Body found-Dec. 3, 2007 (Luis Fernandez) Ringgold County, Iowa [SUSPECT ARRESTED]

[Nut44x4]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080514/NEWS/80514043/1001/

Authorities ask for help to ID body
ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 14, 2008

Authorities are asking for help in identifying a body found in Ringgold County in southern Iowa.

The body was found by hunters on Dec. 3, 2007.

An autopsy was performed at the state medical examiner's office in Ankeny.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said it was determined the remains were from a man in his early 20s, who was between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall. They say the man was likely Caucasian or Hispanic.

A pair of DVS brand shoes were found with the body, along with Tommy Hilfiger jean shorts and a maroon-colored hooded sweatshirt. A ring also was found with the body.

Authorities say a cause of death has not been determined, but it's being treated as suspicious because of trauma found during the autopsy.

[Roamer]

:1222423:

[packy]

A clear picture and video of the ring at this link.

http://www.kcci.com/news/16265372/detail.html?rss=des&psp=news

[Nut44x4]

That is one unique piece of jewelry, for sure.

[Nut44x4]

Man charged with murder in Page County
Friday, June 6, 2008, 12:11 PM
by Michael Cooley, KSIB, Creston
A murder charge is filed against a man from the Page County town of College Springs after a mysterious death last year. The Ringgold County Sheriff's Office says it arrested Edward Eugene Gray, Jr., on Tuesday in connection with skeletal remains found last December.

Local hunters discovered the body along a country road in this south central Iowa county. Gray was charged with first-degree murder and is being held on a $750,000 cash only bond. According to a press release, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the sheriff's office are both continuing to investigate the incident. Sheriff Mike Sobotka was not immediately available for comment.
http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=5EDFF3BF-AD86-5209-1A0BD9371683137F

Still no ID????????

[Nut44x4]

College Springs man charged with murder
06/11/2008
One piece of the murder mystery in the death of an unidentified person in Ringgold county fell in place last week with the arrest of Edward Eugene Gray Jr., 40, of College Springs on charges of first degree murder.

Hunters found the remains of a body December 3, 2007 located along 200th Street in section 27 of Liberty township.

Details of an autopsy released in May said that the victim was a Caucasian or Hispanic male 5'3" to 5'6" tall.

The body was found with a pair of DVS shoes, Tommy Hilfiger jean shorts and a maroon hooded sweatshirt and the victim had a "Lord of the Rings" ring on his finger.

Papers filed in Ringgold county district court this week charge that on or about May 1, 2007 the still -unidentified victim was killed by Gray with premeditation and/or while participating in a forcible felony.

The victim's body would have been exposed to the elements for some seven months before it was discovered.

This has made the victim harder to identify.

No missing person from the immediate in southern Iowa or northern Missouri has been found to match the description of what is known about the victim.

Gray was arrested in the Ringgold county courthouse Tuesday, June 3, when he went to the clerk of court's office to make a payment on fines from an earlier criminal case here.

Gray spent 16 days in the Ringgold county jail in April on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia.

A charge of driving while his license was suspended was dismissed at that time.

According to the complaint filed in the case, the victim was driven to a remote location in Ringgold county by Gray and another person not yet named for the purpose of completing a drug transaction.

The victim was fatally shot there and the defendant and the other person drug the victim's body to an area with trees and grass, where the body was left.

Gray has had addresses in Burlington Junction, MO, and Carter Lake in the past few months before the College Springs address, according to court records.

Gray is 5'2" tall and 180 pounds, and has a "No Fear" Tasmanian Devil tattoo on his right shoulder, the trial information says.

A break in the case came with the arrest of Collins Lee Straight last week in the burglary of the home of Lillie Rinehart. According to the trial information, Straight will be presenting evidence against the defendant in the murder trial.

Bond was set at $750,000 cash only when Gray was arrested and that bond was continued in an appearance Monday before district judge John D. Lloyd.

Arraignment was set for Monday, June 23, at 8:30 a.m. at the courtroom in Mount Ayr.

Angela Hill is the court-appointed attorney serving Gray in the matter.

Anyone with information about the indentity of the murder victim or other information that may be helpful is asked to contact the Ringgold County Sheriff's Department at 641-464-3921.

This story reprinted with permission from the Mount Ayr Record-News.

http://www.dbrnews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19764111&BRD=2703&PAG=461&dept_id=555139&rfi=6

[Nut44x4]

As I read back (something I should do more often) in the porchlight thread, I noticed this

Man Arrested In '07 Homicide; Victim Unidentified
Replica Ring Offers Only Clue To Victim's Identity

POSTED: 9:16 pm CST December 10, 2008
UPDATED: 9:30 pm CST December 10, 2008


DES MOINES, Iowa -- Police said they've identified the person responsible for a homicide in Mount Ayr that happened more than a year ago.

Hunters found the body on Dec. 5, 2007 but police have been unable to identify the victim.

Prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against Collins Straight in connection with the case. Court records accuse Straight of killing the man during a drug deal.

The victim was carrying little identification at the time of his death. Police said the only notable clue is that he was wearing a replica ring from the Lord of the Rings movies.

http://www.kcci.com/news/18249959/detail.html
http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/index.php?showtopic=38217&st=0

I am really confused now

[Nut44x4]

My article above says one man was arrested and the porchlight says it was a different man???

see my post 6 (Eugene Gray) and my post above (Collins Straight) ??? omg, it is too early for this....

[packy]

I wondered about the Dec. 5 as opposed to the Dec. 3 date but thought it was just me. Thanks, Nut, I moved it back. How many people were found in farm fields in IA in 2007 -- coincidence.

[Nut44x4]

I think this is our doe....

Among them was Luis Fernandez, who had been missing for nearly a year before his family went to police in 2008. Shields didn't have a lot on Fernandez, a known gang member who'd been in and out of jail — only gender, race, height, weight, age and some data on his tattoos.

It proved to be enough. Just a few weeks later, similarities were spotted with the unidentified remains of a homicide victim found in a farm field in Iowa in 2007. In January, a lab informed Shields it had a DNA match — and that he could break the news to Fernandez' family.

"I could say fairly certainly that this would never have been solved if not for NamUs," Shields said.
http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/index.php?showtopic=38217&st=0

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6901665.html

[Nut44x4]

I'll have to leave this for now, I am way too confused.

[Nut44x4]

I wondered about the Dec. 5 as opposed tot he Dec. 3 date but thought it was just me. Thanks, Nut, I moved it back. How many people were found in farm fields in IA in 2007 -- coincidence.

Ughh....let me work on this for a while. I am more confused than ever on it now! I need to step away and clear my brain. Will be back later to figure it out. So sorry for the back and forth!! Just slap me, lol.:71541:

[Amusedtdth]

Ughh....let me work on this for a while. I am more confused than ever on it now! I need to step away and clear my brain. Will be back later to figure it out. So sorry for the back and forth!! Just slap me, lol.:71541:

Hey Nut, no rush....you do a phenominal job here and I (as I'm sure others) am very proud of you so just step back, take a deep breath and relax alittle. Keep up the great work, our Who Am I wouldn't be what it is without you.:11_2_104:

[Nut44x4]

Naturally, I couldn't stop until I figured it out. The Doe Network helped....
This will be gone once they find out he is dead, so I'll copy all of it.

The Doe Network:
Case File 1266UMIA
Unidentified White/Hispanic Male

The victim was discovered on December 3, 2007 near Mount Ayr, Liberty Township, Ringgold County, Iowa
Estimated Date of Death: 3-12 Months prior
Partial Skeleton
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 18-30 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'3-5'6"
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male with some mongoloid admixture.
Clothing: "Tommy Hilfiger" jean shorts (size 32) with belt; maroon-colored hooded sweatshirt; "DVS" brand, black tennis shoes ("skater shoes"), size 8 (U.S.).
Jewelry: Ring ("Lord of the Rings" replica) with elf scripture.
Dentals: The upper jaw (maxilla) was not found with the remains and thus unavailable for examination. Teeth #17 and #32 are partial boney impactions and tooth # 19 has an occlusal composite restoration in central fossa. Tooth #28 (first premolar) was present with the root and disto-gingival fragment of coronal tooth structure left.
DNA: mtDNA Profile available in FBI NMPDD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case History
The victim was found in a farm field at near 200th Street, in section 27 of Liberty township, approximately 4 miles northeast of Mount Ayr, Iowa on December 3, 2007, by a hunting party.
The remains were completely skeletonized. The death is being treated as suspicious because of physical trauma to the body noted during the autopsy.
No missing person from the immediate in southern Iowa or northern Missouri has been found to match the description of what is known about the victim.

Two suspects has been arrested in the case, on charges of first degree murder. According to the complaint filed in the case, the victim was driven to a remote location in Ringgold county by the suspects for the purpose of completing a drug transaction. The victim was fatally shot there and the suspects dragged the victim's body to an area with trees and grass, where the body was left.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
John Kraemer, PA
Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner
515-725-1400
--
Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office
641-464-3921
--
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation
641-342-6263
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number:
07-SME-557
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
NamUs
KCCI News
Creston News Advertiser
http://doenetwork.org/cases/1266umia.html

........
So, I do believe now that it is Luis Fernandez. In answer to your question...how many were found in 2007 in that area...only one. This one.

[packy]

Ughh....let me work on this for a while. I am more confused than ever on it now! I need to step away and clear my brain. Will be back later to figure it out. So sorry for the back and forth!! Just slap me, lol.:71541:

It just happens sometimes, Nut, and understandable. I spend most of my time reviewing threads and searching for facts to confirm information etc., and it's so much reading and searching that they all start to run together at times.

[Nut44x4]

Thanks Packy and thank you Amusedtdth.