Lincoln County John Doe (1961)

Lincoln County John Doe
Discovered	October 31, 1961
Unidentified for	63 years
Sex	Male
Location	North Platte, Nebraska
Age	60
Race	Black
Body condition	Recognizable face
Postmortem interval	1 month
Cause of death	Undetermined

Lincoln County John Doe was an elderly man found at the bottom of a train car that was being unloaded in North Platte, Nebraska.

He is currently undergoing testing by the DNA Doe Project.

Case

The decedent’s body was found inside of a refrigerated train car that was privately owned by Pacific Fruit Express (PFE) but under lease to the Union Pacific Railroad. He was discovered by PFE workers at the Bailey Yard, the main switching depot used by Union Pacific, underneath 2500 pounds of large ice blocks used to keep fruit and vegetables from spoiling. It was not able to be determined if the ice had crushed him to death or if he was already dead before the car was loaded.

The Union Pacific train the man was found on originally departed Roseville, California on October 4, 1961. At this point in time the car was empty and had no ice inside. From there the train made a stop in Dinuba, California, where the car was first loaded with cargo, and after the Bailey Yard it was meant to be delivered to Pennsylvania. No identification was found on the victim. News of the man’s discovery was circulated in California at the time but no leads were generated; he was described as being in his late 40s or early 50s. On November 1st, he was buried at the North Platte Cemetery. His case is under investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.

Analysis by the DNA Doe Project has found his ancestry has roots to St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, Houston, Texas, and Beaumont, Texas. Further investigation has found distant family in California and Alabama. He has no genetic ties to Nebraska. Investigators now believe the man may have grown up in Texas and moved to California later in life. A possible surname for the man is Smith; he may have had a different English/Anglican last name.

Clothing and accessories

• Carton of cigarettes with California tax stamp.
• $1.07 in cash.

Sources

• Lincoln County John Doe at Find a Grave
• Lincoln County John Doe at NamUs
• Lincoln County John Doe at the DNA Doe Project
• WAVE 3
• Eunice News
• "Fatal Icing Done Here." Roseville Press Tribune. (November 1 1961).