Man found on railroad tracks in Goose Creek remains unidentified and in hospital

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office says they’ve received tips from across the nation as they are working to identify a man who they believe is a veteran and could be homeless.

Deputies say a railroad crew found the man unconscious on September 24 on railroad tracks on N.A.D. Road in Goose Creek. They say he has a wound on his head and is in stable condition at the hospital.

Investigators say there is no indication that he was hit by a train.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office posted a photo of the man and some of the items he was found with which included a US Marine Corp hat, a “USMC Recon” lighter and a mask that says “Grumpy Old Veteran.”

Capt. Michael Crumley with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office says they’ve canvassed the area of Goose Creek and places where veterans tend to frequent in hopes of finding someone who knows him.

"It’s been very few circumstances when we’re unable to identify someone who is still alive,” Crumley said.

They are referring to him as “John Doe.”

Officials with the sheriff’s office say his injuries have improved which have allowed them to release a photograph of his face on Monday.

“We’ve received a lot of flyers from missing person flyers from various parts of the country and they do have similarities with our John Doe,” Crumley said. “We are looking at those and trying to, to determine if any of those are in fact a match.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3433 in Summerville shared information about the unidentified man on social media with other veterans.

Dana Alves is the Senior Vice President of the VFW Auxiliary and President of the Military Order of Cooties Association.

“It’s very sad that happened to him, I’d love to be able to find out who he is," Alves said.

Bobbi Duck is the Adjutant of the VFW Post and a veteran.

"It upsets me that there’s another brother or sister that is without a family to be with him or her in the hospital and to not know your identify especially being a veteran that gets me down to my heart,” Duck said.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to go through the tips they are receiving on Facebook and by phone.

“More times than not we have too many homeless veterans and we need to figure out a way to close that gap,” Duck said.

If you think you know who the man is, you are asked to contact Detective Corporal J. Williams at (843) 719-5048 or the Berkeley County Duty Office at (843) 719-4412.

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