did he sell it to? And the answer is underwhelming. He says he doesn't recall, but most likely it would have been one of two different gun stores. So with the gun turning into somewhat of a dead end, investigators focused back in on the bones, hoping that they would tell them something about their victim. They brought in the University of Montana's anthropology department and they made several more trips back out to the [09:37] and more bones and more and more clues. On one particular trip in April of 2004, they also found pages of a book which they determined to be Phases of Gravity by Dan Simmons. The book was published in 89, 90, and then re-released in 2001. So while it didn't help narrow down our timeline anymore, it at least told investigators and you listening something about this man. Potentially, he was

[10:07] by Dan Simmons when he died. [10:10] When the anthropology team gets back to the detectives in November, it seems to be yet another dead end. The bones are old. They'd likely been there for a few years before being found. And all they can tell deputies is that their victim is a white male between 21 and 36, but more likely mid-20s, and he was approximately 5'8". [10:40] his remains. Now, if your crime junkie brain is at all like mine, the first time I read the info on this case, I was viewing everything through the lens of looking to solve a murder. [10:52] There are remains, a gun with a mysterious purchase history, everything screamed mystery. [10:59] They couldn't determine how he died. And the truth is, this might not be a murder at all. It might be an accident or even suicide. But like I said at the beginning, we can't know how or why he died until we know who he is. And until a family finally understands where their loved one has been for so many years. [11:21] Everyone was hopeful in the early days that the dental records would be their key to a match. Their guy had about eight molars and some had fillings, so it felt really distinctive. Like distinctive enough that if they could match it to a missing persons report, like they'd have their guy. But time and time again, they'd find someone who seemed like a good match,

[11:41] But it was never him. [11:43] And so the case went cold. [11:45] Per police records, it appears that the case gets another really close look in like 2011, 2012. And I don't know this for sure, but I assume that the Flathead County Sheriff's Office works like a lot of smaller departments. There's no dedicated cold case staff. You work cases in between your other duties, which is why it can get so dragged out. And these cold cases can go on for so many years. But here is where a couple of interesting things happen. [12:14] Well, at least interesting to me. [12:17] The detective now in charge of the case decides to go out to the scene one more time, likely just to get like a better sense for the area. I mean, this is important if you're taking on a new case. When he gets to the scene, his report says, quote, I noticed someone has been in the area and placed a white painted metal cross on the top of the cliff, marking the area where the decedent was located. End quote. [12:44] To this day, they still don't know who placed that cross there. Was it a local who was haunted by the story of this young man left without a name? Or perhaps? [12:55] Perhaps someone with something to atone for. [12:58] In addition to the cross, the detectives also noticed another pack rat's nest and inside were more human bones, even all these years later. Now, while they were determined to be human bones, the sheriff's office said that, quote, DNA testing was not an option, end quote, right?

[13:17] But they did tell me, however, that there was no indication of a second victim in the area. So the assumption is and has always been that they likely belong to their original John Doe. [13:27] The other interesting thing that happens in 2011 is it seems that now, years later, someone actually follows up on the gun owner's story. And they try and track down the two stores that this guy says, you know, maybe I sold my gun there. [13:42] Now, in the limited information I was provided, it looked like this is the first time that someone had checked into this guy's story to verify it with the gun shop owners. And when I asked the Flathead County Sheriff's Office if that was correct, the answer I got was that the retired detective didn't recall. Now, you could get buried in this detail about what was done and when, what assumptions were made, who made them. I've gotten lost in all of those questions. [14:12] So both of the gun shop owners say in 2011 that they have no record of that gun ever coming into their inventory. And it's not, from what I can tell, that the records are just too old or they don't have them. It's my understanding they kept good records, but... [14:27] They never purchased that gun, meaning that that gun was never sold to them. [14:32] So now in 2011, detectives go back to this guy in Sandy, Utah, who now says, well, you know, I might have pawned it maybe instead of selling it to the gun store. I probably pawned it sometime in 94 or 95. And he added more detail saying that he was actually going through a divorce at the time and needed some cash. And listen.

[14:52] I don't love it. It seems like you'd remember being in the middle of a divorce and being hard up for cash even more clearly when it was actually happening instead of years later. But when I asked the Flathead County sheriffs if this man was considered a suspect in any way, they said, quote, [15:07] The original gun owner was cleared at the time of the initial investigation, but like with any investigation, it must remain fluid should any new evidence arise. I spoke to him again after I found the bones, and there was no reason to consider him a suspect at the time. He did provide a name and location of the pawn shop he sold the gun to. The shop was contacted and was very cooperative, but was unable to provide any new information. [15:34] End quote. So without any new information, even this legwork in 2011, 2012 didn't get them any closer to a name. And a name is what they need to move this case forward. And as you all know, we are now in the season of justice. So when all doors seemed closed before, we now have a window. [16:04] John Doe is. They said at this time, their main goal and focus is to identify his name, who he is. And once that happens, investigators can determine what direction to go in from there. So whatever kind of case we're talking about, murder, suicide, accident, it doesn't matter yet because it doesn't change the fact that we need his name. He was a young man who belonged to someone. He was someone's son, someone's friend, maybe a brother.

