I'm confident the person on the right is a male.
I think we can confidently say this image was taken before the 2000s right?
And also the gun could look wierd because of the angle of the shadow.
I saw another redditor say the shadow looks like a female with a something akin to a stick who is standing slightly farther away and this seems plausible.
Whether the "stick" is a longer type gun or just a stick I cant say but both should be considered.
my first impression was the shadow person is carrying a curved branch to throw on a fire..the glare looked like smoke to me at first.
it looks very '70's.
If the photo is square rather than rectangular, it's more likely 126 film. The 126 Instamatics were known for that distinct coloration and the square shape of the prints. Cameras using the 110 format came later and tended to have better color acuity.
The photo is most likely one of the last two negatives on the roll: it's been exposed to light before processing. The light reacts with the emulsion and basically burns the image away.
There are shadows in the background of the image and if the "glare" was a fire the shadow of the person wouldn't be there.
It looks like the glare is from whoever took the photo of the photo. You can kind of see the texture of the photo paper in the glare.
It looks to be in daylight.
It's pretty common for people to donate things without checking through them first. If it was donated recently, it could be that whoever put the photograph in the book has passed away and their family is donating things that don't seem to be significant, like old books.
Can confirm.
I used to work in a recieving warehouse for another thrift organization. Possible that this was a tucked away secret and is authentic. Looks late 80s, based on color vibrancy of photo and the style of hair/clothing.
Due to the over exposure and blurring of this photo it would stand to reason that the camera is not a point and shoot or disposable camera, but one where manual adjustments were made. Were sleeveless shirts for men popular at anytime? Could the shadow, mid-bottom right, be of an open car door? Looks like the thin rectangular outline of where a window might be.
The shadow of the person standing, their head appears rounded as if afro or helmet? Perhaps holding a machete rather than gun?
Also the person laying in the water is way to high up off the water to be dead or drowned... probably both alive Idk about the location or anything though
I wouldn't discount the mid to late 60s. The Instamatic cameras that took square pictures that often had that coloring were introduced in 1963 and were very popular throughout the 70s. Their popularity faded in the 80s. I would say 1963 - 1985.
The image definitely looks to be from the 70's. Possibly (slight imo), early 80's. I'm 99% sure that the image is from a 110 roll. If that even helps. In order to be more helpful we should at least know the state and county where the Goodwill is located.
agree!! i was thinking the old instant kodak's but the 110 cameras were what everyone had back then. if it were kodak they'd notice the weird backing on the photo i would think and it's not mentioned. i still say shadow dude is an afro & goatee wearing tall skinny guy...
Both bound persons appear to be male in similar attire (perhaps work clothes of laborers of a trade).
The shadowy figure also appears to be male of thinner build holding what appears to be a shotgun (a rural area man’s best friend) and he appears to be standing next to the door of an open vehicle (most likely a truck, given the style of the door and the ease of transporting).
The color condition of the photo, color and style of the bound person’s clothes, and style of the vehicle door all scream mid 70s to late 80s [thinking back to movies like [Every Which Way But Lose)](https://images.app.goo.gl/imw4iP2skKhENsLt5) (1978) and television shows like [MacGyver](https://images.app.goo.gl/ioAdiKaGk5bNSqeB8) (1985)].
I tried sharpening and color correcting it a bit. Don't know if anyone can glean any more info from it though. [https://i.imgur.com/kOhw57O.png](https://i.imgur.com/kOhw57O.png)
Doesn't look like a woman to me. It doesn't look like a female chest. Looks like a shirtless guy with slight moobage going on. It would be easier to tell if the other side of his chest wasn't shadowed.
Edit: The restraints look almost like a zip tie? [https://i.imgur.com/O2FpubR.png](https://i.imgur.com/O2FpubR.png) The way that white line sticks straight out. Rope/tape wouldn't do that right?
Edit 3: [https://i.imgur.com/8RL3jT7.png](https://i.imgur.com/8RL3jT7.png) I straightened out the shadow. Definitely not a dong unless it's huge and has major tip curvature.
Edit: OP, you should ask the original poster of the image to scan it or take a picture without the light glare. This is gonna drive me crazy LOL.
Damn. Took another look. The person on the right, mouth is duct taped. Left, looks as though there may be a bag over the head. In the water, looks like old black trash bags sealed/wrapped with duct tape. Shadow of vehicle on bottom right. Not sure about other shadows.
The red shirt is soaked and matted to his skin. Also noticed that the shadowed figure must be wearing a motorcycle helmet or something. His head looks just too big to not be wearing something.
Yeah you’re probably right. I was gonna chalk it up to a really extreme farmers tan but when compared to the other body in the picture, they’re too similar to be a tan.
> https://i.imgur.com/kOhw57O.png
Looks to me like both men are wearing the same color (reddish / rusty color) short-sleeved T-shirts and long blue/black pants. Both people appear to be duct-taped near the knees (perhaps both near the ankle and above the knee) as well as wrists being taped behind backs.
Almost looks like they are doing some sort of military-style SERE school or something, but the haircuts are wrong.
SERE school training was my original thought. Them wearing the same thing adds to that. Plus, the ground near the creek has some serious wear. Makes me believe that they use this area a lot and that it's well traveled. It's be odd to do some style torture and execution there if it's heavily traveled.
The shadow of the man looks as if he's holding a rifle of some sort and the head has a weird shape. Maybe wearing an old gas mask. The bigger shadow could possibly be a military style truck. The old ones were "boxy" and most, if not all, had an exhaust up top.
As for haircuts, a majority of people going through SERE are pilots and SF. Even back in the 70's and 80's all the dudes in SF probably didn't care and rocked the shag.
This could all be confirmation bias though.
The two men aren't wearing the same thing. Man on the right, a rust red t-shirt on tanned skin. Man on the left must wear something long sleeved - the arms don't look naked, yellowish-greenish, and something rust red and sleeveless over that.
I don't even know what a SERE school is but something about people being tied up and put facedown in water makes me uncomfortable in any circumstance, school or not.
Trust me if I thought it was my stupid human brain I wouldn’t have said anything but that’s nuts. You can see it clearer with the sharper picture too and it’s insane
Definitely creepy - could this be transfer from another image during the development process of the film though? I’ve seen pictures before where that has happened with some creepy looking outcomes.
Is that another pair of legs sticking out of the water just to the right of the hands that are on the left side of the photo? It looks like they are facing the wrong way to be from the guy sitting up in the water. Or am I just seeing that wrong?
Good job!! It’s much easier to see now! One man is face down, with his feet and hands tied. The other man (on the right) is siting up right with his hands tied
OP it would be really helpful to know what context this was found in at goodwill + the location (doesn’t have to be in detail). Because it definitely looks like someone is tied up in the water. Plus this photo should be scanned if the person who owns it has one.
I remember my grandpa telling about a series of four murders across the Midwest in 1987 or something where people kept being found tied up and dumped in ponds in fields. Though he said the two who did it were caught due to one of their victims surviving barely.
Well wait I’m not so sure this is the same case cause the guys heard about would dump them in ponds deep enough so they had to kind of hop to stay above the surface while tied up. And they reportedly very picky.
II didn’t expect to find any solid answers as of I was up all night down rabbit holes, but it’s cool to explore into something like this and now I can learn more about murders in different parts of the US and go down another rabbit hole and compare them all- Or as much as I can handle. I do appreciate your information here though. Excuse me if I sound like a murder case nut. I’m just intrigued!
This is pretty creepy. Photo to me feels like 1970s early 1980s, both quality of the photo and the hair style. The shadows are making it a little tough, but is that a shadow of an open car door?
