After 44 Years, Ventura County Cold-Case Remains Identified as Vietnam Veteran Thomas Cooney

Overview

• Hikers found partial skeletal remains in February 1981 near mile marker 43.50 on Highway 33 in Ojai.
• Investigators recovered a green army-style jacket and two pairs of glasses at the scene.
• A 2004 analysis produced only a partial DNA profile that could not be entered into CODIS, and the case was later listed in NamUs as UP60166.
• Advances in DNA technology enabled a complete profile, and the sheriff's office worked with Redgrave Research Forensic Services to confirm the identity using a relative's reference sample.
• Cooney, born Oct. 5, 1950 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, was a Bronze Star recipient, and the cause and circumstances of his death remain unknown as detectives request tips at (805) 383-8739 or coldcase@venturacounty.gov.