John Doe identified nearly 50 years after remains found in Baboquivari Mountains | Local News

PIMA COUNTY, Ariz. — Nearly five decades after skeletal remains were discovered in the remote Baboquivari Mountains of southern Arizona, investigators have identified the man through advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy.

The remains were found on Feb. 12, 1976, on a ridge approximately four miles south of Kitt Peak in Pima County. Investigators determined at the time that the remains likely belonged to a white male between the ages of 18 and 24, but despite extensive efforts, they were unable to identify him.

Authorities recovered partial skeletal remains along with several personal items, including blue denim jeans, a blue and red shirt, size 8 Dunham boots, a green aluminum-framed backpack, a hatchet and scabbard, and an orange plastic tarp. No identification was found, and the condition of the remains made traditional identification methods impossible.

The case remained unsolved for decades, and the unidentified man became known as “Kitt Peak John Doe.” Information about the case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) under case number UP17676.

In September 2024, the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office partnered with a Texas-based forensic laboratory to revisit the case using modern DNA technology. Scientists successfully developed a DNA profile from evidence collected in the case and used forensic genetic genealogy to generate new investigative leads.

Investigators followed those leads and ultimately located potential relatives of the unidentified man. The investigation resulted in a positive identification: David Michael Resnik, who was born on Dec. 25, 1947.

According to investigators, Resnik had served as an Army medic during the Vietnam War and had been living in Tucson before his disappearance. He would have been 28 years old when his remains were discovered in 1976.

The identification brings long-awaited answers to Resnik’s family and friends after nearly 50 years of uncertainty.