Coroner Report (Sheriff’s Office Supplementary Report): L. Ron Hubbard (1986)

SHERIFF’S OFFICE
San Luis Obispo, California
SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT¹

NUMBER OF ORIGINAL REPORT
8601-1284/Coroner 8936

DATE OF THIS REPORT
1-29-86

TYPE OF CRIME OR INCIDENT
Coroner’s Case Deceased/HUBBARD, Lafayette Ronald

additional detail of offense, progress of investigation, any changes or reduction in original offense, or charges, other significant developments

CASE IMPACT: #8601-1284. Coroner file #8936

DECEASED: HUBBARD, Lafayette Ronald

PURPOSE OF REPORT: Identify victim.

1-29-86, 1150 hours:
I received four rolled fingerprint cards, two (2) of the right-hand fingers, two (2)
of the left-hand fingers, from Chief Coroner Donald Hines of the San Luis Obispo
County Sheriff’s Department, after I was requested by Sheriff George Whiting to com-
pare these four (4) cards and to see if I could get them identified as to whom they
belonged.

1-29-86, 1155 hours:
I compared all four (4) fingers on the four strips, i.e. 22 M 1 U 0II 10
L 1 R III 8

After this I decided to contact various agencies to see if they had this classifica-
tion in their files.

1-29-86, 1205 hours:
I contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C., at (202) 324-2163,
and talked to a Fingerprint Specialist James Ford. After giving him the classification,
he searched the F.B.I. files and found that a person by that classification was in fact
in their files and had a name of “Lafayette Ronald HUBBARD” and an F.B.I, number of
244-210 B. After a short discussion with Mr. Ford, we began a telephonic comparison,
finger by finger, until we completed all ten fingers. Both Mr. Ford and I concluded
that the fingerprint card he had which was dated 12-16-52 and signed “L. Ron Hubbard,”
and the four (4) fingerprint strips I had are one and the same.

1-39-86, 1400 hours:
I called the Department of Justice (D.O.J.), Sacramento, California, at (916) 739-5640,
and talked to Fingerprint Specialist Dana McKinnon. I gave Mr. McKinnon the finger-
print classification and their file number (M03596544), which I had received from our
Records Bureau. Mr. McKinnon said he would search the files and call me right back.

1-29-86, 1420 hours:
Mr. McKinnon called back and said that he had found a fingerprint card in file with
that classification, and with the D.O.J. nunber M03596544. At this point. I asked Mr.
McKinnon if he had a social security number on his fingerprint card. He gave me the
number 568-09-9422. There was no driver’s license number, but a physical description
of 5 ft, 190 lbs., gray eyes, reddish hair.

SIGNATURE OF OFFICER MAKING REPORT
C. Feierabend, Detective #0057
Identification Division
mjl/1-30-86

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT #8601-1284/Coroner #8936
Page 2

At this point I asked Mr. McKinnon to go over several fingers with me for a
telephonic comparison, different from a full 10-finger comparison, in that we are
identifying individual characteristics that are found in the same geographical
location and in the same amount in both the four (4) fingerprint strips from
Coroner Hines, and the rolled controlled fingerprint card.

After going through the cards, and with the information I had recieved, which was
the same as our Coroner’s Office had, there can be no mistaking them as being one
and the same; and the name on the fingerprint card is Lafayette Ronald HUBBARD.

