It seems that "mysterious, unexplained disappearances" are far more common than most folks realize.
Author and speaker David Paulides makes a good living describing such "missing-411" cases. A movie about his stories is out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QxBJkp24WQ
Google "The Bennington Triangle" to read about an area in New England prone to eerie, never-solved disappearances dating back to the 1940's.
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@Jeff Hanna
When I was a student at Bennington College there were many "eerie, never-solved disappearances".
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In doing some looking into this awhile back, I thought I tripped over the idea that the person who ID'd the body that was determined not to be Sullivan was someone in law enforcement that went on to a pretty senior job in politics. Not to spread rumors but that seems to be the angle I would go down. Should someone be following up with the NM medical offices, et. al.?
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How is it that someone writes an article like this and they don't answer the obvious question? Did anyone do any testing to see if the body was Sullivan's. Did Sullivan have a tattoo on his right forearm? They went to the trouble of putting a copy of the article "Possibly Sullivan?" but then don't address it.
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Everybody loves a mysterious disappearance. But having listened to Sullivan's records including U.F.O. , its commendable stuff but not as mind blowing as hyped. He's certainly no Fred Neil, Gene Clark or Townes Van Zandt in the songwriting department. Some of his stuff is downright corny. Vocally, he sounds more like a cross between Hoyt Axton and Roger Whitaker. He sure doesn't sound like Nick Drake in the slightest. Nor was he as idiosyncratic a performer as Karen Dalton. So a lot of the name dropping comparisons are lazy and inaccurate. Sullivan sounds more like a cross between Hoyt Axton and Roger Whitaker. Its all subjective, and not to sound cynical but can't shake the nagging feeling this less about the music and more about a fashionable record label latching on to an obscure figure and using his disappearance to sell records to hipsters. Nice to see Jon Stewart mentioned in an article, however. He and Hoyt Axton could use a little ink. In terms of other obscure artists, Jackson C. Frank, Bill Wilson and Duncan Browne deserve the same kind of recognition Sullivan is receiving.
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What an interesting story!
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Where is the body that was found ? Use DNA from it and compare it to his son’s . Then pen a follow up to “UFO” titled “DNA” .
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As others here have remarked, why is the newspaper clipping not discussed in the article? Even sharing the date of the clipping would provide a bit more insight.
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If he’d taken a walk in the desert in New Mexico, anything could have happened.
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5 easy pieces.
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Certainly not claiming that Wikipedia holds water, but it's stated there that the discovered body mentioned in the photo of a news clipping (above in body of article) was determined not to be Sullivan's.
I simply wish the NYT article cited as much from a more reliable source. Terrific piece nonetheless.
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Coming from CA and driving a VW bug (no heat!) in the High desert in March is a recipe for disaster. He could have succumbed to hypothermia, which can result in all sorts rash decisions, including just walking away.
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@binowitz
VW bugs, as well as vans, at least the German made but most likely also those produced in Mexico used to have heating. They had air cooled boxer engines in the rear, but they had tubes bringing warm air from the engine.
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@Dr. Biri
As the previous owner of a '66 Bug, heat yes, AC, no!
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Can anyone apprise me of the origin/meaning of the reference to Pete Sena near the end of the article? I see a reference in his wife's letter to a woman who asked him if he needed help... I know it's a small point... ;) (no relation!)
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@James Sullivan From the article: "Another local disagreed. “I always thought there was something strange about how that went down, why they didn’t investigate it more,” said Donald Sena, who now lives in Mount Vernon, Texas. His father, Pete, who died in 1993, worked on a ranch near where Sullivan’s car was discovered abandoned, and is recorded in The Santa Rosa News as possibly the last person to have spoken with Sullivan, asking him if he needed a ride."
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Intriguing.
But I can't believe they show a news clipping about a 6 foot-2 inch dead guy found near that area and say NOTHING about this is the article!!
Like that was just a coincidence?? C'mon!!
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I've long wondered about this guy but am curious about the contemporary newspaper report shown on this article as a 6'2 guy with a mustache certainly seems like it could be Sullivan. Why no follow up on that? Did Sullivan not have a tattoo?
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His music just came up on my Spotify “Discover Weekly” last week, and I have been listening to him since then. Never heard of him previously. And now this article comes out. Coincidence? Aliens?
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@Alex Fenlon Aliens, definitely.
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At the risk of sounding like I've donned my tinfoil hat, "A gas-station worker told the police that Jim Sullivan had asked for directions back to California." I got hung up on that. He'd just travelled from California and he was in the middle of nowhere. Would you really need directions? Wouldn't you just find any road with an iteration of "west" and take it?
