OR Coffin with a body inside (WM, 30-60) found in rural Linn County, Oregon IOOF cemetery - 31 March 2022 *RANDALL LLOYD*

Here's some news near my neck of the woods that has had everyone talking for a few days! The LCSO sent out a presser about it today:

LINN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE REQUESTS HELP IDENTIFYING DECEASED MALE - Linn County Sheriff's Office

Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reports on March 31, 2022, deputies responded to the report of a suspicious wooden box located at a rural cemetery in the 24000 block of Powerline Road near Harrisburg. The caller reported a wooden box … Read More

www.linnsheriff.org

 

[Kimster]

To be fair, I've seen many 30 year olds that look far older than a lot of 60 year olds, mostly due to lifestyle choices.

The weather here has been in the 40s and 50s, so a body wouldn't dry out as quickly as in the summer, I would think?

Here are the stages of decomp:

The Stages of Human Decomposition | ServiceMaster BioClean

Human decomposition is a natural process involving the breakdown of tissues after death.

www.aftermath.com

 

[RoundPeg]

You guys have so much interest in this situation, I decided to make a thread.

YEARS ago, I went to this exact cemetery once in awhile to clear my head due to a rough time (called marriage)!

I hardly EVER saw anyone out there. Powerline is not a main thoroughfare in that area. I have to wonder who found the casket? In the dozen times I went out there, no one ever visited that cemetery! I'm surprised it wasn't out there a lot longer than it was!

There are 2 farms close by. School bus driver? Mail carrier?

Also, it doesn't say which tree the casket was "behind". It looks like most of the trees are up by the road.

Being a handmade casket, it was probably pretty big.

 

[GrandmaBear]

To be fair, I've seen many 30 year olds that look far older than a lot of 60 year olds, mostly due to lifestyle choices.

Yeah, I don't disagree but on the flip side that could mean he also looked younger than his age and they could have went 60-90 or 40-70, etc. lol. Maybe there is a known health condition so they figure it that way, I mean we do know already that is a fair amount of weight to carry but maybe there were other apparent health issues...

So he has shoes it sounds like anyhow or they measured the shoe size by his foot... I wonder if there is any wedding ring, tattoos, etc. depending on condition of body, etc. that would help identify him... It wouldn't be unusual for a 30 to 60 year old to have either of those just possibly...

 

[GrandmaBear]

You guys have so much interest in this situation, I decided to make a thread.

YEARS ago, I went to this exact cemetery once in awhile to clear my head due to a rough time (called marriage)!

I hardly EVER saw anyone out there. Powerline is not a main thoroughfare in that area. I have to wonder who found the casket? In the dozen times I went out there, no one ever visited that cemetery! I'm surprised it wasn't out there a lot longer than it was!

Don't mention that word around me please. The one in the parentheses I mean. Jk. Sort of. I'm about to scream again... I am so sick of screwed up paperwork the other side keeps it seems intentionally filing... I guess when you are not telling the truth you have to create a big mess you hope the judge or this side won't sort out... O/T, sorry.

Where do the Amish or Mennonites bury does anyone know? I assume on their own land or near their church and grounds? The hand "built" casket just makes me think of older times or folks, not just Amish, etc. but even older generations... It also sounds like the Oddfellows thing is somewhat old school...

 

[Sunburst]

Amish have their own cemeteries in rural areas. A farmer may donate an area of land for that purpose. Sometimes the cemetery is shared with Mennonites. Gravestones are simple- person's name, birthday and death dates. Some Amish groups use wooden markers.

 

[Sunburst]

Don't mention that word around me please. The one in the parentheses I mean. Jk. Sort of. I'm about to scream again... I am so sick of screwed up paperwork the other side keeps it seems intentionally filing... I guess when you are not telling the truth you have to create a big mess you hope the judge or this side won't sort out... O/T, sorry.

Where do the Amish or Mennonites bury does anyone know? I assume on their own land or near their church and grounds? The hand "built" casket just makes me think of older times or folks, not just Amish, etc. but even older generations... It also sounds like the Oddfellows thing is somewhat old school...

The deceased may have been a woodworker who built his own casket.

 

[Guess Who]

it seems that somebody cared about him enough to either make or have made a casket for him and took him to a cemetery.

 

[GrandmaBear]

The deceased may have been a woodworker who built his own casket.

