Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reports a deceased victim found in the woods in 2006 was identified as Jesus Ruiz of Aumsville, Oregon.
The investigation began on October 23, 2006, at approximately 6:17 p.m. when the Linn County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of human remains found in the area of the Big Springs Snow Park on Highway 22, east of Sweet Home. Evidence at the scene indicated the remains had been there approximately one year.
Detectives continued to work with the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office and DNA was extracted from the remains. Although the victim’s DNA profile did not exist in any database, samples were sent to Parabon Nanolabs, a private company, for additional analysis to determine the identity of the person.
Parabon Nanolabs was able to find a possible identity by tracing the DNA through ancestry type databases and following possible relatives’ family tree lines. They were able to give detectives a possible identity of Jesus Ruiz. To confirm the identification, detectives contacted Ruiz’s family who provided DNA comparisons which confirmed the remains found in 2006 were Jesus Ruiz. Ruiz’s family said they had not seen or heard from Ruiz since 2005 and thought he had been in Mexico. They never reported him missing.
This investigation into the death of Jesus Ruiz is ongoing.