Man vanished in 1981 after visiting family in California. Now his remains are ID’d
As pipeline surveyors were exploring a remote desert in Wyoming in 1982, they stumbled upon human remains.
For decades, “Pipeline Pete’s” identity remained a mystery, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 21 news release posted to Facebook.
Now, thanks to advances in DNA technology, the remains have been identified as Jack Clawson, a missing Missouri man, deputies said.
“A final resolution of this case for Mr. Clawson’s family would not have been possible without the incredible technological advancements in forensic analysis and the outstanding teamwork of everyone involved,” Sheriff John Grossnickle said in the release.
In July 1981, as Clawson was making his way back home to Sedalia after visiting family in Fremont, California, a nearly 2,00-mile trek, he vanished, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Clawson was supposed to return home to Missouri for a hunting trip with friends, but days later when he never showed up, Clawson’s family reported him missing,” deputies said.
A little more than a year later, “Pipeline Pete’s” remains were found in the desert near Granger, the sheriff’s office said.
While the remains couldn’t be identified, the sheriff’s office said an autopsy showed “no signs of foul play.” Instead, it was believed the man likely “died months earlier (during the winter months) from exposure.”
With no other leads, however, “the case of ‘Pipeline Pete’ soon grew cold,” deputies said.
Then, in 2011, the sheriff’s office said it submitted “biological samples” to the University of Northern Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas, to help identify the remains using “mitochondrial DNA analysis.”
Twelve years later, the center got a positive match for Clawson in March, deputies said.
Granger is about 270 miles southwest of Casper.
This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Man vanished in 1981 after visiting family in California. Now his remains are ID’d."
