Featured Image Credit: Mohave County Sheriff's Office/Getty stock
Topics: US News
Anish Vij
The human remains discovered near a power plant 15 years ago have finally been identified.
Two construction workers who were pouring cement on the US Highway 93, close to the Hoover Dam, found a number of bones across the area in 2009.
After they alerted authorities, more bones were found, as well as items belonging to the person, including 'a sun-bleached pair of blue jeans, a damaged white towel, a sun-bleached red t-shirt, a black athletic shoe and a green sleeping bag'.
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A second search then 'resulted in the collection of the additional remains', the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said.
"All items were then turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office. Detectives continued the investigation over the years in an attempt to generate leads with no results," they added.
Two years ago, a detective sent over a bone sample from the victim for examination at the Arizona DPS lab, requesting for a DNA profile be obtained to try to identify the unknown person.
They also sent a sample to the University of North Texas (UNT), but both were 'met with negative results'.
However, in April of this year, investigators were notified by the Othram Inc., a genetic lab in Texas, that they had received grant funding to pay for Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG).
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"In October 2024, SIU investigators received a report indicating that the John Doe was a descendant of ancestors born in the mid-1800’s and residing in Michigan," the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office explained.
"An investigation began in which possible relatives of John Doe were located and interviewed."
After chatting to family members, investigators were able to confirm that William Herman Hietamaki, a brother of the interviewed siblings, had not been seen by them since 1995 after he had been travelling in the southwest area of the US.
"Reference testing conducted on these relatives confirmed that the John Doe unidentified remains were Hietamaki," Police added.
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"William Herman Hietamaki was born on April 4, 1950. He and his family resided in the Trout Creek, Michigan, area.
"He went by his middle name, Herman.
"He attended high school in Michigan and mechanic’s school upon graduation. Sometime after high school he left Michigan and started travelling.
"He was known to hitchhike to various locations and lived a nomadic lifestyle.
"Hietamaki was last seen by his family when he went to visit his sister in New Mexico in 1995.
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"A search of public records showed he at one time resided in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"He suffered from epileptic seizures. The ME’s Office was unable to determine his cause of death due to the state of his remains.
"They estimated the year of his death to have been between 2006-2008."