Name: Joseph Simon Miller
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: June 8, 1940
Location Last Seen: Cedar Rapids, Boone County, Iowa
Date of Birth: March 19, 1898
Age: 42 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'0" to 5'5"
Weight: 165 to 185 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown, short
Eye Color: Blue
Nickname/Alias: Joe
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Based on family members' memories, Joe had a gum disease causing all his teeth to fall out or be extracted
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: Heavy rain coat; high rubber boots
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Joe, an employee of the Central Power Company, was working on the dam at Cedar Rapids. Joe and two other workers had climbed a suspension bridge at around 11:00 p.m. to open the flood gates following a heavy rain when the side of the swinging bridge they were standing on gave way. The other two men were able to cling to the bridge, but Joe was pulled off balance and fell into the river. Witnesses believe Joe struck his head while falling.
There were reports of a body seen in the river between Cedar Rapids and Belgrade, but his body has never been recovered. He is believed to have drowned.
Agency Name: Nance County Sheriff's Department
Agency Contact Person: Chief Deputy Ben Bakewell
Agency Phone Number: 308-536-2452
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 11-128
NamUs Case Number: MP19639
NamUs
The Columbus Telegram (Columbus, NE) - Jun. 10, 1940
The Nancy County Journal (Fullerton, NE) - Jun. 20, 1940
Ancestry.com
Added: 12/1/21; Last Updated: 12/1/21 - By: hb
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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