The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCMEO) recently identified Jose Francisco Reyes Ortega, who had remained unidentified since his recovery on October 16, 1986. Through collaboration with the Fort Worth Police Department, archived evidence from the original investigation was recovered and transferred to TCMEO for further forensic evaluation. TCMEO fingerprint analysts successfully developed fingerprints and submitted the prints to multiple fingerprint databases, resulting in a positive identification. With support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program, Mr. Ortega’s name was restored after nearly four decades.
