Bobby Copeland: Who Was the John Doe Found at the Marco Polo Hotel?

DISCOVERY:

On January 5, 1988, a maid entered Room 227 of the Marco Polo Hotel and came across a grisly sight: the deceased body of a young male.

The young man had been in the Miami, Florida, area with a group of young people who were working as magazine salespersons. He’d been staying at the Collins Avenue hotel during this time.

AUTOPSY:

An autopsy was performed, which showed that the decedent had died only a few hours before he was discovered. The cause of death was stabbing, with nearly a dozen wounds noted across his body.

DETAILS:

John Doe is described as a White male between the ages of 10 and 21, with estimates placing him closer to 16-to-20 years old. He was 5’6″ tall and weighed between 145 and 150 pounds. He had short light brown or blond hair that was longer in the back and extended down his neck, and his eyes were either grey or brown in colour.

When found, the decedent was wearing a white shirt with a flag decal, blue jeans, white ankle socks, and white and blue high-top sneakers. Women’s clothing was found near the body.

John Doe was in good dental health, with no evidence of treatment. He had numerous scars on his body: a 4″ linear scar on the flexor surface of his left forearm; a 1″ circular scar on the frontal surface of his right forearm; a 2.2″ scar on the anterior prospect of his right thigh; a 1″ scar on his left wrist; and four additional scars on his right wrist.

The decedent had given the names “Bob”, “Robert” and “Bobby Copeland” to others, and he had claimed to be a runaway foster child from New York State. Subsequent investigations under that name brought up no results, and it was later discovered he’d been using the social security number (SSN) of another individual.

John Doe’s killer was identified and arrested. Mark Robinson, a runaway from Georgia, had been staying at the Marco Polo Hotel at the time he committed the crime. He was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RULE OUTS:

1. Anthony Ross Allen, who went missing from Fort Smith, Arkansas, on October 1, 1978.
2. Steven Eugene Anderson, who went missing from New Lisbon, New Jersey, on April 7, 1975.
3. Steve Lewis Arrowood, Jr., who went missing from Gastonia, North Carolina, on April 3, 1975.
4. Roger Cerda, who went missing from Bay City, Texas, on June 29, 1975.
5. Michael Fischer, who went missing from Bloomfield, Connecticut, on August 14, 1984.
6. Michael James “Mike” Gaughan, who went missing from El Paso, Texas, on July 20, 1975.
7. Robert Eugene Hampton, who went missing from Port Orchard, Washington, on November 26, 1986.
8. Reed Taylor Jeppson, who went missing from Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 12, 1964.
9. Danny Lee Jones, who went missing from Gilmer, Texas, on September 1, 1974.
10. Robert Keck, who went missing from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, on June 30, 1979.
11. John Mitchell Kinsora, Jr., who went missing from Phoenix, Arizona, on February 2, 1982.
12. Randy Wayne Leach, who went missing from Linwood, Kansas, on April 15, 1988.
13. Rodney Wayne Longman, who went missing from Miami, Florida, on May 15, 1985.
14. Darrel B. Nichols, who went missing from Park City, Utah, on April 1, 1973.
15. Brian Joseph Page, who went missing from Salem, Oregon, on January 12, 1975.
16. Alan Keith Stanfill, who went missing from Jacksonville, Florida, on January 13, 1988.
17. Tom Ray Starkel, who went missing from Palmdale, California, on December 5, 1979.
18. Christopher William Vigil, who went missing from Poudre Park, Colorado, on April 30, 1978.
19. Terry Dale Wallace, who went missing from Youngwood, Pennsylvania, on November 17, 1982.
20. Mitchel Fred Weiser, who went missing from Narrowsburg, New York, on July 27, 1973.
21. Chester Ralph Wetmore, who went missing from Bradenton, Florida, on May 26, 1986.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:

John Doe’s dentals, fingerprints and DNA are available for comparison.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide Bureau of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office at (305) 471-2400 or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at +1 (888) 356-4774. Tips can also be called into the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office at (305) 545-2400.

Image Credit: NCMEC/The Doe Network

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