KISS helps solve missing man mystery

Tag : man jacket

Gene Simmons doesn't know it yet, but his legendary rock band had amajor role in helping to solve the mysterious discovery of a man'sremains in Vegreville.
And now friends and relatives of Robin Douglas Goodwin, who wouldhave turned 47 in February, want to thank the tongue-wagging KISSfrontman.
It all started last Nov. 3, when the body of an unknown man wasdiscovered in a wooded area near Vegreville.
Eleven days later, RCMP released several photos in an attempt toidentify the man.
The pictures showed a denim jacket with several badges - includingseveral for KISS.
"Once I saw the jacket I knew that was my friend's jacket," saidKen Peterson, who grew up with Goodwin in rural Saskatchewan.
"There (are) not too many people who have that amount of badges allon one denim jacket."
Now with Simmons coming to Edmonton to marshall the Indy race thisweek, Goodwin's friends and family are hoping to meet up with therock legend and thank him.
"In some ways it's to thank them and it's to let them know whathappened to a big fan of theirs. We know he's a very busy man butmaybe he'll show some concern," said Peterson.
Goodwin was last seen Sept. 22, 2006, just after his shift as aheavy-duty mechanic in Nisku. His remains would turn up 13 monthslater.
Family had spent that time combing newspapers and obituarieslooking for any sign of Goodwin.
"We watched bodies and unidentified remains show up in Vancouver,"said brother-in-law Garry Boe, who said it was difficult every timefamily and friends heard of unidentified bodies turning up and notknowing whether it was Goodwin.
When police released photos of the jacket last November, Boehappened to spot the picture in a newspaper at the same moment thathis wife happened to be writing an e-mail to the Edmonton PoliceService. She added in a line about the photo and that they werepositive it was Goodwin's.
DNA tests on June 24 concluded that the remains indeed wereGoodwin's.
RCMP are investigating Goodwin's death as suspicious but are notreleasing a cause.
Goodwin was a huge KISS fan, said Peterson.