The mysteries of three individuals found deceased in the 1980s are one step closer to resolution. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office needs the public's assistance to complete the picture. According to a recent statement from the county, the office has identified Alfred Sherman Anderson, Johnny Puentes, and Scotty Edward Echols. However, despite an extensive search, it remains unsuccessful in its quest to locate their relatives.
On a chilly November day in 1987, Alfred Sherman Anderson was found underneath the glow of an ATM at American Savings on Santa Clara Street. He had grey-brown hair and grey eyes and wore a red windbreaker emblazoned with "Half Moon Bay Parks and Rec" among other articles of clothing that painted a portrait of a man perhaps rooted in the local community, his physical details including a weight of 145 pounds and a height of 64 inches. His case, C87-2797, along with NamUs reference numbers UP109335 and UCP125131, represent avenues for potential clues or connections.
Johnny Puentes' story is similarly confined by the dearth of knowledge other than that he was discovered beside Coyote Creek, his body clad in jeans and yellow high-top tennis shoes, with a red "Marlboro" tote bag and several marked clothing items in close vicinity - as if they had been labeled for a second use by some organization; the man, possibly Hispanic with black hair, had been living until September 20, 1989, according to case number 89-263-005 and NamUs digits UP125097 and UCP125133.
The third case involves Scotty Edward Echols, who had a devil tattoo marking his upper right shoulder when his life came to an enigmatic conclusion on Independence Day of 1983, his body laid out on train tracks in Gilroy, wearing a checkered gray coat and fatigues among other garments, he was a larger man, both in physical stature weighing 210 pounds and in the lingering questions surrounding his death, marked by case number C83-1520, and NamUs entries UP111039 and UCP125134.
Anyone holding pieces of these puzzles is urged to contact the Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office Investigations Unit at 408-793-1900 extension 3. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a holistic database aiming to tie loose ends in missing, unidentified, and unclaimed cases. Further information can be found in the Santa Clara County's announcement.
