Thursday, April 18, 2019

Unknown: 1976 - Denville John Doe - Denville, NJ

On October 24, 1976, the badly decomposed body of a young male was found in a wooded area of I-80 at milepost 39E in Denville, Morris County, New Jersey. The newspaper article states that he was a Caucasian male in his late 20's but Namus puts him in the 30-40 age range. He had short dark brown with 3/4" curls (very specific) and was estimated to be 5'6" (though he could have been taller) and was estimated to have been dead for about six months which would place his date of death around mid-April of 1976. That means that, as of this posting, he's been without a name for 43 years.

The decedent had a couple of very distinctive items on him, which I think could possibly make this case solvable if the right people see it.

Clothing & Shoes:
  • Black long-sleeve shirt with white buttons open at the neck with both cuffs rolled up 2 times
  • Gray knit "Indian design" (zig-zag pattern) trousers with no belt loops.
  • Dark colored jockey style short underpants
  • Black ribbed 11-inch socks
  • Blue pseudo-patent leather shoes with 2 inch raised heel (Shoes are 10 1/2 inches long.)
Other Items:
  • Watch: Hamilton or Hormilton Electra 25 wristwatch (It looks like "Hormilton" to me, which was a knock-off brand of Hamilton)
  • Two keys on a ring
  • Eagle Medallion (Eagle - "U.S. type")

I've posted photos of the clothing and items below. How common were these pants in the 1970s? Can we find a similar image? Maybe find a brand?  Does the medallion mean anything? Do the keys have any significance?

If you have any information about Denville John Doe or have leads on any of the items, please contact the New Jersey State Police (Netcong Station) at 973-347-1000 and reference case #H207671

NamUs Case #UP1524: https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/1524/details.

Grey knit pants with a distinctive pattern.

Hormilton Electra 25 wristwatch
Keys and medallion found with the body
Close up of the medallion or keychain

Denville John DoeMon, Oct 25, 1976 – 3 · The Daily Register (Red Bank, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com  Denville John DoeMon, Oct 25, 1976 – 3 · The News (Paterson, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com

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