Partial remains found 33 years ago at dump site identified as missing teen, authorities say

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (Gray News) - A teenage boy whose remains were found at a California dump site has been identified 33 years after his death, authorities said.

The partial remains, previously known as “Camarillo Teen 1993,” were found as people were cleaning up a dump site on August 30, 1993, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said.

The partial human remains were determined to be the lower leg bones.

At the time, a medical examiner determined the remains belonged to a boy between the ages of 13 and 18, but had no other clues about his identity or how the remains ended up there.

Last year, the Ventura County medical examiner shared forensic evidence with the sheriff’s office, which was then sent to Othram Labs in Texas for advanced DNA testing.

Investigators eventually made a breakthrough and identified the long-missing teen as Joseph Patrick Reardon, also known as Joe Gilbreth.

But the work is not done, the sheriff’s office said. The circumstances of his death remain a mystery.