Maricopa Arizona John Doe July 2003

My name is Harold….or is it?

My name is Harold. I am a 52 year old Caucasian male, born and raised in Southern Arizona. All of my life, I spent in the fields, working the land – “sun-up to sun-down” as my father used to say.

Sounds like a good introduction, doesn’t it? If only I could tell you that this actually is my story. For all I know, this could be my name, age, and life. Until someone can come forward and identify me, it is all speculation. I don’t know who I am and neither do the authorities. I am really hoping that you, or someone you know, will be able to tell them my name.

So, what do they know about me? I was found on July 25, 2003, but I probably died a year or so before. I am a Caucasian male between the ages of 30 and 70. Unfortunately they don’t know my height or weight or what I was wearing on the day of my death. I did have some dental restoration done to my teeth, and dental x-rays are available for comparison.

My remains (that’s me, Harold Doe) were found in a desert area near South 91^st Avenue and West Dobbins Road on the Gila River Indian River Reservation in Maricopa County, Arizona. If you look at a map, this is a little south of I-10, the Salt River, and Phoenix, near Laveen Village.

I know what you’re thinking: isn’t Arizona all desert? Well, not all of it. Around the area where I was found, there are both desert areas and farm fields now. Perhaps it was like that in 2002 as well. If you have ever visited or lived in the Phoenix area during the summer months, you know how hot it can get and what the weather is like. I don’t know if my death involved foul play, but if not, there are several other weather related conditions to consider like monsoons, heat, and dust storms.

If I was a farmer, I may have suffered from heat exhaustion and got lost in the desert with the disorientation that comes with it. Or if I was an older gentleman, perhaps I wandered away from my home and into the desert. Maybe I was disoriented in one of the big, blinding dust storms that come through Phoenix. Being washed away in a monsoon storm is unfortunately also another possibility that happens often during July and August.

No one knows what happened to me. But maybe right now, you’re reading my short story and looking at my likeness, thinking, “I might know this Harold guy.”

Think really hard. Does this likeness remind you of someone? Do you remember a newscast about a man wandering away from home? If I have family out there, I sure would like them to know what happened to me and know that they don’t have to worry that I’m lost or missing anymore.

Do you know me? Can You Identify Me?

If you have any information about this man, please contact the Maricopa Medical Examiner’s Office at the address or phone number listed below and reference Case Number 03-2453.

            701 West Jefferson

            Phoenix, AZ 85007

            Phone: (602) 506-3322

            Fax: (602) 506-1546

Preview his profile data page here: Maricopa Arizona John Doe July 2003