TX MR. X: WM, 16-24, found by rancher in Johnson County, TX - 11 Dec 1972

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

"Mr. X" is the nickname given to a murder victim discovered on a farm near Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas in 1972. The male's case was reopened in 2012, which has led to numerous adjustments to his physical traits. The motive for his murder was possibly out of retaliation.

Case​

After investigating the presence of carrion-seeking birds, a farmer located the victim's body in a wooded portion of his property. The unidentified male had been shot twice with a .25 caliber "Saturday night special" pistol; the cause of death was determined to be a wound to his chest. The semi-automatic firearm used in the murder was described as inexpensive and ineffective at a distance.

No clothing was observed on the remains or at the scene. Early investigation proved difficult, as the remains were severely damaged from scavenging animals, and some portions of his body were not recovered. Police were able to infer that Mr. X had possibly not died at the scene and instead at a separate crime scene, as no spent casings were recorded to be where the body was. All of his fingerprints were taken, yet they were not able to confirm who he was. The decedent was later buried in a pauper's grave at the Rosehill Cemetery, after efforts to identify him failed.

About twenty years later, a reporter for a local newspaper met with a man who claimed the murder was the work of "drug dealers," motivated by a need for retaliation.

Later efforts​

The case was submitted to a newly-formed cold case unit in 2012. In August 2013, his body was exhumed for further analysis and DNA collection, which yielded an incomplete file for comparison. It was discovered he was considerably younger than what was originally believed. His age approximation was revised from between 30 and 50 to the range of 16 to 24. A low-quality approximation was included with the re-release of information, which was heavily based on the victim's postmortem photograph.
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The fingerprint documentation was apparently misplaced at the county sheriff's office, which were hoped to be located for uploading into the national digital database, AFIS. Results of these efforts are unknown at this time. Investigators also suggested a possibility that the victim had possibly been killed while unclothed in a "compromising situation" instead of being stripped down after death.

The remains had deteriorated significantly during the four decades they were interred, most notably the disintegration of his skull, which lacked the mandible recovered during the initial discovery. Efforts have been made to digitally reconstruct what was left of the cranium. Future, modern renderings were planned for release as of July 2017, estimating his appearance with and without a Hispanic/Latino ethnicity.

The DNA Doe Project later became involved in his case, hoping to identify his relatives through genealogy. In October 2020, artist and volunteer Carl Koppelman released an updated approximation for the organization, where the crime scene photograph of the body served as a reference.

Characteristics​

• Short, curly brown hair.
  • It is believed it was cut not long before his murder and styled according to what was popular at time.

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[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Possible database matches with individuals falling somewhat outside of the age, race, and height estimations should not be excluded without further investigation.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

On December 11, 1972, while investigating buzzards circling on his property in northwest Johnson County, Texas, a rancher discovered a human body. The unidentified nude male had been shot with a small-caliber handgun three times and died up to a week before. An autopsy revealed that the small man was about 30 years old, about 5’6 with short, curly brown hair. The original investigation was hampered by extensive damage done to the remains by foraging animals. Unable to identify the deceased, the man was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave at Rose Hill Cemetery in Cleburne, TX. The body was exhumed for analysis and collection of material for DNA in 2013.

Mr X Doe 1972 - DNA Doe Project Cases

This case is about a body found in 1972 in Johnson County, Texas. Follow us as we work thorugh our DNA sequencing process.

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[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Cold case squad seeks answers in two homicides

Resolute in their conviction that cases gone cold, particularly those involving homicides and other high crimes, never cease to matter, the Johnson County Cold Case Squad continues to meet weekly

www.cleburnetimesreview.com

Cold case squad seeks answers in two homicides​

Jul 18, 2017

Resolute in their conviction that cases gone cold, particularly those involving homicides and other high crimes, never cease to matter, the Johnson County Cold Case Squad continues to meet weekly at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office to doggedly pursue new angles, leads and evidence on cases most have long forgotten.