I thought of that or something similar more so. I thought perhaps he told a loved one he wanted to buried in a simple casket in that cemetery but for some reason they couldn't complete and bury him there...?

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Another article. Mostly just confirming the details Kimster already posted. Also mentions a healed surgical scar on his lower back.

Police trying to identify body left in homemade casket at rural cemetery

HARRISBURG, Ore. (KATU) — A man was found dead inside a homemade casket that was left unburied at a rural Oregon cemetery, and investigators are asking for help identifying him. Deputies responded on March 31 to reports of a suspicious wooden box, which appeared to be a hand-built casket, left...

fox17.com

A wooden box appearing to be a hand-built casket was found behind a tree in a rural cemetery near Harrisburg. A deceased male was found inside and Linn County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help in identifying the body. (SBG)

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I doubt that he would be reported missing in these circumstances...
But there are 2 white males between 300 - 400 pounds with active missing persons reports within the last year in Oregon. One between the 30-60 age range, though the other is only 66. Neither from Linn County. Neither with any information on NamUs or Facebook, just the missing persons report.
Noting names here in case they come up later - Lance Lane, 59, missing 6 Jan 2022 in Multnomah County (6'0", 400 lbs) / Robert Sykes, 66, missing 21 June 21 in Lane County (6'2", 320 lbs)

 

[GrandmaBear]

I was trying to stick with a positive spin on this but I'm starting to wonder... Thoughts are creeping in.

Like rural area, not overly populated area it sounds like so one would think between news and talk, that this has gotten around and yet no one is stepping forward, calling anonymously, or thinks they might know the man...

The weight of the man and the casket wouldn't be light... No one person or even two are likely going to carry it and place it... I'm not up on weather in the WCWC but I'm wondering how long he was there, what the ground was like, wet, soft, etc. and wouldn't there be tire tracks or maybe footprints when something this heavy is being moved or brought in on a vehicle, etc...

There is or seems to be a lot they aren't saying like length of time, condition of body and things mentioned like if any tire tracks, etc... Other than shoe size there has been no report I don't think of clothing or effects if any...

When I came to do this post, now I see the two missing above which could fit...

I'd wonder how long the man has been there but they seem to have some details that indicate it couldn't be too long, most notably his weight, unless it is possible there is some way to quickly determine that after decomp... And the weight given is not a "range" really either like the age is... I find that odd... It isn't 350 to 400 or 300 to 400, etc...

On the other hand, if it is foul play wouldn't you want to hide the body better and let it decompose so it was harder to determine cause of death...

This is a very odd case...

 

[Kimster]

There are 2 farms close by. School bus driver? Mail carrier?

Also, it doesn't say which tree the casket was "behind". It looks like most of the trees are up by the road.

Being a handmade casket, it was probably pretty big.

There’s a picture of the tree in one of these news articles. I should’ve went over there yesterday and figured out which tree it was and shared with you guys.

 

[Kimster]

Don't mention that word around me please. The one in the parentheses I mean. Jk. Sort of. I'm about to scream again... I am so sick of screwed up paperwork the other side keeps it seems intentionally filing... I guess when you are not telling the truth you have to create a big mess you hope the judge or this side won't sort out... O/T, sorry.

Where do the Amish or Mennonites bury does anyone know? I assume on their own land or near their church and grounds? The hand "built" casket just makes me think of older times or folks, not just Amish, etc. but even older generations... It also sounds like the Oddfellows thing is somewhat old school...

Many Mennonite families live in that area.

 

[Kimster]

Amish have their own cemeteries in rural areas. A farmer may donate an area of land for that purpose. Sometimes the cemetery is shared with Mennonites. Gravestones are simple- person's name, birthday and death dates. Some Amish groups use wooden markers.

There are a lot of small graveyards around here. In fact, I manage the records for one of them. It is not a Mennonite graveyard, however. It’s just a common thing around here.

 

[Kimster]

I was trying to stick with a positive spin on this but I'm starting to wonder... Thoughts are creeping in.

Like rural area, not overly populated area it sounds like so one would think between news and talk, that this has gotten around and yet no one is stepping forward, calling anonymously, or thinks they might know the man...

The weight of the man and the casket wouldn't be light... No one person or even two are likely going to carry it and place it... I'm not up on weather in the WCWC but I'm wondering how long he was there, what the ground was like, wet, soft, etc. and wouldn't there be tire tracks or maybe footprints when something this heavy is being moved or brought in on a vehicle, etc...

