The Boy in the Tree: a Tragic End in Louisiana

12 min readApr 7, 2023

A couple drove down a remote section of Highway 23 along the Mississippi River around 16 miles south of Belle Chasse, Louisiana in Plaquemines Parish at around 5:25 pm. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. On their return trip at 11:30 pm they noticed something white peeking through the trees. To their horror they found the body of a teenage boy hanging from a persimmon tree.

The boy found on Valentine’s Day of 1975 had brown hair and brown eyes, was around 6 feet tall, and around 160 pounds. He was white and around 16 to 17 years old, he also had slightly protruding front teeth. He was wearing a maroon and yellow long sleeved Puritan shirt and blue Arrow pants with a brown belt. A cleaning number, dd44, was found in the pants and a comb was found in his pocket. He also had 1 gray sock and 1 blue sock on, but he did not have any shoes.

The boy was found hanging by a bedsheet tied into a slip knot. His death was ruled a suicide as moss found on his clothes matched moss on the tree, this proved that he climbed it to hang the sheet. There was also a suicide note found in a sealed jar leaning up against the tree.

The Note

The note that was found is a huge focal point in this case and is really the only concrete evidence that we have. I will type out the note here, but I just wanted to leave the disclaimer that just about every source had a different order of the sections of the note. To combat this, I am following the order given by articles from 1975.

Mom and Dad,

I feel I have acted very methodically and coolly in my actions and my words. It is best if I cease to live, quietly, than risk that later I will break and shatter by violence or linger years under care. I never did develop into a real person and I cannot tolerate the false and empty existence I have created.

I implore you to see a psychiatrist in order that you might understand my death and my life. Ask thoroughly about what I was and you will see that it is not tragic that I am gone but more natural than if I continued…

The next section is addressed to Police

Police: You are bound to preserve domestic peace and order. If you pursue who I was (and spend hundreds of dollars) you will accomplish little. There are no legal consequences of my death or any kind of entanglements. All that can happen is that you will shatter the domestic peace and order of two innocent lives. Do not deprive them of the hope that their “missing” son will return. Let me be, let it be as if I wasn’t ever here. Simply cremate me as John Doe.

This other section is titled “Why you should not feel responsible”

I was born with a definite pervasive melancholy…

My brain always worked at cross-purposes to my real development. I refused to express any emotions or deal with people on a social basis. In effect, I refused to accept that I was an animal and that I needed social ties…

What frustrated me most in the last year was that I had built no ties to family or friends. There was nothing of lasting worth and value. I led a detached existence and I was a parody of a person — literally and figuratively. I didn’t tell jokes — I was a joke.

He then cites the work of Emile Durkheim who, according to the boy, defined suicide as “an inner direction of homicidal feelings against someone else”.

I am a bomb of frustration and should never marry or have children. It is safest to defuse the bomb harmlessly now. I do not want to bother with being a ‘reformed’ and ‘cured’ person limping through life. I am this self-centered.

The only section of the note that still exists

I have wanted to do this for over a year. I am not sad or see this as tragic. I feel a release. This is the only way I knew of to attain harmony.

I was a withdrawn baby who became an unpleasant, withdrawn person. I have convinced myself and others that I am not capable of being an asset to society.

I am no longer interested in the world and know that it is not interested in me. When you stop growing you are dead. I stopped growing long ago.

There was a final message on a small scrap of paper that, unlike the rest of the note, appeared to be hastily scrawled likely in his last minutes of his life.

Mom and Dad,

You have provided me excellent advantages and privileges and experiences. I have really led more of my life than many others have in (illegible). I am extremely grateful for all of your sacrifices, time, and support. I am now repaying you with an arrogant act. In this light, I do see it as criminal. I can only hope that you see that it was me who caused it.

The Search for an Identity

The only known reconstruction of Plaquemines Parish John Doe

Deputy Dominick Verdi handled his case in the parish. His body was autopsied by Dr. Frank Minyard, who was a gynecologist and not a trained forensic pathologist. John Doe’s prints were sent to Washington D.C., but no match to them was found.

