DNA Doe Project Identifies Teenage Boy Found Dead in 1982
Remains found in rural Arizona identified as missing teenage boy
Maricopa County, AZ — More than forty years after his remains were discovered, the DNA Doe Project and their agency partners have identified John Maricopa County Doe as Mitchell John Pauli. Pauli, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, was last known to be living in Buckeye, Arizona, just a few miles from where his remains were later found. It’s believed that he was around 14 years old when he disappeared in the late 1970s.
Mitchell John Pauli
On April 22, 1982, the remains of a teenage boy were discovered by Air Force personnel in Maricopa County, Arizona. They were searching for a fallen gun pod in a remote area of White Tank Mountain Regional Park when they discovered a skull and some vertebrae belonging to a child. Forensic analysis determined that the boy was aged 13-19 years old and had died 1-3 years before his body was discovered.
With support from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office later brought this case to the DNA Doe Project, whose expert investigative genetic genealogists work pro bono to identify John and Jane Does.
A team from the DNA Doe Project began research on this case in May 2026, and they quickly noticed that the unidentified boy appeared to have roots in Germany, as well as more recent ties to Missouri and Kentucky. As their research progressed, the team found connections between different families of interest that enabled them to home in on the city of St. Louis. Shortly afterwards, following just seven days of research, they made a significant discovery.
“We came across a boy who was born in St. Louis in 1964, but we couldn’t find any proof of life for him,” said team leader Megan Pasika. “The crucial breakthrough came when we found that his family had relocated in 1967 to Buckeye, Arizona, where they lived just five miles from where our John Doe was found.”
The boy’s name was Mitchell Pauli, and the team soon found numerous connections between his ancestors and the DNA matches of John Maricopa County Doe. With all the evidence lining up, the team presented Mitchell as a candidate to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office. Further DNA testing later confirmed that the child found in 1982 was, in fact, Mitchell.
The DNA Doe Project is grateful to the groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office, who entrusted us with this case; the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, who funded the lab work and the database upload fee; Astrea Forensics for the lab work; GEDmatch Pro for providing their database; our generous donors who joined our mission and contributed to this case; and the DNA Doe Project’s dedicated teams of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists who work tirelessly to bring all our John and Jane Does home.
Description:
On April 22, 1982, a skull and vertebrae belonging to a teenage boy were discovered by Air Force personnel searching for a fallen gun pod in a remote area of White Tank Mountain Regional Park outside Phoenix. No clothing or personal items were found. Authorities estimated he died 1-3 years prior to discovery.
NamUs ID:
UP15702
Date Body Found:
April 22, 1982
Race:
White/Caucasian
Sex:
Male
Estimated Age:
13-19
Estimated PMI:
1-3 years
Agency of Jurisdiction:
Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office
Christen Eggers
602-506-2083
christen.eggers@maricopa.gov
More Information:
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/15702
Status:
Identified
Image Credit:
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Last Updated: October 6, 2026
