Philip Taylor Kramer (July 12, 1952 - February 12, 1995) was a bass guitar player for the rock group Iron Butterfly during the 1970s. After this he obtained a night school degree in aerospace engineering, worked on the MX missile guidance system for a contractor of the US Department of Defense and later in the computer industry on fractal compression, facial recognition systems, and advanced communications. His disappearance on February 12, 1995 caused a mystery lasting four years.

[edit] Total Multimedia Inc.

In 1990 at the age of 38, Kramer co-founded Total Multimedia Inc. with Randy Jackson (brother of Michael Jackson) to develop data compression techniques for CD-ROMs.^[1][2][3] The firm claims it developed the first video compression capable of producing full motion video from a single speed CD-ROM in 1992. In 1994 the company was reorganized under bankruptcy and hired new leadership. Kramer continued working there until his death.^[3][4] Kramer co-developed SoftVideo based on fractal compression and he also claimed to work on a transmission project that would result in faster-than-light speed communications. The latter related to his father Ray's long-running family effort to discredit Albert Einstein's theories.^[3]

[edit] Death

On February 12, 1995 he drove to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up an investor. He spent forty-five minutes at the airport but failed to meet the investor. Kramer did make a flurry of cell phone calls, including one to the police during which Kramer said, "I’m going to kill myself. And I want everyone to know O.J. Simpson is innocent. They did it."^[3][5]

He was never heard from again. This led to a massive search, many news reports, and talk show segments including an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, America's Most Wanted, The Unexplained ("Strange Disappearances," first aired 5/7/2000) and Unsolved Mysteries some years later.^[1] An article in Skeptic reported numerous conspiracy theories about his death.^[6]

On May 29, 1999, Kramer's Ford Aerostar minivan and skeletal remains were found^[7][8] by photographers looking for old car wrecks to shoot at the bottom of Decker Canyon near Malibu, California.^[3] Based on forensic evidence and Kramer's emergency call to the police, authorities ruled his death as a probable suicide committed on the day on which he was last heard.^[9]

[edit] References

• Maxim Online, "The Vanishing" (author unknown, October 1999 issue)
• Leiby, Richard (Oct 6, 1996) "Far out Taylor Kramer, rock musician, rocket scientist, entrepreneur, has vanished into thin air.", Washington Post. also archived [1]
• Southwell, David and Twist, Sean (2007), Mysterious Deaths and Disappearances, ISBN 1-40421-081-4