For over three decades, he was known only as "Camarillo Teen 1993." Today, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office finally gave him his name back.
Partial remains found during a dump site cleanup back in August 1993 have been identified as Joseph Patrick Reardon (also known as Joe Gilbreth). Joe was born in 1970, which would have made him 23 at the time he was found, though for years, forensic investigators incorrectly estimated his age as between 13 and 18.
The discovery was made on Beardsley Road, just north of Wright Road in the unincorporated area outside Camarillo. For 32 years, leg bones were all investigators had to go on.
The case sat cold until March 2025, when the Medical Examiner sent evidence to Othram Labs, the same forensic genealogy experts who have been cracking cold cases across the country.
Scientists extracted a DNA profile and handed it to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit, who tracked down relatives and confirmed the match.
While Joe has his name back, the "how" and "why" are still missing. Detectives don't know where he was living in the early '90s, who he was hanging out with, or what led to his remains ending up in a dump site.
The Cold Case Unit is asking anyone who knew Joseph Patrick Reardon or Joe Gilbreth, ven just in passing, to come forward. One small memory could be the key to figuring out how he died.
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