"but I feel without an image of the 1099-R that will go nowhere."

You don't need this, to respond. Afterall, the IRS already has this. You could get a transcript of it, if you care. I had the same condition personally, only the 1099-R with my SS was issued to the new spouse of someone I had only been married to for a couple of years and that had been over 30 years previously. It was a survivor pension distribution. I was able to get the IRS to give me the contact info of the issuer, and I sent them proof of identification with my SS, and they resolved their records. I also responded to the IRS with the same explanation of the mix up.

What I told the IRS is, if you can find "my" money, I'd be glad to pay the taxes on it.