Case History
Police found John Doe 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 and died at the Sharon Oaks Nursing Home in Peoria on November 28, 1993, Officials believe he was 64 when he died of a stroke.
Deaf, mute, and later blind, the young black man survived institutionalized hell: 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 he took a backpack with his collection of rings, glasses and silverware with him everywhere.

After reading a story about John Doe 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 has written his story in the book; God Knows His Name
The True Story of John Doe No. 24

Source Information:
Southern Illinois University Press
The New York Times 12/5/93