After leaving a campus party, Christopher S. Thiem, 19, one of two men reportedly flagged down a policeman "as if seeking assistance." When the officer responded, Thiem reportedly jumped a fence, ran to a neighboring house and pounded on the door, then took off running. The police officer radioed in for help, and Thiem was then pursued on foot through some yards and a field near a railroad trestle, where he began to walk across. The bridge was not equipped with a pedestrian sidewalk and was dangerous to walk on even in the daylight, so the police did not continue the pursuit. The policeman was the last person to see Christopher alive. Recovery
Chris' whereabouts were unknown until April, when workers planting trees discovered his body in a farm field near Carmi, IL, about 40 miles down river. Dental records confirmed it was his body. The Wabash River was about nine feet above flood stage. It was surmised that the backwater washed Thiem's body onto the farm field, where it remained after the water receded.
Additional Information
Thiem, a Penn High School graduate, had had just moved-out the day before his disappearance. His family told the school he was not planning to enroll in Vincennes University for the second semester. He was apparently in the city to take his belongings from his residents' hall room.
Facts of Interest in This Case
Name/age: Christopher S. Thiem, 19 (from Elkhart, IN)
College: Vincennes University (Vincennes, IN)
Physical description: 5'9," 195#, brown hair, green eyes
Last seen: 01/12/05, 4 a.m., Vincennes, IN, railroad bridge over Wabash River
Recovered: 04/05 farm field near Carmi, IL
Cause of death: no information (likely drowning)
Manner of death: no information
Injuries: no information
Blood Alcohol Content: no information
Maybe he had an encounter with a fake policeman,so he changed his mind after flagging down a real one and ran.
ReplyDeleteThats exactly what ran through my head when i read this story.
ReplyDeleteOMG...I had been pondering that scenario for a few days, but with the disappearance of Dan Zamlen.
ReplyDeleteI have strong intution, as well as good logical reasoning skills, and what I get from my intuition on this particular case is that he didn't know it was a cop, i.e. was panicking and was flagging down anyone.
I'm wondering if the cop shined a light at him which scared him even more, causing him to flee.
Several of these men seem to have reported being chased, and if by chance this young man was chased, then he might have confused the cop for being one of the people chasing him.
Very strange. This is a case that definately needs more follow-up.
Too many reports of innocent victims being terrified of police.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know if I believe it. Could it be disinformation.
Could there be a harrassment program within the department.
With the privatization of prisons and the payoff of judges by thes prison corporations to send them people to make money off of, I wonder if cops are collecting innocents for a reward. (sick sounding-i know) But Judges have been caught accepting bribes for sending harmless, practically innocent people and children to jail. I think it was Pennsylvania.
Privatizing prisons is never a good idea. The Corps. are getting tax money to keep prisoners. To a profit monger, they only care about the bottom line, stockholders, not the prisoner.
bullshit the pigs!!!! killed his ass!!!! u follow me!!!
ReplyDeleteNo one flagged down a policeman. One of the young men was simply stretching his arms in the air. The police decided to go after them for some unknown reason. Chris returned to his friends' house (that he had just left) and knocked on the door. Unfortunately, nobody would let him in. That's when the chase began and due to the "vigilance" of the VU cops, Chris ended up in the river.
ReplyDelete(By the way, Chris weighed approximately 145 pounds, not the 195 mistakenly reported.)
Yea cops seen him and our buddy Joel walking down the street and turned around to "check em out" for a lack of better words. They took off running as I think (if I remember correctly), Chris was on probation at the time and underage for drinking. I think if anything, it was the cops "vigilance" to "clean" up the city of a couple underage drinkers. Ridiculous IMO and Chris will and is insanely missed, a true friend, AKA Thimbus Mcloud of the clan Mcloud, AKA Fuckles the clown king of carny tricks.
ReplyDeleteChris was a good guy, he was funny and always the life of the party... I can't believe that it's already been 18 years sense he's been gone. It sucks that he had to go like that. He is deeply missed
ReplyDeleteCops had no reason to pursue a college kid for suspicion of drinking. I don't believe these cops were being "flagged down" by Chris or anyone else with them. They just didn't want any heat for their parts in his disappearance and death AND it makes the story more mysterious.
ReplyDelete