CA CA - San Diego, UnkMale UP#63959, 20-40, burned in dumpster, Sept'81

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves

New Posts

bombardier said:
Honestly I am still of the opinion that this weight reflects the post-burned state of the remains. The facial recon doesn't suggest someone emaciated/extremely thin. If it had said "106lbs (estimated)", then I'd be more inclined to think that they are trying to portray the victim as he was in life. I'm not speaking from a place of certainty though; I don't know how severely this man was burnt.
I went on NamUs to see if giving the burnt remain weight was normal or not... usually if the body is too burnt, they just put "weight: cannot estimate" or give a vague estimate. Some people do have listed weights that seem 'off' though, i.e. this 6'0" guy measured at 133 lbs, 5'7" guy measured at 107lbs, and this 5'5" woman weighing 90lbs. but on the other hand, other people who have been burnt have measured weights that seem very normal for their height! so i can't come to any conclusion :p
I'm glad that NCMEC is responding to tips, and that James Foster was suggested. I'm not on FB; would someone like to suggest Willie Clark? Or should I do it via NamUs contact? I agree that his circumstances don't back up the ID but his circumstances are so vague in the first place, they don't sway me either way.
Click to expand...

I agree that the condition of the remains makes it very hard to take any of the information given at face value. Like you've said, we don't know the extent to which the body had been altered as a result of the burning. I don't know how accurate those reconstructions are. If I'm being totally honest, I'm not even totally convinced that the listed hair and eye color are accurate (in addition to height/weight), but they are really all we have when it comes to narrowing down matches.
 
I wonder which forensic artist at NCMEC did the reconstructions of the UID. Those reconstructions look like they were done by looking at an actual postmortem photo taken at autopsy. Usually, when the face of an UID has been decomposed or damaged to the point where their features are difficult to discern, the only way to reconstruct them is via creating a clay bust using their skull or creating a drawn reconstruction using a photo or 3-D scan of the skull as a base. I've thought about getting in touch with the artist and asking them about how the UID looked upon discovery so we all can have a better idea of the state of his remains. If I were to reach out, I doubt that I would get a reply, though, since I am just a layperson.

Also, this is somewhat off-topic, but I have to say the people responsible for the most recent NCMEC reconstructions are excellent artists, and I hope that they're being paid well. They've also been cranking out reconstructions for UIDs whose cases date back 40+ years (like thread topic UID), which is commendable and brings those cases back into the public eye (or as close to the public eye as they'll get). As sad as it sounds, I doubt that many people, including myself, would have known of this UID's existence had he not been reconstructed and added to NamUS earlier this year.
 
Last edited:
Bumping with a significant update with respect to the UID's estimated demographics.

On NamUS, the estimated age range for the UID is now listed as between 20 and 40 years old.

I guess that my theory that this could have been an abused/neglected minor might not work, given these developments.

I think that this update is a good sign. It suggests that someone out there is actively reviewing this obscure, 40-year-old case. The NamUS profile was last modified about seven weeks ago in early December. When I started this thread, I was not at all hopeful about the UID's chances for identification, but this makes me feel a bit more optimistic.

Edited to add: In my opinion, there are obvious differences in appearance between someone who could be between 15 and 20 (mid-teens to young adulthood) and someone who could be between 20 and 40 (young adulthood to middle age), and 20 to 40 is a pretty wide age range in itself.

This makes me think that he was in worse physical condition than what I have previously imagined, considering that whoever came up with the original estimate must not have been able to get a good idea of his age just by looking at the body alone (as well as via other methods used to estimate age that go beyond mere outward appearance).
 
Last edited:
Fuuro said:
Bumping with a significant update with respect to the UID's estimated demographics.

On NamUS, the estimated age range for the UID is now listed as between 20 and 40 years old.

I guess that my theory that this could have been an abused/neglected minor might not work, given these developments.

I think that this update is a good sign. It suggests that someone out there is actively reviewing this obscure, 40-year-old case. The NamUS profile was last modified about seven weeks ago in early December. When I started this thread, I was not at all hopeful about the UID's chances for identification, but this makes me feel a bit more optimistic.
Click to expand...
It would sure seem like someone is digging deeper. Maybe he was visiting the area if no local missing adult person matches him.

Don’t they take xrays of remains or did they at the time? I wonder if the skull xrays show the teeth clear enough to determine age (descended, removed or impacted wisdom teeth).

I notice the ethnicity has multiple items. Maybe DNA has been done but not made public.
 
A new article on this case...

