CA CA - Santa Cruz Co., AsianMale UP3068, 20-35, metal plate in tibia, May'99

This UID is not listed on Doe Network, I believe. He is NamUs UP #3068. Here is my Doe Network-style summary.

NamUs UP #3068
https://identifyus.org/cases/3068

Unidentified Southeast Asian male

The victim was discovered on May 3, 1999 in Santa Cruz County, California

Estimated date of death: May 1997-December 1998
Cause of death: Undetermined, although found with blunt force fractures of the left mandible and left ribs
Body condition: Unrecognizable, near complete or complete skeleton

Vital statistics
Estimated age: 22-35 years old
Approximate height: 5'5" to 5'10"
Approximate weight: 150 to 170 lb
Distinguishing characteristics: Stainless steel orthopedic plate installed in left tibia (left lower leg), serial number BG C 05 0818/31
Clothing: Blue jeans; white & black Converse tennis shoes, size men's 9 1/2
Dentals: Available - see NamUs entry
DNA: Available - state lab

Case history
The victim was found in a remote wooded area of Santa Cruz County, California.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Santa Cruz County Coroner's Office
(831) 454-2985

Case Manager
Alan Burt
E-mail: shf171@co.santa-cruz.ca.us

Case number: 99-4395
NCIC number: U217021798
https://identifyus.org/cases/3068

Any opinions on this man as a possible?

Thoeun Peng
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/peng_thoeun.html

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: February 22, 1997 from Fresno, California
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date of Birth: June 18, 1973
Age: 23 years old
Height and Weight: 5'8, 170 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Asian male. Black hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Peng was last seen in Fresno, California on February 22, 1997. He was planning to drive to Lowell, Massachusetts. He has never been heard from again. On February 26, Peng's vehicle was found abandoned in Auberry, California. There was no sign of him at the scene. Few details are available in his case.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Fresno Police Department
559-621-2455

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/peng_thoeun.html

All of the vital stats and timeframe look good.

There is no mention of medical hardware for Thoeun Peng, but Physical Characteristics details of any kind are thin.

The logistics are a little strange - He leaves Fresno, his car is found 40 miles east of there in Auberry, but the remains are found in Santa Cruz (160 miles west of Fresno), and about 200 miles west of Auberry. There is nothing in the circumstances to say that he didn't leave voluntarily, so I wouldn't say it's inconsistent. He could have met up with another party that then proceeded to Santa Cruz.

I see that the UID is in the CA state DNA database. No indication of whether Thoeun Peng has a DNA profile.

I would say it might be worth a call to see if he has been looked at.

I sent an e-mail recently to the NamUs UID's case manager, asking if he had ever been checked against Mr. Peng. Hopefully someone there is checking their inboxes. Will update as needed.

I found a Doe Network listing, I'll include it here for future reference.


The Doe Network: Hot Case 1889
http://www.doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1889.html

Unidentified Asian Male

The victim was discovered on May 3, 1999 in Santa Cruz County, California
Estimated Date of Death: 6-24 months prior
Skeletal Remains.

Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 22-35 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'5-5'10"; 150-170 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Southeast Asian Male. Orthopedic plate in left tibia. The serial number on the inside of the plate was BG C 05 0818/31.
Clothing: Blue jeans; white and black Converse tennis shoes, size men 9 1/2.
Dentals: Available. Wisdom teeth fully erupted and teeth were in perfect alignment without crowding.
DNA: Profile available at state lab.

Case History
The victim was located in remote wooded area.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Santa Cruz Sheriff-Coroner
Alan Burt
(831) 454-3001
E-mail: shf171@co.santa-cruz.ca.us
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number: 99-4395

NCIC Number: U-217021798
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Additionally, I received no reply from the e-mail address supplied in the NamUs entry for Alan Burt. Several days ago I forwarded my original e-mail to a couple more e-mail addresses taken from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office webpage (http://www.scsheriff.com). So far I have received no reply.

No reply ever received, unfortunately. Would be nice to know they had at least received the information or had ruled him out in the past.

What about Andy Guy Nguyen?

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: July 30, 1998 from Mountain View, California
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: May 26, 1974
Age: 24 years old
Height and Weight: 5'11, 130 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Asian (Vietnamese) male. Black hair, brown eyes. Nguyen may use the first name Anh.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white t-shirt with the word "Vegas" imprinted on the front in blue lettering, blue dress pants and black dress shoes.
Medical Conditions: Nguyen has been diagnosed with an unspecified behavior disorder.


Details of Disappearance

Nguyen was last seen in Mountain View, California on July 30, 1998. He was carrying a large green backpack at the time of his disappearance. He has never been heard from again. Few details are available in his case.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/n/nguyen_andy.html

Age is within range, height is off by one inch of the estimate, weight is off by more, though. Clothes don't match, but he could have had a change of clothes in his backpack. According to Google Maps, Mountain View is 35.5 miles from the city of Santa Cruz, and I can't find anything about where in the county the UID was found. There is no mention of Nguyen having a plate in his leg, though, so this is probably a longshot. What do you think?

here is the Namus profile for this UID. there are no rule outs listed:

https://identifyus.org/cases/3068

I would have thought the serial numbers on medical implants were traceable. I know of at least one UID in NJ who was identified by the serial numbers on her breast implants.

This UID remains unidentified - now over twenty years. I can’t see a rule out list as no Namus account (I’m overseas) . Like WebRocket several years ago I’d be interested to know the usual process for tracking medical devices?

One ruleout - Chisun MAO MP15073.

The Namus case for Theoun Peng (mentioned above) doesn't show a comparison/ruleout against this case. As CarlK noted back in 2010, not clear whether he has DNA available. DoeNetwork says "unknown".

Some possibilities?
Phouvuiay Thetsombandith
Yue Yip
Norman Lum

Norman seems to be the most likely IMO, JMOO.