Long Beach Police Department
On June 3, 1978, police found the body of a teenage boy lying on the pavement of a street in Long Beach, California. Now, after 44 years, they’ve finally discovered his identity.
Using DNA technology, investigators have determined that the body referred to only as “John Doe 1978” is actually Kenneth Nevada Williams—a 15-year-old from La Puente who had run away from home.
Williams had never been reported missing and detectives were left stumped for over four decades as to his identity because there was so little to go on. “There was no identification,” Long Beach Police Department homicide detective Shea Robertson told ABC 7. “Fingerprints were taken. The fingerprints didn’t match any databases and the victim, unfortunately, was only identified as a John Doe.”