Remains found near Hoover Dam in 2009 have been identified

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A 15-year-old mystery has finally been solved.

On November 11, 2009, workers pouring cement on Highway 93 took a break at Milepost 3 near Hoover Dam.

While standing on the west side of the highway, an employee noticed a human bone. Employees looked around the area, found additional bones and notified their supervisor, who notified National Park Service agents. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office was also notified.

Investigators eventually found more bones, a sun-faded pair of blue jeans, a worn-out white towel, a sun-faded red T-shirt, a black sneaker and a green sleeping bag.

The sheriff’s office says they have been unable to obtain any leads over the years as to who this person was.

On February 2, 2022, a detective obtained a bone sample of the victim from the medical examiner’s office and forwarded it to the Arizona DPS laboratory, requesting a DNA profile that could be entered into the CODIS database to identify the unknown person. The sample was also sent to the University of North Texas, where an extracted DNA sample was collected and stored for analysis.

Once again, investigators did not come across any new clues.

Fast forward to April 2024. Othram, a genetics lab in Texas, told investigators that in this case it received funding to pay for forensic genetic genealogy. The sample stored at UNT was sent to Othram so that a genetic genealogist could develop a profile.

In October 2024, investigators received a report from a genealogist who stated that the victim was a descendant of ancestors born in the mid-19th century and living in Michigan. Investigators began searching for possible relatives of the victim and spoke with a pair of siblings who said they had not seen their brother, William Herman Hietamaki, since 1995 and that he had traveled throughout the Southwest.

After additional examination with relatives, investigators were able to confirm that the remains were Hietamaka’s.

According to deputies, he was born on April 4, 1950 and grew up in the Trout Creek area of ​​Michigan. After graduating from high school, he began traveling, hitchhiking and leading a nomadic lifestyle. He was last seen with his family when he visited his sister in New Mexico in 1995.

Public records also show he once lived in Las Vegas.

The medical examiner’s office was unable to determine the cause of death due to the condition of the body. However, they estimated that he died between 2006 and 2008.