LAKE HAVASU, AZ — Investigators in Mohave County are following up on new leads while turning to the public for help in a decades-old murder mystery at Lake Havasu.
The case of a John Doe, for now known as 'Sleeping Bag Man', was featured on ABC15's streaming series, Arizona Crime Uncovered, back in May. Not long after, Investigator Lori Miller with MCSO's Special Investigations Unit started receiving tips.
One caller even gave MCSO Investigator Lori Miller a partial name of Joseph or James Kane, believing that they recognized a forensic sketch of the victim.
After following up, Miller is confident she has located the man at the center of that tip alive and well. Now, she's turning to the public, hoping someone could help with other leads and even forensic genetic genealogy.
Arizona Crime Uncovered is an ABC15 series dedicated to raising awareness for victims still waiting for justice and providing an in-depth look at ongoing cases.
Each episode breaks down the timeline of a case, its current status, and any assistance needed from the community. Learn more here.
Sleeping bag man case
On October 7, 2000, a man was found shot and killed in a sleeping bag on the banks of Sand Isle Cove at Lake Havasu.
Inside the sleeping bag, the man was headfirst in the fetal position with a few specific belongings.
The John Doe was found wearing a unique t-shirt, a CASIO computer watch, and white tennis shoes. He also had a flashlight with the initials JKP stamped on the end cap and a multi-purpose tool with a pouch.
Weeks after our story aired, Miller received what sounded like a strong lead.
A caller told MCSO they believed the man was someone they knew who went by the name of Joseph or James Kane. They said his name had started with a P, and he had lived in Lake Havasu City in the 90's.
Miller released that information and quickly got a new voicemail from a man who said the tip was about him, but he's alive and now living out of state.
New leads and dead ends
The man at the center of the recent lead gave Miller a tip of his own.
He said he recognized the items of evidence that ABC15 featured in our episode of Arizona Crime Uncovered. That man told Miller he believes they belonged to his previous roommate at the Kimberly Apartments.
"All he can remember [is] that his name was Bob, and he was possibly from Indiana," said Miller. "And that he was a bartender at Kokomo's, which is a club attached to the London Bridge Resort in Lake Havasu City."
Miller has been working to follow up with local businesses and learn more about Bob.
In the video below, watch an extended interview with Miller.
MCSO was told he may have a connection to Indiana and made custom bar tables for the business where he worked.
Right now, Miller is hoping to locate him to see if he has any relevant information that would help the case.
MCSO also followed up on the CASIO watch found on the victim, hoping it had some sort of stored information.
"The model number, after a lot of research, is it's just a watch," said Miller. "It doesn't store any phone numbers or anything that, if we tried to, to get it up and running again so that we could retrieve any info."
Forensic genetic genealogy
Miller is speaking out, sharing this information, with the hope that someone sees this story and calls in with a lead.
MCSO is also encouraging more people to upload their DNA to the sites GEDMatch and Family Tree DNA.
While they have a DNA profile for Sleeping Bag Man, they have been unable to find a close enough match.
"Where we find the two matches meeting for the most common recent ancestor, it goes back to the Graan or Gran family from Finland in the 1800's," said Miller.
She told ABC15 she's talked to about 20 people, working through the tedious process. Still, so far, no luck.
"That's my appeal, I guess," said Miller. "If you're related to the Grans from Finland in the 1800's, please get in contact with me. And I can have you complete a commercial DNA kit."
Miller has also followed up on people who have been reported missing around the time frame this John Doe was found. That includes Dennis Lee Anderson, who was reported missing out of Utah.
She's still waiting for the results from DNA testing related to Anderson.
If you have information on this case, or any others, you are asked to call MCSO at 928-753-0753 ext. 4408.
Miller wants to stress that relevant information or a connection to Arizona is important.
