SANTA ANA — The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is actively seeking to identify the remains discovered in Trabuco Canyon almost 27 years ago in order to solve the mystery.
Back in December 13, 1996, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department received a report about human remains found in the unincorporated Trabuco Canyon area. Homicide investigators were dispatched to the wilderness area east of Trabuco Creek Road to investigate. Carrie Braun, spokesperson for the department, provided the information.
It was initially estimated that the remains had been there for about two years and their condition was affected by environmental factors. Investigators believed that the individual had gone missing between 1995 and 1996.
According to Carrie Braun, the remains were believed to be of a male between the ages of 15 and 19. The estimated height ranged from 5 feet, 2 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches, with a medium build.
Furthermore, an odontologist’s report indicated that the person had poor dental condition. These findings were entered into a Department of Justice database to aid in identification.
Since the remains were unidentified, the individual was given the name John Doe.
In 2020, the Orange County Coroner Division joined forces with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to garner leads that could potentially lead to an identification.
A computed tomography scan of the skull was performed in 2020 and submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. These experts used the latest reconstruction techniques to create new renderings of John Doe’s potential appearance.
With the new information, the center updated its original sketch from 2019 to reflect the possibility of John Doe being of Latin American descent.
In 2020, the sheriff’s department also partnered with the DNA Doe Project to identify the individual. Further genetic testing suggests that the subject likely originated from a rural area in Latin America, as the available genetic matches are very limited.
In September 2021, a team of volunteers with expertise in Spanish-language databases joined the case under the guidance of DNA Doe Project case managers. Additionally, a forensic artist affiliated with the DNA Doe Project created another rendering of the unidentified individual.
Anyone with information about the identity of John Doe is urged to contact the Orange County Coroner Division at 714-647-7400 or email coronerOCSheriff.gov, referencing case number 96-07901-MU.
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