[16:32] Now, as much as we hope genealogy is the end-all be-all, it is only as good as the database they have to cross-reference with. The DNA Doe Project has taken on this case, and they have been working on it for well over a year, close to two at this point. And they are so close to the finish line, but this is where they need your help. When they compared RDoe's DNA to ancestral databases, the closest match that they got was actually pretty far away. [17:00] They're what DNA Doe Project calls low matches. So we're talking like a fourth cousin. And I don't know about you, but I couldn't even name a single fourth cousin for you, much less know anything about their daily lives. So as you can imagine, when you get that far out in a family tree, you aren't dealing with a single last name. People marry, divorce, remarry, die. Genealogy can be messy. So just keep that in mind as I tell you what we know. [17:29] Based on his DNA, the DNA Doe Project believes that even though he was found in Montana, his family lineage could be linked back to one of 11 family names in one of three different counties. He could potentially be related to family members or ancestors from Harlan County, Kentucky, with the last names... [17:49] Sailor? [17:50] Helton [17:51] Brock [17:52] Or he could potentially be related to family members or ancestors from Montgomery County, Indiana, with the last names Ward or Lynn Blanton.

[18:03] or Barrett. [18:04] And a third possibility is that he could potentially be related to family members or ancestors from Hancock County, Tennessee. [18:12] with the last names Green, [18:14] Epperson, Seals, or Trent. I'm going to put the counties and spellings of those last names in the show notes and on our blog post on the website. We have a huge crime junkie audience here in the Midwest who might recognize one of those names. But it's important to hear this even if you're not local, because this guy was clearly out of state, at least at some point. [18:39] And just because his fourth cousin or great-great-grandmother lived in one of those areas with one of those last names doesn't mean he did. [18:47] Is there someone you knew in the 80s and 90s who, after 1995, you haven't heard from since? No matter where they're from, no matter what their last name is, family member or friend, or even a story you heard from a family member about maybe one of their distant cousins who ran away or no one heard from again. He was a white male who would have been between 21 and 36. Though, if you're thinking of someone who's a little bit outside of that range, don't talk yourself out of it. [19:17] A recent poster made for this case lists his age range as potentially being as broad as 18 to 42. [19:25] He was around 5'7 or 5'8. He wore a size 11 Adidas tennis shoe. He carried a handheld poker game with him, and he might have read Phase of Gravity by Dan Simmons.

[19:36] We also know that he was in possession of a Smith & Wesson pistol with an Uncle Mike sidekick black nylon holster, which those of you who aren't familiar with guns like me, Uncle Mike is a brand, not like an engraving or anything. Yeah. [19:50] The anthropology team who consulted on this case did a facial reconstruction from that skull to show what our John Doe might have looked like. And you can find that on our Instagram at Crime Junkie Podcast or on the blog on our website, Crime Junkie Podcast dot com. And I can't stress this enough. Please don't limit your thinking just to people who have been reported missing. Don't say, well, you know, I don't know of any people in my life who have a missing loved one. [20:20] success stories on the DNA Doe Project's website, many of them share something similar. They weren't reported missing. Their family often thought that they ran away or left to start a new life. So please keep your thinking broad. And if you have absolutely any information, big or small, call the Flathead County Sheriff's Office at 406-758-402. [20:47] 5-5-8-9-0. [20:49] 8-5. [21:03] If you want to see the facial reconstruction for the Flathead County John Doe, you can find that on our website, CrimeJunkiePodcast.com.

[21:11] All of the information and facts for this episode were generously provided by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office and the DNA Doe Project. I will see all of you crime junkies on Monday for a regularly scheduled episode. [21:24] Thank you. [21:45] you [21:46] you [21:47] *music* [21:49] *music* [21:52] Crime Junkie is an audio Chuck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve? [22:00] Okay, Crime Junkies, you know, I absolutely love a twist and a turn, especially when it comes to people who turn out to be someone they're not. That's why I have been obsessed with the podcast Chameleon. Every Thursday, host Josh Dean deep dives into a scam so bizarre, it will leave you wondering, how did they get away with that? [22:18] It is truly one of my favorite podcasts right now and I've been listening for years. [22:22] I think you'll love it too. [22:23] Listen to Chameleon wherever you get your podcasts.