Reconstructions of the victim by NCMEC aided by the Parabon NanoLabs; original NCMEC reconstructions; images of shoes and bedding associated with the remains.
Identified...Identified...Identified
Reconstructions of the victim by NCMEC aided by the Parabon NanoLabs; original NCMEC reconstructions; images of shoes and bedding associated with the remains.
Date of Discovery: July 11, 1963
Location of Discovery: Ashland, Jackson County, Oregon
Estimated Date of Death: After October 1962
State of Remains: Decomposed
Cause of Death: Undetermined. Classified as homicide
Estimated Age: 1-2 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 2'8" to 3'2"
Weight: 19 to 30 lbs.
Hair: Sandy blond to light brown, long.
Eye Color: Unknown; DNA phenotyping suggested the child had brown eyes.
Distinguishing Marks/Features: May have suffered from a developmental disability or genetic abnormality. Characteristics of Down Syndrome. He possibly had a light complexion, based on DNA phenotyping.
Dentals: Available. Eight upper and eight lower teeth. One of his lower front teeth is bifurcated, having two roots and a surface split by an odd groove.
Fingerprints: Not available. Footprints available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: Red, long-sleeved pullover shirt with thin white stripes, gray corduroy trousers with an elastic waist and a buckle for size adjustments, a cloth diaper fastened with blue diaper pins and covered with plastic pants, anklet socks, and white walker or learner shoes known as "Jumping Jacks" that had possibly been bought at Noble's Shoes in downtown Medford. The clothing likely was from J.C. Penney, possibly also originating from the Medford area.
Jewelry: Unknown.
Additional Personal Items: The body was wrapped in an aqua blanket and a handmade patchwork quilt that included lots of red, including red gingham squares. Two iron assayer's molds were wrapped in the quilt, apparently to weigh the body down. Thin brass wire and several loops of copper wire with a lead sheath and rubber insulation secured the bundle. Reports indicated that both the molds, designed for refining and casting metal, and the telephone wire were once common, but already old and seldom used by the time the boy was found.
A man fishing in the Kenne Creek Reservoir along Highway 66 in the mountains east of Ashland hooked what he thought was a blanket roll. But the bundle, a blanket and quilt wrapped with wire, contained a boy's body.
An autopsy performed the next day estimated that his death likely happened after October 1962. Winter's freezing temperatures could have helped preserve the body, but the medical examiner couldn't be sure.
The condition of the body prevented him from determining a cause of death, but it was classified as a homicide.
The child's footprints were taken with the help of the FBI, and deputies spent days with magnifying glasses comparing them with imprints taken of newborns at local hospitals around the time they estimated he had been born.
During this period of time, dental records were rarely utilized by the medical examiners for identification purposes. This case inspired taking comprehensive dental information for future cases, as he would have been "easily identified" by his unique dentition.
The boy was buried in Medford. His grave marker reads "John Doe name only known to God."
The victim is known as "Keene Creek Boy" by investigators. Some agencies list July 23 as the date of discovery.
In 2021, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children partnered with the Parabon NanoLabs to revise their original reconstruction of the boy, which was based on a CT scan of his skull. DNA phenotype tests consducted by the Parabon NanoLabs predicted characteristics such as eye color and complexion that were previously impossible to determine because of decomposition. The results were then incorporated into a revised facial approximation of the victim.
Agency Name: Jackson County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Ben Fazio
Agency Phone Number: 541-774-6800
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 63-23011
Agency Name: Oregon State Police - State Medical Examiners Office
Agency Contact Person: Dr. Veronica Vance
Agency Phone Number: 971-673-8200
Agency E-Mail: nici.vance(at)state.or.us
Agency Case Number: 08-14146
NCIC Case Number: Not entered
NamUs Case Number: 5562
NCMEC Case Number: 1104614
NamUs
NCMEC
KDRV News
Facebook
The Mail Tribune News Archive
KVAL News (August 18, 2008)
Added: 8/17/08; Last Updated: 5/13/21
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
Return Home