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Hoping to thaw a Pasco cold case

Early edition: Sheriff's deputies and St. Leo University students are trying to identify a skeleton found in 1989.

By THOMAS LAKE
Published February 20, 2007

SAN ANTONIO -- They found his bones in the woods, scattered by animals, with a T-shirt that said "Black Hills of South Dakota."

The man was white, perhaps in his thirties. A bullet had pierced his skull. A chunk of his flesh bore the remnants of tattoos, apparently a rose and a spiderweb.

He turned up on Jan. 24, 1989.

No one has stepped forward to claim him.

Eighteen years later, he is still a nameless skeleton.

Late Tuesday morning, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference in an attempt to put the case back in the spotlight. For the first time, they released models from the Medical Examiner’s office that depict how his face may have looked.

“We just want to identify this gentleman,” said Cpl. Amy Diel, a sheriff’s deputy attending the class at St. Leo University where students are examining the case file for fresh leads. The sheriff’s office and the university have an unusual partnership designed to thaw cold murder cases.

This John Doe was found about 100 feet south of Prospect Road near the intersection of Wirt Road. He appeared to have died there six to 12 weeks before. The medical examiner estimated he was about 5 feet 6 inches tall, of average build, with extensive bridgework on his teeth.

Investigators tried to identify him through dental records and DNA samples, but they got no matches.They are left with a collection of artifacts from the scene.

A blue butane lighter in a pair of blue work pants. Eyeglasses. A white sock with red stripes. A portion of what looks like a brown cowboy boot. And the black sleeveless T-shirt, with "Black Hills of South Dakota" printed on the front, an American Indian man’s face on the back, size medium, made by Sunbelt Sportswear, maybe a red herring, maybe one more clue to John Doe’s real name.

Did you know this man?

If you know anything about this case, call Detective Pete Federico at 1-800-854-2862, ext. 7815.

Thomas Lake can be reached at tlake@sptimes.com or 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6245.

[Last modified February 20, 2007, 15:36:28]