SANTA CRUZ — Adult murder victim found dead wrapped in tarp and dumped on Santa Cruz hillside in 1998 identified as Eric P. Cupo it was done.

Three suspects were convicted of murder, but the victim’s identity remained classified as “John Doe” for more than two decades.

The case began on Sunday, December 27, 1998, when a corpse wrapped in a tarp was found on the hillside of Bear Creek Road. A rural town in Santa Cruz County.

The corpse was in a state of advanced decomposition. An autopsy revealed that the most striking aspect of the injury was blunt force trauma, but due to the decaying state of the body (much of the soft tissue has been lost), it cannot be identified. It turned out to be a difficult task.

A subsequent investigation by the sheriff’s office resulted in the arrest and conviction of three suspects on murder charges.

For more than two decades, the coroner’s office has continued to track down clues as to the identity of the dead man. has notified the next of kin.

With the help of the California Department of Justice Jan Bacsinszky DNA Lab, Osram, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Undercover Printing Unit, the dead man is now 22-year-old Cupo. have been identified. He was 18 when he was killed.

Detectives learned that Cupo was born in California. At an early age, he was adopted by a family in Philadelphia and later moved to Florida with his adoptive father.

Cupo temporarily returned to Philadelphia when he was 18 to live with his adoptive mother. From there, Cupo moved around the country and his family cut off regular contact with him. After that, Cupo is believed to have lived in both Arizona and Ohio. The timeline for his return to California is unclear.

Cupo’s adoptive and biological relatives have been notified of his identification and have been contacted by the sheriff’s office for a dedicated and tireless investigation to identify Cupo and resolve his whereabouts. I am grateful.