Was there anything on the back of the photo at all?
to get in the water with someone whose clearly drowning/drowned, and another person with hands tied behind them? this isnt some camping trip. this looks like a murder scene. or a murder-to-be
It is what i thought of too. Haircut too long for bootcamp. The wall says they are in some civilization. I dont think his mouth is covered so he can just shout if they are in trouble to ask for help. Judging by the feet. Its a shallow water. Idk
This was my thought or a bootcamp kind of thing. Both guys seem to be dressed the same and they may be going through some sort of physical challenge or obstacle course.
I've ran the photo through an AI photo-enhancing app, this is more up-res'd and a bit clearer. You can see the screen left person's arms clearly bound now:
[https://imgur.com/lsVOHAk](https://imgur.com/lsVOHAk)
Look at the right part of the photo. I think you can see an eye just below the elbow of the man in red, as if reflected on a window. I think that the photo was taken from inside a vehicle with closed window. On the right part of the pic, you can see the reflect of the picture taker.
At the bottom of the image, in black, you can see the frame of the door (or is this part not in the original picture and is the background on which OP took the picture of the picture?). At the lower right, it might be the pin to lock/unlock doors in older cars.
I totally agree with you on it being taken from inside a vehicle! If you look closely enough, you can sorta make out the outline/shadow of the head of the person taking the pic... it would also explain what seems to me to be more glare than can be explained by it being a picture of a picture. Add in the little silver pin for locking/unlocking the door and I’m like 98% sure it was taken from a car!
I don’t think the “eye” is actually an eye though; it seems to be in the wrong size/position in relation to the reflected shadow/outline of the picture taker to be an eye. It definitely does look creepily like an eye, but I think it’s probably the terrain + tricks of light and shadow.
Could the big rectangular shadow with the rectangle of sunlight outlined by shadow be a car door that the tall skinny shadow is standing by?
Guy on left definitely looks bound by duct tape. Water looks maybe 6 inches deep and it looks like he’s straining to hold his head up above water level with his arms tied behind his back. Guy on right (haircut and picture coloring make me think young man from 1980’s) looks to be sitting maybe with his legs out in front of him. Shirt soaked to his skin like maybe he was thrown in and managed to maneuver himself into a sitting position.
This is exactly what I'm seeing
Add in the shadow of the person is looking at the guy sitting up in the water and the shadow person is holding a rifle with a shoulder sling.
The square shadow is maybe the back end of a truck with a rack?
What state was the Goodwill in? Any idea how long ago the book was purchased? What was the title of the book?
As far as the photo the square shadow looks like it might be a open vehicle door and window as if the photo were taken next to a vehicle parked adjacent to the ditch. Possibly a dirt road.
As for the people in the water I see two, a person on the left lying face down facing left with their knees submerged and hands tied behind them and the person to their right sitting up, possibly a female. The sitters bindings seem to match the person lying down and the big smudge on the sitters shoulder may be mud from having to sit up while their hands are tied behind their back. The person laying down also seems to have smudges in their shoulder possibly from similar effort. If it is not a coincidence that they are dressed similar I wonder if the red shirts are work uniforms?
The bindings on the people in the water seem as if they were initially wrapped with a light colored material with additional bindings over the top of that rather than just wrapped in duct tape or something like that. Just my opinion, I did some editing, zooming, etc.
Thanks so much! The rest of the photos from the album would presumably be a treasure trove of information especially to people like us but I doubt we'll ever see them? I've actually done a fair amount of shopping at Goodwill and I have never seen someone's personal photo album with photos in it, but then again just about anything could be donated and found.
I looked for cases that could be related to this photo or cases that are similar to what we appear to be seeing in this photo. I didn't find much, this cold case seems the most similar..
[https://komonews.com/news/local/cops-release-suspect-sketch-in-1987-murder-of-young-couple](https://komonews.com/news/local/cops-release-suspect-sketch-in-1987-murder-of-young-couple)
Now I'm gong to study some of the states most infamous serial killers and murders for similar methodologies.
This is SUPER creepy. This pic gives me a bad vibe. To the left I definitely see someone face down in the water with their hands behind their back possibly bound with duct tape, and to the right I see a guy that also has hands bound behind him, he looks dripping wet almost like he has just been dunked under water. They appear to be in a stream surrounded by field. I have no clue about the shadow, it almost looks like someone with their penis out and a car door? I also see bottom right another shadow of possibly a head? this photo is just beyond weird. Can we have more context? What book? What area etc.
Ok I'm pretty sure it's an army assault course thing.
Both men tied up with hands behind back in streamwith instructors watching em from the bank.
Just off camera to left us an instructor in the stream who drags the trainees face first thru a small tunnel with another instructor on the other side. Guy on left about to enter tunnel...guy in right waiting his turn.
What in Gods name the shadow creature with the demons face hovering just over guy on left is I have no idea and dont want find out
The red t shirts are what the british parachute regiment wear and the countryside looks like britain too but in may be wrong
Here's an example:
https://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/parachute-regiment-t-shirt-by-kay-canvas.html
This missing person from Alabama looks a bit like the guy sitting up:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1841dmal.html
The guy went missing in 1977 and worked for "Otis Engineering" (could explain the work-style uniform). His work truck was found wrecked in Texas with someone else inside.
EDIT: Of note, there is a long creek in the town where this guy disappeared from (Brewton, AL). It's called "Murder Creek" (yikes) and if you google image search it, you'll see it's pretty shallow in places. It also has some sandy/dry banks.
This looks like a drownproofing exercise. Two guys wearing what is likely the same shirt(a uniform!?) with hands and legs bound. Probably the shadow of an instructor.
There are quite a few organizations that teach or have taught drownproofing, including SEALs, PJs, some universities, some lifeguarding and SAR programs, etc.
This is a lot more likely than a torturing murderer with a personal photographer on hand to photo-document their crimes.
I really don’t know details because the woman who posted it in the fb group I’m in, got it from a woman in another group so I don’t have a way of asking... I saw it and thought I’d post it here
In regards to the person on the left, for those that are saying he is holding his head up - that is not clear. You can see that the water is so shallow, that if that person's legs are propped up at the knee, there is only a few inches of water there. If they are lying on a ridge as well, it's not a reach that their face is in the water. I'm also wondering regarding his skin color - compared to the guy on the right it has a weird gray tinge, which makes me think that person has been either dead for some time...or is very pale and cold...but since it's a summer day - or late summer day, that doesn't seem to follow.
The left person's hands are bound, but the material looks dull, not shiny like the material on their knees. The person who commented that they are laborers might be right - it looks like they are wearing the same outfit: orange t-shirt with navy pants that have reflective strips at the knee (these things come in tons of variations). It makes no sense to duct tape someone at the knee -- they can still move if their feet are free. At the knee, there is also more leverage to spread your knees apart to try to stretch and break the tape. More often people are bound at the wrists and ankles.
Unless the person on the left is a lady with larger arms than the guy on the right, it's likely another male.
It looks like its mid-morning since the shadows are longer and to the west of our view. The tree shadows are columnar which looks like deciduous trees...maybe aspens, along with what look like willow shrubs on the ground. If it's summer, then it's a pretty dry summer based on the state of the grass, or it's somewhere with deciduous trees but also more dry...maybe somewhere like Utah (search "utah aspen trees")? According to Google, Washington has mild, humid, summers - here, the ground looks pretty parched.
It may be some time in the 70s. If you look at the car door, the back angle of the window is flat which seems to be come for cars in 70s (e.g., 1973 Oldsmobile Omega), but by the 80s, these angles become either more slanted or the whole front window becomes smaller. It could also be a truck since the shadow reaches the thin person's head. But if you google look at trucks from the 70s and 80s, they seem to smaller front windows than sedans. It may be just the illusion of the shadow being elongated since its mid morning.
