Warning!! Following the case summary are post-mortem photos of this unidentified man. If you are sensitive to this type of material, please do not scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Unidentified White Male Found November 18, 1968 near Downingtown, Chester County
Vital Statistics
Estimated Age: 20-30 years old Estimated height: 5'6" Estimated weight: 160 lbs Hair Color: dark brown Eye Color: green or hazel Tattoos: On the right upper arm, a bulldog wearing a helmet with the letters USMC underneath. On the left forearm was a "bird in flight", possibly a swallow. Clothing: Rust colored sweater, brown houndstooth-check pants, brown shoes with buckles. He was covered with a dark blue navy peacoat. Fingerprints: Available Distinguishing Characteristics: a healed bullet wound Estimated Time of Death: about 12 hours prior to being found, but no longer than 24 hours. Cause of death: stabbed once "through the heart" with a narrow round object that penetrated about four inches. DNA: unavailable at this time, however, the man was exhumed from his grave in Quaker Cemetery near Kennett Square and samples have been taken to start the DNA process.
Case Details
On Monday, November 18, 1968, at 10:55 a.m., a Pennsylvania State Trooper, while on a routine Turnpike patrol, spotted a man in a semi-sitting position on the side of the highway, about a mile east of the Downingtown interchange. The trooper stopped to check on the man and found that he was dead.
There was no identification on the fully-clothed body and no signs of a struggle.
The FBI studied fingerprints in an effort to identify him, but he remains unidentified. Given the "bulldog" tattoo on the man's right upper arm, it is likely that he had once served in the Marines.
If you have any information about this case, please contact:
Pennsylvania State Police Troop J - Avondale Tpr Henry Callithen Phone: 610-268-2022 Fax: 610-268-3845
Photos courtesy of Pennsylvania State Police and are used with permission. Duplicate photos, in color and black & white, have been included to give as much perspective as possible. Click on these images, and those at the top of the page, for an enlarged view.
Sources Pennsylvania State Police NewspaperArchive.com Lebanon Daily News Simpson's Leader Times Daily News (Huntingdon & Mount Union) Philadelphia Inquirer
