Murray County John Doe was a man whose charred body was found in a burned-out car near Davis, Oklahoma.
Case[]
On October 10, 1954, a burned-out station wagon was found along a mountain road near Davis, Oklahoma. Inside, a man's charred remains were found in the driver's seat. The inside of the car had been smeared with flammable liquid. An autopsy found that the man was killed and his body was placed in the driver's seat before being set on fire, and he was incapacitated from alcohol consumption at the time of his death.
Identification papers for David Hagler Jr. of Fort Worth, Texas, were at the scene, along with a belt buckle with his initials and a burned bag bearing his name. Hagler was believed to have been the victim, but was ruled out when the victim's dental bridge was determined not to have belonged to Hagler.
Hagler called police from Waco, Texas, saying he was returning to Fort Worth. Upon returning, Hagler was arrested for the man's murder and extradited to Oklahoma to face charges, accused of murdering him to fake his death to collect life insurance payments. Hagler claimed to be driving in his ex-wife's station wagon on October 9, and that he had picked up two men at a bar between Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, where he stated they later beat him and stole his car.
In April 1956, Hagler was acquitted of the man's murder, but was sentenced to six months for unrelated fraud charges.
Dental bridge
Characteristics[]
- Nine-unit dental bridge.
Clothing and accessories[]
- Belt buckle.
- Leather bag.
- Flashlight.
Sources[]
- Murray County John Doe at Find a Grave
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- Corpus Christi Times
- Odessa American
- Vinita Leader
- Waxahachie Daily Light