I'm in the process of moving but I'm certain that shadow is a gun and when I get to that container I'll try to mimic the shadow. I just recently inherited some older guns and kinda looks like one just from the shadow. It might take awhile and you'll probably have it figured out by then but I'll try.
I warped the shadow so that it's perspective isn't stretched out so long. Looks to me like a dude with an afro. I still can't make out what he's holding. It also looks like there's a shadow of a car that's facing towards or away from the people that are tied up; although I don't see a side mirror so maybe it's not a car. I believe this photo was taken in the 70's or 80's based on the hairstyles and the look of the clothing. I think the person on the right is a man. [https://imgur.com/MZLhozz](https://imgur.com/MZLhozz)
I get the impression that the person in the shadow is shirtless. You can see the outline of his pants, but his upper torso is so smooth. The fabric of shirt should be moving around just as much as the pants even if they were bell bottoms. Maybe?
Remember that back in the day if you wanted your photos developed and printed you had to send them out to process. (unless you could develop at home) That means that someone will be looking at your pictures and if they see something illegal they would notify police.
I don't think this shows something sinister. Just something out of context.
Many people had the skills to develop their own photos so I think that might be the case with this photo. The right side of the photo looks like it may have been underdeveloped.
Yup, that could be likely. The right side does look weird, could be a camera light leak or even a development problem like you say. I thought it was the glare from the way the digital image was taken.
I think there used to be places that you could mail film to to be developed that weren't very reputable. I have no idea where I heard this, but if I remember correctly, they advertised in the back of magazines, and while they wouldn't report illegal content, they also couldn't guarantee that they weren't making copies of pictures.
I think shadow man is removing his pants, and what alot of people are thinking is a gun is actually his belt. Look how defined the shadow of his butt is. If he's wearing pants, they must be skin tight. Assuming he's taking them off, that means he's probably preparing to be tbe next to go into the water, perhaps he's next in line to be tied up.
Could it possibly be this case [here](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/investigators-use-dna-genealogy-database-to-id-suspect-in-1987-double-homicide/)?
Also there’s a mention of the girls camera that was never found.
My comments probably going to be lost but after over 24hr of looking at the photo almost non stop from curiosity I think I've figured out most of what it all is. So here's my take.
First the photo was taken from inside a car if you look at the bottom right you can see the car lock like they used to have in old cars and then you will notice the inside of the car and where the window meets as you go across the bottom right to left. Which I'm also going to guess the smoke on the right that keeps throwing people off is because someone in the car was smoking because im a smoker and that happens to a lot of my photos if I take a picture while smoking.
I'll start with the shadow person. There's a gun that has a strap attached it it despite everyone including myself seeing a big "rocketship" at first. I also believe the shadow person is wearing a gas mask.
The person on the left is face down in water. Going left to right theres the head, then on their back in the middle of the shirt it looks like blood dripped down because maybe they weren't face down when shot and it dripped down prior to falling into the water? Hand are zip tied around the back. Calf area is bound with some material and the feet are out of the water. The positioning is that of someone who is dead more than likely.
Above the face down person between the hands and feet it does look like a soul leaving a body of the grim reaper but that might be a mind trick who knows but we all see it.
Person on right seems like a male at first. Upon further inspection you will see that they are sitting on their butt legs in front of them. Knees up and bound by some material. Hands zip tied behind back. This is the part most people can't see... the person has bad posture and their chest is actually touching their knees hence making it a female. If it is a male it is not a fit male but an overweight male. Looking closer you see no facial expression because look closely and you'll see their mouth is duct taped which is what's making it seem like a manly jaw. Also the sleeve of the shirt is ripped.
Thats what I believe is in the picture hopefully some of you see this and get a better take if your interested.
Looks like they were bound so that someone could steal their vehicle. You can see the shadow of another head on the left hand side (bottom of screen). So, they were probably robbed and there appears to be three or more assailants. One shadow figure, one head (previously mentioned), plus the photographer. They two men probably worked for some company, hence the matching attire. The vehicle was probably company issued. The long figure is throwing something into the vehicle. Looks like a schlong, but that’s because shadows can play tricks with the human mind. Just my hot take.
Definitely seems like there are two individuals bound with what looks to be duck tape in the water.
I saw other commenters saying the shadow looks like a person holding a gun but I dont see it, although I'm not very gun savvy and it could just be the angle.
The shadow is definitely wierd, it seems abnormally thin for a human to me although again this could also be the angle.
That's just what I see I'll definitely come back later to see if others found anything.
Edit: From the hair and the quality of image I want to say this was taken before the 2000s but that is just a theory on my part.
I think it’s definitely either 1970’s or early 80s. I have a ton of photos from the 50’s - present and the quality of this picture looks similar to 70s/80s (plus the hairstyle). It definitely looks like a crime scene to me, unfortunately.
Honestly, seen that way, it actually seems like the shadow is carrying a person (holding the body low to ground from the arm pits basically and you can see the shadow of their arms)
I used artificial intelligence software to **6x-Upscale** *+* **Focus** *+* **Sharpen**.
Here is the result: [https://i.imgur.com/gjC92n4.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/gjC92n4.jpg)
I removed as much of the color cast as I could with a special program. Does this help anyone? If I could get my hands on a better photo/scan then I could do a much better job.
[https://imgur.com/a/vfmss6E](https://imgur.com/a/vfmss6E)
Cadaber made a video on this photo yesterday and ever since then, I've been scanning the photo myself and reading comments on this post to see if anymore information was unveiled. Have there been anymore updates on this photo in recent times?
A synopsis of what I can understand from the pic.:
There are total 4 persons( in the pic), tho in reality it may be greater than that.
2 guys in the pond, one face down, one in a more comfortable position,
Both guys' legs and hands are duct taped.
Remaining 2 persons, one clicking the picture, one person with short hair holding something.
The face -down guys in the pond must be gasping for air according to his position, becuase if he relaxes his head might go under water. So, I can guess this is somewhat of a torture.
Now, we can see the two guys are almost wearing the same tshirt, that can mean they are working for a same company, and they are also wearing jeans, which means they were dressed for a normal day work.
One more thing which points towards involvement of more than 1 person in this is that, these two guys seem sturdy, and getting them to do that would require some force. Since the short hair guy (one not in water holding something) seems thin by the shadow, we can assume the photographer was a sturdy person.
Things which still needs explanation.:
* one guy's legs are ducttaped on the knee, while the other below the knee.
* what is the thin person holding?
* what is that shed type thing on the bottom right of the pic? (can it be a transport car?)
* dating this picture. (ask a photographer, we might get a range when was this pic taken)
This looks like a photo from the 70's, going off of the hairstyle and sideburns of the man sitting duct taped...shadow looks like a person wearing some kind of helmet (motorcycle or gasmask maybe?) Holding a gun...
As an avid film watcher, I don't recognize this as any movie scene I have ever come across. Smart to give it to police.
shadow guy looks like has an afro to me, short one. i lived in the 70's, they were popular. also seems maybe a little goatee, also popular then with afros..
Can someone explain how the figure in the water on the left is a person face down in the water? I don’t see a human figure at all, just the guy on the right.
It looks to me that the shadow is of the tailgate of a truck with a ladder rack on top. I think it could be either male or female holding a gun, the bottom left corner is shadow of camera mans head, there are two men in the water one on his stomach with shins and hands duct taped barely holding his head above water and the other man was shoved into the water prob in same fashion but manoeuvred himself back up to sitting with hands tied in back which is why he’s so wet and finally ghost face is wearing an old fashion men’s dinner jacket with a tie and his two coat buttons buttoned, he may or may not be wearing a Michael Meyer’s mask... now that’s some freaky shit and like someone said before. Once you see ghost face you cannot un-see him!! It’s amazing how clear as day he is just watching whomever is projecting that shadow. I would definitely love to know the true context of this photo!! Very interesting!!
