FRESNO, Texas — The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is hoping the public can help them identify a man who was killed decades ago.
His body was found in Fresno on Feb. 13, 1978, adjacent to FM 521 and parallel to the railroad tracks. The closest intersection to where the body was found is Evergreen Street.
"We encourage the community to come forward with any relevant information that may aid in bringing closure to this decades-old case and providing answers to the victim's family and loved ones," Sheriff Eric Fagan said.
Investigators think the man had been missing for about half a year before his remains were found.
When the investigation began, a forensic artist sketched images of the victim.
They think he was between 18 and 25 years old and between 5 feet, 5 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall. He had a slender build and light brown hair and a genealogy test showed he was possibly European from the Baltic region, Russia, Ukraine, Poland or Czechia. Detectives said the man likely lived in the area or region and was a recent immigrant or son of immigrants.
What was known about the man, including his DNA profile, was entered into national databases, but there were no matches. Now, there is a renewed effort to identify him with a deeper dive into what is already known about him.
"We've created a genetic genealogy profile from his DNA and volunteer genealogists have attempted to identify him through ancestry databases. So far, we haven't had any luck with that," Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office Detective Scott Minyard said.
The victim's DNA samples were also entered into the national missing person's database.
"We feel very strongly that someone knows who this young man is. And even though decades have gone by, we feel there are family members or friends of him who may recognize him and come forward at this time," Minyard said.
Anyone with information is asked to call FBCSO's non-emergency number at 281-341-4665 and choose option 1. You can also call Cold Case Detective Scott Minyard at 281-341-4651. If you want to remain anonymous, you can call Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at 281-342-TIPS (8477).