Coroner releases new images of John Doe, found in Trabuco Canyon in 1996, with hopes of IDing him

Coroner officials have released new images of a John Doe found in rustic Trabuco Canyon nearly 23 years ago in hopes it will help identify him.

This year the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children developed the renderings of what Doe may have looked like using a CT scan of the skull.

On Dec. 13, 1996, investigators were called to reports of human remains in the wilderness area east of Trabuco Creek Road.

Based on the condition of the remains, investigators at the time estimated they had been there for about two years, figuring the boy or man had gone missing in 1995 or 1996.

Investigators were not able to determine a cause of death because of the remains’ condition, said Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Forensic anthropologists later determined the decedent was a Caucasian or Hispanic male, 14 to 25 years old with red or sandy-brown hair. He was 5-feet-2 to 5-feet-8, with a medium build and had teeth in poor condition.

“Over the years, there have been occasional leads to who he might be, yet he has not gotten his name back,” Kelly Keyes, Supervising Deputy Coroner said in a statement.

In 2003 the Coroner Division submitted John Doe’s samples to the California Department of Justice to create a DNA profile, which confirmed that he had been a male.

In 2010, coroner’s officials partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to try to get leads on what Doe’s name might be.

By releasing the new images to the public, officials hope it will generate more clues.

“Sometimes, seeing a picture can spark a memory and that could lead to information,” Keyes said.

“This is the first time in more than two decades that we have been able to put a face to this John Doe, and now we’re looking to match that face to a name so we can bring closure to his family,” the supervising deputy coroner said.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Orange County Coroner Division by calling the Sheriff’s Department, at 714-647-7000, or at coroner@ocsd.org. The reference number for the case is 96-07901-MU.