MODUNKLI-L Archives

From: Debbi Geer <>
Subject: [MODUNKLI] 1993 Death but 2002 Obit
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:55:38 -0800 (PST)

Scenario - A relative disappears into thin air for no
apparent reason. The authorities suspect foul play,
but no body is ever found within weeks of the
disappearance. Then some years later, a miracle
happens - the body is found as is it was dropped from
the sky and in plain sight for anyone to see.

Could this happen to you? Could it happen in a small
farming community rather than the most obvious setting
- the metropolitan city area? The answer to both is
yes and in fact it has happened in Dunklin Co MO. For
those who lived in Dunklin Co MO in 2002, this story
will sound familiar, but it is one that we must keep
in mind should it ever happen to someone in our own
family.

Back in July 1993 during the week of the MO Peach Fair
in Campbell MO, a young man, then 36, disappeared.
The authorities from what I understand tried their
best to find him, but came up with virtually nothing.
It was just as if he decided that he was somewhat fed
up with something in his life and left his hometown
and family without any contact thereafter as if he
wanted to be left alone.

Then one day in the fall of 2001, a hunter found
skeleton remains in a field in the rural area of
Campbell. He reported the finding to the authorities
who then proceeded to get the remains identified.
After using various available services including DNA
from the mother, they were able to identify the
remains. In the meantime, the remains were given to
the family which allowed them to have a closure in the
incident. The case is still considered open with the
hopes that the cause of death may be learned.

We, the genealogical researchers, now have a research
problem created - death is officially recorded as July
1993 (even in the SSDI) but the obit is found in a May
2002 newspaper and of course the funeral services are
held in May 2002. Most genealogy programs will
probably indicate that the difference between the
death and the burial dates are too far apart, but we
will need to write comments in our notes regarding the
difference so that our children and grandchildren and
other relatives will know the truth after we are gone.

Today, we are experiencing more cremations than ever.
Some request their ashes to be scattered somewhere
whereas. Some families will keep the urn of cremated
ashes in their possession. I know of two possible
results - 1) Urn is buried at a later date; 2) The
keeper of the urn passes away and then another family
member decides to have the urn buried and a
gravemarker set at that time. I know in my husband's
family that an urn is being held by the parents with
the instructions that it be buried with the child's
father when he passes away. Only a few people outside
the immediate family know about this. Again, the
genealogical program will tell me something appears to
be in error, but my notes will clarify the data.


Debbi Geer


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• [MODUNKLI] 1993 Death but 2002 Obit by Debbi Geer <>