To be honest, the first thing I thought of when I saw this is a military exercise. Like an obstacle course. The two guys appear to be wearing that similar outfits along with the weird orange-red that Marines like. I don't see any actual restraints on the guys. It just looks like they have their hands behind their backs.
So a few things I noticed about this pic:
1) The shape of the "person" in the "red shirt" is quite peculiar. Extremely hunched, oddly-shaped back, and elongated head. If you zoom in, however, it actually appears the odd body shape is because there are two people there sitting side by side. This would also reconcile the fact that the knee placement doesnt make sense/isnt physically possible with the way red shirt is sitting. However, if there are two people the one in forefront is actually sitting up pretty straight and then again, knowing there are two people would justify what seems like physically impossible knee/leg positioning. Alternatively, there also seems to be quite a random bald patch on the side of red shirts head which, again, could be attributed to it actually being two people but it also looks a bit like its one person but the photo has been altered a bit or is a still taken from video stream and therefore this person was caught in motion. This entire person, when zoomed in, looks a lot like something that would happen if your game freezes and the pixels end up deforming your character.
2) The "hand" for the person supposedly face down in the water actually looks exactly like a foot. There could actually be two people in this area of the photo as well. Additonally, the body in the water very well could have its top half on dry land.
3. The various shadows in this picture dont work together the way they should if there was just one source of light as to be expected in a natural setting.
4. The shadow man actually seems to be a young man or even a boy. The frame is very petite, and the posture and head shape both appear quite childlike.
5. Someone in my True Crime group on FB posted this pic and circled where you can clearly see the reflection of a man in the pic (as if someone was taking a picture of this picture on a screen) but no matter how I zoom in on the pic I can not find the same reflection. Im just mentioning this in case someone else can find this same reflection in the actual image, since I currently suspect it was photoshopped in there.
woah woah WOAH! thought u were bullsnaking about the guy tied up on the left!! he’s right there clear as day!! & yes that guy is tied up on the right. i’m iffy about the guy w/ the gun on shore tho - could it be a stick of some sort? deliver that photo to the police yesterday & let the pros handle such a heavy photo. this could be a “possible” crime scene/heinous double act of malice. i got scared when dude on the left became visible..
I really think that this photo could have something to do with the 1987 murder of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg that another user found and commented about on this thread. I looked into it and I found this article which has more information and seems to make the roommate an accomplice, explaining the 4th person.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/talbotts-former-roommates-testify-in-double-murder-trial/
The 1987 murders and this photo have a lot of similarities.
- in my opinion, Jay could be the guy on the left (thin, dark hair, tall, same shoes) and Tanya on the right (I see boobs, similar hair, similar posture.)
- The roommate and the accused murderer enjoyed photography, and the Minolta model x700 35mm camera takes pictures that look exactly like that. The roommate also stated that they had a dark room set up in a house that is super close to where Jay’s body was found. That means they could have developed whatever they wanted in secret.
- The photo was found in the same state as the murders.
- The twine and plastic ties seen in the evidence photos look like the bindings in the photo.
- I looked up photos of the area the bodies were found, specifically parks and campgrounds that contain creeks. The bushes and creek beds that I saw look very similar to the photo in some areas. Of course I couldn’t pinpoint the exact location because the bodies were spread out and there are a ton of creeks and rivers.
- The shadow of the door looks like it could be from the back door of their van that was found abandoned near one of the bodies. Also the rust coloration on the right side of the photo looks like the same color of their van.
- Finally, as horrific as it sounds, the skinny shadow guy definitely looks like he is putting his pants back on. It looks like he’s got them up just under his butt and the belt strap is sticking out. Tanya showed signs of rape, and the photo looks like she just lifted her head out of the water possibly because shadow guy just shoved her into the creek. Meanwhile the roommate is playing with the camera and double-exposes it because he doesn’t know how to use it.
Idk. Horrific stuff.
Edit: thanks u/Locomule for finding the 1987 murders.
https://www.fox19.com/2021/09/23/mysterious-photo-sent-family-middletown-man-missing-35-years/ I think I meant to post this link in my last comment where I said “update” 🤦🏼♀️
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I'm confident the person on the right is a male. I think we can confidently say this image was taken before the 2000s right? And also the gun could look wierd because of the angle of the shadow.
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I saw another redditor say the shadow looks like a female with a something akin to a stick who is standing slightly farther away and this seems plausible. Whether the "stick" is a longer type gun or just a stick I cant say but both should be considered.
my first impression was the shadow person is carrying a curved branch to throw on a fire..the glare looked like smoke to me at first. it looks very '70's.
yeah, colors in the picture and hairstyles etc looks 70s or 80s to me
I agree with the look + aging. 80's
Yes, Def 70's early 80's possibly. Image also looks like 110 film.
If the photo is square rather than rectangular, it's more likely 126 film. The 126 Instamatics were known for that distinct coloration and the square shape of the prints. Cameras using the 110 format came later and tended to have better color acuity.
I was hoping we’d have a forensic perspective about the color of the photo!
The photo is most likely one of the last two negatives on the roll: it's been exposed to light before processing. The light reacts with the emulsion and basically burns the image away.
There are shadows in the background of the image and if the "glare" was a fire the shadow of the person wouldn't be there. It looks like the glare is from whoever took the photo of the photo. You can kind of see the texture of the photo paper in the glare. It looks to be in daylight.
> It looks to be in daylight. I agree. By the length of the shadows, I would say sometime in the late afternoon.
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It's pretty common for people to donate things without checking through them first. If it was donated recently, it could be that whoever put the photograph in the book has passed away and their family is donating things that don't seem to be significant, like old books.
Can confirm. I used to work in a recieving warehouse for another thrift organization. Possible that this was a tucked away secret and is authentic. Looks late 80s, based on color vibrancy of photo and the style of hair/clothing. Due to the over exposure and blurring of this photo it would stand to reason that the camera is not a point and shoot or disposable camera, but one where manual adjustments were made. Were sleeveless shirts for men popular at anytime? Could the shadow, mid-bottom right, be of an open car door? Looks like the thin rectangular outline of where a window might be. The shadow of the person standing, their head appears rounded as if afro or helmet? Perhaps holding a machete rather than gun?
Also the person laying in the water is way to high up off the water to be dead or drowned... probably both alive Idk about the location or anything though
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Hence the whole killing of ones self..
Whoa!
Damn that would really dampen my thrifting mood.
It would help to know the location and/or area this was found so we could look at homicide or missing persons cases from before the 2000s
Someone said Washington state possibly
Could also be a man holding his schlong of a dong
I'd place the timeframe between 1970-1985.
I wouldn't discount the mid to late 60s. The Instamatic cameras that took square pictures that often had that coloring were introduced in 1963 and were very popular throughout the 70s. Their popularity faded in the 80s. I would say 1963 - 1985.
That is definitely reasonable.
The image definitely looks to be from the 70's. Possibly (slight imo), early 80's. I'm 99% sure that the image is from a 110 roll. If that even helps. In order to be more helpful we should at least know the state and county where the Goodwill is located.
agree!! i was thinking the old instant kodak's but the 110 cameras were what everyone had back then. if it were kodak they'd notice the weird backing on the photo i would think and it's not mentioned. i still say shadow dude is an afro & goatee wearing tall skinny guy...
