Ohio John Doe Revealed – Joseph Newton Chandler
James Renner of the Cleveland Free Times contacted me a little over a week ago with a few questions –and told me some fascinating news! Renner was working on a story about Joseph Newton Chandler, or, as we refer to him over here, Ohio John Doe. Renner has found some fascinating information about our mystery man that I’m sure most of you have never heard before.
Joseph Newton Chandler III was the identity this John Doe had stolen from a young boy that was killed in an auto accident near Sherman, TX. John Doe most likely copied the information from the boy’s tombstone in the City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford, Texas. John Doe, using the assumed name, was found dead in his apartment on July 30 of 2002. When authorities tried to locate his next of kin, it soon became clear the man was an impostor.
James Renner has done an amazing job of gathering information on John Doe/Joe Chandler. He has also revealed more details about the man I suspected of assuming Chandler’s identity, Stephen Craig Campbell. Campbell is wanted by the ATF for attempted first degree murder and possession and manufacture of a destructive device. A Federal Warrant was issued on April 25, 1983, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, charging him with manufacture and possession of a bomb.
You can read all of the chilling details here.
I’d like to thank Mr. Renner for providing this information to the public. He’s done a fantastic job! I know a lot of folks still curious about this man will appreciate this new information.
Chris
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Just one minor problem with this theory: as I understand, this Campbell guy committed the crime that made him a wanted man sometime in the early 80′s. It is known that John Doe first assumed the identity of Joseph Newton Chandler in 1978 when he sent off for a social security card. So the only way that Campbell could be John Doe is if he’d assumed the identity in anticipation of maybe needing it someday for some reason. In other words, highly unlikely. Also, the social security card was sent to an address in South Dakota, and it is known that Campbell was not in South Dakota in 1978.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:01 PMJust one minor problem with this theory: as I understand, this Campbell guy committed the crime that made him a wanted man sometime in the early 80's. It is known that John Doe first assumed the identity of Joseph Newton Chandler in 1978 when he sent off for a social security card. So the only way that Campbell could be John Doe is if he'd assumed the identity in anticipation of maybe needing it someday for some reason. In other words, highly unlikely. Also, the social security card was sent to an address in South Dakota, and it is known that Campbell was not in South Dakota in 1978.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:01 PMThe issues you bring up are not without merit. However, Stephen Craig Campbell was a man who used several aliases over time. It would not be that unlikely that he created identities for future use. Even it it were unlikely, that doesn’t make it impossible. May I ask how you know for sure that Campbell was not in South Dakota in 1978? For that matter, why would he have this identity sent to an address associated with his known location? We are talking about a person who has eluded capture for decades. I would like to think this is due to cleverness and not just dumb luck. I would also like to note that I am not 100% convinced of the match in identity between Campbell and Chandler myself. That was the first thing that I told Mr. Renner when we spoke. That being said, I haven’t seen anything to definitively rule him out. Any information you have regarding either party in this case would be greatly appreciated. I am not necessarily countering your claim; I am only asking for specifics, should you have any. Thanks, Chris
April 21st, 2008 at 6:07 AMThe issues you bring up are not without merit. However, Stephen Craig Campbell was a man who used several aliases over time. It would not be that unlikely that he created identities for future use. Even it it were unlikely, that doesn't make it impossible. May I ask how you know for sure that Campbell was not in South Dakota in 1978? For that matter, why would he have this identity sent to an address associated with his known location? We are talking about a person who has eluded capture for decades. I would like to think this is due to cleverness and not just dumb luck. I would also like to note that I am not 100% convinced of the match in identity between Campbell and Chandler myself. That was the first thing that I told Mr. Renner when we spoke. That being said, I haven't seen anything to definitively rule him out. Any information you have regarding either party in this case would be greatly appreciated. I am not necessarily countering your claim; I am only asking for specifics, should you have any. Thanks, Chris
April 21st, 2008 at 5:07 AM