A Belt Buckle, a Ring, and a Few Tattoos…
When Clay Bryant, my mentor and close friend, reaches out to me for assistance, I always respond to both his physical and metaphorical call. Clay is undeniably one of the top cold case investigators out there. Although he had retired, he was convinced to return to investigative work by the Sheriff of Troup County, Georgia. Recently, Clay contacted me about a challenging case he was working on.
The case dates back to March 8, 1990, when the body of an unidentified homicide victim was discovered washed ashore in West Point Lake, situated just north of LaGrange, Georgia. Unfortunately, even to this day, the victim’s identity remains a mystery, and that’s where we need your assistance.
West Point Lake, a reservoir constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers, is primarily located in the west-central region of Georgia along the Chattahoochee River. The river itself flows down from the north, but we lack any information regarding where exactly upstream the victim may have been disposed of; all we know is where the body was ultimately found.
The body was in an advanced state of decomposition. The Medical Examiner theorized it had been 60 or more days post-death. The victim’s cause of death was a gunshot wound. There were two execution-style gunshot wounds to the head. The victim was between 30 and 60 years of age, approximately 6 feet tall, and weighed 180 pounds. He was wearing a T-shirt, a flannel shirt, blue jeans, and insulated coveralls.
He was also wearing a Balfour commemorative ring issued by Missouri Pacific Railroad, which is from 1980 to 1982. It has a blue stone from the KansasDivision and is inscribed with the initials CAM.
In the coverall pocket was a Zippo lighter, also inscribed with the initials CAM. The victim was additionally wearing a craftsman-made belt buckle indicative of those in the pipefitters profession, made of stainless steel with an Eisenhower Silver Dollar in the center. The victim had some distinctive tattoos: an original Mickey Mouse (Steamboat
Willie) on his right chest, an amateur “MOM” on his upper arm, and a “Keep on Trucking Man” tattoo from the 1970s on his back, depicting a man who appears to be snorting cocaine with smoke coming from his ears. There is also a mirror and razor blade tattoo on his back. The items present indicate he probably worked for the Kansas Division of the Missouri Pacific Railroad in the early 1980s and was possibly a skilled ironworker or pipefitter.
West Point Lake is close to Interstate 85, which runs for 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama-Georgia state line. The lake has 525 miles of shoreline.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has his skull. I called our expert, Kelly Lawson, who is the forensic artist for the GBI. She can take the victim’s skull and perform a facial reconstruction to give us a face. Kelly said she would look for the skull in evidence and speak with Clay. This process can be rewarding and could potentially provide us with a massive lead.
I contacted the Kansas City Police and asked Missing Persons Detective Hasklee if they had a missing man from 1990 who matched the above description. He stated he couldn’t find anything because there’s a gap in their system from 1987 to 1991, or those cases aren’t listed. In cold cases, we can often hit a wall, and this is definitely a wall. Of all the years to have a “gap,” it’s the year we need.
I contacted the local newspaper in Kansas City and spoke with a local reporter. He said he would look into any missing person stories during that time in their archives. As of this publication, I have not heard back from him.
So, I am turning to you—the public. Investigator Clay Bryant and I believe in the power of the general public in cold cases. I am hopeful that someone can tell us more about the belt buckle or the unusual ring. I hope maybe there’s a family member who will see this and notify law enforcement or us. I will also host Clay on my podcast today, “Zone 7,”in an effort to generate interest and coverage. The more people who can see these items, the greater the chance there is of finding the victim’s name and possibly a motive, which could lead us to finding his killer.
Please take a moment to look at the items and tattoos. Do you recognize them? Do you have information about the belt buckle or the ring? The tattoos? Did you know him?
A-WIC stands for Anyone With Information Contact! Please contact Investigator Clay Bryant at (706) 883-1616 or CrimeOnLine at (909) 49-CRIME.