There is or seems to be a lot they aren't saying like length of time, condition of body and things mentioned like if any tire tracks, etc... Other than shoe size there has been no report I don't think of clothing or effects if any...

When I came to do this post, now I see the two missing above which could fit...

I'd wonder how long the man has been there but they seem to have some details that indicate it couldn't be too long, most notably his weight, unless it is possible there is some way to quickly determine that after decomp... And the weight given is not a "range" really either like the age is... I find that odd... It isn't 350 to 400 or 300 to 400, etc...

On the other hand, if it is foul play wouldn't you want to hide the body better and let it decompose so it was harder to determine cause of death...

This is a very odd case...

We had a dry spell around the time that the casket was put there. I never thought about how many people would’ve had to carry a man of that size? This is just crazy. Everybody’s talking about it, too.

 

[GrandmaBear]

We had a dry spell around the time that the casket was put there. I never thought about how many people would’ve had to carry a man of that size? This is just crazy. Everybody’s talking about it, too.

Yes, it started crossing my mind that this can't be one person unless maybe it was pushed or slid off the back of a truck or something and that wouldn't be easy alone... So it was dry or probably dry, the ground?

This is just total speculation but let's just say he was not Mennonite but a Mennonite found him dead maybe at home or something. Would they call authorities or maybe just build him a casket and take him where they knew or hoped someone would see to it he was buried? Maybe he was a neighbor and they checked on the man? Again total speculation but at his weight and possible age he could very likely have been diabetic. There is also some type of surgical scar. Probably far fetched but so is finding a casket with a man there a bit unusual...

 

[Kimster]

Here's another thought that a few long-time locals have mentioned. Highway 99 runs right near there. Perhaps it was a transient of some sort who wanted to find a cemetery, saw that one off the side of the 99, and decided that was a perfect spot to drop him off where they wouldn't be seen? There are a couple of homes out there, and a warehouse, but you can't see perfectly into the cemetery from those areas without binoculars.

 

[Guess Who]

Here's another thought that a few long-time locals have mentioned. Highway 99 runs right near there. Perhaps it was a transient of some sort who wanted to find a cemetery, saw that one off the side of the 99, and decided that was a perfect spot to drop him off where they wouldn't be seen? There are a couple of homes out there, and a warehouse, but you can't see perfectly into the cemetery from those areas without binoculars.

That just happened to have a massive, home made coffin on board???

 

[GrandmaBear]

Here's another thought that a few long-time locals have mentioned. Highway 99 runs right near there. Perhaps it was a transient of some sort who wanted to find a cemetery, saw that one off the side of the 99, and decided that was a perfect spot to drop him off where they wouldn't be seen? There are a couple of homes out there, and a warehouse, but you can't see perfectly into the cemetery from those areas without binoculars.

Still seems it would likely take a few people...? So it can be seen from the highway...?

Here's another thought. Maybe someone was paid to transport he casket and body somewhere or even to take it and bury him and instead he took the money and dumped him there and is out spending the money...

Without going into it too much, I'll never forget seeing sadly a body picked up and taken for cremation. I will only say I was not overly impressed with the person nor the vehicle he was driving and it sure wasn't what I expected... I'm sure it was some lackey maybe they pay to go pick up and deliver or contract with... There wasn't much of anything to indicate he worked for the bona fide cremation service...

 

[RoundPeg]

Here's another thought that a few long-time locals have mentioned. Highway 99 runs right near there. Perhaps it was a transient of some sort who wanted to find a cemetery, saw that one off the side of the 99, and decided that was a perfect spot to drop him off where they wouldn't be seen? There are a couple of homes out there, and a warehouse, but you can't see perfectly into the cemetery from those areas without binoculars.

It could be so many things. My theory is:

Possibly from a neighboring town. Are there any close?

Someone knew where that cemetery is. It's isolated.

Someone had the means to get lumber and hardware to build that coffin. And some knowledge.

You're gonna need an SUV or pickup truck and at least 4 people to transport that coffin.

I would guess 2 vehicles were involved to get those people to the cemetery. Anyone with enough knowledge to build a coffin would know you can't just shove it out of a vehicle and hope it doesn't bust on impact.

My opinion.