Date of Discovery: July 24, 1974
Location of Discovery: Upland, Dickinson County, Kansas
Estimated Date of Death: 10 days to 2 weeks prior to discovery
State of Remains: Decomposed partial remains
Cause of Death: Numerous small caliber bullet wounds
Estimated Age: 25-31 years old. Some sources list 25 years or younger.
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'6" to 5'10"
Weight: 140-150 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown, wavy, 5" in length
Eye Color: Unknown.
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown.
Dentals: Unknown.
Fingerprints: Unknown.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: Dark red, four-button pullover work shirt, brown pullover, blue jeans, blue knit socks, and boots. No underwear.
Jewelry: Unknown.
Additional Personal Items: Pocket comb and a small plastic vial.
The victim was found on a dirt road one mile south and one-fourth mile east of Upland by a man visiting his parents. He was shot multiple times.
After being sentenced to life in prison in 1975, Cecil Henry Floyd confessed to killing eleven people, one of them being this victim. During this time period, Floyd and his wife and kids roamed the country picking up transients and hitchhikers while robbing store clerks and killed them for their money.
According to Floyd's confession, the victim was a transient hitchhiker they picked up in western Kansas. Together they travelled east and went north after exiting Chapman. Eventually Floyd pulled off a dirt road pretending there was an issue with a rear tire and when the victim got out to help him, the former shot and killed him. He then took his wallet, stole the money in it, and then disposed of it.
At the time, Floyd apparently pleaded in this case and this is supported through newspaper records, but the court records have since been lost. The victim was buried in Abilene Cemetery and was later exhumed for DNA testing in 2016.
Agency Name: Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Agency Contact Person: Judy Ashbaugh
Agency Phone Number: 620-792-4353
Agency Case Number: 0900-27656
Agency Name: Dickinson County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Jerry Davis, Detective
Agency Phone Number: 785-263-3130
Agency Case Number: 16017906
NCIC Case Number: U732217343
NamUs Case Number: UP #2353
Former Hot Case Number: 1247
NamUs
Abilene Reflector-Chronicle
Salina Journal News Archive
Added: Prior to 2012; Last Updated: 7/8/2020
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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