Michael Andrew Clites, a 24-year-old white male from Portland, Oregon, was found bludgeoned to death on December 5, 1995. His murder was one in a string of violent killings that occurred along the railways of the western United States during the early to mid-1990s. Clites' death was particularly brutal and bore the hallmarks of a transient killer who targeted vulnerable individuals, often those living on the fringes of society or traveling by freight train.
The investigation into the
murder of 24-year-old white male Michael Andrew Clites eventually led authorities to Robert Joseph Silveria Jr., a drifter and self-confessed serial killer known as 'The Boxcar Killer.' Silveria, who was associated with the Freight Train Riders of America a loosely organized and often violent group of rail-riding transients, admitted to killing Clites as part of a broader spree that spanned multiple states. Silveria's modus operandi typically involved befriending fellow transients before attacking them, often with blunt instruments, and stealing their identification and personal belongings.
Silveria was arrested on March 2, 1996, at a rail yard near Sacramento, California, following a tip-off. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of items belonging to several of his victims, including identification and personal effects. He later confessed to the murder of Michael Andrew Clites, along with several others, including 39-year-old William Pettit and victims in Kansas and Florida. In total, Silveria claimed responsibility for as many as 28 murders committed between 1981 and 1996.
The confession and subsequent guilty pleas allowed Silveria to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and is currently serving his sentence in Wyoming. The murder of 24-year-old white male Michael Andrew Clites remains one of the many tragic cases that highlighted the dangers faced by transient communities and the vulnerabilities exploited by predators like Silveria.
