SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. — A man has now been identified more than 40 years after his body was found in a Benicia creek bed.
According to the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, he was identified as 25-year-old Donald Gene Horecka, of Las Vegas. Horecka went missing from Nevada in the late 1970s/early 80s.
His body was found at a property off Lopes Road in Benicia in February 1980. Investigators tried to identify him and his cause of death for months, but he was buried without being identified.
Investigators did ultimately find he died from corrosive esophagitis, which happens when a chemical substance not meant for human consumption is ingested.
His remains were exhumed in July 2023 as part of the Doe Cold Case Project, and he was identified through facial reconstruction, new DNA testing and forensic genealogy.
Anyone with information about his death or disappearance can call Coroner Investigator Jessica Dew at 707-784-7500.
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