UNSOLVED CA - Traver, Hwy 99 median, Skeletal Remains, Oct'11

CarlK90245

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Tuesday afternoon, Tulare County sheriff's investigators received confirmation that skeletal remains found in a median along highway 99 near Traver are human bones.

Caltrans workers discovered the bones on Monday afternoon.

"Perhaps the remains have been there for several years," Lt. Rob Schimpf of the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said. "We're going to be doing some more work to pinpoint that time frame but it is not an intact full body these are scarce bone remains that we've located.

The lower jaw bone and teeth were found after Caltrans began digging in the area as part of a Highway 99 widening project between Goshen and Kingsburg.

Read more: http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8386591
 
The anthropologist said the bones had been there at least three years, Douglass said. They were found atop the ground and were not buried, he said.

...

The upper and lower jaw have teeth that are in good condition and could be used to match dental records, he said. But so far, investigators don't know the sex or age of the victim.

...

Meanwhile, sheriff's detectives are trying to match the bones to local missing-person cases. But Highway 99 gets traffic from all over the state, so it's possible the victim is not local, Douglass said.

The bones were under foliage and became visible when Caltrans workers removed plants and bushes for a road project.

Read more:
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/10/12/2574488/hwy-99-bones-may-be-from-slaying.html#ixzz1ageCcfUn
 
This Google Maps Street-view of Northbound Hwy 99 at Traver reveals what appears to be the upper portion of a femur bone.

Highway 99 Northbound - Traver CA

2256425760045078242S600x600Q851.jpg

2212380840045078242S600x600Q851.jpg
 
Carl , that definitely looks like a femur bone. Why on earth has this gone unnoticed for SO long? There were no roadside workers through that whole time? Or anyone walking along the highway? It just kind of blows my mind that no one saw anything!
 
Carl , that definitely looks like a femur bone. Why on earth has this gone unnoticed for SO long? There were no roadside workers through that whole time? Or anyone walking along the highway? It just kind of blows my mind that no one saw anything!

It was on the median of the highway, so there would be no pedestrians. And in California, if you are going less than 80 on the open highway, you're going too slow. So anyone driving by would be going too fast to notice.

BTW, In most other states, if the speed limit says 70, and you are going 73 a cop with a smokey bear hat will pull you over and give you a ticket (and a lecture about how he ought to kick your butt for going so fast). In California if the speed limit says 65, and you are going less than 80, the other drivers will flip you the bird as they blow past you. :)
 
It was on the median of the highway, so there would be no pedestrians. And in California, if you are going less than 80 on the open highway, you're going too slow. So anyone driving by would be going too fast to notice.

BTW, In most other states, if the speed limit says 70, and you are going 73 a cop with a smokey bear hat will pull you over and give you a ticket (and a lecture about how he ought to kick your butt for going so fast). In California if the speed limit says 65, and you are going less than 80, the other drivers will flip you the bird as they blow past you. :)

Also the bones were in the large oleander bushes in the median. It was not until the bushes were removed for the freeway widening project that the remains were discovered.
 
I went poking around to see if I could find out any more recent information about the remains, but this appears to be the last word. It's from the Tulare County Sheriff's department archives http://www.tularesheriff.info/news.php?p=31. You need to scroll down or search on "remains".

Are the California labs so backed up it would take three years to get the information back? I know MA is backed up close to two years, so three years seems in the realm of possibility.

LOCATION: Hwy 99 near Ave 368 - Traver DATE: 10-10-11 TIME: 1543
CASE NUMBER: 11-13590 VICTIM: Unknown CITY: Unknown
UPDATED INFORMATION:
10-25-11 - The Sheriff's Office has submitted samples of the remains to the DOJ Lab for possible DNA extraction. There is no estimated time frame to complete this process. An update will be posted as information is received.

UPDATED INFORMATION:
10/12/11 - The Sheriff's Office is now investigating this case as a homicide.
Part of the skull fragment had an apparent gunshot wound in it.
The bone remains were identified to be parts of skull, vertebrae, partial upper jaw, lower jaw, femur and ribs.

The Sheriff's Office has not been able to determine the sex or age of the victim at this time.
The Sheriff's Office is contacting the Department of Justice Forensic Lab in Fresno for a DNA extraction.
We are continuing to cross check this information with known area missing person cases.

