Identified! AZ - Mohave County - Male Skeleton in desert, 22 Dec'18 - Jeffrey Russell Van Vliet

[creepedout]

Human remains discovered in desert near Lake Havasu City

The sheriff's office says a hooded camouflage sweatshirt and shorts, a blue T-shirt with the words "New York City" and black tennis shoes were found near the body.

Authorities say the remains are that of a man, believed to be about 5-foot-7 with colored tattoos on both forearms.

The only recent Namus case in the area counties (of CA, NV, and AZ) of a male with tattoos is Jonathan Reynoso - the male half of the Coachella Valley missing couple:

Jonathan David Reynoso – The Charley Project
Audrey Louise Moran – The Charley Project

 

[iulia]

Decomposed body found in desert, tattoos all that remain

Mohave, Ariz. (FOX26) — The Mohave County Medical Examiner posted pictures of clothing and tattoos from remains found in the desert.

 

[iulia]

NamUs page for this UID (GRAPHIC PICS OF TATTOOS AT LINK)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Sex Male
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian
Estimated Age Range 28-45
Estimated Year of Death 2018
Estimated PMI 3 Months

Tattoos
Black and green sun on right upper arm
Dragon below the sun on upper-mid right arm
Foo-dog on right forearm.
Left forearm has a tattoo of what appears to be vines, both are colorful....see pictures.

Clothing - Near the Body
Gray (possibly faded black) size large "American Eagle" T-shirt with "New York City Established 1977" on the front.
Black "AND1" brand mens athletic shoes, size 9 1/2 with gray laces.
Light and dark gray cammo -style cargo shorts.
Gray basketball-type sweatshirt.

Accessories - Near the Body
Blue hiker style backpack with black plastic harness for hiking/backpacking.
Bible with red cover.

 

[Bit of hope]

Some interesting comments from the Mohave county medical examiner handeling this case:
Mohave County Medical Examiner
(I deleted the names of the persons the ME addressed the answer to)

Mohave County Medical Examiner ********, unfortunately, it was to degraded to tell from being exposed to the elements. <answer to a question about what kind of bible it was>
Mohave County Medical Examiner ********, the PD impounded those items, but I was told there was no markings on it. I will verify though. <answer to a question, if the pack frame/back pack was Kelty brand>
Mohave County Medical Examiner UPDATE: The Forensic Odontologist was here today and did a full dental work up for us. He was able to rule out missing persons David McAllister and Christopher French as being our John Doe
Mohave County Medical Examiner ******** Hair color is tough to determine due to the condition of the remains. We can see what appears to be brownish-red facial hair growth.

 

[Bit of hope]

Maybe this missing man, missing since september 2018, Phoenix Arizona, 47 years old. Al lot of tattoos, some specified.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Namus file created on October 10, 2019.

 

[Al Ka]

Identified as 23 year old Jeffrey Russell Van Vliet. RIP

Tattoo photos help identify human remains found near Lake Havasu City in December

The Mohave County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook Thursday that skeletal remains found just north of Lake Havasu City in December have been identified, with the help of tattoos that were posted by the medical examiner.

Photos of tattoos on the body that were posted to Facebook shortly after the remains were found helped a family member identify them as that of Jeffrey Russell Van Vliet, 23, the Sheriff's Office said.
---
It wasn't until last week that a family member from out of state found the photos, according to the agency.

The family member recognized the unique tattoos and identified them as belonging to Van Vliet, whom the Sheriff's Office described as a transient in the Lake Havasu City area.

The Medical Examiner’s Office then obtained dental records for Van Vliet, which confirmed the man's identity.

Tattoo photos help identify human remains found near Lake Havasu City in December

There are no photos out there of him that I could find.

 

[Al Ka]

Announcement on sheriff's fb page - Mohave County Sheriff's Office

 

[Bit of hope]

I think I found a picture of him, a mugshot from 2017, the surname is somewhat differently spelled. I'm not sure it's appropriate to put it here now.

RIP Mr. Van Vliet.