Kramer Family Tells of Grief Over Discovery

While waiting to learn if remains found in Malibu Canyon are those of former Iron Butterfly bassist and Thousand Oaks businessman Philip Taylor Kramer, family members released a statement Tuesday expressing their grief.

“If authorities confirm the remains found are in fact those of Philip Taylor Kramer, it will put an end to 4 1/2 years of an emotional and traumatic time for our family,” the statement said. “Many friends and news agencies have dedicated their time, efforts, dollars and prayers in the search for Taylor and for this we are extremely grateful.”

The Los Angeles County coroner will use dental records to make an identification, which they say they will have by Thursday. Authorities say they are all but certain the remains are Kramer’s.

Sheriff’s officials spent part of Tuesday deciding how to remove the green van from the canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, where it and the remains were found by hikers Saturday.

Kramer, 42, disappeared Feb. 12, 1995, after he called his wife and a friend on his way home from Los Angeles International Airport. Just before noon that day, officials said, Kramer called 911 and said he was going to kill himself.

Police have said the 911 call and evidence of financial troubles point to suicide.

But the family has continued to believe that Kramer may have been the victim of foul play.

A mathematician, Kramer claimed that he was nearing a discovery that would make it possible to send information faster than the speed of light--which is considered scientifically impossible. Kramer had also worked as an engineering specialist on a U. S. missile program in the mid-1980s. His family has suggested one or both of these connections may have made Kramer a possible murder target.

Iron Butterfly is best known for its 1969 album, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” which spent 81 weeks in the Top 10. Kramer joined the band when it was revived in 1975.

Once the identification is made, coroner’s officials will work to determine the cause of death, which they said could take months.