ALMA, Mich. – Police in Oregon are making another try at solving the deaths of two farmworkers in an arson fire that destroyed a cheap hotel 39 years ago, circulating a photo of a man who claimed to have Michigan ties and who fled after being questioned.
Salem, Oregon, police investigator Jim Miller told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the man disappeared without a trace after police interviewed him in 1975. It followed a fire at the Bligh Hotel that killed 49-year-old residents Arnold Stover and August Cico.
The man identified himself as 29-year-old Thomas Hanson and told police he grew up in Alma, Michigan.
After he disappeared, authorities found no trace of anyone with his name and Social Security number.
Miller says he hopes someone in Michigan recognizes the man.
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