here is my own full write-up on the case, using every resource i could find. this write-up has also been posted to my blog
here. please credit me/let me know ahead of time if using this write-up as a source for anything
On the night of Wednesday, May 23, 1979 — though, according to one newspaper, possibly Tuesday, May 22nd instead — a man walking his dog in an area north of Upland, San Bernardino County, CA discovered the body of an unidentified male on a hillside near San Antonio Heights. According to one newspaper article, John Doe was found near or "in a flood control channel east of Mt Baldy Rd."
Upland John Doe was unrecognizable at the time of discovery, as the partial remains with soft tissues were found decomposed and/or partially skeletonized. It has been estimated that John Doe died about two weeks before he was discovered, which would place his date of death at around Wednesday, May 9, 1979.
John Doe is believed to be the victim of a homicide, though cause of death is unknown/has not been reported. There were no apparent wounds on the body. His head and one hand were not recovered. The victim had been decapitated and partially dismembered: the head and left arm had been removed from the body with a saw, as corresponding marks were found around the neck area.
John Doe was completely nude when discovered, though a hemp rope was around the torso. No clothing or further items were found in the area.
The victim was determined to be a young white male who was about 16 to 22 years old. His age group on NamUs is "Adult - Pre 30." Due to the condition of the remains, John Doe's eye color is unknown. While the color of his head hair is unknown, given that his head was not found, his body hair was blond or strawberry in color. He was estimated to have been about 160 lbs, and his height is variously described as being estimated at 5'8, 5'9, or 5'6 to 5'10.
As of September 2025, John Doe now has one MP exclusion on NamUs: he is not Christopher Martin King. The fingerprints from John Doe's right hand are available for comparison, while his dentals are not. The availability of his DNA is unknown. His NamUs case, #UP2511, was created and last updated on August 25, 2008 and September 24, 2025, respectively.
Anyone with information in the case is urged to contact September Fonzi-Jones of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department- Coroner Division at (909) 387-2978. The agency case number 53428, and he is also referred to as John Doe #10-79.
Potentially Related Cases
Within two months prior to the discovery of Upland John Doe, the remains of two other young white men were also found in the area: Mt. Baldy John Doe, found March 28, 1979, and Claremont John Doe, found c.May 22, 1979.
Like Upland JD, both had been decapitated: at time of discovery Mt. Baldy JD was a headless torso, while Claremont JD consists solely of a skull with a bullet hole in it, as well as possibly some vertebrae; all three JDs bore saw marks on their necks indicating decapitation rather than animal interference.
Upland JD was found about 5mi south of Mt. Baldy JD, and a few miles south of Claremont JD; all three were found within a five mile radius of each other. Upland JD is the only one of the three to be found in San Bernardino County, as the other two were found in LA County.
Many sources, including WebSleuths, have mistakenly combined Mt. Baldy & Claremont JDs into one case, when in fact
it has not been scientifically proven that Claremont JD's skull matches either of the two headless bodies found (i.e., Mt Baldy & Upland JDs). See the link above for more info on Mt. Baldy & Claremont JDs, as well as evidence of personal communication with the investigator showing that they are two separate cases.
Map of my own creation of the locations of all three sets of remains:
While further research is needed on my part, it is possible that Upland JD was a victim of serial killer Randy Kraft, who preyed upon young white males in Southern CA, and often decapitated and/or dismembered remains. At least three of his known victims were last seen/found in San Bernardino County.
Sources
NamUs
Unidentified wiki
San Bernardino County Sun 5/25/79,
5/26/79,
5/30/79,
6/1/79,
6/6/79
The Fresno Bee 5/31/79
The Orange County Register 6/1/79
