The disappearance of Charles Gazzam Hurd.

[petermattson]

I know this requires a lot of time. I wonder if email has any chance of producing results...

[petermattson]

My line of thinking in post #97 is that if there was an actual accident report, then investigators would have gone back to learn as much as they could about what was the last known sighting.

They'd certainly learn how it was that an officer came upon the scene and determine if his sighting was the last.

The info. that Hurd was seen leaving the restaurant doesn't seem necessary if the accident was actually documented.

There must have been a case file of course (probably long discarded) and the facts reported in the news articles (there were at least two, the second simply saying no trace or leads) came from the (probably brief) investigation. The family believes the news article's mention of "cashing a small check" was intended to allay any thoughts that Charles was PLANNING to disappear and that makes sense to me.

[Regi]

There must have been a case file of course (probably long discarded) and the facts reported in the news articles (there were at least two, the second simply saying no trace or leads) came from the (probably brief) investigation. The family believes the news article's mention of "cashing a small check" was intended to allay any thoughts that Charles was PLANNING to disappear and that makes sense to me.

I don't know why there wouldn't be a case file.

To me, the check cashing info merely confirms that Hurd was at the restaurant.

Edited November 2, 2013 by regi

[petermattson]

I don't know why there wouldn't be a case file.

To me, the check cashing info merely confirms that Hurd was at the restaurant.

There might not be a case file because this may have been closed or, as happens, things get cleared out from time to time. Or they get lost.

We know Charles' wife remarried within a year or so, and that would mean a death certificate. The police may have "solved" the case and we

may not know about it.

You may be right about the check cashing, but it's seems like an unnecessary detail; why not just "had dinner at the restaurant"?

[Regi]

There might not be a case file because this may have been closed or, as happens, things get cleared out from time to time.

Yeah. (I should have said I wouldn't know of an acceptable reason.)

You may be right about the check cashing, but it's seems like an unnecessary detail; why not just "had dinner at the restaurant"?

I know authorities will put out any info that they think might jar memories, so maybe that's what they we're trying to do.

[Vincennes]

I don't know why there wouldn't be a case file.

To me, the check cashing info merely confirms that Hurd was at the restaurant.

Reg, I'm laffin' here, "why there wouldn't be a case file." I can tell you have never worked for state or local government. Sad, I know but in this length of time, I think it would be the ones they can find that would be the unique !!!! This case, going back and forth between state of residence and the state where reports were initially filed, added to by a death certificate having been issued.....Does that close the case? In which state ?

We can't be sure what would be left or where.

I highly doubt even people in the Missing Case area are going to know what would have been done with the file. That's why I gave up before an the phone maze but I promise not to be a quitter and try harder this time

[Regi]

We know Charles' wife remarried within a year or so, and that would mean a death certificate.

Not necessarily.

I wonder if it's possible that there was some sort of abandonment law used which could have allowed his wife to legally remarry.

Edited November 3, 2013 by regi

[Regi]

Reg, I'm laffin' here, "why there wouldn't be a case file." I can tell you have never worked for state or local government.

So that was a revealing comment, was it?

This case, going back and forth between state of residence and the state where reports were initially filed, added to by a death certificate having been issued.....Does that close the case? In which state ?

Well, he was living and missing from NY so the missing person's case file should be in NY.

Edited November 3, 2013 by regi

[Regi]

If there is a death certificate, I would assume it would be filed in NY.

[petermattson]

Police detectives want to close cases. We may find out that this case was closed by one manner or another. It doesn't mean the truth of Charles Gazzam Hurd's disappearance is uncovered. If everything is solved by Occam's Razor, we would have little to say.

[Regi]

Police detectives want to close cases. We may find out that this case was closed by one manner or another.

They want to close cases, but a case isn't closed unless it's solved.

If everything is solved by Occam's Razor, we would have little to say.

You totally lost me on that one.

[petermattson]

Okay. I'm more cynical than you, Regi. Occam's Razor: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor

[Regi]

Okay. I'm more cynical than you, Regi. Occam's Razor: http://en.m.wikipedi...cam's_razor

You mean because I didn't jump on the homicide bandwagon with this case...because I called accident?

[petermattson]

Accident? What evidence suggests his life ended in an accident? The evidence suggests he drove away from the accident.

[Regi]

He already had one accident- a one-vehicle accident, so maybe he had another. His vehicle was missing, there was no indication he was still alive, but there was also no indication he was murdered even though there was an investigation into his disappearance.

Regardless, I don't claim to know what actually became of Hurd! For me, it's a shot in the dark.

[petermattson]

You called "accident"?

[Regi]

You called "accident"?

I don't know who that is.

[petermattson]

Just quoting you.

[Regi]

Just quoting you.

When I came into this thread, I posted what I thought and why and I'd repeated myself twice (now I'm up to three) but it's as though you're hearing it for the first time.

Yeah, I've decided to sit with accident unless or until I think I have a reason to sit with something else.

It's no biggie.

[petermattson]

You were being smarmy this latest time so I gave you that smarm right back.

I can't figure out why you seem devoted to LE evidence in one case but are fully comfortable with complete speculation in another.

Consistency would be good.

[Regi]

You were being smarmy this latest time so I gave you that smarm right back.

I can't figure out why you seem devoted to LE evidence in one case but are fully comfortable with complete speculation in another.

Consistency would be good.

These are two entirely different cases. This one has precious little to go on and the other has case info. out the wazoo.

You know, sometimes it's gonna be right there in front of you and sometimes it's not.

[71sportstourer]

I saw a story about how, in the late sixties, there was a guy who murdered his family, moved away and changed his name. He remarried and lived for years without being discovered as his true self. In those days, if one was especially adept at it, or diabolical, take your choice, wouldn't it have been easy to "disappear"?

[Vincennes]

Amy, probably Peter already sent this to you but just in cast here is the flyer:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hurd_charles.html

I'm sending you this first and looking for the NY Times article. Just couldn't find it right off and didn't want to lose this.

[petermattson]

I saw a story about how, in the late sixties, there was a guy who murdered his family, moved away and changed his name. He remarried and lived for years without being discovered as his true self. In those days, if one was especially adept at it, or diabolical, take your choice, wouldn't it have been easy to "disappear"?

All of this is true and it's why we are searching for evidence of how Charles may have disappeared. Working under the assumption that he disappeared - under duress or voluntarily - we can hope to find some trace of him after 1937.

[petermattson]

Charles was not going home the night he disappeared.

The map I have linked to is helpful for those of us who are highly visual.

http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=55225

Okay, so if Charles was headed back towards the Kenmore he made a strange turn.

Follow me here.

He ate at the restaurant on E 54th, most likely headed south on 2nd or south on Lexington.

If he was going back to his hotel, he would most likely stay on 2nd or on Lexington all the way to 23 street where the Kenmore is.

His accident was at 3rd and 37th, meaning he must have headed west (or east from Lexington, which would have been a WRONG WAY) on 37th, a mistake since 3rd avenue only goes north and the Kenmore is south of there.

Now, 3rd and 37th is where the exit for I-495 (the Expressway tunnel) is.

The Expressway tunnel wasn't opened until 1940, 3 years after Charles disappeared.

Does anyone know what linked Manhattan to Queens prior to the Expressway tunnel?

And if there was a bridge exit there in 1937, it seems like too much of a coincidence for his car accident to have happened there as well.

Thoughts?