- In 1976, the remains of a man who had been shot in the head at close range were found near Lake Mojave
- On Tuesday, officials identified the victim as Luis Alonso Paredes of El Salvador
- Investigators are looking for more information about the victim or his relatives
Human remains were found near a lake on the Arizona-Nevada border, 47 years after hikers discovered the body in a shallow grave.
The man was identified as Luis Alonso Paredes, who was from El Salvador but may have been living or working in the Las Vegas area at the time of his death, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
The remains were discovered on November 23, 1976, in a remote desert area of northwestern Arizona, approximately six miles east of the Katherine Landing area on Lake Mohave.
According to the sheriff's office, an autopsy at the time determined the victim was likely in his early to mid-30s and had been shot in the head at close range.
But although authorities collected fingerprints during the autopsy, the case was soon closed and the victim remained nameless for nearly five decades.
A sketch shows the victim, whose remains were found near Lake Mojave 47 years ago, now identified as Luis Alonso Paredes of El Salvador
Lake Mojave (above) is a reservoir on the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and Davis Dam
A compilation of the victim's probable likeness was prepared by the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, but did not result in an identification.
The sheriff's office said in a news release Tuesday that it reopened its investigation in October by comparing the fingerprints to all available fingerprint records, leading to the identification.
The national fingerprint database that identified Paredes was not available at the time his body was discovered, the office said.
But authorities say they have not been able to locate relatives of Paredes, who may have been employed by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy in the San Francisco area about a decade before his death.
The sheriff's office asked the public to contact them with any information about the case or that might help them locate Paredes' relatives.
Lake Mojave is a reservoir on the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and Davis Dam.
The lake is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Katherine Landing is one of three resort areas on the lake.