319:. An acquaintance from Akron saw Johnson and, despite the eyepatch and mustache, recognized Bader. He then brought Bader's 21-year-old niece, Suzanne Peika, to have a look. Convinced, she asked him, "Pardon me, but aren't you my uncle Larry Bader, who disappeared seven years ago?" Johnson laughed it off, but Peika called in his two brothers from Akron, who had his fingerprints compared with Bader's military records. They matched. Johnson was now faced with the fact that all his memories were false and that he had two wives.
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A team of psychiatrists examined Bader for ten days. Their conclusion was that
Johnson had no recollection of his former life. There was evidence in Johnson's past that he might have wanted to "start again", having tried various unsuccessful
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lasting several years, in which the person filled the missing time with false memories, are rare but not unheard of. Another theory was that the tumor may have been responsible for Bader's apparent memory loss. This was never determined.
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The malignant tumor that cost Bader his eye eventually resurfaced. Bader/Johnson died on
September 16, 1966, at St. Joseph's Medical Hospital in Omaha. His death meant that the question of whether he was an amnesiac or a
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that would have to be paid back. Also, Mary Lou had been dating since her husband's "death", and had recently accepted a marriage proposal. With the marriage reinstated, her new marriage was impossible, since she was
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equipped with pillows, a bar, and an incense burner, aptly naming it his "hunting vehicle". In 1961, Johnson married Nancy Zimmer, a 20-year-old divorcee, and adopted her daughter. Later, they had a son together.
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to go fishing. His boat was found the next day after a storm. The boat had minor damage and a missing oar. Bader, who was $ 20,000 in debt (equivalent to $ 216,967 in 2023), and in trouble with the
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in 1960, Bader was found alive five years later as John
Francis "Fritz" Johnson, a local television personality living in
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Larry Bader. But when I heard that, it was like a door had been slammed and somebody had hit me right in the face.
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Bader's reappearance caused many problems for Mary Lou, his first wife. She had been receiving monthly
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280:. Johnson's popularity led to his becoming a bartender, radio announcer, and TV sports director at
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Four days later, John "Fritz" Johnson made his first known appearance at
Roundtable Bar in
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Among the
Missing: An Anecdotal History of Missing Persons from 1800 to the Present
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Disappearing on fishing trip, being discovered living under new identity; probable
284:. With his flamboyant personality, he became a minor celebrity in the Omaha area.
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It was like a physical shock. Up until that moment, I had no doubt that I was
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enthusiast, was demonstrating archery equipment at a sporting goods show in
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Local history: TV personality a dead ringer for missing Akron man.
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Johnson lived an equally colorful bachelor lifestyle, driving a
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disappearances on record, a weird story forever unanswered."
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payments of $ 254, and had received $ 39,500 from Bader's
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tumor behind his left eye. He lost the eye and wore an
179:(December 2, 1926 – September 16, 1966), also known as
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On
February 2, 1965, Johnson, who like Bader was an
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On May 15, 1957, Bader, a cookware salesman for the
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359:. However, she claimed she would stick by him.
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295:In 1964, it was discovered that Johnson had a
272:. Johnson immediately attracted attention by
199:, who disappeared while on a fishing trip on
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497:Rowman & Littlefield, 1978, pp. 56–60.
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372:and getting into trouble with the IRS for
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191:, was an American cookware salesman from
468:The Man With Two Wives- Amnesia or Hoax?
35:In 1963, as TV announcer "Fritz" Johnson
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376:. According to psychologists, cases of
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427:The Strange Case of John Fritz Johnson
215:. The incident is described by author
16:American salesman who faked his death
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404:List of solved missing person cases
276:for thirty days to raise money for
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550:People declared dead in absentia
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540:Deaths from cancer in Nebraska
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303:, adding to his flamboyance.
219:as "one of the most baffling
70:March 15, 1957 (aged 30)
545:Missing person cases in Ohio
111:John Francis "Fritz" Johnson
473:, March 5, 1965, pp. 41-46.
441:, February 15, 1965, p. 32.
233:Reynolds Metals Corporation
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535:1950s missing person cases
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555:People from Akron, Ohio
370:get-rich-quick schemes
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274:sitting on a flagpole
177:Lawrence Joseph Bader
23:Lawrence Joseph Bader
394:was never resolved.
170:5 his own, 1 adopted
154: 1961;
436:2015-09-05 at the
88:September 16, 1966
203:on May 15, 1957.
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108:Other names
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51:December 2, 1926
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495:Jay Robert Nash
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438:Wayback Machine
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344:Social Security
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332:"Fritz" Johnson
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260:"Fritz" Johnson
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217:Jay Robert Nash
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158: 1965)
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348:life insurance
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134:Mary Lou Knapp
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116:Known for
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92:(aged 39)
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357:null and void
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227:Disappearance
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205:Declared dead
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431:The Dispatch
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307:Reappearance
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181:John Francis
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141:Nancy Zimmer
90:(1966-09-16)
530:1966 deaths
525:1926 births
374:tax evasion
67:Disappeared
519:Categories
410:References
47:1926-12-02
338:Two wives
297:cancerous
245:Lake Erie
201:Lake Erie
72:Lake Erie
509:Ohio.com
434:Archived
398:See also
363:Analysis
353:Catholic
330:—
301:eyepatch
270:Nebraska
213:Nebraska
167:Children
121:amnesiac
100:Nebraska
80:Deceased
378:amnesia
317:Chicago
313:archery
254:missing
221:amnesia
189:Johnson
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128:Spouses
392:hoaxer
289:hearse
282:KETV-7
252:, was
102:, U.S.
77:Status
61:, U.S.
385:Death
278:polio
266:Omaha
237:Akron
235:from
209:Omaha
193:Akron
185:Fritz
150:(
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96:Omaha
55:Akron
471:Life
241:Ohio
197:Ohio
156:ann.
85:Died
59:Ohio
41:Born
325:not
250:IRS
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478:^
446:^
417:^
268:,
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152:m.
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49:)
45:(
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