BAKER, CA. ( Pain In The Pass) >> A hitchhiker/passenger who died in a fiery collision on Interstate 15 over 52 years ago, has now been identified as a 20-year-old Indiana man with new technology.
Back on November 8, 1974, the hitchhiker was traveling in a van with three other people on I-15 freeway near the town of Baker when it collided with a truck and burst into flames. Both the driver and the hitchhiker died, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators at the time learned that the hitchhiker was likely 20 to 30 years old and went by “Terrance” or “Lee.” He apparently had mentioned previously living in Indiana and Florida, and investigators believed at the time that he might have been picked up in Iowa and heading to Nevada to collect a paycheck from a dishwashing job.
Now, authorities say they have identified the hitchhiker as 20-year-old Terrance Lee Ronco, a military veteran from Indiana.
The genealogists’ research indicated likely familial connections to Indiana and Italian ancestry, leading investigators to focus their leads on the greater Chicago area, particularly in Porter County, Indiana.
Within four days, the researchers identified Ronco as a potential candidate. A DNA test confirmed the theory, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Investigators struggled to identify Ronco for many years in part because Ronco had never been reported missing, so there was no missing-person case for him in the databases used by investigators. Researchers later found that Ronco had been estranged from his family for decades.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff- Coroner staff extends its deepest appreciation to the DNA Doe Project, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and all of the organizations and individuals whose contributions made this identification possible.
Because every person deserves their name.
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