Mr. X

Rancher Sam Miller, on Dec. 11, 1972, found the nude body of a man thought at the time to be about 30 years old in a clump of trees about 50 yards south of what is now County Road 1131 about 14 miles west of Cleburne and less than a mile from the Hood County line.

The victim had been shot twice at close range with a .25 caliber weapon. The fatal bullet entered the left side of the victim’s chest and heart. The victim had been dead about four days by that time, during which animals removed several body parts, including his eyes. Officials believe he may have been killed elsewhere then dumped at the site.

Attempts to identify the victim through fingerprints proved unsuccessful. Officials buried the victim, subsequently dubbed Mr. X, in a pauper’s grave later that same year in the Cleburne Cemetery.

Mr. X’s story may well have been forgotten but for the fact that former Times-Review reporter Pete Kendall. Kendall, who passed away in 2013, often wrote about cold cases and was the sole non-law enforcement officer to regularly attend Johnson County Cold Case Squad meetings. Then Johnson County Sheriff Bob Alford organized the squad. Current Sheriff Adam King has kept the squad going.

Working on a tip from retired Fort Worth lawman Jim Palmer, Kendall researched old issues of the Times-Review to collect information on Mr. X, which he presented to the squad in 2012.

They subsequently obtained an order from Senior District Judge C.C. “Kit” Cooke to exhume Mr. X’s body to collect DNA samples. That exhumation occurred Aug. 8, 2013, several days after Kendall passed away.

Mr. X’s remains were initially sent to the University of North Texas and later to Virginia before returning to Texas.

“They were able to get a partial DNA profile, which we’ve got into the databases now, but not a full one,” Cold Case Squad investigator James Ferguson said.

A composite picture, subsequently picked up by other news organizations, of what Mr. X likely looked like in 1972 ran in the Times-Review in 2013 after which several contacted JCSO. None of those leads, one of which cold case squad members chased for about a year, panned out.

Squad members are hopeful once again, however, thanks to the efforts of Leslie Willingham, a retired Denton County Sheriff’s Office deputy and forensic artist, who has volunteered her time to attempt a facial reconstruction of Mr. X.

Painstaking work

Work on Mr. X’s facial reconstruction is slow going but making process, Willingham said.

“We’re fortunate that they exhumed him when they did,” Willingham said. “As it is time is against us because of the decay and damage that had set in. If they had waited much longer there probably wouldn’t be any hope.”

Damage from animals hampered identification when Mr. X’s body was found. His skull now consists of mainly small pieces. Information and evidence that would have helped greatly are absent.

Mr. X’s lower jaw bone was missing from his exhumed remains probably thought unimportant and discarded by the Dallas medical examiner in 1972. Autopsy photos from the time also lack measurement devices further hampering Willingham’s attempts.

It’s a step-by-step process including peer reviews — Willingham is one of only 33 worldwide and the only one in Texas who was also a certified peace officer — to ensure nothing gets overlooked.

Through MRI and 3-D imaging conducted in Florida, Willingham has managed to restore one eye socket and to glean additional information.

He had brown hair and a nice and recent haircut in the men’s style of the early ’70s, for instance. Willingham estimates his age as younger than initially thought, late teens to early 20s.

The plan is to release color and black and white images of Mr. X’s head and shoulders, both as a white and a Hispanic person.

It’s not like “CSI” and similar TV shows, Willingham said.

“This isn’t 20 minutes and we’re there,” Willingham said. “Not in the slightest.”

A similar case Willingham worked in Delaware — family members ID’ed the victim eight days after photos hit the media — took two years to prepare.

“But that was not as complicated as this,” Willingham said.

That said, she expects to have images ready for release in the next few months for distribution in Johnson County and beyond.

“If he was dumped in Johnson County as may be the case then he’s recognizable somewhere else,” Willingham said. “If someone identifies him it will be both a heartbreak and a relief but it will also finally get his remains back to his family.”