Identified! CA - Sonoma Co, Rohnert Park, WhtMale 40-55, UP13589, mountain bike, Jan'15 - Stephen Patrick Archer

Rohnert Park is a pretty nice little area (been there)..I'd bet you this man was recently homeless, had some ties to the area, and probably suffered a serious health issue like a stroke or a heart attack.

There is a University near Rohnert Park. Someone might remember him.

According to news at sfgate.com he was found at 2 p.m. Jan. 2 along an access road that travels parallel to a creek between the Motel 6 and the Expressway Self Storage on Commerce Boulevard (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Help-sought-in-identifying-man-found-dead-near-6040679.php) and died of natural causes.
He did not seem to be a transient since found with the body were: "a red 7-inch Polaroid tablet, a Cobra camera in a case, four micro SD cards, three memory cards and a micro solar panel.". The contents were checked by LE and did not help ID the men.
His notes talked about Einstein.
He may have been local since staff at the Rohnert Park Public Library recognized him and mentioned that he would go there and do research.
The press democrat has a scanned page of the man´s notes at http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4675538-181/coroner-still-struggling-to-id?artslide=0
they show definitions of physics concepts that look like transcriptions from an undergraduate textbook of physics. Another page shows a table with melting points and enthalpies of fusion of several chemical elements.

Believe it or not it's common for some people in Northern CA to go voluntarily homeless to save money. I knew of it back in the 1990s & it's happening now due to the record high rent costs in the Bay Area & nearby areas.

It's very possible this UID was just enjoying a "hippie/freegan" lifestyle & neglected the health issues that caused his death. I'd bet money on him having ties to Rohnert Park but not any relatives living there. He probably just wanted to hang around where he was the happiest.

A fascinating read, particularly the post above this by @WyomingSkyAngel If this was the case then perhaps his family didn’t expect to hear from him and maybe not so surprising that he is still UID, though sad.

John Joseph Deri, a psychiatrist, went missing from Inverness, CA in May, 2014. His car was later found at Point Reyes Seashore, which shouldn't be that far away. He was balding and had a full beard at the time of his disapperance.

Now a DNA Doe Project case and already in GEDMatch.

I wonder if the police checked where he bought/borrowed the books, may be somebody will remember him visiting a local library/book stores.

Pretty decent top match for Rohnert John Doe!

devertere said:

John Joseph Deri, a psychiatrist, went missing from Inverness, CA in May, 2014. His car was later found at Point Reyes Seashore, which shouldn't be that far away. He was balding and had a full beard at the time of his disapperance.

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Deri has a WS thread here with more information than his NamUs entry provides:
CA - CA - Dr. John Deri, 63, Point Reyes, 3 June 2014

A puzzling missing person case, and a good suggestion, but his age is a bit past the suggested range. Height is close too but he would have had to put on 50 lbs. over 6 months. For a well regarded psychiatrist to suddenly go live off the grid like that,while gaining weight and studying math and physics, just seems a bit unlikely to me.

Ahh, thanks, I think there weren't any weight/height entries when I checked. Gaining 50 lbs when living on the streets, is really unrealistic.

Age-wise, I wouldn't exclude him as he was in good shape. If I remember correctly did some sort of sport as a hobby (I think it was running.)

devertere said:

Ahh, thanks, I think there weren't any weight/height entries when I checked. Gaining 50 lbs when living on the streets, is really unrealistic.

Age-wise, I wouldn't exclude him as he was in good shape. If I remember correctly did some sort of sport as a hobby (I think it was running.)

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Athlinks.com shows he did a lot of running and triathlon events from 2000 through 2009 including the infamous Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon multiple times - it starts with an open water swim from Alcatraz Island to SF. This doesn't mean he became out of shape, but he's just not recorded as competing in events after 2009 that I can find.

