The Doe Network:
Case File 862UMWA

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Reconstructions of Victim

Unidentified White Male

Vital Statistics

  • Estimated age: 27 - 37 years old
  • Approximate Height and Weight: 5'8"-5'9"; 130 - 155 lbs.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: The victim had small feet, probably wearing a size 8 shoe.
  • Dentals: The man had had dental work, including silver and gold fillings and possibly a root canal. It was not indigent dental work, it was good quality care for that time frame the mid 1980s.
  • Clothing: Police found charred remnants of denim pants and a denim jacket, a lightweight shirt, and rubber-soled shoes. The coat was off and under the body, apparently to shield him from the heat. The shirt was draped or wrapped around one ankle, possibly to bind an injury. Police also found a burned remnant of a Continental Airlines ticket or baggage claim, but could not make out the numbers to trace the ticket.
  • DNA: The chimney heat destroyed DNA in the skeleton

Case History
The victim was located inside a Georgia-Pacific West Inc. chimney No. 9. A worker checking for a possible water leak found the body on September 20, 1987. His crumpled skeleton was found atop parallel pipes near the bottom of the chimney . The pipes, which carried water heated by boiler exhaust, were 240 degrees. The air was 95 degrees, unless the boiler was running, when temperatures reached 370.
Officials estimated he had been in the chimney a few days to a few weeks. Records showed the boiler operated for 34 hours during Sept. 17 and Sept. 18, two days before the body was found, plus more hours the previous month.
No keys, ID, wallet, ring, watch nor clothes or tools indicating he was a worker were located. No missing workers were reported and no abandoned vehicle was found.

The chimney was difficult to reach. The person had to climb a number of stairs inside the plant, and then make his way to the roof of the building. It would be quite the fluke if someone just stumbled on it as getting to the entry point would take some doing.
Although a metal door was present at the base of the stack, he says it took police two hours to pry it open, making it an unfeasible way for the person to have gotten in. A medical examination yielded the presence of broken bones, indicating the body probably fell into the stack.
The unusual location of the body fueled speculation that the discovery was that of a murder or suicide victim.
Two images of the man were drawn years apart, in 1987 and 2000, by different artists. They represent independent guesses of what he looked like, based on his intact skull.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Bellingham Police
Detective Allan L. Jensen
360-676-7683
or
360-676-6913
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number:
87B-24528

NCIC Number:
U-270367134
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
The Bellingham Herald
KIRO-TV 7
L&C Missing Ribbons Organization
KLIP Sun

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