AZ AZ - Grand Canyon, MultipleMale UP119832, UnkAge, in the Grand Canyon, clothes, metal Nanco watch, blanket, May'75

[Romulus]

Unidentified Person/NamUs #UP119832
Male, Multiple
Date Body Found: May 25, 1975
Location Found: Grand Canyon, Arizona
Estimated Age Range--

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 60
Height: 5' 4"-5' 10"(64-70 inches) , Estimated
Clothing and Accessories
Clothing: Sweatshirt
Clothing: Brown slacks 38-40" waist, 30" inseam, Koratron fabric
Clothing: U.S. Air Force green on the outside and orange on the inside jacket
Clothing: White and blue boxer shorts
Jewelry: Gray metal Nanco watch with 17 jewels, no band, and the numbers 12, 3, 6, and 9 on the face.On the Body
Other: Large blanket

Circumstances of Recovery: Unidentified male found in the Grand Canyon.

 

[MadMcGoo]

The skeleton was discovered by a hiker in the area of Wagoner Tank, about 30 miles southeast of the Grand Canyon.

He’d probably been dead about a year. He was around 25 years old, about 5’8” tall with a hawk-like nose. Various articles of clothing were found near the remains; a sweatshirt, a pair of slacks, black wing-tip style shoes, and an economy style wrist watch.

UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

Clipping found in Arizona Daily Star published in Tucson, Arizona on 5/28/1975. UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

www.newspapers.com

UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

Clipping found in Arizona Daily Sun published in Flagstaff, Arizona on 5/27/1975. UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

www.newspapers.com

UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

Clipping found in Arizona Daily Sun published in Flagstaff, Arizona on 6/21/1975. UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

www.newspapers.com

 

[iamshadow21]

View attachment 496800View attachment 496801
The skeleton was discovered by a hiker in the area of Wagoner Tank, about 30 miles southeast of the Grand Canyon.

He’d probably been dead about a year. He was around 25 years old, about 5’8” tall with a hawk-like nose. Various articles of clothing were found near the remains; a sweatshirt, a pair of slacks, black wing-tip style shoes, and an economy style wrist watch.

UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

Clipping found in Arizona Daily Star published in Tucson, Arizona on 5/28/1975. UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

www.newspapers.com

UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

Clipping found in Arizona Daily Sun published in Flagstaff, Arizona on 5/27/1975. UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

www.newspapers.com

UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

Clipping found in Arizona Daily Sun published in Flagstaff, Arizona on 6/21/1975. UP119832 Unidentified male 1975 AZ

www.newspapers.com

Twenty five? The recon looks about sixty!

 

[Nate_Bro]

Was the jacket an actual air force jacket or just the color of an air force jacket I wonder.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

 

[phantomstrider]

Added to the Doe Network https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/main.html?id=4035umaz

 

[Hochman]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Added December 17, 2025

 

[iamshadow21]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Added December 17, 2025
View attachment 631837

Now that's a recon that actually looks the right age! Well done, Kelly. Now let's hope the right person sees it.

MOO

 

[Orbweaver]

Wing tipped shoes!? No one is hiking in wing tips. How interesting.

 

[Nate_Bro]

Was the jacket an actual air force jacket or just the color of an air force jacket I wonder.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

"By 1975, a green flight jacket with a bright orange lining would have been widely recognized as an MA-1–style U.S. Air Force jacket from the Vietnam War era, commonly sold as military surplus and worn by civilians. The orange lining was intentional, allowing downed pilots to turn the jacket inside out to signal rescuers."

Wagoner Tank: 35°43'03.5"N 112°13'17.6"W · 35.717639, -112.221556

 

[iulia]

I think these are also newly added to his NamUs case file:

Estimated Age Range (Years) 30-55

Other distinctive physical characteristic
This individual was described by an anthropologist who examined the skull in 1975 as having a hawk like nose, badly abscessed teeth and stated that the first pre-molar in the lower right quadrant had a filling, the first molar in the upper right quadrant had two very small fillings. Subsequent studies at UNT state that the decedent had above average muscular development at some point in life.
Other distinctive physical characteristic
Round cranium and long nose with a bump.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

 

[Caring1]

Wondering if this young man served in Vietnam. The Nanco jeweled watch from that timeframe is showcased along with other Vietnam Veteran items in the link.

USN US Navy Vietnam WRISTWATCH NANCO 17 JEWELS STAINLESS WATER RESISTANT.​

USN US Navy Vietnam WRISTWATCH NANCO 17 JEWELS STAINLESS WATER RESISTANT • $14.90

USN US NAVY Vietnam WRISTWATCH NANCO 17 JEWELS STAINLESS WATER RESISTANT - $14.90. FOR SALE! 401725210306

picclick.com

 

[Hannahgmq]

If there is a Vietnam vet link with doe, I’m wondering if he could be Jewel Paul Wheeler, who was a veteran, with the tattoo 82nd AirBorne, who seem to be a paratrooper air force group who were deployed to Vietnam, nothing of his military career apart from that and where he trained in 1958 (where he had 6 month special army training, could this account for muscular development mentioned for doe?) seem to be available publicly. He had contact with Pennington county sheriffs department in September of 1974, and that seems to be the last time he was seen. Trying to find more photos of him to compare. If there’s any information on estimated time of death for doe, as I can’t seem to find any, that would be a real help.

 

[Hannahgmq]

If there is a Vietnam vet link with doe, I’m wondering if he could be Jewel Paul Wheeler, who was a veteran, with the tattoo 82nd AirBorne, who seem to be a paratrooper air force group who were deployed to Vietnam, nothing of his military career apart from that and where he trained in 1958 (where he had 6 month special army training, could this account for muscular development mentioned for doe?) seem to be available publicly. He had contact with Pennington county sheriffs department in September of 1974, and that seems to be the last time he was seen. Trying to find more photos of him to compare. If there’s any information on estimated time of death for doe, as I can’t seem to find any, that would be a real help.

Forgot to add on, but another veteran with similarities is

Usbaldo Arvizu Hernandez​

Missing Since: July 1, 1969
Location Last Seen: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: August 24, 1924
Age: 44 yrs
Race: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Tattoo of an eagle with open wingspan on upper right arm in black.

I’m much more interested in Usbaldo for this doe, due to potential nose similarities and that he was known to frequently hop on trains and travel between California and Arizona, so it would circumstantially line up. Missing the estimated time of death does leave me with concerns about whether this works as a match.

 

[Caring1]

Forgot to add on, but another veteran with similarities is

Usbaldo Arvizu Hernandez​

Missing Since: July 1, 1969
Location Last Seen: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: August 24, 1924
Age: 44 yrs
Race: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Tattoo of an eagle with open wingspan on upper right arm in black.

I’m much more interested in Usbaldo for this doe, due to potential nose similarities and that he was known to frequently hop on trains and travel between California and Arizona, so it would circumstantially line up. Missing the estimated time of death does leave me with concerns about whether this works as a match.

The third newspaper clipping above in post #2 states they believed at the time he had been dead about 1 year. Not sure if that was a coroner’s finding or the authorities but that’s the only statement to PMI I am finding.

 

[The4TierBridge]

The third newspaper clipping above in post #2 states they believed at the time he had been dead about 1 year. Not sure if that was a coroner’s finding or the authorities but that’s the only statement to PMI I am finding.

PMI was 6 months to 1 year.

File: Grand Canyon Doe (1975)

His body was found on May 25, 1975, in the scrub brush and sand at Wagoner Tank near the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

azdailysun.com