3 Takeaways:

• Area law enforcement is seeking the public’s help in identifying a male whose body was found two decades ago in a Scottsdale canal.
• A new rendering has been released in hopes of jump-starting the investigation. 
• Testing revealed he is of Native American descent and may be from the SRPMIC or related populations. 

Law enforcement officials in the Scottsdale area are working to identify a male whose body was found 21 years ago in a canal near the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

The body was found on May 20, 2005, and recent advancements in forensic genetic analysis have provided new potential leads. Advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy revealed that he is of Native American descent and may be from the SRPMIC. However, his identity remains unknown.

Now, that analysis is renewing efforts to identify the man. A rendering by well-known forensic sketch artist Carl Koppelman was released earlier this year by the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center, which is working with the Scottsdale Police Department and the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner to identify the man. The rendering includes a wooden cross lanyard the man was wearing when his body was found. 

The Salt River Police Department issued a press release in April along with the wooden cross, saying that the testing revealed genetic markers consistent with Pima descent. “This development suggests the possibility that the individual may have ties to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community or related populations,” the release read. 

The man was between 19 and 34 years of age when he died. He was roughly 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 130 pounds. 

Anyone with relevant information or tips, no matter how small, is encouraged to call law enforcement. Scottsdale Police Detective Brady Bailey is the assigned investigator and can be reached directly at (480) 312-5762. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling (480) 312-TIPS.