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seems like the body described matched sullivan. why didn't they ask the wife about tattoos?
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@mwf, at that time tattoos were not prevalent.
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There is a photograph of a newspaper story about a body found that roughly matches Jim Sullivan's description, yet there is no mention of this in the article. Why?
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You need to report on the New Mexico paper that described a body found not long after Sullivan disappeared.
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i doubt if he was alone when he telephoned.
i also doubt if he was allowed to speak freely
during the call
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The pivotal facter here was him seperating from his wife. Depressing for anyone. Throw in a failed career, and just being alone in the middle of nowhere and all kinds of “solutions,” can run through your head. There is a decent percentage of artists that are not discovered until after they die, often tragicly. Would Vincent van Gogh, be mutlating his body and killing himself had he been getting ten of millions for his paintings during his lifetime? Or, artists with perfect timing, like the Beatles in 1963. People often put down trends and popularity, but to be successful as an artist during our short lifetime timing is everything.
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It was not uncommon for a singer/songwriter to get deeply in hock to the record industry in the 70s. Session players, contractors, producers, engineers don't work for free. Production/promotion costs are loans that have to be paid back. Being told what you need to come up with next to pay off the loans is hard for some. He may have been running from that pressure and looking for a release. Sounds like he found it in Santa Rosa. John Poole
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Thanks for introducing us to the music and life of Jim Sullivan. The U.F.O. album is amazing. Diverse songs, intriguing lyrics and musical touches, great orchestration. Love the overlay of horns, strings, rock band ethos, and 70s "movie of the week" style big orchestra accompaniment. Lots of emotion and drama. It'd be great to see some of the stadium-size talents of today perform his music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N__wplJkRTg
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Suicide or maybe he got caught up with drug dealers. That period was awash in drugs. But they also probably would have stole his guitar, too. Probably a suicide. Things can seem bleak out on the interstates.
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Hmmmm, has anyone thought about the possibility that he OD’d, dropped dead in the desert, and coyotes ate him??
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So Sena Sr. was not a suspect? What? More details on the investigation.
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Bobbi Gentry and Jim Ford are two others. And Gentry was huge! Disappeared on the streets now.
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@Joseph No, according to Bobbi Gentry's Wikipedia article (citing a 2016 Washington Post article), she's not on the streets but at age 77 is just very reclusive, living in a gated community in Memphis.
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@Joseph Bobbie Gentry is not "out there" somewhere. She's absolutely fine. Please check facts from reputable sources before wildly posting assumptions. Thank you.
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@Joseph
'Gentry lives in a gated community in Memphis, about two hours from the Tallahatchie River bridge that made her famous'
'Ford was found dead early in the evening of Sunday, November 18, 2007, in his trailer home'
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Listened to his UFO song. "Did it come...his UFO?"
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Interesting story. Would love to know what he didnt tell his wife on the phone.
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Horrible to have a loved one disappear. I've read a bunch of similar stories where people have psychotic breaks and just walk off. Here, we have him making a call home so that's evidence of sanity, but the call was pretty weird. Which theory is more likely, he got kidnapped by humans or UFO's, or he started hearing voices and wandered off into the desert.
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What a story; so glad that you published this & that his music will be enjoyed more widely. Some undoubtedly knowns (or knew) something.
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A really good article. Thanks to the author for writing it. Thanks to the New York Times for running it. I'm a little surprised you didn't try to pin the disappearance on Donald Trump ...
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@Alex
Thanks, Alex. I agree with you--the article WAS intriguing. Makes you think--well, truth to tell,makes you think of American writer Ambrose Bierce around a hundred years ago. Headed south into Mexico (where a revolution was going on)--leaving word he probably would not be returning.
He never did.
He too (I believe) had been abandoned by his wife. I think he was probably a hard man to live with.
Maybe Jim Sullivan was too. Maybe (much of the time) we all are.
But Donald Trump?
News to me he ever succeeded in making people DISAPPEAR. No, with the advent of Mr. Trump numbers of people APPEARED--and we all wish they hadn't.
If Mr. Trump wishes to hone his skills at making people DISAPPEAR--well, I can think of someone he might start on.
Ahem--
--himself.
Sorry. Cheap shot.
Thanks for the article. Fascinating. The musical clip made me think--just a bit--of Johnny Cash. You too?
Fine song. I liked it.
Thanks again.