1-29-86, 1500 hours:
I received from Chief Coroner Donald Hines an 8 1/2″ x 14″ piece of blue paper dated
March 18, 1983, from the F.B.I., signed by Assistant Director of the Identification
Division, Nick F. Stames. On the face of the paper it states, “Title 28, Section
1733, of the U.L. Code,” and that the attached fingerprint card is a true copy and
is issued on a “Lafayette Ron HUBBARD”, with F.B.I. #244-210B. Attached by a cloth
ribbon was a set of ten (10) rolled controlled fingerprints, dated 12-16-52 in the
lower left-front of card, and a larger bold print number in the upper right front
of the card of “244-210-B”. The classification is 22 M 1 U OII 10
L 1 R III

This is a duplicate card of the fingerprint card Mr. Ford of the F.B.I, had in his
possession, which is the original. Along with the paper and fingerprint card, I
also received two (2) small I.D. cards:

1. United States Navy card, with name of “Lafayette Ronald HUBBARD, Lieutenant
#113392” on it. On the back side it has dates of, “November 24, 1941 to February
1946, inactive duty – honorable, #1354635.” The right index fingerprint is on
the upper right corner, and it is signed “L. Ron HUBBARD.”

2. Los Angeles Special Officer card, Badge #2484. Information on the front of the
card is filled out by hand, as follows: Name/ “L. R. Hubbard”, Residence/ “8250
Lankersheim”, Employee/ “Metropolitan Detective”, Age/ “36”, Height/ “6′”,
Weight/ “196”, Eyes/ “Gray”, Hair/ “Red”. The right index fingerprint is on the
lower right corner of the card, signed “L. Ron Hubbard”. On the back side of
the card the information is as follows: “Commission no. 82, Badge No. 2484,
Gun ,45 Colt U.S. Army Model 1911, S/N #90906, Name/ Lafayette Ronald HUBBARD,
From/ Metropolitan Detective Agency, Dated/ 1-7-48, Signed/ L. R. Hubbard”.

After receiving these cards, I compared all of them to the four (4) strips I had
received from Chief Coroner Don Hines, and found the following:

1. The Navy military card was in fact the same right index finger found on the
fingerprint strip.

2. The Special Officer Card was in fact the same right index finger, as was found
on the strips.

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT #8601-1284/Coroner #8936
Page 3

3. The set of ten (10) rolled controlled fingerprints #244-210-B are in fact the
same fingers found on the original fingerprint strips I received from Coroner
Don Hines. With all of the information and comparisons made, there can be no
mistaking that these are in fact the same fingers and that they belong to a
person who signed his name on the ten rolled fingerprint card, and two (2)
I.D. Cards, and the fingerprint cards in both the F.B.I. and Department of
Justice, Sacramento, of “L. Ron HUBBARD”.

1-30-86, 0930 hours:
I received from Chief Coroner Donald Hines a thirteen (13) page “Last Will and
Testament of L. Ron Hubbard; dated 23 January, 1986; signed on page twelve (12)
“L. Ron Hubbard”; with an inked single fingerprint to the left of the signature.

Also received were two (2) typed pages of “Certificate of Religious Belief”,
(Government Code SS27491.43) for “Lafayette Ronald Hubbard”, dated 20 January, 1986.
Both pages have a yellow elongated impression (possibly an attempt to make a finger-
print impression) over the signature, along with a brown colored fingerprint
impression over the same signature.

It was requested that I try to compare all three (3) pages to see if they could
be matched to any of the fingerprints belonging to a person who signed his name
“L. Ron Hubbard” on the I.D. cards and the fingerprint card from the F.B.I.

With the knowledge that the right index finger found on the “Special Officer” Los
Angeles Police card had been verified as being the right index finger of L. Ron
Hubbard, I decided to use it because it is a very clear image to work with.

I first compared the inked impression on page thirteen (13) with the card and found
more than enough individual characteristics in the same geographical location and
in the same amount to state they are one and the same.

I then began to compare the two (2) brown images to the right index on the officer
card and found numerous individual characteristcs in the same geographical location
and amount to state they are the right index impressions of a person who signed his
name on all of the thirteen-page will and two (2) pages of the religious belief;
and there can be no mistaking them.

All papers received from Chief Coroner Donald Hines were returned to him. Only copies
will be kept in the I.D. files.

[signed]
Conrad M. Feierabend, Det. #0057
Scientific Investigation
mjl/1-30-86

Notes