Countywide : LAGUNA HILLS : Authorities Hope Man’s Sketch Will Bring Clues

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday released a sketch of a man whose skull was found in Aliso Creek, in the hopes of identifying him.

The man, described as white, about 40, with blond-brown hair, a mustache and sideburns, had been dead about three to six months, according to reports from a forensic anthropologist.

The skull was found last March by two boys playing near the bike trail, between Alicia Parkway and Via Lomas. It had been partially buried by a dirt buildup from recent rains, according to sheriff’s officials.

An examination of the skull by a forensic pathologist showed no obvious signs of trauma, authorities said.

The sheriff’s homicide division is working on the case, but until the man is identified, “we are pretty much at the end of things. The investigation can’t go anywhere until we find out who it is. We’re at a dead-end,” said Cullen Ellingburgh, supervising deputy coroner.

Ellingburgh said no other bones were found in the area at the time by sheriff’s officials. An anthropologist speculated that the remains could have been swept away by the creek or consumed by animals.

Investigators said they believe the man had a large nose and a thin face. His teeth were in good condition and he had recently had a root canal and a temporary crown, according to a forensic anthropologist. His front teeth were long with a space between them.

There was some tissue still on the skull, and from it the anthropologist determined the man’s hair color, Ellingburgh said.

Still, the sketch is not perfect, Ellingburgh said. “This drawing is the artist taking an X-ray and drawing over it. A lot of it is poetic license. There may just be a slight resemblance to the individual.”