Police seek tips on 40-year-old unsolved murder in Scripps Ranch area

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Authorities on Thursday released an artist's rendering in hopes of identifying a man whose body was found in a burning dumpster outside of a Scripps Ranch grocery store nearly four decades ago.

About 5 a.m. on Sept. 28, 1981, employees at Big Bear Super Market on Mira Mesa Bouelvard near Scripps Ranch Boulevard called 911 after smelling smoke coming from the back of the business, according to San Diego police.

Firefighters arrived to find a trash dumpster ablaze near the loading dock area and found the body when the flames were extinguished.

...
Click to expand...
 
ctaylor said:
A new article on this case...

Police seek tips on 40-year-old unsolved murder in Scripps Ranch area
Click to expand...

Wow, I am so glad to see this. In addition to confirming that this was a homicide and providing additional details about this case, this further suggests that LE is actively trying to identify the UID as of recently. I think that the increase in attention that this case has received within the last year or so is a great sign. It gives me hope for other long-term UIDs.

Edited to add: Another article released just minutes ago says that the UID's dental work was recently re-analyzed, which lead to the modification of his estimated age.
 
Last edited:
Fuuro said:
Edited to add: Another article released just minutes ago says that the UID's dental work was recently re-analyzed, which lead to the modification of his estimated age.
Click to expand...
Yes!! That is exactly what they needed to confirm.

“Since the time of the killing, SDPD homicide detectives have struggled to identify the victim. Working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which came up with an artist's rendering of what they believe the victim looked like at the time of his death, detectives have now decided that the victim was 33 years old, give or take five years, and was not a teen, as was originally believed. Investigators arrived at that revised age estimate based on dental work that had recently been re-examined.”
 
I went ahead and submitted Jesse as a possible match. I’m not overwhelmingly convinced it’s him but given the uncertainty surrounding his disappearance and the circumstances involved in the UID’s discovery, I’d rather be safe than sorry.
 
upload_2021-2-20_8-10-36.jpeg

The San Diego Police Cold Case Unit is now taking another look at this case. Police investigators worked with odontologists from the County Medical Examiner’s Office, who re-examined the man’s dental records taken during the initial autopsy. At the time, his age had been determined to be in his late teens, but with newer technology, dental experts now agree he was more likely in his mid 30s, give or take five years.

In a video produced by the San Diego Police Department, Detective Lori Adams of the Cold Case Unit said this new information expands the possibilities on identifying him and notifying his family. Determining his identity is also key to determining what happened to him and solving his case.

Police are reissuing a sketch of what the man may have looked like prior to his death. He is of undetermined race with a medium skin tone, with wavy auburn color hair and brown eyes. He was about 33 years old, give or take 5 years, stood approximately 5 foot 7 inches to 5 foot 10 inches in height, and weighed between 125 and 135 pounds. He had dental work which is consistent with being done in the United States.

In the video, Adams said that the passage of time can sometimes help in cold cases because it can give people time to build courage to provide information that they were too afraid to offer when the crime occurred, or it provides another opportunity for people who were too apprehensive about getting involved in a police investigation then.

Police ask anyone who may recognize the man or have any information about the crime, to please call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or SDPD Homicide at (619) 531-2293.
Medical Examiner Adds New Tech to 1981 Cold Case Effort
 
MadMcGoo said:
I went ahead and submitted Jesse as a possible match. I’m not overwhelmingly convinced it’s him but given the uncertainty surrounding his disappearance and the circumstances involved in the UID’s discovery, I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Click to expand...
Even if it isn’t him, they’ll do a rule out and Jesse’s profile will have a set of eyes on it. Neither can hurt and maybe something positive will happen. :)
 
bombardier said:
Would really like to know more about Willie Reginald Clark, a 5'10" African-American man with a light complexion and reddish-brown hair. Circumstances are kind of confusing; it sounds like he lived in Alaska but for some reason, traveled to Maryland where he was last seen. This would have been 3 years before this man was found in CA, and thus he would have been ~24 y/o.
Wish more info was available because from what I can see (no other pics out there) he's a damn good facial match.
NCMU1389388c1.jpg
Thumbnail
Click to expand...
I brought up this guy last year but never submitted him- he does have dentals available so he could easily be compared to this UID. Should I submit?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is DeKalb County John Doe (2022)?

Members online

... and 141 more.
Total: 2,296 (members: 142, guests: 2,154)

Online statistics

Members online
142
Guests online
2,154
Total visitors
2,296
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
604,207
Messages
18,169,056
Members
232,144
Latest member
Gemini_Mind
Back
Top