OAKLAND — The Alameda County coroner’s office has identified a body found last month inside a wall at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center as an Oakland man missing for more than eighteen months.
Authorities said they had determined that the remains were those of Joseph Mejica, 44, of Oakland. Contractors found Mejica’s body around 1 p.m. March 9 while working to renovate the center, which opened in 1915 but had been closed since 2005.
There were few initial clues to the body’s identity other than that it appeared to have been there a while and did not appear to have been involved in foul play. Oakland police opened a homicide investigation while coroner’s staff recovered the body and began an autopsy and other tests.
Coroner’s staff were able to identify a tubular surgical medical plate, as well as screws and other items, that had been used in an ankle replacement, and checked its serial number against records at area hospitals, sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Ray Kelly said Monday. Soon after on March 23, Mejica’s name came up with a Highland Hospital record. From there, staff expedited a DNA sample test, and received confirmation of Mejica’s identity on March 29, Kelly said.
Mejica’s cause of death remained undetermined Monday, a status that may not change due to the state of decomposition of his body when it was found, Kelly added.
Last November, Oakland police issued a missing-persons report for Mejica. He was described as regularly frequenting homeless encampments in Oakland and was last seen August 20, 2020 near 6th and Fallon streets.
Kelly said coroner’s staff often combed databases for such information when working to help other county coroners’ offices identify victims of California firestorms.
“Sometimes all we would find is a pacemaker or a rod or pin,” Kelly said. “It’s common knowledge in forensic pathology field to use these techniques, but in this case it was actually very helpful.”
DNA testing for many bodies, which can take several weeks when starting from an unknown identity and waiting on current processing backlogs, was expedited in this case by the database hit, he said.
“Part of the reason why we do this work is to bring answers to families when their loved one disappears,” Kelly said. “It’s never good to have a loved one that’s vanished, especially as a parent.”
Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern took pains to praise efforts by coroner’s staff to identify Mejica and share word with his family.
“Whether it’s a case like this mummified body, a homicide or vehicle accident, many times the story goes away,” Ahern said in part Monday. “A lot of work goes into collecting the remains, transport to the coroner’s bureau, showing compassion for the deceased, the autopsy process and documentation. These notifications are never easy. It’s fantastic work that they do.”
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
Source: www.mercurynews.com