The Doe Network: Case File 121UMOH

The Doe Network:
Case File 121UMOH

Left: Sketch of Victim by Wesley Neville; Right: Death Mask

Unidentified White Male

Located on June 5, 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio

Death had occurred late Wednesday, June 3, or early Thursday, June 4, 1936.

Cause of death was homicide. The victim had been decapitated.

Vital Statistics

Estimated age: Mid-twenties

Approximate Height and Weight: 5'11"; 155 lbs.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Reddish brown hair; blue eyes. Slender build, well-nourished with small hands and feet. Narrow handsome face with high cheekbones, a fair complexion, strong jaw and a slightly prominent nose. The coroner commented the victim looked to be of Slavic or possibly Scandinavian descent.

Dentals: Missing five teeth - one upper and three lower molars on the right side and a lowar molar on the left.

Clothing: Dark brown cashmere pants with a zipper. Found in the area were three shirts; one a white knit polo shirt with a Park Royal Broadcloth label. An old brown cap, a white pair of undershorts; with blue stripes and a laundry mark variously reported as "J. D. X.", "JD" or "J. D. A.". And a pair of tan oxford shoes (size 7 1/2), rather worn, with their laces tied together and a pair of thick socks stuffed inside.

Tattoos: He had six tattoos; One on the left calf was the character Jiggs from the comic strip Bringing Up Father. On the right calf was an anchor under a superimposed Cupid. On the right forearm was Helen-Paul over a dove. A butterfly on the right shoulder. On the left forearm was crossed flags. Also on the left forearm were the initials WCG with an arrow through a heart. The tattoos may have suggested a naval background of the victim.

Case History
The victim was located on June 5, 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio. The victims head was found near the Shaker Rapid Transit tracks. The torso was found between the New York Central and Nickel Plate tracks by an old freight shed. The body was nude but unmutilated, and was found only about fifteen hundred feet away from the head.
There was no blood on the ground, indicating that the unknown victim had been killed elsewhere and his head and torso then flung into the wastes of Kingsbury Run.
A railroad worker’s testimony that the head was not in the vicinity at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, and an eyewitness’s report of a late-model Cadillac seen under the Kinsman Road bridge about 11:00 p.m. that same night suggested the latter time as the dumping hour.
The physical evidence of the decapitation suggested it had been done while the victim was alive. The head had been cut off between the first and second cervical vertebrae. There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in the victim’s body, and nothing to suggest that he had been tortured or bound before being killed.
The case may be related to several other homicides in the area at the time.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
The Doe Network

Source Information:
The Maniac in the Bushes And More Tales of Cleveland Woe
Cleveland Police Museum
Kingsbury Run
Torso by Steven Nickel

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