Lyle Stevik

Lyle Stevik

Reconstruction
Born 1966–1981 (approximate)
Status Unidentified for 15 years, 2 months and 28 days
Died September 16, 2001 (aged 20–35)
Amanda Park, Washington
Cause of death Suicide by hanging[1]
Body discovered September 17, 2001
Known for Unidentified decedent
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) - 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Weight 140 lb (64 kg)
Signature

Lyle Stevik was the alias used by an unidentified man who committed suicide by hanging in 2001, in a motel in Amanda Park, Washington. As of 2016, his actual name has not been discovered.[3] The man was seen alive prior to his death, including at the hotel where he died. He had checked into his room as Lyle Stevik, presumably using the name of a character from Joyce Carol Oates' novel You Must Remember This (1987).[1]

Circumstances

Stevik checked into a motel in Amanda Park after arriving to the area by bus. The clerk stated that the man might possibly have been Canadian, as he was described as speaking in a similar accent.[4] When registering for his room, he wrote the alias and the address of a different hotel, a Best Western establishment in Meridian, Idaho.[1] The hotel was located, but none of the staff members recognized the deceased.[2]

He was also seen walking back and forth at the side of a highway near the motel, but it is uncertain if it was before or after he paid for his room. He requested and received a second room after complaining about noise from outside.[5]

He may have used the name of a character from the novel You Must Remember This, authored by Joyce Carol Oates.[1][4] In the story, the character who bore the same name, though spelled as "Stevick," tried to commit suicide.[2]

Death

His body was discovered the day after he had checked into the building, despite an initial report stating that it had taken more than one day to find him.[6] He had used his belt to hang himself inside of a closet. The belt was secured by the bar used to hang clothes on.[6] He had left money to pay for the night and a note reading, simply, "suicide."[1][4] Upon the discovery of the body, it was noted that the man had closed the blinds in the room and lined the closet in which he hanged himself with pillows. He had left a note at the bedside table that contained $160 in $20 bills with the words "for the room."[2] It has been speculated that he may have committed suicide due to depression, or to quicken the pace of a fatal disease, although there were no signs of one.[2][4]

It is also possible that the man was native to a non-English speaking country. An investigator stated that it appeared as if the man was "seeing if he could spell" the word "suicide," as a piece of paper was located in a trash bin.[2] He had no luggage; all he had with him was a toothbrush and toothpaste. He wore a blue shirt in a plaid design, a gray tee shirt underneath, blue jeans, and black boots.[4] He paid at the desk for one night's lodging, but stated that he planned to stay for "a few more days".[2][4]

Post-mortem examination

Stevik was light-skinned but may have been of Native American or Hispanic heritage, as he had black hair and green/hazel eyes. It has also been stated by the local coroner's office that he may have been of an African admixture.[3] He did have some dental work in his life, as his teeth showed evidence of previous treatment with braces. He had an old scar from a removed appendix. A mole was noted on his chin, along with the fact that he had attached earlobes. The examination also indicated that he had lost a large amount of weight, up to 40 pounds (18 kg). This was estimated after the examiner noted that the size of the man's jeans were fairly large in comparison to his body.[2] His age was estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old, placing an estimated birth date from 1971 to 1981.[4] He may have been up to 35 years old, however, which would increase this estimation to as early as 1966.[7]

Investigation

Because Stevik was deceased for only a short time before his body was found, his fingerprints, dental characteristics, and DNA were easy for examiners to obtain.[3] These identifying markers were placed in international databases, including CODIS, but no matches have been made so far. It is believed that he came to the area from Port Angeles or Aberdeen, locations from which buses traveled to Amanda Park the same day. He was not, however, recognized by either of the bus drivers.[4] Two men who are currently missing, Alexander Craig and Steven Needham, have been ruled out as possible identities of Stevik.[7]

In April 2007, Stevik was listed as the profile of the month for "Missing from the Circle," a public service initiative launched by Lamar Associates, a law enforcement advisory organization based in Washington, D.C., to help solve cases involving missing or unidentified Native Americans.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Scott, Robert (1 November 2010). Blood Frenzy. Mass Market Paperback. pp. 296–297.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Patterson, Lisa (24 February 2006). "Cold Cases Haunt Detectives". Aberdeen Daily World. The Daily World. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Active unidentified remains cases". www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us. Grays Harbor Medical Examiner. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Case File 233UMWA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Who is Lyle Stevik? (Found in WA State)". 30 December 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Suicide victim discovered in motel room". Aberdeen Daily World. The Daily World. 18 September 2001.
  7. 1 2 "NamUs UP # 11100". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "'Missing from the Circle' service launched to find missing Natives" (22). Native American Times. June 1, 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
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