Authorities in Arizona have identified remains found by construction workers near the Hoover Dam more than a decade ago as those of a man who had not been seen by his family for nearly 30 years.
William Herman Hietamaki was identified this month using genetic genealogy after construction workers initially found human bones near the Hoover Dam in 2009. It is estimated that Hietamaki died between 2006 and 2008.
Along with the bones, the workers also found blue jeans, a white towel, a red T-shirt, a black athletic shoe and a green sleeping bag near Highway 93.
The items were turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office, but no leads developed despite years of investigating.https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...995-rcna178141In 2022, detectives received a bone sample of the unidentified person, which was sent to the state’s Department of Public Safety for scientific testing.
This month, the sheriff’s office learned that the John Doe in the case had ancestors with roots in Michigan dating to the 1800s. Investigators interviewed potential relatives of Hietamaki's, and their siblings told them that they hadn't seen their brother since 1995.
Hietamaki, a known hitchhiker who lived a nomadic lifestyle, had been traveling in the Southwest U.S.
The medical examiner's office was unable to determine how he died because of the state of his remains.
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