Identified! AZ - Flagstaff, Wht/Unk Male, 35-55, non-muscular, clothing/belt w/pouch/Teva sandals, woods, Oct'20 - David Clark Wilkinson

[JerseyGirl]

Police work to ID remains found in wooded area near Flagstaff

A hunter found the bones north of a Baderville neighborhood along U.S. Highway 180 on Oct. 3.

During the recovery of the remains, detectives established that "suspicious circumstances" were involved and Paxton said the death is being investigated as a homicide.

A preliminary autopsy shows that the person was a 35 to 55-year-old man who was 5-foot-10-inch or 6-foot-1-inch with a non-muscular build, according to officials.

The man was wearing a T-shirt, dark shorts with a black, leather belt and a black, nylon utility pouch attached and sandals.

 

[peace+love]

I'm assuming the remains were not skeletal if they could determine his "non-muscular build?"

 

[annemc2]

I'm assuming the remains were not skeletal if they could determine his "non-muscular build?"

That's confusing, right? It says "bones" but maybe there is a way to check bone density or something to determine a person's body type/build? Or maybe the clothes suggested a thinner frame? Was there anything in the utility pouch? So many questions!

 

[Willow Knight]

I'm going with possibly clothing suggested thinner upper arms, shoulders, and waist maybe? If they can come up with some type of time frame maybe check out Lowes, Home Depot, stores like that. The apron and clothing are similar to what I've notice store workers wear at home improvement places. Sounds as if he was tall and thin.

 

[iulia]

This is the NamUs page for these remains:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

#UP76064
ME/C Case Number 20-718

Sex Male
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian, Uncertain
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 60
Estimated Age Range 35-55
Height 5' 10"-6' 1"(70-73 inches) , Estimated
Weight Cannot Estimate

Location Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
County Coconino County

Circumstances of Recovery Skeletal remains found by a hunter in Coconino National Forest on 10/03/2020.

Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Clothing and Accessories

Accessories
Black nylon utility pouch On the Body

Clothing
Wrangler brand shorts On the Body
AND 1 brand medium underwear On the BodyBlack Leather Belt On the Body

Footwear
Teva brand sandals On the Body

 

[Family_trees]

Of all the missing in Flagstaff this one would be the closest match (IMHO) The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Family_trees]

And there's this one The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Laughing]

I'm assuming the remains were not skeletal if they could determine his "non-muscular build?"

There are joint changes when muscles are worked. I can't explain it very well, not looking for a link, but yes this can be determined rather well from bones. If this decedent is considered non-muscular, his joints didn't show these changes.

And, the bones are also different if the person id very heavy/obese -- and those changes are distinct as well.

So we don't know if this decedent was a slender, or heavy. But not muscular.

Sometimes, the terms ectomorph (slender build,) endomorph (soft, round build,) and mesomorph (muscular) are used. Somatotype?

Health educator -- I read lots of interesting articles during WorkFromHome, but am not prepared to cite many of them.

jmpo ymmv lrr

 

[bombardier]

@Family_trees I think I can confidently say that this man disappeared no earlier than 1993 - AND1, the brand of his underwear, was not founded til 1993 (and I'm guessing didn't start producing off-shoot products like underwear til at least '94?). All other clothing brands he was wearing were founded earlier than that.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Still listed in NamUs. Does anyone have time to view rule-outs?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[sorcoy14]

Still listed in NamUs. Does anyone have time to view rule-outs?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

No exclusions.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

No exclusions.

Thanks. Too bad. Poor man. I guess AZ has many UIDs, though.

 

[DSCrime]

It looks like he may have been identified as David Clark Wilkinson, but this NamUs page is still up...

This is the NamUs page for these remains:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

#UP76064
ME/C Case Number 20-718

Sex Male
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian, Uncertain
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 60
Estimated Age Range 35-55
Height 5' 10"-6' 1"(70-73 inches) , Estimated
Weight Cannot Estimate

Location Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
County Coconino County

Circumstances of Recovery Skeletal remains found by a hunter in Coconino National Forest on 10/03/2020.

Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Clothing and Accessories

Accessories
Black nylon utility pouch On the Body

Clothing
Wrangler brand shorts On the Body
AND 1 brand medium underwear On the BodyBlack Leather Belt On the Body

Footwear
Teva brand sandals On the Body

DNA evidence identifies body of Flagstaff homicide victim found in 2020

DNA evidence has identified the body of a man found dead in Flagstaff three years ago, and investigators are still seeking more information regarding his death and disappearance.

In October 2020, a body was found in a shallow grave north of Flagstaff off Highway 180 near the Lava Caves. The body was decomposing when found, and investigators could not identify it. However, the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the person was a homicide victim.

In May 2021, investigators sent a DNA sample to a forensic genealogy lab. The results came back in January 2023, connecting the body to a family tree, which one person could not be accounted for. The missing family member was identified as 56-year-old David Clark Wilkinson, who was known to frequent the Phoenix and Prescott areas in 2019 and 2020.

Investigators say Wilkinson was in northern Arizona before his body was found, and a missing person’s flyer was sent out for his disappearance. Shortly after the flyer was released, additional DNA analysis confirmed Wilkinson was the victim.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help in this investigation. Wilkinson is described as a 56-year-old white man approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and 165 lbs, with gray hair, a gray beard and glasses. He may have been traveling with one or two dogs and driving a white 1997 Toyota Paseo (pictured below). Investigators believe Wilkinson was camping in the Prescott National Forest and the Coconino National Forest and might’ve talked to other campers.

Investigators say Wilkinson have been traveling with one or two dogs and driving a white 1997 Toyota Paseo.(Arizona's Family)
Anyone with information about this investigation or who had contact with Wilkinson in the spring or summer of 2020 is asked to contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

 

[DSCrime]

One more article:

Camper cold case from 2020 solved with DNA evidence

Police identify homicide victim found in Flagstaff woods from 2020 cold case​

Jun 20, 2023, 8:00 PM | Updated: Jun 21, 2023, 6:05 am

(Coconino County Sheriff's Office photo)



BY SERENA O'SULLIVAN

KTAR.com

PHOENIX — A recent DNA discovery helped the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office crack a three-year-old cold case.
In Oct. 2020, police encountered a mystery in the form of a dead camper found in a shallow grave north of Flagstaff. The body a hunter found buried in a wooded area off Highway 180 near the Lava River Cave had been decomposing for so long that it was unidentifiable.
Investigators knew the person was a homicide victim — but they didn’t have a name they could use as a lead.

In May 2021, they sent a DNA sample to a private forensic genealogy lab. It took three years for the sample to bear fruit. In the meantime, the sheriff’s office issued a missing person alert for David Clark Wilkinson, a camper who frequented Phoenix and Prescott trails in 2019 and 2020.
As it turns out, they had already found him.

Breakthrough in 2020 camper cold case​

The lab connected the DNA sample to a specific family tree in Jan. 2023.
“Shortly after releasing the missing persons flyer, additional DNA analysis was conducted and confirmed David Clark Wilkinson was the homicide victim in this case,” the Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday.
David was 56 when he died. He stood at around 5’11 inches tall and weighed around 165 pounds. He wore glasses, had gray hair and a beard and may have been traveling with one or two dogs.
“It is believed he was camping in the Prescott National Forest and the Coconino National Forest and may have approached other campers in those areas,” the announcement said.
Police say he may have been driving a 1997 Toyota Paseo similar to this photo:

(Coconino County Sheriff’s Office photo)
Now that police found their victim, they’re trying to find their perpetrator. Anyone with information that can help the case can contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 774-4523 or [email protected].