There is some speculation that a mystery prisoner in Utah, who was arrested three weeks ago for trespassing and has refused to give any information about himself, is actually a former Pennsylvania district attorney who disappeared six years ago and who, coincidentally, was just declared legally dead.
The man was arrested on July 1 for trespassing after he refused to leave a parking garage when asked, and has been sitting in jail ever since, stubbornly refusing to identify himself. He had no ID, running his fingerprints turned up nothing, and he even declined an offer to make a phone call because if he did, he said, "you guys will know right who I am." Police finally appealed to the public, because they were stumped. "We've run the gamut with this guy," an officer said, "and he's just cool as can be. He just absolutely does not want us to know who he is."
"He did say the food was good," the officer added, so maybe that helps explain it.
But reports today discussed suspicions that John Doe is actually Ray Gricar, a former district attorney in Pennsylvania who disappeared six years ago. Last month, Gricar's family had finally filed to have him declared legally dead, and that petition was approved yesterday. "I'm sure the investigation will continue," said the family's attorney, "and hopefully something will happen. But as far as the family's concerned, it's now over."
Maybe not quite.
One newspaper put this composite together (more pictures here), and there does seem to be a resemblance, but it's hard to say. Officers said John Doe seems to be in his 60s or 70s (he won't say, of course), and Gricar would be 65 today. On the other hand, Gricar almost certainly would have been fingerprinted as part of his application for the bar, but if he was, those didn't turn up in a search of any database.
For the family's sake, of course, I hope this does turn out to be Ray Gricar, but either way it's an interesting story. If you recognize this person, call the sheriff's office at 801-851-4202. You may help reunite a man with his family, or at least help cut the sheriff's food bill.
Update: I'm told that the Pennsylvania Bar doesn't require fingerprints as part of the background check (some states do, some don't), so that may not rule out the Gricar theory.