The sketch was done by New Orleans police detective Bob Buras. John Doe was embalmed and kept in an Aligers, Louisiana funeral home for viewing.

The search for his identity was a national one where over 300 families came to Plaquemines Parish to see if John Doe could be their missing son. Nothing seemed to come from it.

However, the family of Charles Wallace Jr. came from Tennessee to see if John Doe was their missing loved one. Charles, who was 19 at the time, disappeared from a Memphis, TN home for teenagers with drug problems. His mother confirmed that John Doe was not her son, however Charles’ dental charts did match John Doe’s.

The search ended on June 12, 1975 after he started to decompose. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, which was bought out by Mothe Funeral Home in the 1990s.

Deputy Verdi lamented the end of the investigation “but I wish we could have found the real parents…now they’ll never know”.

Future Updates

Not much has happened since then. The case fell into obscurity and most people forgot this young man ever even existed. At some point between the 90s and the early 2000s the records regarding John Doe were lost during a hurricane. This also means that they have no idea where John Doe’s grave is located.

In 2005 the Websleuths forum on this case was started and now contains over 47 pages of discussion about this young man. They gathered proof that this young man was here and contacted authorities with this information, as they had no records of him.

Websleuths were also able to track down the plot location from the original funeral home’s records. The new funeral home was asked if they could tell us where John Doe was buried, however they (understandably) said that they could not release that information to anyone who was not law enforcement. So, law enforcement was contacted and they expressed little to no interest in identifying this young man. Sadly, since there is no crime, the motivation to identify someone in a case that is almost 50 years old seems to be nonexistent. The notable exception is the people online.

His National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) page was only added back in January of 2022 and his Doe Network page was not added until June of 2022.

Theories

It seems like with a case like this that there should not be any theories, but there are a few surrounding why this young man ended his own life.

Sociopath

His disconnection with society and his mentions of breaking and shattering by violence, lead many to believe that he might have been a sociopath. This could also explain why he wanted his parents to ask about what he was. Sociopaths do not feel empathy, shame, guilt, or remorse. They also tend to be charismatic. Now, this John Doe seems to care a lot about making sure his parents do not feel guilty about his suicide. This is not something a sociopath would be concerned about. Additionally, sociopaths almost never commit suicide. This leads me to believe that our John Doe was likely not a sociopath.

Crime

Some people believe that the John Doe could have committed some horrific crime or had desires to do so. Obviously we have no direct evidence of this, but it seems plausible. This could, again, explain his statement about breaking and shattering by violence. That statement would also indicate that he had not yet committed a crime. Can we completely disprove it? No, so it should be considered.

Autism Spectrum

Another theory is that John Doe might have been on the Autism Spectrum. Now the concept of the Autism Spectrum was not well-known or accepted at the time. This would explain his disconnection and lack of social ties as one of the characteristics of being on the spectrum is difficulty communicating with others and understanding social cues. This seems like a pretty good possibility as it would explain a lot. Again, we do not really have much evidence, but this cannot be ruled out.

Mental Health Disorder(s)

To me this is almost a guarantee. He definitely suffered with depression and suicidal ideation, but some believe that he might have suffered from other mental health disorders. This could include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or a plethora of other disorders. This could maybe answer the question about asking his parents to speak to a psychiatrist and ask “about what I was”, due to the stigma on mental health disorders at the time (it is still bad now but then it was worse). Part of this seems pretty proven, while other parts of it are unknown.

Some even believe that he might have come from a mental hospital given the fact that he had no shoes and a sheet.

LGBTQ+

Now this one is interesting. Being gay in the 1970s was extremely stigmatized, and the LGBTQ+ community faced a lot of homophobia and ignorance. The Stonewall Riot, a seminal moment in the advancement of gay rights and LGBTQ+ history, had just occurred in 1969. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association decided to remove homosexuality from their manual of disorders and it was not officially removed until 1974. As we know because of Juneteenth, it always takes way too long for the news of basic human rights to make it to the south. This means that many likely still believed that being gay was a mental disorder, horrifyingly some people still do.

