Joseph Edward Mejica (born September 25, 1979) was a man whose mummified body was found inside of a wall during renovations of the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He was identified one month after his discovery through the serial number of a medical implant.
Case[]
Disappearance[]
Mejica was last seen near the intersection of 6th & Fallon Streets in Oakland, California. He was wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. Mejica was known to frequent construction sites, homeless shelters, and transient camps around Oakland at the time of his disappearance. His family reported him missing and offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his location.
Discovery[]
A construction worker had been working on tearing down an interior wall inside of the upper tier of the Beaux Arts Building's main auditorium when it was discovered that a mummified and severely decayed body was inside of a space in between two concrete support pillars that was 15-inches wide and 12-inches tall. Evidence near the top of the cavity suggested that the person may have died near the top of the wall and over time the body slowly fell down to the bottom. The post-mortem interval was estimated to be between 3 to 5 years and characteristics such as sex, age, and race were initially unable to be determined due to decomposition. It was later discovered that the body belonged to a man after measurements were taken of the bones. No signs of harm or binding were found and the man's clothes were discovered on the floor near the cavity in the wall.
Identification[]
Attempts to rehydrate the mummy so fingerprints could be lifted proved unsuccessful. The serial number on a tubular plate inside of the man's ankle was eventually linked to records at Highland Hospital for Joseph Mejica, who received surgery there about 20 years prior to the discovery of the body. Direct comparison of DNA samples from the unidentified decedent and Mejica were used to further confirm his identity. Police believe that Mejica may have accidentally fallen into the space in between the pillars and either became trapped or suffered a medical episode and died.
Gallery[]
