Decades have rolled on since the grisly discovery of an unidentified man's body in Borrego Springs, but authorities are relentlessly pressing on to piece the puzzle together. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department does not back down easily, and the case of the body found on State Highway 22 on an October day in 1985 is no exception. This man, discovered between mile post markers 37 and 38, remains a haunting silhouette, etched into the history of San Diego County's law enforcement.
Saturday's noonday sun on October 26, 1985, would hold to see more than the arid stretches of the Anza-Borrego Desert. Down a steep embankment on the highway's north side lay a man, his remains speaking to a truth that he had been dealt a cruel hand by someone in the throes of violence. The trauma was evident, and the cause of such devastation remains tightly under wraps, for investigative reasons the officials at the homicide unit are working to eventually make clear. The Sheriff's Homicide unit, as reported by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, has vowed to not only keep the case under active investigation but to leave no stone unturned in their quest for truth and justice.
He was someone who walked among us, clad in blue jeans, a light-colored pullover shirt, and black combat boots. His skin bore the ink of identifiers – a wolf howling at a red moon, perhaps 'Life' or 'Wife' was etched on his left forearm, while 'Linda' and an obscured 'Gypsy___' claimed his right arm. But his name, his identity, remains a whispered question in the wind. No identification was found on the victim, thus expanding the challenge faced by the detectives tasked with returning a name to this man, and a story to the silent tattoos he wore.
Witnesses or those with the smallest shard of information are being called upon to reach out. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department encourages anyone who might bring light to this case to contact the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330, or after hours at (858) 565-5200. Additionally, those wishing to maintain the shroud of anonymity can dial Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
