missing people in San Diego
Forensic sketches of unidentified Medical Examiner cases: On the left, a young man found in the Sweetwater Reservoir in 1999 and his distinctive tattoo below him; Top row, a girl found on Proctor Valley Road in 1978; A boy or teen (on her right) found on the Imperial Beach shoreline in 1979; Bottom row is a teen found in the Tijuana River in 1995; and a child found in a travel bag in Rancho Bernardo in 2004.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office is asking the public to help put names to several children and young adults who remain unidentified in cases that span decades. To bring new attention to these cases, the office works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), NamUs, Rady Children’s Hospital and a forensic artist.

To support the identification effort, an NCMEC forensic artist recently created both a plaster reconstruction and a new forensic sketch and, along with collaborators,  NMEC began producing public-facing facial reconstructions of unidentified children. 

  • Case 99-00015: A young man, approximately 17-22 years old found in the Sweetwater Reservoir on Jan. 2, 1999.  His left shoulder featured a large tattoo showing a banner with the word “WICCA,” a bird in flight shaped like a “V,” an ankh symbol and a pentagram.
  • Case 78‑00338: A girl, estimated 14–18, found on Feb. 141978, near Procter Valley Road. She wore a white halter top with a blue floral pattern and denim overalls. She had extensive dental work, shoulder‑length brown hair in a ponytail, pierced ears, and a slightly malformed right ear.
  • Case 79‑1646: A boy, estimated 12–16, found on July 22, 1979, on the Imperial Beach shoreline. Due to decomposition, little is known. He was about 5 feet tall, 98 pounds, with brown hair, and was wearing Lee jeans. He may have been Caucasian or Hispanic.
  • Case 95‑0521: A Hispanic teen, 15–16, discovered March 16, 1995, near the Tijuana River. He wore black denim jeans by “Attrak,” a hooded sweatshirt, two crucifix necklaces, and black Puma shoes with a red stripe. His hair was cropped on the sides, and his left ear was pierced.
  • Case 2004‑00913: A toddler boy, age 2–4, found May 4, 2004, in a wooded area of Rancho Bernardo. He was inside a green and tan canvas travel bag and wearing red warm‑up pants, a red sweatshirt, and tan/gray socks with red trim. Additional children’s and adult clothing was found nearby.

If you have information regarding any of these unidentified youth, please contact the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office at (858) 694‑2895 and reference the case number associated with the sketch.