Mystery of body found in canyon in 1996 continues, California sheriff says

Authorities still hope to identify a body of a 15- to 19-year-old male found 26 years ago in a canyon, California officials reported.

The remains were found in a wilderness east of Trabuco Creek Road in Trabuco Canyon in December 1996, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in an Oct. 2 news release.

Investigators estimate the body had been in the canyon for up to two years before being found, officials said.

Experts estimate the male was “around 15-19 years old, approximately 5’2” to 5’8” with a medium build,” the sheriff’s office said.

DNA testing shows he may have been from a remote or rural part of Latin America. A scan of the skull was used to create facial reconstructions in 2020 and 2021.

Authorities ask that anyone with information contact the Orange County Coroner Division at 714-647-7400 or coroner@OCSheriff.gov, referencing case number 96-07901-MU.

Trabuco Canyon is about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published October 9, 2023 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Mystery of body found in canyon in 1996 continues, California sheriff says."