On February 19, 2000, trappers discovered skeletal human remains in a rural, reclaimed-landfill area of Lawrence County, South Dakota, near Crooked Oaks Road, approximately four miles north of the community of St. Onge. The remains, belonging to an adult male, were found lying face up and had been partially concealed with pieces of scrap lumber. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds to the body and head; the manner of death was ruled homicide. Investigators estimate death occurred in approximately September 1999, based on an estimated postmortem interval of about six months at the time of discovery. The man is estimated to have been 20 to 25 years old, standing between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches, with dark hair. He had no dental work and a pronounced overbite that would have made it unlikely his lips closed fully over his teeth at rest, and skeletal analysis showed spondylolysis of the fifth lumbar vertebra, which may have caused back pain or an altered gait. He was found clothed in a purple-and-blue striped short-sleeve "Britannia" button-up shirt (size XL), a "Bill Blass" spring jacket with green-and-purple horizontal stripes (size XL), Wrangler blue jeans, tan-colored "Stubbies" swim trunks, white Hanes underwear (size 30), and size-9 "Spaulding" tennis shoes, along with a worn brown leather belt with an oblong silver buckle.
The case is investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, part of the South Dakota Attorney General's Office, which lists it among the state's unresolved homicide and unidentified-remains cases. Investigators extracted DNA from the remains and entered the profile into national databases; as of the most recent public update, no direct match had been found. A forensic genealogical analysis conducted in 2019 identified distant relatives (second-cousin level) and estimated the man's ancestry at approximately 51% European and 43% North or Central Amerindian. The case remains open under NamUs Case #UP11458. The South Dakota Attorney General's Office is asking anyone with information to come forward; tips can be submitted to the DCI Tip Line at 605-394-1884 or by email to DCITips@state.sd.us.
