(KMJ) – Fresno County Sheriff’s homicide detectives are asking the public to help them find anyone who may have had contact with a victim of a cold case.
The Fresno County Coroner’s Office and California Department of Justice recently identified the body found burned in an orchard on May 6, 2006 near Interstate 5 and Shields Avenue, west of Firebaugh.
That victim is 24-year old Jack Dupee of Livermore, CA.
In October 2015, the homicide unit of the Sheriff’s Office reviewed cold case files and came across a John Doe case from 2006. DNA was obtained from the victim in 2006. However, there were no records in the Combined DNA Index System to compare with the victim’s sample, so an identification could not be made at the time.
A Sheriff’s Sergeant spoke with members of the Coroner’s Office who said they still had a thighbone (femur) from the victim. The bone was then submitted to the DOJ’s lab and it positively matched DNA in CODIS and identified the victim as Jack Dupee.
Dupee was last seen during the first week of May 2006. Family members filed a missing person report in August of 2006. They say lived in several locations in California during his life and knew many people. Those locations included: South San Francisco, San Mateo, Tracy, Los Banos, and Modesto.
The Sheriff’s Department says there is a strong likelihood that there are still people living in these communities who knew Dupee. And they believe those poeple may have information which could lead to the identification of a suspect or suspects.
Now, anyone who has had contact with Jack Dupee during their lifetime is asked to call Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867). All tips will remain anonymous and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