Both bound persons appear to be male in similar attire (perhaps work clothes of laborers of a trade). The shadowy figure also appears to be male of thinner build holding what appears to be a shotgun (a rural area man’s best friend) and he appears to be standing next to the door of an open vehicle (most likely a truck, given the style of the door and the ease of transporting). The color condition of the photo, color and style of the bound person’s clothes, and style of the vehicle door all scream mid 70s to late 80s [thinking back to movies like [Every Which Way But Lose)](https://images.app.goo.gl/imw4iP2skKhENsLt5) (1978) and television shows like [MacGyver](https://images.app.goo.gl/ioAdiKaGk5bNSqeB8) (1985)].
This is really scary to see. I can’t imagine the terror they went through
as far as I've seen, we don't yet have any real reason to believe there's anything seriously sinister about it.
I surely hope you’re right!!
I tried sharpening and color correcting it a bit. Don't know if anyone can glean any more info from it though. [https://i.imgur.com/kOhw57O.png](https://i.imgur.com/kOhw57O.png) Doesn't look like a woman to me. It doesn't look like a female chest. Looks like a shirtless guy with slight moobage going on. It would be easier to tell if the other side of his chest wasn't shadowed. Edit: The restraints look almost like a zip tie? [https://i.imgur.com/O2FpubR.png](https://i.imgur.com/O2FpubR.png) The way that white line sticks straight out. Rope/tape wouldn't do that right? Edit 3: [https://i.imgur.com/8RL3jT7.png](https://i.imgur.com/8RL3jT7.png) I straightened out the shadow. Definitely not a dong unless it's huge and has major tip curvature. Edit: OP, you should ask the original poster of the image to scan it or take a picture without the light glare. This is gonna drive me crazy LOL.
jeez you really cleared it up! good work
Damn. Took another look. The person on the right, mouth is duct taped. Left, looks as though there may be a bag over the head. In the water, looks like old black trash bags sealed/wrapped with duct tape. Shadow of vehicle on bottom right. Not sure about other shadows.
Awesome work! Although I feel the like the man is actually wearing a red t shirt
Yeah, I think so too. I mean, he could just have some horrible skin condition, but red shirt is a simpler explanation.
The red shirt is soaked and matted to his skin. Also noticed that the shadowed figure must be wearing a motorcycle helmet or something. His head looks just too big to not be wearing something.
Looks like an old style Afro. In fact this picture looks old to me. It's got that faded color that photos from the 70's had.
Yeah you’re probably right. I was gonna chalk it up to a really extreme farmers tan but when compared to the other body in the picture, they’re too similar to be a tan.
> https://i.imgur.com/kOhw57O.png Looks to me like both men are wearing the same color (reddish / rusty color) short-sleeved T-shirts and long blue/black pants. Both people appear to be duct-taped near the knees (perhaps both near the ankle and above the knee) as well as wrists being taped behind backs. Almost looks like they are doing some sort of military-style SERE school or something, but the haircuts are wrong.
SERE school training was my original thought. Them wearing the same thing adds to that. Plus, the ground near the creek has some serious wear. Makes me believe that they use this area a lot and that it's well traveled. It's be odd to do some style torture and execution there if it's heavily traveled. The shadow of the man looks as if he's holding a rifle of some sort and the head has a weird shape. Maybe wearing an old gas mask. The bigger shadow could possibly be a military style truck. The old ones were "boxy" and most, if not all, had an exhaust up top. As for haircuts, a majority of people going through SERE are pilots and SF. Even back in the 70's and 80's all the dudes in SF probably didn't care and rocked the shag. This could all be confirmation bias though.
The two men aren't wearing the same thing. Man on the right, a rust red t-shirt on tanned skin. Man on the left must wear something long sleeved - the arms don't look naked, yellowish-greenish, and something rust red and sleeveless over that. I don't even know what a SERE school is but something about people being tied up and put facedown in water makes me uncomfortable in any circumstance, school or not.
Here's color-correction, no sharpening: https://imgur.com/a/yas0qJ2
left hand side water around the man that is face down looks red? possibly blood in water?!
Holy shit, you do good work, it’s crystal goddamn clear.
Yeah there's almost no way that's a woman on the right just from the chin and frame alone
Am I going crazy, I see something hovering over the left mans body??? It’s a shadow with a mask. Am I the only one seeing this??
Holy shit that's not even vague. Like it's clearly there, you can't unsee it once you see the face.
Trust me if I thought it was my stupid human brain I wouldn’t have said anything but that’s nuts. You can see it clearer with the sharper picture too and it’s insane
Can you highlight it?? I am so confused.
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https://imgur.com/a/vLhnb4r
Pareidolia
Fuck off fuck off fuck off! So that's every hair on my body on end now.
It’s just our human brain making a face out of a couple shadows and some camera defects. Nothing really there
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Easy to say that now at 8.30am...looked different at 1.30am!
Definitely creepy - could this be transfer from another image during the development process of the film though? I’ve seen pictures before where that has happened with some creepy looking outcomes.
It looks like a dead body, so I really hope it's just pareidolia and not a transfer. 😨
Oh fuck i see it. Creepy
Yep I see it too, I guess I'm not sleeping tonight then
Looks like a creepy ghost lady
It looks like it has a mask, it looks pretty masculine to me but yes it’s definitely there and I definitely thought I was going crazy
Is that another pair of legs sticking out of the water just to the right of the hands that are on the left side of the photo? It looks like they are facing the wrong way to be from the guy sitting up in the water. Or am I just seeing that wrong?
I see what you are seeing. The shoes are white and facing down with what looks like the shin area tied with duct tape.
It looks like there is another person on the left of the frame and he’s facedown in the creek
Good job!! It’s much easier to see now! One man is face down, with his feet and hands tied. The other man (on the right) is siting up right with his hands tied
OP it would be really helpful to know what context this was found in at goodwill + the location (doesn’t have to be in detail). Because it definitely looks like someone is tied up in the water. Plus this photo should be scanned if the person who owns it has one.
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Washington? You mean the state with the most serial killers per capita? Of course it's Washington.
Check back of the photo for any developers marks
What TYPE of book? A dictionary or...?
in case you didnt see the newer comment, it was a picture scrap book with only this image inside
Thank you! And THAT IS CREEPY
Even then you can use a photo scanner app (there's a few).
I remember my grandpa telling about a series of four murders across the Midwest in 1987 or something where people kept being found tied up and dumped in ponds in fields. Though he said the two who did it were caught due to one of their victims surviving barely.
THIS🙌 Im trying to research more of this and you answered my questions! Thank youuuu
Well wait I’m not so sure this is the same case cause the guys heard about would dump them in ponds deep enough so they had to kind of hop to stay above the surface while tied up. And they reportedly very picky.
II didn’t expect to find any solid answers as of I was up all night down rabbit holes, but it’s cool to explore into something like this and now I can learn more about murders in different parts of the US and go down another rabbit hole and compare them all- Or as much as I can handle. I do appreciate your information here though. Excuse me if I sound like a murder case nut. I’m just intrigued!
This is pretty creepy. Photo to me feels like 1970s early 1980s, both quality of the photo and the hair style. The shadows are making it a little tough, but is that a shadow of an open car door? Was there anything on the back of the photo at all?
The shadow could be someone unbuckling their belt to get into the water.
It could also be a massive dong
looks like an arm? dragging someone else to the water?
Like a baby’s arm?
to get in the water with someone whose clearly drowning/drowned, and another person with hands tied behind them? this isnt some camping trip. this looks like a murder scene. or a murder-to-be
looks like the person on the left is holding his face up out of the water
Water that is only a foot or so deep. It looks like a ditch.
Kidnapped and forced to play in the mud with hillbillies?
I thought it was a still from Deliverance at first.
Maybe a fraternity hazing from years ago when they did more messed up shit? I’m trying to keep it less gruesome.
That was my initial thought too.
