AZ AZ - Mesa, WhtMale 191UMAZ, 30-45, In Superstition Wilderness Area, Dec'92

[CarlK90245]

The Doe Network:
Case File 191UMAZ http://doenetwork.org/cases/191umaz.html
NamUs UP Case 842 https://identifyus.org/cases/842

First Two Reconstructions of Victim by Don Ely

Unidentified White Male

Located on December 30, 1992 near Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona
Estimated Date of Death: 3 to 18 months prior to discovery.
Cause of death was homicide. The victim had been shot.
Skeletal Remains

Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 30 - 45 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'6"- 5'9"; 140 - 160 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair; significant injury to right side of body approximately 1 to 2 years prior to his death that would have required hospitalization and possibly surgeries; may have experienced lower back problems.
Clothing: Rustler blue jeans (size 32x30), hiking boots with red laces (size 9.5), possible blue shirt.
Dentals: Available. Crooked tooth near the front; several missing teeth.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available at University of North Texas.

Case History
The victim was located in the Superstition Wilderness area near Mesa, Arizona on December 30, 1992.

 

[CarlK90245]

This guy sure looks like James Matthew Zinza
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/z/zinza_james.html
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4376/0/

The location (Mesa AZ) is spot-on.
His age (30) is consistent.
The timeframe (10 months) is consistent.

He is a little taller and quite a bit heavier than the estimate though.

The big questions are did he have a significant injury to his right side, and did he have a missing #10 upper-left-lateral-incisor and a rotated #11 upper-left-canine.

 

[cj327]

He is a little taller and quite a bit heavier than the estimate though.

Yes, the 32x30 jeans are consistent with the UID height of 66". If Zinza wore those it would have to have been because he was hard up for clothing. Not sure what his financial situation was.

 

[PhiercePhi]

These are two that I thought may be possible. Thank you Carl for all your hard work.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/fugate_paul.html

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/manley_robert.html

 

[Melt71]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Further info now appears in Namus on the prior significant injury to the right side of the body which is referenced in the opening post.

“Healed fractures of the nose, right side of the pelvis and the right knee.”

 

[BrownBear]

1 Exclusion
MP27995 Mervin Walvatne 07/18/1990 Clay IA

 

[Crimestopper88888]

• The early ’90s were a volatile time in Arizona’s desert corridor.
  The Superstition Wilderness and surrounding areas near Mesa and Apache Junction sat along lesser-traveled smuggling and drop routes from Mexico through the Tonto National Forest.
• Small-scale methamphetamine production, marijuana trafficking, and cocaine couriering were active in the Phoenix-Mesa region.
• Rural desert sites were sometimes used to dump bodies, because scavengers and rough terrain delayed discovery.

→ Translation: A remote gunshot homicide in 1992 Arizona absolutely fits known drug-violence patterns of the time.


ChatGPT.