CA Teen's Remains Identified 3 Decades After Discovery At Dump Site

FRESNO, CA — Investigators are searching for new leads after authorities identified a teen boy whose remains were found more than three decades ago in an unincorporated part of Ventura County.

On Aug. 30, 1993, a cleaning crew found his remains at a dump site near Beardsley and Wright roads in Camarillo. The remains were later determined to be a male between 13 and 18 years old but were unidentified until investigators could find the boy's relatives. His body was placed in storage and information about his case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP128289, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

In March of 2025, Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office provided a DNA sample to a lab that processes DNA for law enforcement working on cold cases. On May 5, Ventura County Sheriff's Office announced the remains were identified as Joseph Patrick Reardon, born June 17, 1970 in Fresno.

A VCSO investigator told SFGate the teen was living in a group home in Oxnard in 1985 and had also he enrolled at Channel Islands High the same year. The following year he attended Hughson High in the city of Hughson near Modesto. He was eventually going by the name of Joe Gilbreth, the surname of his mother's ex-boyfriend when he was 16.

Investigators say critical information still remains unknown, including how Reardon's remains ended up on the side of the road.

"If you knew Joseph Patrick Reardon, also known as Joe Gilbreth, even in passing, we urge you to come forward. Any detail, no matter how small, could be the key to bringing answers and closure to this case. Please contact the Cold Case Unit with any information you may have," sheriff's officials said in a news release.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to call 805-383-8739 or email coldcase@ventura.org.