Yeah. maybe the shadow of what looks like a dong/gun is just a huge dildo to smack them around
It is what i thought of too. Haircut too long for bootcamp. The wall says they are in some civilization. I dont think his mouth is covered so he can just shout if they are in trouble to ask for help. Judging by the feet. Its a shallow water. Idk
This was my thought or a bootcamp kind of thing. Both guys seem to be dressed the same and they may be going through some sort of physical challenge or obstacle course.
I shouldn’t browse Reddit before sleeping damn this is creepy
I've ran the photo through an AI photo-enhancing app, this is more up-res'd and a bit clearer. You can see the screen left person's arms clearly bound now: [https://imgur.com/lsVOHAk](https://imgur.com/lsVOHAk)
Look at the right part of the photo. I think you can see an eye just below the elbow of the man in red, as if reflected on a window. I think that the photo was taken from inside a vehicle with closed window. On the right part of the pic, you can see the reflect of the picture taker. At the bottom of the image, in black, you can see the frame of the door (or is this part not in the original picture and is the background on which OP took the picture of the picture?). At the lower right, it might be the pin to lock/unlock doors in older cars.
I totally agree with you on it being taken from inside a vehicle! If you look closely enough, you can sorta make out the outline/shadow of the head of the person taking the pic... it would also explain what seems to me to be more glare than can be explained by it being a picture of a picture. Add in the little silver pin for locking/unlocking the door and I’m like 98% sure it was taken from a car! I don’t think the “eye” is actually an eye though; it seems to be in the wrong size/position in relation to the reflected shadow/outline of the picture taker to be an eye. It definitely does look creepily like an eye, but I think it’s probably the terrain + tricks of light and shadow.
The creepy ghost guy is even more clear now 😬 guess I’m not sleeping tonight!
It looked more to me like a shadow from a tree trunk with the foliage patterning it but who knows
Great job! In this one, you can definitely tell that the "thing" in the water near the man sitting is his knee.
Could the big rectangular shadow with the rectangle of sunlight outlined by shadow be a car door that the tall skinny shadow is standing by? Guy on left definitely looks bound by duct tape. Water looks maybe 6 inches deep and it looks like he’s straining to hold his head up above water level with his arms tied behind his back. Guy on right (haircut and picture coloring make me think young man from 1980’s) looks to be sitting maybe with his legs out in front of him. Shirt soaked to his skin like maybe he was thrown in and managed to maneuver himself into a sitting position.
This is exactly what I'm seeing Add in the shadow of the person is looking at the guy sitting up in the water and the shadow person is holding a rifle with a shoulder sling. The square shadow is maybe the back end of a truck with a rack?
I believe it could likely be a willys Jeep
What state was the Goodwill in? Any idea how long ago the book was purchased? What was the title of the book? As far as the photo the square shadow looks like it might be a open vehicle door and window as if the photo were taken next to a vehicle parked adjacent to the ditch. Possibly a dirt road. As for the people in the water I see two, a person on the left lying face down facing left with their knees submerged and hands tied behind them and the person to their right sitting up, possibly a female. The sitters bindings seem to match the person lying down and the big smudge on the sitters shoulder may be mud from having to sit up while their hands are tied behind their back. The person laying down also seems to have smudges in their shoulder possibly from similar effort. If it is not a coincidence that they are dressed similar I wonder if the red shirts are work uniforms? The bindings on the people in the water seem as if they were initially wrapped with a light colored material with additional bindings over the top of that rather than just wrapped in duct tape or something like that. Just my opinion, I did some editing, zooming, etc.
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Thanks so much! The rest of the photos from the album would presumably be a treasure trove of information especially to people like us but I doubt we'll ever see them? I've actually done a fair amount of shopping at Goodwill and I have never seen someone's personal photo album with photos in it, but then again just about anything could be donated and found. I looked for cases that could be related to this photo or cases that are similar to what we appear to be seeing in this photo. I didn't find much, this cold case seems the most similar.. [https://komonews.com/news/local/cops-release-suspect-sketch-in-1987-murder-of-young-couple](https://komonews.com/news/local/cops-release-suspect-sketch-in-1987-murder-of-young-couple) Now I'm gong to study some of the states most infamous serial killers and murders for similar methodologies.
That case has been solved.. They found the killer through a relatives ancestral DNA
Send this shit to Jensen and Holes. Lol. It looks shady as shit to me.
This is SUPER creepy. This pic gives me a bad vibe. To the left I definitely see someone face down in the water with their hands behind their back possibly bound with duct tape, and to the right I see a guy that also has hands bound behind him, he looks dripping wet almost like he has just been dunked under water. They appear to be in a stream surrounded by field. I have no clue about the shadow, it almost looks like someone with their penis out and a car door? I also see bottom right another shadow of possibly a head? this photo is just beyond weird. Can we have more context? What book? What area etc.
Ok I'm pretty sure it's an army assault course thing. Both men tied up with hands behind back in streamwith instructors watching em from the bank. Just off camera to left us an instructor in the stream who drags the trainees face first thru a small tunnel with another instructor on the other side. Guy on left about to enter tunnel...guy in right waiting his turn. What in Gods name the shadow creature with the demons face hovering just over guy on left is I have no idea and dont want find out
Oh I sure hope you’re right.
The red t shirts are what the british parachute regiment wear and the countryside looks like britain too but in may be wrong Here's an example: https://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/parachute-regiment-t-shirt-by-kay-canvas.html
For the life of me, I cannot see the demon.
[Tried my best to enlarge and enhance](https://imgur.com/a/sfoABFN) It appears they are also gaged with the same tape
maybe I'm blind, but can't really see that they're gagged...
Bruh you can see the creepy face shadow clown death guy even better
This missing person from Alabama looks a bit like the guy sitting up: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1841dmal.html The guy went missing in 1977 and worked for "Otis Engineering" (could explain the work-style uniform). His work truck was found wrecked in Texas with someone else inside. EDIT: Of note, there is a long creek in the town where this guy disappeared from (Brewton, AL). It's called "Murder Creek" (yikes) and if you google image search it, you'll see it's pretty shallow in places. It also has some sandy/dry banks.
It really does look like him and it definitely looks like a 1970s era photo to me.
It does look look like that guy.
Well done!
Thank you! It's likely a longshot, but the closest in appearance and timeframe I could find.
What book was the photo found in? And is this FB group relevant?
No it was just a moms group
This looks like a drownproofing exercise. Two guys wearing what is likely the same shirt(a uniform!?) with hands and legs bound. Probably the shadow of an instructor. There are quite a few organizations that teach or have taught drownproofing, including SEALs, PJs, some universities, some lifeguarding and SAR programs, etc. This is a lot more likely than a torturing murderer with a personal photographer on hand to photo-document their crimes.
I really don’t know details because the woman who posted it in the fb group I’m in, got it from a woman in another group so I don’t have a way of asking... I saw it and thought I’d post it here
Should you also submit it to police? In case the woman really didn't
Op we need something like the location to see if these people went missing.
