Image of the victim in 1945 and 1983; Headstone purchased by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Image of the victim in 1945 and 1983; Headstone purchased by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Date of Discovery: October 11, 1945
Location of Discovery: Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois
Estimated Date of Death: November 28, 1993
State of Remains: Alive when located
Cause of Death: Stroke
Estimated Age: Teens
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Black or brown
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unable to communicate: deaf and mute. Mentally handicapped
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Police found a teen-age boy in the early morning hours of October 11, 1945, in Jacksonville, Illinois. Unable to communicate, the deaf and mute teenager was labeled "feeble minded" and sentenced by a judge to the Lincoln State School and Colony in Jacksonville.
He remained in the Illinois mental health care system for over thirty years. Deaf, mute, and later blind, the young black man survived beatings, hunger, overcrowding, and the dehumanizing treatment that characterized state institutions through the 1950s. In spite of his environment, he made friends, took on responsibilities, and developed a sense of humor. People who knew him found him remarkable. He had a straw hat he loved to wear, and carried a backpack with his collection of rings, glasses, and silverware with him everywhere.
Possible hints to his identity include his 'scrawling "Lewis"' and his 'pantomimed, wild accounts of foot-stomping jazz bars and circus parades.'
He died after having a stroke at the Sharon Oaks Nursing Home in Peoria on November 28, 1993. Officials believe he was around 64 years old at the time.
After reading a story about him in the New York Times, acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote and recorded "John Doe No. 24" and purchased a headstone for his unmarked grave. Award-winning journalist Dave Bakke wrote God Knows His Name: The True Story of John Doe No. 24.
Agency Name: Unknown
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: N/A
Agency Case Number: N/A
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: N/A
The New York Times: John Doe No. 24 Takes His Secret to the Grave (December 5, 1993)
Southern Illinois University Press Archives
Added: 3/23/06; Last Updated: 1/19/19
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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