Overview
- El Cajon police have classified Sanchez’s death as a homicide, and no cause of death has been released.
- The ECPD volunteer cold-case unit partnered with Othram and Parabon to generate ancestry and relative leads.
- An August social media post drew a potential family member to contact investigators, triggering the DNA comparison with her son.
- Genetic findings pointed to ancestral roots in Michoacán, Mexico, helping focus genealogical research toward possible relatives.
- The body was discovered on Aug. 13, 1998, in a shrub-covered ravine off the 1300 block of Avocado Avenue, and investigators are seeking public tips to advance the open case.