496UMIL - Unidentified Male



Image of the victim in 1945 and 1983; Headstone purchased by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Date of Discovery: October 11, 1945

Location of Discovery: Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois

Estimated Date of Death: November 28, 1993

State of Remains: Alive when located

Cause of Death: Stroke

Physical Description

Estimated Age: Teens

Race: Black

Gender: Male

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Hair Color: Black or brown

Eye Color: Brown

Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unable to communicate: deaf and mute. Mentally handicapped

Identifiers

Dentals: Unknown

Fingerprints: Unknown

DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: Unknown

Jewelry: Unknown

Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery

Police found a teen-age boy in the early morning hours of October 11, 1945, in Jacksonville, Illinois. Unable to communicate, the deaf and mute teenager was labeled "feeble minded" and sentenced by a judge to the Lincoln State School and Colony in Jacksonville.

He remained in the Illinois mental health care system for over thirty years. Deaf, mute, and later blind, the young black man survived beatings, hunger, overcrowding, and the dehumanizing treatment that characterized state institutions through the 1950s. In spite of his environment, he made friends, took on responsibilities, and developed a sense of humor. People who knew him found him remarkable. He had a straw hat he loved to wear, and carried a backpack with his collection of rings, glasses, and silverware with him everywhere.

Possible hints to his identity include his 'scrawling "Lewis"' and his 'pantomimed, wild accounts of foot-stomping jazz bars and circus parades.'

He died after having a stroke at the Sharon Oaks Nursing Home in Peoria on November 28, 1993. Officials believe he was around 64 years old at the time.

After reading a story about him in the New York Times, acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote and recorded "John Doe No. 24" and purchased a headstone for his unmarked grave. Award-winning journalist Dave Bakke wrote God Knows His Name: The True Story of John Doe No. 24.

Investigating Agency(s)

Agency Name: Unknown

Agency Contact Person: N/A

Agency Phone Number: N/A

Agency Case Number: N/A

NCIC Case Number: Unknown

NamUs Case Number: N/A



Information Source(s)

The New York Times: John Doe No. 24 Takes His Secret to the Grave (December 5, 1993)

Southern Illinois University Press Archives



Admin Notes

Added: 3/23/06; Last Updated: 1/19/19