‘Mummified’ body found in California convention center wall identified as missing man

Construction workers discovered a “mummified body” in a California convention center over a month ago. Now the body has been identified.

Workers began construction at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland weeks ago, McClatchy News previously reported. A construction crew found a body that looked like it had been inside a wall there for “many years.”

At the time, authorities said the body had decayed so much, it made it impossible for them to immediately determine the person’s age and gender.

On Tuesday, April 19, however, the Alameda County coroner’s bureau identified the body as 42-year-old Joseph Mejica, according to Bay City News. He was last seen Aug. 22, 2020, CBS SF reported.

Mejica’s mom reported him missing two years ago after she couldn’t contact him, according to SFist. She offered a $5,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.

Investigators determined the body was Mejica by cross-referencing a serial number on a tubular plate found in his ankle with hospital records, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. They also used DNA samples.

“This is a very unique investigation for us, in that the person was listed missing and found well over a year,” Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern told The Chronicle. “We were fortunate to make an identification.”

The convention center closed in 2005 after Oakland officials decided its operating costs were too high, McClatchy News reported.

The building dates back to 1914 and was declared a historic landmark. Construction to rehabilitate the building was set to begin in 2020.

This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 9:44 AM with the headline "‘Mummified’ body found in California convention center wall identified as missing man."