UPDATED INFORMATION:
10/11/2011 – The remains located at Highway 99 north of Traver were examined at the Coroner’s office today. The bones were confirmed human and they included a lower jaw bone with teeth, along with other bones from a human body. Further examination of the remains and further investigation will continue.

ORIGINALLY REPORTED
10/10/11 - Cal Trans employees contacted the Sheriff's Department and reported they located possible human bones at a work site, in the center divide of Highway 99 just north of Traver. Detectives from the Coroner Office, Crime Lab and Violent Crimes Units responded and are still on scene investigating at this time. More information is expected be released as the investigation continues.

...posted by media relations
*****
 
One of my close relatives lived in this area about a decade ago. It is remote compared to the nearby Fresno area.

My guess is someone dumped the remains under the oleanders & didn't care when and if the remains were discovered...Might be an undocumented person, or a victim of domestic violence.
 
I am local, and I wouldn't call this remote. The 99 is highly traveled and I have never been on there where there aren't at least a few other cars. There's a roadside restaurant/attraction in Traver that is quite popular (Bravo Farms, you can google it) that increases the number of people around there. I think it would have been fairly difficult to dump a body in the center divider on the 99 without people wondering WTF you're up to. A very odd choice for a dumping ground.
 
Oh, I stopped at Bravo Farms years and years ago -- 1999, I think. I didn't realize that was Traver. Yes, it was quite busy there in the daytime.

I don't know about that area but around here it's common to see trucks pulled off the road on either side so the driver can check tires, load, whatever. The truck itself would shield you while you pull the body out. Then you walk around the truck like you're checking the tires, and nobody would suspect a thing.
 
........I hate to bring it up but the FBI has said that a lot of truckers are suspected to be serial killers, who use the occupation as a way to find targets and evade arrest/attention by being so mobile. If this turns out to be full remains, it could have been someone who was dumped straight out of a trucker's cab into the bushes. BTW not contradicting the person upthread who still lives in the area, but HWY 99 is very quiet at night in some spots...5-10 minutes is enough time to dump someone & not have anyone drive by.
 
I totally agree - it's not remote at all. I think it probably was someone undocumented or a domestic violence victim. I also wondered if the person may have come from the over pass above the median where they were found - maybe shot or dumped from up there? Seems so strange that things are taking so long and little information is being released. Thank you for the update.
 
I don't think it would take 5 to 10 minutes to dump a body. I doubt if it takes even a minute. I've seen a guy throw a coffin-sized box out the passenger window while driving and without slowing down. It was only household waste, which doesn't weigh as much, but even pulling over and walking around the car to pull something out of the trunk or back seat.

I agree about the domestic violence victim.
 
I also wondered if the person may have come from the over pass above the median where they were found - maybe shot or dumped from up there? Seems so strange that things are taking so long and little information is being released. Thank you for the update.

You reminded me of a scary/sad thing a hitchhiker told me- he found $600 in a wallet that was under an overpass- he assumed someone had thrown the whole wallet off of the overpass. It made me think the wallet's owner had come to a bad end & someone tried to get rid of the item by throwing it out a car window. Why else would someone NOT take that much cash?

(BTW I didn't think this guy made up the story to excuse stealing a wallet- he was a hipster-type kid with a guitar, not a lifelong hardcore street .)

I strongly suspect the police know more but don't want to scare a suspect into leaving the state/country to avoid arrest- Mexico is less than a day's drive from this area.
 
i wonder if this person was ever ID'd. also, years ago there was a serial killer in the area I believe his name was keith zon doolin and he was a trucker. he could have shoved a victim out. ALSO... and I cannot find media on it... in the 90's, there was a spate of women pushed live out of trucks, I recall two in fresno, one on 99 near Belmont exit, one I think on the 180 or 168.... and one on 152 north of madera east of los banos. they all occurred within a 6 month time frame and I remember thiking they were related. this could have been a victim who got hit and was in the median somehow out of sight and a scavenger moved the bones later?
 
This case is not on Namus that I can see, and I can't access the Tulare County sheriff's website to look for updates, can anyone else try? Maybe it's geoblocked to only allow US users?
 
I was able to access the Tulare County sheriff's website, but there wasn't anything useful on it. It appears that even if the remains were identified, the person's information wouldn't have been released.
 

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