ONTARIO – (INT) – After 31-years, investigators have finally put a name to a young murder victim found in 1986.

Using the new Next Generation Identification or NGI program, the FBI was able to identify the victim as Joseph Pace based on a comparison of the fingerprints taken at the crime scene and a fingerprint card from an earlier arrest for being drunk in public.

Joseph Pace stayed with his mother and stepfather. They both worked as onsite managers/maintenance employees at the Capri Motel, located on Holt Blvd near Grove Ave.

Joe went to local Ontario schools and briefly attended Buena Vista High School in Chino. He moved back and forth from the Ontario/Chino area to San Bernardino and Needles. His school records show he graduated from Needles High School in August of 1986, just prior to his death.

All of Joseph’s family members now live out of state.

As for the investigation, the victim’s nude body was found in a bedroom of a small house to the rear of The Branding Iron Restaurant & Bar. Police estimated that his body had been lying there for approximately a week.

There were no personal items, no jewelry, no wallet, and no identification. And, no suspects were ever identified.

Story Date: November 17, 2017