Scottsdale police ask tribal community for DNA help in 20-year-old canal death mystery

PHOENIX — Police are renewing efforts to identify a male body that was found in a canal in Scottsdale more than two decades ago, authorities said.

The man, referred to as the “Scottsdale Canal John Doe,” was found near the border of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on May 20, 2005, and was believed to be between 19 and 35 years old, according to the Scottsdale Police Department.

Police, with funding from Ramapo College of New Jersey, uncovered new leads thanks to recent improvements in forensic genetic analysis. Based on the analysis, authorities believe the individual was likely of full Native American ancestry, with genetic markers consistent with Pima descent.

Police now believe the “Scottsdale Canal John Doe” may have ties to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community or nearby populations.

If authorities can find others with DNA profiles from those communities, it could help identify the man. Investigators are asking individuals who have ancestry connected to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to consider uploading their profiles to the public genetic genealogy database, GEDmatch.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective B. Bailey at 480-312-5762. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 480-312-8477 (TIPS).

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