Maybe this was due to an injury, or maybe it was other factors. Around that time many triathlons, and some marathons, became owned by and run by for-profit corporations and private equity firms (Rock & Roll Marathon, Ironman etc). Coordinating such events in large cities is expensive, as are the entry fees. Even though publicity for such events will list multiple charities, there's clearly a great deal of profit being made in running them. Maybe that became a disincentive to participate.

I can't help but say that the sketch/description resembles William Zani Jr., however the distance is a little confusing.

ChloeA13 said:

I can't help but say that the sketch/description resembles William Zani Jr., however the distance is a little confusing.

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Yes, good suggestion. Zani's disappearance has so few details. Just this: "On October 25, 2005, at about 5:00pm, William Zani parked his vehicle on Walworth Ontario Rd., Wayne County, New York and walked south. Zani has not been seen or heard from since."

Curious_in_NC said:

Yes, good suggestion. Zani's disappearance has so few details. Just this: "On October 25, 2005, at about 5:00pm, William Zani parked his vehicle on Walworth Ontario Rd., Wayne County, New York and walked south. Zani has not been seen or heard from since."

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And the sketch!!!! Looks so much like him, down to the rim along the glasses.
Although common, especially with these kind of glasses, I just cannot get over the similarities.

The height and weight are close too (5'11'' and 200 lbs.). There is more about Zani at the Charley Project. Including this: "Zani suffers from mental illness requiring medication. If he doesn't take his medication he may become disoriented and need to be hospitalized. He is not considered suicidal or a danger to others, however."

William Michael Zani Jr. – The Charley Project

I guess I have doubts he could have survived ten years on his own and have ended up in California, but still it's quite a good match appearances-wise.

His Namus is down, hopefully there will be the news soon. It seems there is a slow down with announcements (at least with the DDP cases)

Sonoma Sheriff on Facebook:

"Investigative Genetic Genealogy used to identify Rohnert Park John Doe from 2015. Please read the story below.

On December 2, 2021, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office received confirmation that a John Doe death reported initially been January 2, 2015, in Rohnert Park, has been positively identified using genetic genealogy and the assistance of the DNA Doe Project in Sebastopol. (case # 15-0000001)

Stephen Patrick Archer (48 at time of death), Seattle, Washington, was found near a walking path in Rohnert Park. Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety (RPDPS) initially investigated his death as a non-traumatic, non-suspicious death. However, his cause of death and identity were unknown. The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office was notified, and he was soon after that known only as “15 John Doe,” as he was the first coroner case of 2015.

Despite exhausting our Coroner Missing and Unidentified Persons protocols, he remained unidentified for over six years. These protocols include DNA samples sent for Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) upload, dental charting through Missing Persons Sacramento, Forensic Anthropologic studies (Cal State Chico), and countless hours canvassing the area and local homeless shelters, and the dissemination of law enforcement informational flyers.

In April 2018, the high-profile capture of the “Golden State Killer” using genetic genealogy technology generated significant publicity. Like many other agencies, our office was intrigued and started to explore the possibility for use in this case. We used a DNA testing company that developed a genetic profile for 15 John Doe. We then submitted that genetic profile into GEDmatch, an online service to compare autosomal DNA data files from different testing companies. Due to changing user agreements and policies within the company’s terms, our potential matches were low, and the case was stagnant again.

We then learned of Margaret Press and her local, non-profit, DNA Doe Project, in Sebastopol. DNA Doe Project had assisted numerous agencies in identifying unidentified deceased persons using forensic genealogy. One of our coroner detectives reached out to Ms. Press and started the process.

DNA Doe Project made quick headway in the case and, together with our detective, tentatively identified 15 John Doe. Ultimately, a DNA comparison through the Department of Justice (DOJ) was completed using his biological samples, which matched his biological mother. A positive ID was finally made for Stephen Archer.

We appreciate the hard work and collaboration from the DNA Doe Project.

We look forward to working with them again soon to help solve the 38 unidentified decedent cases in Sonoma County."