John Doe No. 24

John Doe No. 24
John Doe No. 24, photographed in 1945 by the Illinois Department of Human Services
Bornc. 1929
DiedNovember 28, 1993 (aged around 64)
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
Other namesJohn Doe Boyd (legal name)

John Doe No. 24 (born c. 1929,[1] died November 28, 1993) was the name given to a deaf and later blind man in Jacksonville, Illinois, who was put in a mental institution in 1945 as a teenager. He spent 30 years at the Lincoln Developmental Center, and was transferred several times, eventually to a senior center in Peoria. He died in 1993 at the estimated age of 64.[2] His life is covered by the biography God Knows His Name: The True Story of John Doe No. 24 by journalist David Bakke. Musician Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote a song about him, also called 'John Doe No. 24'.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference B is for Boyd was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference The New York Times 1993 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference two mysteries was invoked but never defined (see the help page).