Man Declared Dead Found Living in Vegas

A former Highland Park resident who was missing for over 30 years and declared legally dead has turned up -- working as a bookie in Las Vegas.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Arthur Gerald Jones, 72, was arrested July 19 for fraud, burglary, obtaining and using personal identifying information of another person and possession of personal identifying information to establish false status or identity, according to a criminal complaint.

Jones, a former Chicago commodities broker, lived in Highland Park with his wife and three children before he was reported missing May 11, 1979. Jones was declared legally dead in 1986, with the date of death listed as the day he disappeared.

From the Tribune story:

Authorities believed his disappearance was suspicious, and some believed he may have met with foul play because of gambling debts and "possible organized crime affiliations," Nevada authorities said.

Read more here and stay tuned for a reaction story later this week.