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@Alex And, there you have it...cannot have any type of conversation, even including someone gone for over 40 years, without bringing up the current occupant’s name.
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@Alex The only reply this requires is, "Oh, for cryin' out loud." Besides, everyone knows Trump's bone spurs were far too painful to amble in the desert for any length of time.
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It is hard for the imagination not to summon a real life scenario à la the infamous camping scene or the very ending of Easy Rider as the reason for his disappearance. For his sake I hope it was aliens - if they took him in they'd already prove to be more welcoming.
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Fascinating story and I enjoyed being introduced to the music. “Jerome” is a great tune, among others. Thanks to the Times for sharing such an interesting piece of history. It reminds me a bit of the Sugar Man story but, alas, I don’t think this artist will be around for his renaissance.
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I picked up the U.F.O. reissue in 2010 and it became one of my favorite albums. Sullivan's disappearance is tragic, but it's ultimately less compelling to me than the great music be produced. Thanks for this write-up; I can now look forward to listening to his "new" material.
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@Matthew Ratzloff "Ultimately less compelling" is easy to write when you don't know the lost soul. I've loved Sullivan's music for decades and was always hoping his family could at least find an answer.
Like several others who've already commented, I'm rather astonished that the article doesn't mention a thing about the badly decomposed body found that resembled Sullivan - at least to this reader - in several ways.
6
Interesting story. Made me want to check out his music. After listening a bit, all I can say is "interesting story"...
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Lots of empty space and all it takes is one random event or person to make a mystery. This story has some resonance for me as my uncle disappeared in a similar manner in late 1974 in southern California or New Mexico, without a trace. It's always been a question that our family struggled with in various ways, and with so much time gone the likelihood of an answer is remote. You can keep hope alive but also have to find a way to live with the idea that, whether the truth is innocuous or fantastic, you may never know what happened.
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There were so many musicians, desperate to hit the big time (or at least earn an audition) back in the 70s. I knew several who lit out for LA with guitars and dreams and mediocre songs, and all of them came home dejected and broke. The record industry, greedy but essentially clueless, was swamped by a surfeit of submissions, though there had to be gemstones among the dross. This story brought back a flood of memories.
The writer never mentions if the physical description of the recovered body matched Mr Sullivan (height? weight? tattoos?) And is there any DNA recoverable that could help with an identification?
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@Lorraine Alden The height, weight, age, and facial hair (which was variable) all match, as well as the timeline. Very curious gap in the investigation and the article.
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@rebeccabengal
Otherwise an intriguing article, why didn't you pursue this piece of evidence and explain where it led. That would made for a more engaging story ultimately. Readers are left not knowing about Sullivan's disappearance but also left dangling with what happened with than discovered body? Hope to see a PT 2 or an addition that explains it!
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@Lorraine Alden
From https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2010/11/10/the-strange-tale-of-jim-sullivans-u-f-o/
"...We flip through more pages and notice the headline `Not Sullivan.' Santa Rosa Police Chief Joe Eddie Martinez had gone to Las Cruces to see the body, and said that while it bore some resemblance to Jim, it wasn’t him. More articles are found."
5
Why is there no mention in the story of the local newspaper clipping about a recovered buried body matching his description? Sounds like it should have been possible to determine whether or not it was him.
Will def have to look up his records--sounds like just the kind of stuff I love.
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He's actually been living in my basement all these years. Apparently, he tells me, he wants to release another record. But I had to explain about CD's and streaming. He really doesn't get out much.
15
This is an intriguing story. I never heard of this musician until now. Kudos to the NY Times for this article.
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@susan
I had never heard of him either, to the best of my recollection. And you're right, it is intriguing, and there's nothing I find more fascinating than a story like this.
Must be very frustrating for his family to have never found the answers. I wish them the best.
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@susan ,
Agree with you on the NYT,feel like his condition is the reason for his result.Can’t help of seeing Chuck Werner when I see Sullivan.
1
The 70's was a heckuva decade.
I was wondering if it weren't a stunt to generate sales. Seems like he probably walked into the desert and no one has come across his remains. Strange there was no mention of footprints around his car.
4
Lots of rocks and hard-packed soil in the desert. Might not have left any footprints.
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@Daniel
Also, officers and others checking out the car before they know a guy is missing often ruin the tracks. It happens. Frustrating, but tough to get mad at the officer or passerby who just walks up to see what's what.
7
For sure, this is an interesting and unfortunate story. Unsolved disappearances of loved ones are always unsettling. R.I.P. wherever you are.
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