Summary

In February 2024, the skeletal remains of an unknown individual were found in Gold Canyon, Arizona. The remains were in a desert area about one mile from US Hwy 60 and one mile from the Arizona Renaissance Festival property on the eastern outskirts of Phoenix. Both the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and Pinal County Medical Examiner responded and began collecting evidence but could not identify the man. The Pinal County Medical Examiner's Office anthropology study determined that the remains belonged to an adult male between the ages of 20 and 65 whose ancestry was estimated as either Hispanic/Latino or Native American. It was estimated that the man died anywhere from 2022 to 2023. Due to the limited skeletal remains recovered, investigators were unable to estimate the person's height or weight. Despite extensive investigative efforts, the man remained unidentified and became known as Gold Canyon John Doe (2024). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP116077. A DNA specimen from the remains was uploaded to CODIS, funded by the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains Grant through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, however no matches were made in the CODIS system.

Recently, the Pinal County Medical Examiner's Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be David Bertschinger, age 30, who was last seen alive in August 2023.

Bertschinger grew up in Apache Junction, AZ and frequented that city, as well as Gold Canyon, where he had previously held a seasonal job near the property where the remains were found. His family attempted to find him for two years, and reported him missing in July 2024. The cause and manner of death remain undetermined.

A portion of Othram's casework costs associated with the advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy completed in this case were contributed by donors through a DNASolves® crowdfund. We are grateful to everyone that helped crowdfund this case and other DNASolves cases. The remaining cost of Othram's casework was paid by NamUs, a national program that assists the criminal justice community with the investigation and resolution of missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons cases across the United States and its territories. NamUs is funded and administered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and is managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International. We are grateful for the support of RTI, NamUs, and the NIJ as well as to those who helped crowdfund this case and other DNASolves cases.

The identification of David Bertschinger represents the 14th case in the State of Arizona where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other Arizona cases where your support can help bring long-awaited answers to families.