Local
DNA project names Buckeye teen whose remains were found in White Tank Mountains
More than four decades after skeletal remains were discovered in a remote part of White Tank Mountain Regional Park, genetic genealogy and follow-up testing identified them as Mitchell John Pauli. Investigators have not announced how he died or whether his family has been notified.
Remains found in the White Tank Mountains in 1982 have been identified as Mitchell John Pauli, a teenager who had lived in Buckeye, according to the DNA Doe Project, which worked with Maricopa County’s medical examiner to resolve the case.
Air Force personnel searching for a fallen gun pod found a skull and vertebrae on April 22, 1982, in a remote area of what is now White Tank Mountain Regional Park. No clothing or personal belongings were recovered. The remains were listed for decades as “Buckeye John Doe.”
Forensic analysis estimated the boy was between 13 and 19 years old and had died one to three years before he was found. The DNA Doe Project said Pauli was likely about 14 when he disappeared.
Pauli was born in St. Louis in 1964 and moved with his family to Buckeye in 1967, project researcher Monique Platt said. The family lived about five miles from where the remains were discovered. Because Pauli was a child, researchers had few records to use in tracing his identity.
The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner submitted the case to the volunteer organization in April 2025. About a year of laboratory work was needed to develop a DNA profile from weathered bone. After the profile was uploaded to GEDmatch Pro, genetic matches led researchers toward relatives in Germany, Kentucky and Missouri, and ultimately to St. Louis. The team identified Pauli as a candidate after seven days of genealogical research, and additional DNA testing confirmed the identification, the project said.
Retired Phoenix police Sgt. Troy Hillman, who did not work on the case, described the identification as “more delayed justice” than closure, noting that families continue to wait for answers. Platt said naming the boy again mattered: “Maybe it’s been 40 years since somebody said these names, and we get to give that back to them.”
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children funded laboratory work. Astrea Forensics and GEDmatch Pro also assisted. Authorities have not released a cause of death, and it is not known whether Pauli’s family has been notified.