Mystery of 'Unknown Male' buried in North Dakota solved almost 55 years later
The body of a man found in eastern North Dakota almost 55 years ago has been identified as a World War II veteran.
The body was first found near railroad tracks outside Page, North Dakota on Oct. 27 of 1970 and remained unidentified since then. The man was buried with a headstone marked "Unknown Male."
But on July 1, the Cass County Coroner's Office, along with Southeast Missouri State University, exhumed the remains. During that process, an upper denture plate labeled 'Tate W. H' was recovered.
Investigators were able to trace the denture information to a World War II enlistment record. The man was eventually identified as William Howard Tate.
The Cass County Sheriff's Office did investigate Tate's death as a possible homicide, with evidence suggesting he had been "assaulted, robbed and either thrown or had fallen from a moving train."
No suspects or persons of interest were ever identified.
His cause of death found to be fractures to his ribs, cervical vertebrae, maxilla and mandible. The man was believed to have died around six weeks before his body was discovered.
The Coroner's Office will work with Cass County Veteran Services to have a new headstone placed on the grave, according to the announcement.
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
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