OC authorities seek help to ID person whose remains were found in 1996
Advances in technology have led the Orange County Sheriff's Department to renew efforts to identify the remains of a young man found in Trabuco Canyon nearly 27 years ago.
Homicide investigators first responded to a wilderness area east of Trabuco Creek Road in the unincorporated of Trabuco Canyon area on Dec. 13, 1996, for a report of the discovery of human remains.
At the time, it was estimated the remains may have already been there for up to two years.
Based on initial scientific tests from 1996, it was believed the remains were those of a 15- to 19-year-old male, between 5 feet, 2 inches tall to 5 feet, and 8 inches tall with a medium build.
A study of the teeth showed they were in poor condition, and the findings were submitted to a Department of Justice database, with the name John Doe.
The Orange County Coroner Division partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2020 to generate leads for identity.
A computed tomography scan of the skull was created in 2020 and submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which used the latest reconstruction techniques to develop renderings of what John Doe may have looked like.
Further genetic testing led authorities to believe the unidentified male is likely from a remote, rural area in Latin America.
If you have any information, please call (714) 647-7400 or email coroner@OCSheriff.gov, reference case number 96-07901-MU.
