Summary
In November 1984, skeletal remains were discovered by hunters in what appears to have been a campsite north of Tracy Clark Power Station in Washoe County, Nevada. The remains also appeared to have been partially charred by a fire in the area in July 1983. Detectives determined that the remains belonged to a 35 to 45 year old white man who was approximately 5’4” tall. A dental autopsy revealed that three of the man's teeth had incomplete healing leading investigators to conclude that, prior to his death, the man had recently undergone an extraction procedure. Due to the condition of the remains, law enforcement was unable to ascertain other physical characteristics of the unknown man.
Several items were found in the vicinity of the man's remains, including a Holiday Hotel/Casino Keno ticket stamped with the date 05/04/1982, combs, can openers, and four pennies with a date of 1980. Investigators also discovered a pink blanket near the body. In June 2008, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as case number #UP2104. Despite continuous efforts by law enforcement to identify the man, no leads have yielded a match and the case has gone cold.
In 2023, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office partnered with Othram to generate new leads in the case using advanced DNA technology and forensic genetic genealogy. Anyone with information that could aid in the investigation is encouraged to contact the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office by calling 775-785-6114 and referencing agency case number 1984-01060 or NamUs ID #UP2104.
Law enforcement has contributed a portion of the funds for this case. A DNASolves crowdfund has been established to cover the remaining casework costs. Anyone can contribute here.
Michael Vogen
Director of Case Management
Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.