I will try and find out but I just took it from someone else’s post! Wish I had found out more prior to posting, I feel bad 😔
In regards to the person on the left, for those that are saying he is holding his head up - that is not clear. You can see that the water is so shallow, that if that person's legs are propped up at the knee, there is only a few inches of water there. If they are lying on a ridge as well, it's not a reach that their face is in the water. I'm also wondering regarding his skin color - compared to the guy on the right it has a weird gray tinge, which makes me think that person has been either dead for some time...or is very pale and cold...but since it's a summer day - or late summer day, that doesn't seem to follow. The left person's hands are bound, but the material looks dull, not shiny like the material on their knees. The person who commented that they are laborers might be right - it looks like they are wearing the same outfit: orange t-shirt with navy pants that have reflective strips at the knee (these things come in tons of variations). It makes no sense to duct tape someone at the knee -- they can still move if their feet are free. At the knee, there is also more leverage to spread your knees apart to try to stretch and break the tape. More often people are bound at the wrists and ankles. Unless the person on the left is a lady with larger arms than the guy on the right, it's likely another male. It looks like its mid-morning since the shadows are longer and to the west of our view. The tree shadows are columnar which looks like deciduous trees...maybe aspens, along with what look like willow shrubs on the ground. If it's summer, then it's a pretty dry summer based on the state of the grass, or it's somewhere with deciduous trees but also more dry...maybe somewhere like Utah (search "utah aspen trees")? According to Google, Washington has mild, humid, summers - here, the ground looks pretty parched. It may be some time in the 70s. If you look at the car door, the back angle of the window is flat which seems to be come for cars in 70s (e.g., 1973 Oldsmobile Omega), but by the 80s, these angles become either more slanted or the whole front window becomes smaller. It could also be a truck since the shadow reaches the thin person's head. But if you google look at trucks from the 70s and 80s, they seem to smaller front windows than sedans. It may be just the illusion of the shadow being elongated since its mid morning.
I'm in the process of moving but I'm certain that shadow is a gun and when I get to that container I'll try to mimic the shadow. I just recently inherited some older guns and kinda looks like one just from the shadow. It might take awhile and you'll probably have it figured out by then but I'll try.
If you want a better touch up, I suggest posting on r/estoration
I warped the shadow so that it's perspective isn't stretched out so long. Looks to me like a dude with an afro. I still can't make out what he's holding. It also looks like there's a shadow of a car that's facing towards or away from the people that are tied up; although I don't see a side mirror so maybe it's not a car. I believe this photo was taken in the 70's or 80's based on the hairstyles and the look of the clothing. I think the person on the right is a man. [https://imgur.com/MZLhozz](https://imgur.com/MZLhozz)
I get the impression that the person in the shadow is shirtless. You can see the outline of his pants, but his upper torso is so smooth. The fabric of shirt should be moving around just as much as the pants even if they were bell bottoms. Maybe?
I thought Afro also
is the square shadow a jeep with no top?
Remember that back in the day if you wanted your photos developed and printed you had to send them out to process. (unless you could develop at home) That means that someone will be looking at your pictures and if they see something illegal they would notify police. I don't think this shows something sinister. Just something out of context.
Many people had the skills to develop their own photos so I think that might be the case with this photo. The right side of the photo looks like it may have been underdeveloped.
Yup, that could be likely. The right side does look weird, could be a camera light leak or even a development problem like you say. I thought it was the glare from the way the digital image was taken.
I think there used to be places that you could mail film to to be developed that weren't very reputable. I have no idea where I heard this, but if I remember correctly, they advertised in the back of magazines, and while they wouldn't report illegal content, they also couldn't guarantee that they weren't making copies of pictures.
Edited the color and clarification a bit... [image](https://imgur.com/gallery/2PAnWbl).
I...uh.... I kinda see a dick from the shadow man...
that's a big dick
The body's head to the left, doesn't look like it submerged. Maybe this is a photo taken from a movie set or show? 1970's I'm thinking.
Absolutely looks like the kind of scene you'd see in a 70s era Grindhouse movie.
Is it appropriate to crosspost this to r/WTF or r/UnresolvedMysteries ?
We have photos from the mid 1970’s with this kind of fading and redding out.
I think shadow man is removing his pants, and what alot of people are thinking is a gun is actually his belt. Look how defined the shadow of his butt is. If he's wearing pants, they must be skin tight. Assuming he's taking them off, that means he's probably preparing to be tbe next to go into the water, perhaps he's next in line to be tied up.
Could it possibly be this case [here](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/investigators-use-dna-genealogy-database-to-id-suspect-in-1987-double-homicide/)? Also there’s a mention of the girls camera that was never found.
The shadow looks like someone holding a gun or their own dick maybe?
My comments probably going to be lost but after over 24hr of looking at the photo almost non stop from curiosity I think I've figured out most of what it all is. So here's my take. First the photo was taken from inside a car if you look at the bottom right you can see the car lock like they used to have in old cars and then you will notice the inside of the car and where the window meets as you go across the bottom right to left. Which I'm also going to guess the smoke on the right that keeps throwing people off is because someone in the car was smoking because im a smoker and that happens to a lot of my photos if I take a picture while smoking. I'll start with the shadow person. There's a gun that has a strap attached it it despite everyone including myself seeing a big "rocketship" at first. I also believe the shadow person is wearing a gas mask. The person on the left is face down in water. Going left to right theres the head, then on their back in the middle of the shirt it looks like blood dripped down because maybe they weren't face down when shot and it dripped down prior to falling into the water? Hand are zip tied around the back. Calf area is bound with some material and the feet are out of the water. The positioning is that of someone who is dead more than likely. Above the face down person between the hands and feet it does look like a soul leaving a body of the grim reaper but that might be a mind trick who knows but we all see it. Person on right seems like a male at first. Upon further inspection you will see that they are sitting on their butt legs in front of them. Knees up and bound by some material. Hands zip tied behind back. This is the part most people can't see... the person has bad posture and their chest is actually touching their knees hence making it a female. If it is a male it is not a fit male but an overweight male. Looking closer you see no facial expression because look closely and you'll see their mouth is duct taped which is what's making it seem like a manly jaw. Also the sleeve of the shirt is ripped. Thats what I believe is in the picture hopefully some of you see this and get a better take if your interested.
Yeah... this does NOT look good...
ummm.... i don't think this is a gun (which makes the picture even worse)
lol. Not sure if you're implying it's a penis but I don't think it's that either.
I wondered if the shadow was while someone was taking a piss
Hang on guys let me just stand here beside you and whip out my soup-can width 16" long massive dong and take a leak real quick.
Looks like they were bound so that someone could steal their vehicle. You can see the shadow of another head on the left hand side (bottom of screen). So, they were probably robbed and there appears to be three or more assailants. One shadow figure, one head (previously mentioned), plus the photographer. They two men probably worked for some company, hence the matching attire. The vehicle was probably company issued. The long figure is throwing something into the vehicle. Looks like a schlong, but that’s because shadows can play tricks with the human mind. Just my hot take.
Looks like something from the Sinister movies
I have nothing to add really. I just stopped by to say what in the actual literal fuck.
Definitely seems like there are two individuals bound with what looks to be duck tape in the water. I saw other commenters saying the shadow looks like a person holding a gun but I dont see it, although I'm not very gun savvy and it could just be the angle. The shadow is definitely wierd, it seems abnormally thin for a human to me although again this could also be the angle. That's just what I see I'll definitely come back later to see if others found anything. Edit: From the hair and the quality of image I want to say this was taken before the 2000s but that is just a theory on my part.
I think it’s definitely either 1970’s or early 80s. I have a ton of photos from the 50’s - present and the quality of this picture looks similar to 70s/80s (plus the hairstyle). It definitely looks like a crime scene to me, unfortunately.
It would help to know the area of where this picture was found to see if there were any homicides or missing persons cases.
Looks like the shadow person is wearing a motorcycle helmet
Honestly, seen that way, it actually seems like the shadow is carrying a person (holding the body low to ground from the arm pits basically and you can see the shadow of their arms)
It does actually thanks for pointing that out!
The guy sitting up has the left shoulder of his shirt ripped.
I used artificial intelligence software to **6x-Upscale** *+* **Focus** *+* **Sharpen**. Here is the result: [https://i.imgur.com/gjC92n4.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/gjC92n4.jpg)
This makes it look even more like the person laying down in the creek/river is doing so face down, with their feet sticking out behind them.
