The remains found in 2009 near the Hoover Dam in Arizona have been identified

ARIZONA. The remains of John Doe, found in 2009 near the border of Arizona and Nevada, near the Hoover Dam, have been identified.

The body belonged to William Herman Hietamaki, who was born on April 4, 1950. Authorities said he was from Trout Creek, Michigan.

On Nov. 11, 2009, while construction workers were pouring cement on Highway 93 near the Hoover Dam, one of them found what appeared to be a bone, according to Mojave County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

Workers surveyed the surrounding area, finding more bones and realizing they were human remains.

Construction workers and authorities searched the area again and found more bones along with “sun-bleached blue jeans, a damaged white towel, a sun-bleached red T-shirt, black athletic shoes and a green sleeping bag. »

A few days later, an additional search led to the discovery of other remains. All evidence was turned over to the Mojave County Medical Examiner’s Office. Detectives spent years on the case and tried to find leads, but to no avail.

How were the remains found near the Hoover Dam identified?

On February 2, 2022, an MCSO detective took a bone sample from the victim provided by the medical examiner. The sample was sent to the Arizona Department of Public Safety lab for testing to obtain a DNA profile so it could be entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA database maintained by the FBI.

The sample was also sent to the University of North Texas (UNT), where the extracted DNA sample was taken and stored. All attempts to identify the remains were unsuccessful.

In April 2024, investigators with the Sheriff’s Office’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) were alerted Othram Inc.genetics laboratory in Texas that had funding to cover the forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) for this case. A sample from UNT was sent to Othram’s lab, and a DNA profile was created and placed in a research genealogy database for a genetic genealogist to review.

In October 2024, SIU investigators finally learned Hietamaki’s identity and spoke with relatives who said he had traveled throughout the Southwest region and was known to hitchhike.

Hietamaki, who went by his middle name, Herman, was last seen by his family when he visited his sister in New Mexico in 1995. Public records show he lived in Las Vegas for a short time. According to MCSO, Hietamaki had a history of seizures.

The medical examiner was unable to determine a cause of death because his remains were badly decomposed, but it is believed he died sometime between 2006-08.