Help with a Pacific mystery...

[Magnum p.e.]

This will be the strangest post on this forum.

https://identifyus.org/cases/6909

I need your help. I am seeking to identify a sailor who washed up in Hawaii in November of 1982 in a Bayley 7-01-00 exposure suit. He had been in the water a long time, hence he has been named Barnacle Bill. The suit was made in 1979 and was sold in Tacoma Washington.
The medical examiner thinks he MAY have had his left arm amputated below the elbow sometime antemortem. They believe he was about 5'9" tall and may have had brown hair.
If anyone knows of what company may have the old Bayley sales records, we do have the serial number of his suit. There is no DNA, no prints, and only partial dentals, so that suit is probably the best chance at identifying him.

Anyone know who he might be?

Thanks

[JPA Cate]

No, it's not strange. It IS a mystery, though.

To me, the salient feature is that the decedent was so young--and wearing a survival suit. Maybe he got there from Alaska or Japan?

Anyhow, best wishes for learning his identity, that his family can be put to rest about what happened.

I would note that with badly decomposed corpses, the missing limb may just have fallen off or have been loosened by denizons of the deep; so that may, or may not, be a lead.

Good luck with it.

As this incident occurred in 1982, it seems extremely unlikely that more will be learned.

By the way, welcome to CF. Quite an interesting first post.

Ann

[Lizzy Belle]

Welcome to CF, Magnum PIE

I clicked through the case info, but there's not a lot to go on ...

Male, probably 19-25 yo, 5'9" approx, possibly missing an arm during life, found in 1982 in a Bayley exposure suit - after, evidently, spending an unknown time in the water.

I must have read over where they estimate how long they think he's been in the water - the body and marine crustaceans should tell them enough for an estimated time, methinks?

Weird, you'd think that someone would miss him, and he'd match to a missing persons report ...

Hope one day, he'll have his name back. Doubt it, but very much hope so nonetheless.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Welcome to CF, Magnum PIE

I clicked through the case info, but there's not a lot to go on ...

Male, probably 19-25 yo, 5'9" approx, possibly missing an arm during life, found in 1982 in a Bayley exposure suit - after, evidently, spending an unknown time in the water.

I must have read over where they estimate how long they think he's been in the water - the body and marine crustaceans should tell them enough for an estimated time, methinks?

Weird, you'd think that someone would miss him, and he'd match to a missing persons report ...

Hope one day, he'll have his name back. Doubt it, but very much hope so nonetheless.

Where you getting this from? I cant find the case?

To the OP what's your intent please?

[Lizzy Belle]

Follow the link the OP posted - and find the 'next page' button on that page.
You have to read to a couple of pages - it's sort of a 'clean' autopsy report.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Follow the link the OP posted - and find the 'next page' button on that page.
You have to read to a couple of pages - it's sort of a 'clean' autopsy report.

Ok, got it now.

I'd like to know the OP's intent in posting this?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Magnum p.e.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I'd like to know the OP's intent in posting this?

I dunno, but could be a master plan at work:

- post mystery on forums
- someone solves mystery
- poster informs authorities and claims reward
- buys dream boat and cruises around for years and years

[Rustic Charm]

Seems a long shot. It's not jason Bourne is it? Or was he wesring a black suit? Cant remember.

[Magnum p.e.]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

I dunno, but could be a master plan at work:

- post mystery on forums
- someone solves mystery
- poster informs authorities and claims reward
- buys dream boat and cruises around for years and years

Had not thought of that, but I like it!

The only reward,though, is identifying this person. The reason for posting it is that this forum represents a large number of knowledgeable sailor eyes being made aware of the case. Maybe someone will remember someone who went missing at the right time and in the right place. We have no DNA, no prints, and only partial dentals (more IDs are made by dentals than DNA btw). Your collective memory is the best possibility of solving this one.
I looked at a chart of ocean currents, and first posted on the Alaska Shipwreck forum. I am working my way down the western coast of the US and Canada. The Tacoma purchase place for that suit is a clue.
We do have the serial number of that suit. If anyone knows anything about the Bayley company and who ended up with those records I would love to look at them. I can vouch for a Bayley suit, btw. One kept this guy's skeleton afloat long enough for marine growth to form.
BTW, the observation of possible left arm amputation in life was probably made from new bone growth, but the ME did not elaborate. They should be able to determine the difference between postmortem and antemortem amputation.

[sailpower]

OK, clearly the OP ducked the question.

Also who is the "we" that has the suit information?

Obviously more here then we are being told.

[Magnum p.e.]

[QUOTE=sailpower;2081399]OK, clearly the OP ducked the question.

Also who is the "we" that has the suit information?

Obviously more here then we are being told.[/QUOTE

I belong to a collective of cold case hobbyists. We work on cases that the authorities have not solved. Some of the cases are many decades old and no one is really working on them except us. We do solve some, but remember that these are the tough ones. The suit information can be found at the link I provided in my first post, I think it is the identifyus site. Law enforcement or a ME posts that to solicit help.
The best chance of IDing Barnacle Bill is to have more, and the right, people aware of him and talking about him. I may come up with a printable flyer. With the help of people on this board it could be easily posted in marinas all over the Pacific.

I am counting on the known predilection of you nautical types for gathering, talking about interesting things, and consuming alcohol.

I have given you an interesting thing, you provide the alcohol.

If I knew more, believe me I would tell you. There just is not that much to go on in this case.
Thanks again.

[SaltyMonkey]

People who should get information are the contact people on this case ticket.

Contacts
Local Contact
Agency Honolulu Cnty Med Examiners Ofc
Phone 808-768-3090

Case Manager
Name Pamela Cadiente
Phone 808.768.3090

Regional Administrator
Name Dustin Driscoll
Email Dustin.Driscoll@unthsc.edu
Phone 817-240-4106

[Magnum p.e.]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

People who should get information are the contact people on this case ticket.

Contacts
Local Contact
Agency Honolulu Cnty Med Examiners Ofc
Phone 808-768-3090

Case Manager
Name Pamela Cadiente
Phone 808.768.3090

Regional Administrator
Name Dustin Driscoll
Email Dustin.Driscoll@unthsc.edu
Phone 817-240-4106

Thanks Salty Monkey, I forgot to post the most important part.....

[boatman61]

I think the suit will only prove of help if it was part off a bulk purchase by a trawler fleet where records may be kept.. guy goes over tending gear/line.. arm gets caught and he's pulled over and loses the arm in the process.. body never found because of the weather..
I bought my suit in Denmark.. however I could go over in the Southern Ocean.. as an individual purchase I think tracing me via the number on the suit would be impossible.
Try looking at the commercial fishermen lost at sea lists in the NE Pacific fleets..