Man discovered with gunshot wounds in Arizona desert in 1976 identified by police

The Arizona police have reopened a cold case that dates back to 1976 after finally identifying a body found in the desert. The remains were discovered by hikers in north-western Arizona and were buried in a shallow grave. An autopsy conducted at the time indicated that the man, believed to be in his mid-30s, had been shot in the head at close range, but his identity remained a mystery. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday that they have now identified the deceased as Luis Alonso Paredes, an El Salvador national. Back in 1976, authorities had collected fingerprints during an autopsy, but they were unable to find any matches in the available databases. A composite image of Paredes was created by the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, but the case eventually went cold and remained unresolved for 47 years. However, in November 2023, investigators decided to revisit the case and compared the fingerprint records to a national database that was not accessible in 1976. This led to the identification of the man as Paredes. The police revealed that he had been working in the Las Vegas area at the time of his disappearance and may have had previous employment with the US Navy and Coast Guard about a decade before he went missing. Despite identifying Paredes, law enforcement officials have been unable to locate any of his living relatives. While solving the mystery of his identity, this development opens up a new chapter in the decades-old cold case as investigators seek information about his murder. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office has appealed to the public for any leads or information that could help locate Paredes' surviving relatives.