Namus UP#4757 vs. Namus MP#3229 (Scott William Crain) - I tried, I failed, and it's not totally my fault
By: Shane Lambert
I spent a couple hours today looking at a John 'Clinton' Doe case, an individual in his teens or early 20s, that was found by hunters in southern Wisconsin. I started as I often do, by simply cross referencing the John Doe's time of death (in this case estimated) with missing-people reports. I found a photo of a missing person whose age was a couple years out of range, but one who I felt resembled the decedent.
At the end of everything, the conclusion is that Namus Missing Person #3229, Scott William Crain, is not Namus Unidentified Person #4757.
However, getting to that conclusion was a little harder than it had to be I think. The first thing I do when I subjectively associate a Missing Person with an Unidentified Decedent is what I think everyone should do: look at the ruled-out individuals listed on the opening page of the Unidentified Decedent at Namus. I did that and I didn't see Scott William Crain's name as per the chart below.
Point 2 and point 6 are total fluff in my opinion. In regard to Point 2, there's not much to being a couple years outside of a small age range. In regard to Point 6, as I write I'm wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers hat. It doesn't mean they are my favorite team, it just means I think blue and white are my colors. Wearing clothing only counts as endorsement for contracted professional athletes. However, DNA counts for a ton and, if Iso-area is what I think it means, it counts for far less but is still insightful (ie. I think it has to do with eating habits and teeth).
What also counts for something is just listing a ruled-out individual among the rule outs at Namus. On that matter, Melinda stated she would follow up on why William Scott Crain's name was not there, so hopefully, if nothing else, that happens.
Either way, it's back to the drawing board for this case and for my efforts to try and provide a fruitful lead to law enforcement, coroners, or loved ones when it comes to finding a missing person.
Conclusion: unless DNA databases are flawed, the composite sketch below is not of the missing person in the photograph below.
Further reading: http://findjcd.org/.
I spent a couple hours today looking at a John 'Clinton' Doe case, an individual in his teens or early 20s, that was found by hunters in southern Wisconsin. I started as I often do, by simply cross referencing the John Doe's time of death (in this case estimated) with missing-people reports. I found a photo of a missing person whose age was a couple years out of range, but one who I felt resembled the decedent.
At the end of everything, the conclusion is that Namus Missing Person #3229, Scott William Crain, is not Namus Unidentified Person #4757.
However, getting to that conclusion was a little harder than it had to be I think. The first thing I do when I subjectively associate a Missing Person with an Unidentified Decedent is what I think everyone should do: look at the ruled-out individuals listed on the opening page of the Unidentified Decedent at Namus. I did that and I didn't see Scott William Crain's name as per the chart below.
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| If you are working on this Doe, here's the ruled-out chart to use: link. |
I figured, quite fallaciously, that since Scott William Crain wasn't on the John Doe's list of rule outs that he was worth pursuing. I did the online research and came to the opinion that the two were probably not one in the same person. However, when the timing allows it and when a sketch of a Doe resembles an MP (missing person) I just can't let it go without trying my hardest.
In this case, I decided to contact Melinda Whitehead (formerly Spillman), someone who I learned knew the MP in this case. I messaged her on Facebook, introduced myself, revealed my hobby, and asked for a few minutes of her time and she obliged.
She too saw the resemblance, however she reviewed her previous messages on the case with other individuals and informed me that Scott William Crain was in fact a rule out for the John Doe found in Clinton, Wisconsin. She was kind enough to send me an email that she received on the matter from a task-force member who has worked to identify the decedent (email is from Jack Friess with Melinda Spillman as a recipient, dated October 12th, 2015):
"Re: William Scott Crain: NamUs MP # 3229
John Clinton Doe: NamUs UP # 4757....
William Scot
1. Both Crain's and JCD's DNA profiles are resident and searching in the same computer databank without an association as reported today by A. Dobbs, NamUs RSA.
2. Crain's age in 1994 was 22, and JCD's is estimated to be 17-20.
3. Crain lived in Kentucky, an area outside JCD's Iso-area of Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan.
4. Crain is 72" to 74" tall, quite a bit taller than JCD's estimated height of 65" to 67".
5. From Crain's NamUs photo, it appears he has a significant over-bite on his front teeth, confirmed by NOK. JCD had no such over-bite.
6. Crain's favorite music group was Guns and Roses and Metallica (on shirt in his NamUs photo). While certainly heavy metal, his favorite group was not Venom."
Point 2 and point 6 are total fluff in my opinion. In regard to Point 2, there's not much to being a couple years outside of a small age range. In regard to Point 6, as I write I'm wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers hat. It doesn't mean they are my favorite team, it just means I think blue and white are my colors. Wearing clothing only counts as endorsement for contracted professional athletes. However, DNA counts for a ton and, if Iso-area is what I think it means, it counts for far less but is still insightful (ie. I think it has to do with eating habits and teeth).
What also counts for something is just listing a ruled-out individual among the rule outs at Namus. On that matter, Melinda stated she would follow up on why William Scott Crain's name was not there, so hopefully, if nothing else, that happens.
Either way, it's back to the drawing board for this case and for my efforts to try and provide a fruitful lead to law enforcement, coroners, or loved ones when it comes to finding a missing person.
Conclusion: unless DNA databases are flawed, the composite sketch below is not of the missing person in the photograph below.
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| John Clinton Doe |
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| William Scott Crain. |
Further reading: http://findjcd.org/.
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