Artistic renderings by NCMEC, Barbara Martin-Bailey and Betsy Cooper; image of tattoo.
Identified...Identified...Identified
Artistic renderings by NCMEC, Barbara Martin-Bailey and Betsy Cooper; image of tattoo.
Date of Discovery: October 18, 1983
Location of Discovery: Lake Village, Newton County, Indiana
Estimated Date of Death: 1981-1983
State of Remains: Decomposed
Cause of Death: Homicide by stabbing
Estimated Age: 17-23 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 5'2" to 5'11"
Weight: 160 lbs., with an average build.
Hair: Reddish-brown or auburn, wavy and of medium length.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Homemade tattoo of a cross with two dots or dashes above the horizontal found on the right forearm, palm side closer to the wrist. A second homemade tattoo is of a rectangle or U-shaped design with dot located on the outer right arm. He had severely fractured his nose earlier in life and also fractured his left ankle.
Dentals: Available. Several dental fillings. Staining on his teeth suggesting tobacco use.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: Brown slacks with small buttons on the front (size 30x30), jockey undershorts, brown leather fleeced-lined ankle high hiking boots with brown shoelaces through metal eyelets (size 10 1/2).
Jewelry: Unknown.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown.
Mushroom hunters found the victim in a shallow grave on an abandoned farm near Sumava Resorts, off US-41, a half mile north of SR-10. The victim was found along with three other victims. The victim had been drugged, bound and stabbed to death. Two of the additional three victims were identified via dental records. The third victim, 999UMIN, remains unidentified. They were all victims of serial killer, Larry Eyler.
Additionally, 3070UMIN, found three days before, is a suspected Eyler victim.
Eyler did not recall where he picked up this victim. However, he stated they seemed to be "familiar with one another." The victim, known to police by the nickname "Brad" allegedly accepted Eyler's proposition of $100 to perform a sexual act. The victim was subsequently murdered.
Larry Eyler, a Crawfordsville native, confessed to murdering nearly two dozen young men in the Midwest in the early 1980s. He was dubbed the "Highway Killer" because of where most of his victims' bodies were found - left in locations between Eyler's two residences in Terre Haute and Chicago. His path often followed U.S. 41 in Indiana and Interstate 57 in Illinois.
Five victims have been found in Newton and Jasper counties, and all linked to Eyler. Eyler would take victims from southern Indiana and bury them in northern Indiana - and vice versa - to avoid detection.
Eyler, who was convicted of murder and other charges in Illinois and Indiana, died while in custody in Illinois of AIDS-related complications in 1994.
Invetigators are seeking forensic genetic genealogy in effort to identify the victim.
Agency Name: Newton County Coroner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Detective Scott McCord
Agency Phone Number: 219-285-2515 or 219-964-9872
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 56-09-Brad83
Agency Name: Indiana State Police
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 219-696-6242
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 56-09-Brad83
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 6105
NCMEC Case Number: 1202842
NamUs
NCMEC
Wikipedia
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Added: 3/9/10; Last Updated: 11/23/19
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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