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The remains of a man found 28 years ago in the Utah desert with the help of a psychic were identified this week.
The man, identified as Pedro Calderon Marioni, had likely been dead for two years by the time he was found in 1998, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said in an announcement on Monday.
“This identification demonstrates the value of persistence, collaboration, and advancements in forensic science,” Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tom Talbot said in a news release. “Most importantly, it provides long-awaited answers to a family that has lived for decades without knowing the fate of their loved one.”
Marioni’s partially skeletonized remains were identified by a forensics lab that specializes in cold case investigations.
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Marioni, 31, was found on June 2, 1998, in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Ticaboo, Utah, after a psychic led investigators searching for three suspects who killed a Colorado police officer there.
His remains, which were discovered by a Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent, were found near a drainage path and were partially covered by sand, rock and dirt.
Investigators didn’t find a link between Marioni’s remains and the fugitives.
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Personal items were found near his remains, including cowboy boots, a bathrobe, a Ford truck key and a long-distance calling card.
Investigators believed at the time that he may have been traveling from Texas to California.
His remains were taken to the Utah Officer of the Medical Examiner but couldn’t be identified despite extensive investigation, and he became known as “Garfield County John Doe.”
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Two years ago in July, the state sent his remains to Othram, a cold case processing lab in Texas, for advanced forensic genetic genealogy testing made possible by federal grant money.
The lab was able to put together a DNA profile and give investigators new family leads.
After reviewing historical records, locating potential family members and doing multiple interviews, his possible sister was identified in May.
She gave investigators a sample that confirmed Marioni was her brother.
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The sheriff’s office said Marioni’s identification marked the eighth publicly announced cold case ID using Othram’s lab for genetic genealogy analysis.
The three suspects in the murder of Officer Dale Claxton died by suicide after they were located by investigators.
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