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BUCKEYE, AZ (AZFamily) — Retired Phoenix cold case Sgt. Troy Hillman says families never stop waiting for answers as DNA may identify a teen found in Arizona more than 40 years ago.
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Remains found in the West Valley in 1982 were known only as Buckeye John Doe. The DNA Doe Project said he is Mitchell John Pauli, a young teen last known to be living in Buckeye.
“Sometimes you say closure, but I view it as more delayed justice,” Hillman, who did not work this case, said.
Found by Air Force crews in 1982
On April 22, 1982, Air Force personnel searching for a fallen gun pod found a skull and vertebrae in a remote area of White Tank Mountain Regional Park, the project said. No clothing or personal items were found.
Forensic analysis estimated the boy was 13 to 19 years old and died one to three years before discovery. The case was carried in NamUs as UP15702.
Almost no paper trail
Monique Platt, a volunteer researcher and co-team lead with the DNA Doe Project who worked on the case, said Pauli was born in St. Louis in 1964 and moved with family to Buckeye in 1967, about five miles from where his remains were later found.
Platt said Pauli’s age made the case harder. Born after the 1950 census, he had no adult records. The team believes he was likely 14 when he disappeared.
Seven days of genealogy after a year of lab work
Platt said the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner brought the case in April 2025, and it took about a year of lab work to build a DNA profile from weathered bone. Once uploaded to GEDmatch Pro, matches pointed to Germany, Kentucky and Missouri, then to St. Louis.
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“Following just seven days of research, they made a significant discovery,” the project announcement said.
The team proposed Pauli as a candidate and said further DNA testing confirmed it.
Partners credited include the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which funded lab work, Astrea Forensics and GEDmatch Pro.
What closure means
“Maybe it’s been 40 years since somebody said these names, and we get to give that back to them,” Platt said.
No word yet on a cause of death or whether Pauli’s family has been notified.
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