Detectives Hope Lifelike Sculpture Of Murder Victim Will Help Solve Cold Case

SAN BERNARDINO (CBS) — Sheriff's detectives are hoping a clay recreation of a murder victim's face will help them solve a cold case mystery.

A Devore resident found the body of a man buried in a metal container while digging on his property in 2008.

Detectives believe the man, dubbed "John Doe 2008-08," was killed and buried between 1989 and 1998.

John Doe is a white male, estimated to have been born between 1955 and 1973, and was about 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall. He was found buried in a black denim pants and white and blue Converse shoes.

In an effort to identify Doe, San Bernardino County Sheriff's detectives contacted Gloria Nusse, a facial reconstruction expert at San Francisco State University to recreate the victim's face.

Nusse used clay to create what John Doe would have looked like based on his skeletal features at the time of his death.

Anyone with information on John Doe's identity should call the Sheriff's Homicide Detail at (909) 387-3589.