RICHMOND, Texas - More than six decades after a man's remains were discovered along FM 359 in Richmond, investigators are turning to advanced DNA testing and genealogical research in hopes of finally learning his identity.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is working with Moxxy Forensic Investigations on the case, which involves a man historically referred to as  Stubby.  His death was ruled a homicide, but investigators were unable to identify him because his head, hands and feet were never found.


At the time, investigators believed the man was white, between 40 and 60 years old, about 6 feet tall and weighed roughly 175 pounds. His remains were eventually buried at San Gabriel Cemetery in Richmond in 1984.

The sheriff's office exhumed the remains in 2024 to search for DNA that could be used with modern forensic technology. That effort produced a profile suitable for investigative genetic genealogy, a process that combines DNA analysis with traditional family-tree research to locate potential relatives.

Researchers have since identified genetic ancestry indicating the man was predominantly East Asian. They have also found family-tree connections involving the surnames Palacat, Auna and Napeahi. Investigators caution that those names are only research leads and do not necessarily mean the man used one of them or that anyone with those surnames is connected to the case.

Authorities are asking people who lived in or traveled through the Fort Bend County or Houston area around 1964 to consider whether they remember an adult man who disappeared, lost contact with loved ones or was never officially reported missing.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Eli Cisneros with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office at Elias.Cisneros2@fortbendcountytx.gov or Katie Thomas with Moxxy Forensic Investigations at katie@moxxyforensics.com.

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