The Priest Murders: A Strange Death Part 1

On December 22, 1981, at 00:00:13.599, a cleaning woman commenced her morning duties at the Sand and Sage motel in Odessa, Texas. As she approached room 126 with her cleaning trolley and unlocked the door, what had been an ordinary morning was abruptly disrupted.

The room was in complete disarray; the walls bore stains of dried blood, and there were numerous holes punched through them. The air conditioning unit had been torn from its place, the coffee table was overturned, the bed frame was broken, and the telephone had been yanked from its socket. The television lay shattered, while clothes, beer cans, and cigarette butts were scattered across the floor.

The condition of the room was not merely untidy; it had been utterly ravaged. This destruction was particularly baffling given that the occupants of the room had checked in only the previous night, and no disturbances had been reported from neighboring rooms. It was then that the cleaning lady discovered that a man was still in the room.

He was lying face down on the floor, naked and covered in blood, with his hands bound behind his back with a sock. He was deceased. Despite the presence of hair and bloody fingerprints, the police were unable to identify the victim or the perpetrator.

The man had registered at the motel using a false name. However, just one week later, on December 26, a group of church parishioners would gather at the morgue to identify the deceased as their priest, Father Patrick Ryan. Shortly thereafter, A drunken confession would ultimately lead to an apparently innocent man spending years incarcerated for a murder.

No one at the church recognized the deceased individual. The nurse hurried to inform Father Thomas Vulture about the situation. In response, Father Vulture promptly contacted the police, and within thirty minutes, Sergeant Frank Richardson arrived at the location.

He knelt to examine the body and made a rather peculiar discovery. In the man's shirt pocket, he found a brown envelope containing $1,100 in bills, totaling $1,900, along with a typewritten note on a small piece of paper.

The note stated that in the event of his death, the enclosed funds should sufficiently cover his funeral or disposal expenses, with a preference for cremation. It further requested that any remaining amount be considered a contribution to the church, assuring that God would recognize their honesty in this matter.

The note was signed "WML." In all the images I have encountered of this note, there appears to be an additional line at the end that has been obscured, yet I have not found any explanation regarding its redaction or its intended content. The discovery of this man's body initiated a mystery that remains unresolved to this day.

the individual discovered in the church, subsequently became known as William El Tumi, a name derived from a note found in his possession. It was presumed that "WM" was an abbreviation for William. William El Tumi was identified as a Caucasian male, estimated to be between 35 and 45 years of age.

He stood approximately 6 feet tall and weighed around 175 pounds. His physical appearance included sandy, wavy blonde hair, gray eyes with flecks of brown, a clean-shaven face, and tanned skin. His clothing was characterized as western-style, featuring a long-sleeved green shirt, blue jeans, and a prominent belt buckle that housed a 100 peso coin at its center, complemented by a turquoise and silver bolo tie and cowboy boots.

The individual in question exhibited a notable tan complexion, which was particularly striking given the winter conditions in Idaho. This distinctive feature led many to speculate that he likely hailed from the southwestern region of the United States.

Upon investigation, Sergeant Richardson discovered a wallet in the man's back pocket, containing a mere $53 in cash. Notably, all forms of personal identification had been removed, although the wear and tear on the wallet suggested it had previously held a variety of items.

It appeared that the man had intentionally destroyed any identifying documents prior to his arrival at the church. Subsequently, church authorities conducted a search of missing persons reports throughout the United States and Canada, but they were unable to find any matches for William El Tumi.

The investigators from Tumi suspected that the name in question was likely a pseudonym. Sergeant Richardson expressed skepticism regarding the possibility that the individual would eliminate all forms of identification only to use his real name in the note. He also noted that the signature on the document exhibited an unnatural formation of letters, which one would not expect from a genuine signature, indicating that the individual had likely gone to great lengths to conceal his handwriting.

This was a person intent on avoiding identification. During the autopsy, it was revealed that Tumi had ingested cyanide; however, the means by which he obtained a cyanide capsule remains unclear. Despite conducting fingerprint analyses, no matches were found in either the FBI or Idaho State databases.

Numerous leads regarding his identity were explored on a national scale, yet none yielded any conclusive results. Sergeant Richardson is of the opinion that the individual had intended to end his life during or shortly after a confession with the church's priest. Witnesses reported seeing him seated in a pew near the confessional around 4:00 p.m.

It is suggested that he may have already ingested the capsule and did not anticipate the wait to speak with the priest, indicating that he likely passed away while still in that state of anticipation. Both Sergeant Richardson and Father Fure perceived a significant connection between the individual and the Catholic Church, as he had evidently selected this location for his death with intention.

Father Fure theorized that a particular event in the man's life compelled him to take such a drastic step, yet he sought to do so in a manner that would allow for reconciliation with God. Furthermore, he believed the man chose a church to alleviate his family's distress of discovering him and to ensure he received a dignified farewell.

Sergeant Richardson remarked that the individual wished to keep his identity concealed for reasons unknown, which struck him as peculiar. Father Fure expressed skepticism regarding the man's motivations, suggesting that he must have committed an act severe enough to lead him to take his own life, effectively passing judgment upon himself.

The name Tumi intriguingly led investigators to a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of clergy garments known as RJ Tumi. However, it appeared that no one associated with the company had any knowledge of the enigmatic deceased individual.

Numerous news articles covered the incident, and a sketch of the man was disseminated, yet no one came forward to identify him. Father Fure articulated that he and his parishioners welcomed the unidentified man as one of their own, perceiving him as a representation of those grappling with loneliness, depression, and despair, particularly during the holiday season. This sentiment seemed to contrast with his earlier statement suggesting that the man must have committed some wrongdoing.

Regardless, the church community aimed to demonstrate that individuals facing such adversities have a place where they are accepted. By choosing their church, this man symbolically opted to belong with them. Consequently, he was afforded a funeral service attended by church members, none of whom had previously encountered him.

Tumi was interred in Boise's Dry Creek Cemetery, although his desire for cremation could not be fulfilled due to his unidentified status. In his honor, the church members placed a plaque at the entrance of their prayer garden inscribed with the words "Unknown Wanderer," reflecting their contentment in providing him a final resting place.