Reporting by Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press
After more than five decades listed as a John Doe, “advanced genetic genealogy techniques” have helped investigators put a name to an unidentified man who was killed in a crash while hitchhiking along the 15 Freeway through San Bernardino County.
Just over 52 years after his death on Nov. 8, 1974, on the freeway near Baker, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department identified the victim as 20-year-old Terrance Lee Ronco, a military veteran from Valparaiso, Indiana, the agency announced Tuesday, Nov. 10.\
Sheriff Shannon Dicus credited the revelation to the tireless work of department personnel, along with the volunteer services of the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, which works to name unidentified dead across the nation.
“I am proud of our partnership with the DNA Doe Project, whose efforts helped identify this young man and veteran,” he said via social media. “I am equally grateful for the countless hours our investigators dedicated over the years, never giving up on their mission to give him back his name.”
“Their determination and commitment are a testament to the fact that no case is forgotten, and every life deserves to be remembered,” the sheriff said.
Nov. 8, 1974: Crash begins decades-long mystery
On the day of the deadly crash, Ronco has been hitchhiking through San Bernardino County and was picked up by a van, sheriff’s officials said.
The van collided with a truck and caught fire, killing the driver and one of three passengers, who would ultimately be identified decades later as Ronco.
Investigators initially learned the unidentified passenger was between 20 and 30 years old and was known by the name “Terrence” and the nickname “Lee,” according to a sheriff’s department statement.
It was further determined that the man may have been originally picked up in Iowa and headed to Nevada to collect a paycheck. He had also mentioned to others that he had previously lived in Florida and Indiana.
But the man’s identity remained elusive.
The case grows cold: For decades, no answers emerged
“Over the years, the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office pursued numerous investigative avenues in an effort to establish the man’s identity and locate a missing person whose circumstances might correspond with the unidentified decedent,” the sheriff’s department statement said.
Investigators submitted dental X-rays and DNA samples to national databases in hopes of generating clues.
“One significant challenge was that Terrance Lee Ronco had never been reported missing,” sheriff’s officials stated. “Without a missing-person report, there was no direct case connection to alert investigators that someone was searching for him.”
It would later be found that Ronco had long been out of contact with his family, authorities said.
Advancing DNA tech in the form of genetic genealogy provides new leads
A break in the case came after the sheriff’s department teamed up with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, aided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in February 2026.
Volunteer investigators at the DNA Doe Project set to work attempting to identify the man through “advanced genetic genealogy techniques,” sheriff’s officials explained. They identified a possible match after four days.
The researchers discovered the unidentified victim had strong family connections to Indiana, and specifically Porter County, helping to further narrow the search, according to DNA Doe Project Team Leader Lisa Ivany.
“We zeroed in on a man named Terrance Ronco, whose identity and life story seemed to fit the description of our John Doe,” she said. “But the real breakthrough was when we discovered the probate file of one of his relatives, which revealed that Terrance had not been in contact with his family for decades.”
The findings were presented to sheriff’s officials, and DNA comparison confirmed the long-unidentified man was Ronco.
‘Every person deserves their name’
The half-century search for answers “represents the culmination of decades of investigative work and demonstrates the importance of maintaining unidentified-person cases, continually pursuing investigative leads, and utilizing evolving forensic technologies,” the sheriff’s department stated.
It also served as an example of how advancing technology, such as investigative genetic genealogy, continues to help shed light on long-unsolved cases.
“The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office extends its appreciation to the DNA Doe Project, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and all the organizations and individuals whose contributions made this identification possible,” according to the statement. “Because every person deserves their name.”
The DNA Doe Project has helped to name more than 160 unidentified people since its founding in 2017, according to the organization.
More information on the group can be found online at dnadoeproject.org.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press.
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