Reconstruction of the decedent by NCMEC; Reconstruction of the decedent circulated in 1961; Decedent's headstone. To view a postmortem photograph, please click here.
Identified...Identified...Identified
Reconstruction of the decedent by NCMEC; Reconstruction of the decedent circulated in 1961; Decedent's headstone. To view a postmortem photograph, please click here.
Date of Discovery: March 27, 1961
Location of Discovery: Centreville, Bibb County, Alabama
Estimated Date of Death: Several hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Drowning and a broken neck
Estimated Age: 14-17 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 5'6" to 5'8"
Weight: 120 lbs.
Hair: Light brown, his hair appeared to have been bleached; eyebrows and eyelashes were dark brown.
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Autopsy revealed he might have walked with a slight limp; smoker; self-inflicted scars with the inscription "R Y + LOVE"; 4" scar on right ankle; 1/2" crescent-shaped scar on upper right forehead
Dentals: Unavailable
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: White cotton dress shirt; light blue dress pants; brown leather belt with silver horse head buckle; black coat; tan, 10" long moccasin-toed boots.
Jewelry: Timex wrist watch; Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate Conception tied around his neck with cotton twine; man's ruby ring with the inscription "United States Army" was found in the car and possibly belonged to the decedent
Additional Personal Items: Carrying a brown leatherette valise-type bag with several long-sleeved shirts and pants made from heavy fabric with laundry tags D743 or A743, A533, 2166 G/Z or 2166 G/2; brown plastic wallet without any identification; a blurry photograph of the decedent with a girl and the inscription "Think of me always and remember how we used to go places together"; pack of Pall Mall cigarettes with a South Carolina tax stamp; small key; a pennybox full of matches
The decedent was a hitchhiker who drowned after the vehicle he was riding in collided with a bridge rail and plunged 250 feet down into the Cahaba River near River Bend. According to the medical examiner, the boy had broken his neck and hand in the wreck.
The driver survived the accident and explained the boy gave some, but few details about his life. Additionally, the other two drivers who had given the boy short rides the day he was killed had similar but few details to give to investigators.
The boy said he was hitchhiking from the Carolinas to San Diego to go into the service-presumably military service (despite the fact he was believed to be too young to join the military). The boy told one driver who'd picked him up that his parents had separated and he was faced with the choice of living in an orphanage or joining the Navy.
The clothing the boy carried with him were described as "really heavy, thick clothes" which made investigators believe he may have been from up north. The cigarettes he carried were from South Carolina.
His body was displayed for a few days at a funeral home, where it was observed by travelers from across the country. An elderly, heavyset, and gray-haired woman was noticed to have spent more time than others when viewing the body. She returned a second day in a row, but left before any information could be taken from her.
The boy was later buried in the Centreville Cemetery several weeks after he died. The community funded his funeral and burial.
His remains were exhumed in June 2016 to obtain DNA information and were reburied the same day. The profile did not match those available in the missing persons database.
Agency Name: Alabama Department of Forensics Science
Agency Contact Person: Nick Carter, Medicolegal Death Investigator
Agency Phone Number: 334-676-5292
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown
Agency Name: Bibb County Coroner's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 205-926-4876
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 13483
NCMEC Case Number: 1250767
Namus
NCMEC
WBRC (6/3/16)
ABC 3340
AL.com
Tuscaloosa News
WVUA23
WBRC (10/4/16)
The Dothan Eagle (Dothan, AL) - March 29, 1961
The Huntsville Times (Huntsville, AL) - April 23, 1961
Added: 3/18/17; Last Updated: 8/29/21
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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