Identified! CA - Sacramento, Wht/HispMale UP2390, 18-28, MVA, 'Benjie Jr' tattoo, Dec'88 - name withheld

Sacramento County Coroner's Office: Unidentified Persons Case # 88-03663
(no sketch, reconstruction, or postmortem image available)
http://www.coroner.saccounty.net/Lists/UnidentifiedPersons/DispForm.aspx?ID=39

NamUs UP # 2390
https://identifyus.org/cases/2390

The Doe Network: Hot Case 1691
http://www.doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1691.html

Unidentified White or Hispanic Male
The victim was discovered on December 9, 1988 in Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Cause of Death: Fatal car accident
State of Remains: Severe burns over 85% of his body

Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 18-28 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'11"; 180 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Dark brown or black hair. He had much hair on his chest and abdomen, and had not been circumcised.
Tattoos: He has several distinctive tattoos, including names that may help to identify him: The name ANGELINA across the upper abdomen; a blue tattoo of a spider and spiderweb on the right forearm and elbow area; undecipherable tattooing on the left elbow and left forearm; the letter B in blue ink on the inner right lower leg; a tattoo of hands folded in prayer with the words BENJIE JR. GABBIE MEMO in Gothic lettering on the back.
Clothing: A brown leather jacket with "Glenoit"; brown boots; blue jeans; brown belt with a white metal buckle; white boxer shorts; red shirt; white socks. He also wore a white metal ring.
Fingerprints: Left middle fingerprint is on file.
Dentals: Dental charts are unavailable, but his teeth are listed as being in good or fair repair with spaces between the upper teeth. NamUs shows all teeth missing (postmortem loss - open socket).

Case History
The victim was a passenger, possibly a hitchhiker, in a blue and white 1969 Dodge Van, California license YUD127, that crashed
on Sacramento Boulevard, (now Broadway) and 14th Avenue in Sacramento, California on December 9, 1988.
The van was driven by a Ronald C. Corder, who was a Sacramento resident. Corder died before he could identify his passenger.

The victim may have been a hitchhiker and could possibly have been traveling from Mexico. It is possible that he has not been reported missing in the United States. The names in his tattoos are believed to be names of loved ones, and the unidentified man's own name may begin with the letter B.
In his possession were one key, a black comb, and $85.54.

[snip]

Agency Case Number: 88-3663
NCIC Number: U-390001099
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

N.B. variant spellings of MP's last name.

The Doe Network: Case File 2062DMCA
http://doenetwork.org/cases/2062dmca.html

State of California Missing Persons: Carlos Benjamin Urruella
http://dojapp.doj.ca.gov/missing/detail.asp?FCN=4678721030855

Carlos Urruela: NamUs MP # 3909
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/3909

North American Missing Persons Network: Carlos Benjamin Urruela
http://www.nampn.org/cases/urruella_carlos.html

The Charley Project: Carlos Benjamin Urruela
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/u/urruella_carlos.html


Missing Since: July 16, 1987 from San Francisco, California
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: April 14, 1961
Age: 26 years old
Height and Weight: 5'11, 160 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Urruela may use the alias name Ben Mann. Some agencies spell his last name "Uruella."
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black leather jacket, white painter's paints and black shoes.

Details of Disappearance
Urruela was last seen on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California on July 16, 1987. He has never been heard from again. His car was later found parked on the bridge. Urruela is believed to be missing under suspicious circumstances. Few details are available in his case.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
San Francisco Police Department
415-553-1071

The circumstances of Mr. Urruela's disappearance (to immediate appearances, a suicide? though his DOJ listing says "suspicious circumstances") make this possible match kind of a stretch. Here is why it catches my eye nevertheless:

• Stats are good. Mr. Urruela is one of the limited number of good fits in this department.
• His middle name is Benjamin. He goes by the nickname "Ben". He's of a plausible age to either have a son called "Benjie, Jr." or be a son called "Benjie, Jr."
• When I look at a semi-plausible MP, I ordinarily do a bunch of Googling of different variants on any names in the UID's tattoos together with the MP's various names. This time, it very quickly turned up a comment on a Charley Project blog post from (allegedly) Mr. Urruela's mother, saying that when he was a child, he went by the nickname "Benjie," spelled just like that. (I will not link the comment here, but you can Google as needed.)

If Mr. Urruela died in July 1987 at the Golden Gate Bridge, he obviously cannot be this UID. Supposing for a moment that he did not die at the Bridge: I don't know what the prospects are for a solid identification. Mr. Urruela is listed as having DNA, probable dentals but not uploaded to NamUs yet, no fingerprints. The UID has one fingerprint, possibly no dentals at all, and it's not clear if any DNA is available or if a tissue sample was saved.

Also, I assume the following nicknames apply:

• "BENJIE" = "Benjamin"
• "GABBIE" = "Gabriela" or variant
• "MEMO" = "Guillermo"

Like most people, I'd put best odds on those being the names of UID's children. "ANGELINA" is iffier, could be a wife or girlfriend, could be a different close female relative.

Namus gives permission error on the case!

This (former) John Doe has been identified, according to DoeNetwork.
The Doe Network: Hot Case 1691