Another event must also be taken into consideration, the UpStairs Lounge fire that happened in June of 1973. This was an arson attack that left thirty-two people dead and fifteen people injured during Pride celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana.

After the fire there were problems trying to find a church that would host the memorial services due to homophobia. The remains of one victim were rejected by their family and he was buried in a mass grave with the three unidentified victims, one of whom was identified in 2018.

There was only ever one suspect in the attack Roger Dale Nunez, but he was never convicted. Nunez actually ended his own life a couple months before John Doe.

This was mentioned to show not only the attitude at the time towards the LGBTQ+ community and how John Doe could have seen that and viewed himself. This would also explain the comment about “what he was” whether that was because he was gay, trans, or any other part of the LGBTQ+ community.

There is a possibility that John Doe could have come from some kind of conversion therapy program, as those were starting to gain more traction in the 1970s. Some people dismiss this on the basis that he still seemed to care about his parent’s feelings. However, if he believed what was being said at the conversion therapy program he would not be angry or hold a grudge towards his parents.

Possible Identities

Bayard Cousins

Bayard Cousins was last seen in Virginia Beach, Virginia on February 1, 1975. His parents went out of town and, upon their return, found a note from Cousins that told them not to worry about him.

Cousins was a 22 year-old Caucasian male with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Cousins was between 6'2"–6'3" in height and weighed around 160 pounds. Cousins also had a cross-shaped scar on one of his fingers and wore glasses. Cousins was an ecology activist who was fluent in English and Spanish.

If you have any information that could lead to the location of Bayard Cousins or the location of his remains, please contact the Virginia Beach Police Department at (757)-385–4101.

Perry Otto Corlew

Perry Otto Corlew was last seen in Grayling, Michigan on March 15, 1974 outside of the Rialto Theater at around 8:30 PM. He got into a minor car accident and fled the scene, this is likely due to a poor driving record and being on probation.

His car was found ninety minutes later with the lights on and still running fifteen miles south of Grayling on the side of Interstate 75. Corlew was no where to be found.

Corlew was eighteen years old when he disappeared. He had brown hair and green eyes. Corlew was between 6'2"–6'4" in height and around 165 pounds.

An interesting connection to this John Doe is that according to investigators, Corlew’s dental records were lost after they were sent to compare to a “John Doe in Louisiana”.

If you have any information about the whereabouts of Perry Otto Corlew or the location of his remains, please contact the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office at (989)-348–4616.

Other Questions

Where did John Doe’s shoes go?

The area where John Doe was found is pretty swampy, so it would be assumed that most people would be wearing shoes. So why wasn’t this John Doe?

One theory that is, in my opinion, the most likely scenario is that John Doe lost his shoes during death throes. What are death throes? In the final stages of death the body makes violent and uncontrolled movements. If John Doe was wearing slip on loafers, popular for the time, they could have been shaken off of his feet and sunk into the murky swamp waters. Even if they were found they likely would not have been connected to John Doe.

Why was John Doe in Louisiana?

While any kind of residential program could explain this, another theory could also be probable. This is that John Doe might have been in the area because of Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras is a huge party that takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana that occurs the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This holiday was on February 11 in 1975. While interesting it cannot be conclusively determined.

Conclusions

This young man deserves to finally have his name back, while there is a pull to follow his final wish, his family deserves to know what happened to him. A child being missing, as reported by parents of formerly missing children, is almost worse than their child being found because they are stuck with a tantalizing hope. The likelihood that his parents are still alive grows slimmer by the day. My own mom is around the same age as John Doe would have been and my grandmother is still alive, but she is almost 90 years old. Hopefully, more publicity and renewed interest in the case can encourage the police to reopen this investigation.

If you have any information as to the identity of Plaquemines Parish John Doe, please contact:

LSU FACES Laboratory at (225)-578–4761 in reference to case number LSU 22–05
Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504)-564–2525

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for 24/7 confidential support to anyone.

Sources:

The Boy in the Tree: a Tragic End in Louisiana

Written by Madison Tramel

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