Ventura County John Doe (1979) is Identified
Ventura County Medical Examiner's & Sheriff’s Office Team with Othram to Identify 1979 John Doe
''In November 1979, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in the unincorporated area of Ojai, a small city in the northeast portion of Ventura, California. It was determined that the remains were that of a male, estimated to between thirty-five and sixty years old at his time of death. The man was estimated to be 5’3” tall. Due to the condition of his remains, other identifying characteristics could not be determined. An autopsy was performed, and it appeared that the man likely had limited use of his left arm due to an old injury. There was also some evidence of spina bifida involving the lower lumbar and sacrum. Investigators estimated that up to two years had passed between the man’s death and the time that his remains were found''.
"In 2007, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as case number UP15270. Despite efforts to identify the man, no leads yielded a match and the man’s identity remained a mystery. He became known as Ventura County John Doe.''
''Follow-up DNA testing was performed to help confirm the identity of the man. This led to the positive identification of the man as Esteban Franco, who was born December 26, 1933.''