Authorities in Arizona have made a significant breakthrough in a cold case dating back to 1976, successfully identifying the victim of a homicide that occurred at Katherine’s Landing on Lake Mohave nearly 47 years ago. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office recently announced that the victim has been identified as Luis Alonso Paredes, a man originally from El Salvador.
The case began on November 23, 1976, when hikers discovered human remains in a shallow cave in an elevated desert area approximately six miles east of Katherine’s Landing, located about 100 miles south of Las Vegas. The victim, described as a 5-foot-8, 140-150-pound, 30-35-year-old man, had been shot in the head at close range, according to investigators.
Despite obtaining fingerprints during the autopsy, detectives were unable to identify the victim at the time, and the case remained unsolved for decades with no leads. However, in October of this year, the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit initiated a review of the case.
Utilizing advancements in forensic technology and resources not available during the initial investigation, investigators compared digital images of the victim’s fingerprints obtained in 1976 to all available national fingerprint records. This process led to the positive identification of Luis Alonso Paredes.
Paredes was originally from El Salvador, and investigators discovered that he may have been living or working in the Las Vegas area at the time of his death. Additionally, they found evidence suggesting Paredes had been employed with the U.S Coast Guard and the U.S Navy in the San Francisco Bay Area nearly a decade before the homicide.
Despite these developments, investigators have been unable to locate any relatives of Luis Alonso Paredes. The Sheriff’s Office is now seeking the public’s assistance in obtaining information about the case and locating Paredes’ family.
Anyone with information that could assist officers in locating Paredes’ family or provide further details about the case is urged to contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities hope that community involvement will play a crucial role in bringing closure to this long-standing mystery and providing answers to questions that have lingered for almost five decades.