John Doe ID'd 43 Years Later In North Orange County Cold Case

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Orange County sheriff's investigators identified a John Doe homicide victim 43 years after his body was found through investigative genetic genealogy.

The body of 20-year-old Lonnie Raymond Thomas was found in May 1980, after skeletal remains were discovered adjacent to an oil well in the unincorporated area of Tonner Canyon near the City of Brea.

The investigation at the time found that the remains came from a black male who was between 17 and 24 years old. According to the initial investigation, the man died after suffering a gunshot wound to the face.

While investigators worked to identify the man, the case remained cold, authorities said.

In 2021, the Orange County Sheriff's Department was contacted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to conduct forensic investigative genetic genealogy to identify the victim.

"After months of work, investigators contacted a woman in Compton believed to be the mother of John Doe," an OCSD news release read. "Lonnie's family members have been notified and he will be reinterred this week."

Now, Orange County investigators are turning their focus to investigating the 43-year-old homicide case. Residents with information that may be helpful were asked to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS or crimestoppers.org.