Fort Worth, TX — The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating relatives of two men whose identities have been established decades after their remains were recovered.
Jose Francisco Reyes Ortega
Ortega, born April 11, 1956, was recovered on October 16, 1986.
Working with the Fort Worth Police Department, investigators recovered archived evidence that included fingers removed during the original autopsy. Medical examiner fingerprint analysts were able to develop usable fingerprints using a Mikrosil casting technique and submit them to multiple databases, resulting in a positive identification.
No next of kin is currently known.
Unclaimed Person: UCP156027
Ciro Estrada Hernandez
Hernandez, born July 16, 1969, was discovered on August 18, 2000.
His identification resulted from the medical examiner’s routine practice of resubmitting fingerprints from unidentified cases as fingerprint databases improve and additional records become available. A recent resubmission matched a criminal history record from California.
No next of kin is currently known.
Unclaimed Person: UCP158233
The medical examiner credited its partnership with the Fort Worth Police Department and the Bureau of Justice Assistance Missing and Unidentified Human Remains Program with helping make the identifications possible.
The men have been entered into the NamUs Unclaimed Persons database as officials work to locate their families:
https://www.namus.gov/UnclaimedPersons/Search
Anyone with information about relatives or next of kin for either man is asked to contact the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office at (817) 920-5700.