Identifying remains in missing Hemet teens case could take weeks
"The remains could be one or both of them, or it could be somebody else entirely," Hemet police Sgt. James Waters said.
Crime lab technicians working with tiny particles of human tissue are likely to be called upon to verify the identity of charred remains found in a Hemet backyard.
Two teenage boys remain unaccounted for, and some neighborhoods say a Nov. 15 bonfire at the recently vacated house in the 1400 block of Bluejay Way emitted a powerful stench.
Missing are Jose Campos and Andre Rios, both 17. Campos had lived in the home for the past two months with his parents, but neighbors told broadcast outlets the home had been vacant for about a week before the night of the bonfire.
Rios’ girlfriend, Felicia Sharpe, 17, was initially believed to have been missing, too, but she turned up Wednesday. Police have not commented on what she may have told them about the boys.
“The remains could be one or both of them, or it could be somebody else entirely,” Hemet police Sgt. James Waters said.
The remains — still listed as John/Jane Doe by the coroner’s office — were found Nov. 18 in shallow graves in the back yard of the house.
Identifying burned remains can take weeks, a coroner’s investigator said in a telephone interview today.
“The way we identify involves fingerprints, dental records and DNA,” the investigator said, emphasizing that she was not assigned to the case.
“If there’s no fingerprints, we move to dental records,” she said. “If we can’t use dental records we got to DNA. It takes time.”
No arrests have been made in the case, and authorities indicated the parents of the missing teens were cooperating with the investigation.
Sgt. Dave Quinn with the Hemet Police Department’s Investigations Bureau is expected back on the case Monday, Waters said early today.
Waters urged anyone with more information to call 951-765-2400.
Tags: Andre Rios, Felicia Sharpe, hemet police, Jose Campos, Sgt. James Waters, SWRNN
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