Continuing with part three of a series of historical columns about the discovery of the body of missing Mason County veterinarian, Dr. Alvin Letson, was found in the Manistee River channel two years after he had mysteriously vanished — we noted that the coroner’s jury established that no foul play had taken place and that according to witnesses, Letson appeared to have been drinking upon his travels in and around Manistee during a heavy snowfall.
In February of 1929, some seven weeks after Letson had disappeared, his wife, Louise pledged that she would provide a $50 reward for any information about her husband’s whereabouts.
Two years later, she made good on that pledge when William Zimmerman, a plumber’s assistant who had discovered Letson’s body was awarded the money.
An article published in the Manistee News Advocate on July 20, 1931 provides more details including a mention of the key piece of evidence that was the missing part of closing the case:
“William Zimmerman, 110 Elm St., local youth who discovered the body of Dr. Alvin R. Letson, Fountain veterinarian floating under the dock of the Michigan Transit Co., June 3, was presented with a $50 reward by Mrs. Louise Letson Saturday afternoon at city police headquarters.
“Dr. Letson disappeared from his home on Jan. 1, 1929, in a heavy snowstorm. His wife subsequently posted the $50 reward for information regarding him. Zimmerman, a plumber’s assistant, found the body when he was at work on a plumbing job at the dock.
“Chief of police Frank Kruse announces that he will pay a reward of $10 for any part or portion of Dr. Letson’s car, which can be so identified. The theory is held that Letson’s vehicle plunged into either the Manistee River or Manistee Lake on the day he was last seen. If this is true, Chief Kruse believes that parts of the wreckage will likely be secured by swimmers.”
Years passed and the remaining details surrounding Letson’s disappearance continued to elude local police, as well as Letson’s loved ones and interested parties alike.
Then on the night of Sept. 15, 1942 — just like that — his automobile was found. Details are provided via an article published in the News Advocate on Sept. 16, 1942:
“Parts of a car which is believed to have been that which carried a Mason County veterinarian to his death in the Manistee River here in 1929 was taken from the river bottom late last night by U.S. engineering employees who uncovered it during dredging operations which are now underway in the channel.
“The discovery, if substantiated by a check of serial numbers now being made by police Chief Roy Hebner, should serve to clear up the manner in which Dr. Alvin Letson, of Fountain, met his death almost 14 years ago.
“Discovery of the automobile frame, tire and tube, however, leads police to the belief that Dr. Letson drove down Spruce Street and, perhaps confused by a winter snowstorm, missed the Water Street turn and drove directly into the river.
“When the dredge picked up the car, the motor dropped out into the scow, but the frame was saved. It is that of a Buick car, the model Dr. Letson drove, and through its serial number Chief Hebner hopes to establish it definitely as the ‘death’ vehicle.”
One week later it was announced that police had established that the auto chassis discovered in the river channel was, in fact, from Letson’s 1925 Buick Coupe which had been identified through the serial numbers as well as the car insurance policy which had been kept by the family.
With the case of Letson’s disappearance seemingly solved, it is interesting to note the similarities between his disappearance and that of one that took place nearly 45 years later.
Longtime Manistee residents might recall the mysterious disappearance of Frank Skipski in October of 1973. Twenty-eight years later, his body was discovered still in his vehicle, a Jeep which had been sunk in the Manistee River Channel for all of those years.
I mention this not to draw conspiracy theories between the two cases, but to note that even with many of these odd and unique cases, connections — no matter how bizarre they are — can often be made throughout history.
Mark Fedder is the executive director of the Manistee County Historical Museum. He can be reached by email at manisteemuseum@gmail.com, or by phone at 231-723-5531.
Missed the other pieces in the series?
Part one: Mason County’s veterinarian went missing in Manistee in 1929
Part two: Several theories emerge on how the missing veterinarian met his death