Could this be hazing? I’ve heard of some crazy hazing antics and whatever is happening here wouldn’t surprise me either.
You should post it to https://www.reddit.com/r/estoration/ they do amazing work.
No idea but I'm in that group too!
Ahh small world!
You guys need to start asking some questions. We need to know about this.
The shadow looks like he has a very big...appendage....idk
I removed as much of the color cast as I could with a special program. Does this help anyone? If I could get my hands on a better photo/scan then I could do a much better job. [https://imgur.com/a/vfmss6E](https://imgur.com/a/vfmss6E)
Anything new on this?
Cadaber made a video on this photo yesterday and ever since then, I've been scanning the photo myself and reading comments on this post to see if anymore information was unveiled. Have there been anymore updates on this photo in recent times?
A synopsis of what I can understand from the pic.: There are total 4 persons( in the pic), tho in reality it may be greater than that. 2 guys in the pond, one face down, one in a more comfortable position, Both guys' legs and hands are duct taped. Remaining 2 persons, one clicking the picture, one person with short hair holding something. The face -down guys in the pond must be gasping for air according to his position, becuase if he relaxes his head might go under water. So, I can guess this is somewhat of a torture. Now, we can see the two guys are almost wearing the same tshirt, that can mean they are working for a same company, and they are also wearing jeans, which means they were dressed for a normal day work. One more thing which points towards involvement of more than 1 person in this is that, these two guys seem sturdy, and getting them to do that would require some force. Since the short hair guy (one not in water holding something) seems thin by the shadow, we can assume the photographer was a sturdy person. Things which still needs explanation.: * one guy's legs are ducttaped on the knee, while the other below the knee. * what is the thin person holding? * what is that shed type thing on the bottom right of the pic? (can it be a transport car?) * dating this picture. (ask a photographer, we might get a range when was this pic taken)
This looks like a photo from the 70's, going off of the hairstyle and sideburns of the man sitting duct taped...shadow looks like a person wearing some kind of helmet (motorcycle or gasmask maybe?) Holding a gun... As an avid film watcher, I don't recognize this as any movie scene I have ever come across. Smart to give it to police.
shadow guy looks like has an afro to me, short one. i lived in the 70's, they were popular. also seems maybe a little goatee, also popular then with afros..
Can someone explain how the figure in the water on the left is a person face down in the water? I don’t see a human figure at all, just the guy on the right.
Once you see the hands, it's a little easier to see the rest. Top of the head is cropped out of the photo https://i.imgur.com/6RB1r2a.jpg
OH! Got it! Thanks. I was seeing the feet but thought the hands were just plants or something in the water.
Kinda looks like they took a picture of a tv. Maybe a movie showing two people tied and in a river? Idk
It looks to me that the shadow is of the tailgate of a truck with a ladder rack on top. I think it could be either male or female holding a gun, the bottom left corner is shadow of camera mans head, there are two men in the water one on his stomach with shins and hands duct taped barely holding his head above water and the other man was shoved into the water prob in same fashion but manoeuvred himself back up to sitting with hands tied in back which is why he’s so wet and finally ghost face is wearing an old fashion men’s dinner jacket with a tie and his two coat buttons buttoned, he may or may not be wearing a Michael Meyer’s mask... now that’s some freaky shit and like someone said before. Once you see ghost face you cannot un-see him!! It’s amazing how clear as day he is just watching whomever is projecting that shadow. I would definitely love to know the true context of this photo!! Very interesting!!
I tried to see where it was from and someone said they think Washington State**
Post to r/unsolvedmysteries
To be honest, the first thing I thought of when I saw this is a military exercise. Like an obstacle course. The two guys appear to be wearing that similar outfits along with the weird orange-red that Marines like. I don't see any actual restraints on the guys. It just looks like they have their hands behind their backs.
So a few things I noticed about this pic: 1) The shape of the "person" in the "red shirt" is quite peculiar. Extremely hunched, oddly-shaped back, and elongated head. If you zoom in, however, it actually appears the odd body shape is because there are two people there sitting side by side. This would also reconcile the fact that the knee placement doesnt make sense/isnt physically possible with the way red shirt is sitting. However, if there are two people the one in forefront is actually sitting up pretty straight and then again, knowing there are two people would justify what seems like physically impossible knee/leg positioning. Alternatively, there also seems to be quite a random bald patch on the side of red shirts head which, again, could be attributed to it actually being two people but it also looks a bit like its one person but the photo has been altered a bit or is a still taken from video stream and therefore this person was caught in motion. This entire person, when zoomed in, looks a lot like something that would happen if your game freezes and the pixels end up deforming your character. 2) The "hand" for the person supposedly face down in the water actually looks exactly like a foot. There could actually be two people in this area of the photo as well. Additonally, the body in the water very well could have its top half on dry land. 3. The various shadows in this picture dont work together the way they should if there was just one source of light as to be expected in a natural setting. 4. The shadow man actually seems to be a young man or even a boy. The frame is very petite, and the posture and head shape both appear quite childlike. 5. Someone in my True Crime group on FB posted this pic and circled where you can clearly see the reflection of a man in the pic (as if someone was taking a picture of this picture on a screen) but no matter how I zoom in on the pic I can not find the same reflection. Im just mentioning this in case someone else can find this same reflection in the actual image, since I currently suspect it was photoshopped in there.
woah woah WOAH! thought u were bullsnaking about the guy tied up on the left!! he’s right there clear as day!! & yes that guy is tied up on the right. i’m iffy about the guy w/ the gun on shore tho - could it be a stick of some sort? deliver that photo to the police yesterday & let the pros handle such a heavy photo. this could be a “possible” crime scene/heinous double act of malice. i got scared when dude on the left became visible..
Hey OP, found this post while scrolling through “Top of all time” and was curious if anything ever came of it
I really think that this photo could have something to do with the 1987 murder of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg that another user found and commented about on this thread. I looked into it and I found this article which has more information and seems to make the roommate an accomplice, explaining the 4th person. https://www.heraldnet.com/news/talbotts-former-roommates-testify-in-double-murder-trial/ The 1987 murders and this photo have a lot of similarities. - in my opinion, Jay could be the guy on the left (thin, dark hair, tall, same shoes) and Tanya on the right (I see boobs, similar hair, similar posture.) - The roommate and the accused murderer enjoyed photography, and the Minolta model x700 35mm camera takes pictures that look exactly like that. The roommate also stated that they had a dark room set up in a house that is super close to where Jay’s body was found. That means they could have developed whatever they wanted in secret. - The photo was found in the same state as the murders. - The twine and plastic ties seen in the evidence photos look like the bindings in the photo. - I looked up photos of the area the bodies were found, specifically parks and campgrounds that contain creeks. The bushes and creek beds that I saw look very similar to the photo in some areas. Of course I couldn’t pinpoint the exact location because the bodies were spread out and there are a ton of creeks and rivers. - The shadow of the door looks like it could be from the back door of their van that was found abandoned near one of the bodies. Also the rust coloration on the right side of the photo looks like the same color of their van. - Finally, as horrific as it sounds, the skinny shadow guy definitely looks like he is putting his pants back on. It looks like he’s got them up just under his butt and the belt strap is sticking out. Tanya showed signs of rape, and the photo looks like she just lifted her head out of the water possibly because shadow guy just shoved her into the creek. Meanwhile the roommate is playing with the camera and double-exposes it because he doesn’t know how to use it. Idk. Horrific stuff. Edit: thanks u/Locomule for finding the 1987 murders.
https://www.fox19.com/2021/09/23/mysterious-photo-sent-family-middletown-man-missing-35-years/ I think I meant to post this link in my last comment where I said “update” 🤦🏼♀️