The identity of a mysterious body known as “John Doe #3” has finally been uncovered nearly 45 years after it was discovered. Thanks to advancements in facial reconstruction and DNA testing, authorities have identified the man as 25-year-old Donald Gene Horecka, whose remains were found on February 2, 1980, in a creek bed off Lopes Road in Benicia, California.
At the time of discovery, pathologists determined that Horecka had died from corrosive esophagitis, a condition caused by ingesting a harmful chemical substance. Despite an extensive investigation, the identity of the deceased remained a mystery, and he was buried without being identified.
In July 2023, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office reopened the case as part of the Doe Cold Case Project. Investigators exhumed the remains and launched a renewed effort to identify the man and understand the circumstances of his death. Over the course of 15 months, the use of facial reconstruction, advanced DNA testing, and forensic genetic genealogy led to a breakthrough, revealing that the deceased was Donald Gene Horecka, a man who had gone missing in Nevada in the late 1970s or early 1980s…