Description
On December 11, 1972, while investigating buzzards circling on his property in northwest Johnson County, Texas, a rancher discovered a human body. The unidentified nude male had been shot with a small-caliber handgun three times and died up to a week before. An autopsy revealed that the small man was about 30 years old, about 5’6 with short, curly brown hair. The original investigation was hampered by extensive damage done to the remains by foraging animals. Unable to identify the deceased, the man was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave at Rose Hill Cemetery in Cleburne, TX. The body was exhumed for analysis and collection of material for DNA in 2013.
NamUs UP11445
Date Found December 11, 1972
Race White / Caucasian, possibly Hispanic
Sex Male
Age 16-24
PMI 3-4 days
Location Johnson County, Texas
Agency of Jurisdiction
Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Cold Case Squad
James Ferguson
817-556-6058
Links to More Information
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/11445/
http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/cold-case-squad-seeks-answers-in-two-homicides/article_f2eff62e-6b35-11e7-aa2d-6360dc788cb4.html
https://trello-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/5b63a9906697dc4908f099ef/5c8ca883de7ab7294b3fda68/x/c6b9bd6f7fc26f3bb5bd2c5359306210/DMN_Article.pdf
Status
Undergoing testing
Doe-Nate Fund:
This was a Doe-Nate funded case.
Thanks to the generosity of the Dyer Family Foundation and the listeners of Crime Junkie Podcast we were able to top off our goal for Mr. X! He was fully funded.
Image Credit: Carl Koppelman. Note: Image is an approximation based on poor-quality photo of partially decomposed and partially disarticulated remains and is not intended to be an exact likeness.
Last Updated: February 9, 2024
