Says probe into recovery of remains was “to be kept under wraps”
Marysville Council member J.R. Rausch issued an apology at Monday night’s city council meeting.
“I do owe all of you a bit of an apology,” Rausch told fellow Marysville City Council members, noting they were likely “surprised” by the front-page article on Saturday’s Journal-Tribune detailing concerns with the recovery effort of Capt. John “Blackie” Porter II and Sgt. Harold Neibler.
“I am sorry that you had to learn a lot of that information in the newspaper. It was supposed to be kept under wraps,” Rausch said.
Last year, family members, local officials and community members raised more than $70,000 for Clayton Kuhles and a team of experts to go to a crash site near the India/Myanmar border and recover the remains of Porter and Neibler, both Marysville men, killed together in World War II.
Rausch, then mayor, spearheaded the community effort to raise more than $44,000 locally for the recovery efforts. He used his platform as mayor to address the community at council meetings as well as community events, such as the Marysville Bicentennial celebration.
“There is an investigation going on,” Rausch told council Monday.
The former mayor said he has known of the federal investigation for more than a month, though he did not tell fellow council members, donors or the community. Through the entire process, Rausch has said he does not want the information to be released to the public.
City officials have stressed that while the former mayor was involved, no taxpayer money was given to Kuhles for the recovery.
Rausch said he was “disappointed in the sensationalism” of the story detailing the investigation.
He then addressed the headline question in Saturday’s edition — Was the community duped?
“No. We did not get duped and this was not a scam. However, some questions need to be answered before we are certain of that answer,” Rausch said.
The former mayor said Kuhles’ recovery mission “did not go exactly as he had described it to us originally.”
“If we have the remains of five fallen World War II service members, it softens the rogue, maverick nature of Clayton Kuhles and him deceiving us about who was performing the recovery mission,” Rausch said. “If, however, the remains are not the servicemen, then Clayton Kuhles will have a lot more explaining to do and we will pursue all remedies necessary.”
Last year, Kuhles said the effort would cost at least $70,000 so he could take forensic anthropologist Dr. Cheryl Johnston from The Ohio State University, archaeologist John Schweikart from the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office and others with him. Kuhles said he could go by himself and hire locals for far less money.
Kuhles told the community he would leave Nov. 1, and be joined by Johnston and Schweikart in December, after OSU finals.
“Clayton chose not to include John and Cheryl in the recovery mission without ever informing us or them of this decision,” Rausch told council.
Kuhles later said Johnston and Schweikart were not included on the mission because of his tight schedule.
Rausch said Kuhles knew about Johnston’s and Schweikart’s schedule, “well in advance and could have provided that information before we provided the funding.”
Kuhles told Rausch he used money allocated for Johnston and Schweikart to hire an Indian archeologist and local porters.
Rausch said officials are, “concerned about the professionalism and the job that these untrained porters and the Indian archeologist performed and would have much preferred that John and Cheryl perform the recovery.”
He noted that Kuhles has performed other recovery missions and, “he assures us that he did a professional and thorough job in the recovery.”
Rausch said Kuhles recovered remains and artifacts, though once they were in his possession, “he again chose not to follow the prescribed protocols.”
Rausch said Kuhles was supposed to give the artifacts and remains to the Indian government for verification. The remains were then to be turned over to the U.S. Embassy in India and sent to a DNA verification site. After verification, the remains would be given to the families.
“In fact, he did not turn them over to the U.S. embassy in India,” Rausch told the council meeting. “Instead, he brought the remains and artifacts back to the U.S. in duffel bags on a commercial flight.”
Rausch said Kuhles was met at the Los Angeles airport by eight service members, “because we were not happy campers at the time.”
“He and the remains were taken into custody,” Rausch said. “There is an investigation being conducted by Homeland Security (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) to determine if Clayton broke any U.S. or international laws during the recovery mission.”
He said the Department of Homeland Security is not sharing much information about the ongoing investigation. Once the investigation is complete, any remains would be turned over to the DNA verification site.
Rausch said there was “quite a bit of research” done by Vinson, Johnson and Schweikart “about Clayton Kuhles and what kind of person he was and what he would be doing.”
He said there was nothing he could have done to better protect the money or the process.
“It is still our intent to conduct a proper celebration and ceremony of the return of our World War II local heroes,” Rausch said, noting there is $2,000 left in an account that officials hope to use for the ceremony.
Rausch said he is “saddened by the air of negativity and suspicion that now surrounds this recovery mission.”