CO ARAPAHOE COUNTY JOHN DOE: WM, 50, found near I-70 in eastern Arapahoe County, CO - 15 Apr 1982 - Glasses *JOHN EAGLE*

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP11387
Male, White / Caucasian
Date Body Found: April 15, 1982
Location Found: Unincorporated Arapahoe County, Colorado
Estimated Age Range: 50 Years

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Circumstances of Recovery: The skeletal remains of an unknown male were located by a rancher in eastern Arapahoe County near I-70 and Peoria Street.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Current Cold Cases | Arapahoe County, CO - Official Website

Cold Cases, current cold cases

www.arapahoegov.com

https://www.arapahoegov.com/DocumentCenter/View/1997/82-4379-Unidentified-Male?bidId=

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Kicking Horse Job Corps Center | Job Corps

Kicking Horse Job Corps Center is located on 80 acres in Ronan, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The campus is positioned at the foot of the Mission Mountain range. As with all Job Corps centers, Kicking Horse is open to all races and nationalities but is unique in that it features...

www.jobcorps.gov

 

[Summer_Breeze]

CASE NUMBER - 290UMCO

- Doe Network

Date of Discovery: April 15, 1982
Location of Discovery: Unincorporated Arapahoe County, Colorado
Estimated Date of Death: 1981 - 1982
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 50 years old
Race: White. May be part Native American
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10" - 6'2"
Weight: 170 - 190 pounds
Hair Color: Unknown. May have been black and graying
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: He wore glasses with fairly strong prescription (right lens: + cylinder = -750+150x120; - cylinder = -600-150x30). He may have suffered from arthritic pain

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available. He had an overbite and was missing two upper eye teeth
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Brown work pants, a tan and brown vertically striped short sleeve shirt, and possibly wore a white baseball cap with "Kicking Horse Job Corps" on the front
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: He wore dark framed glasses with electrical tape on the nose and ear pieces. The left lens was missing. A tobacco can

Circumstances of Discovery​

A rancher doing a routine inspection of his field discovered the victim's remains 1/2 mile north of I-70 and four miles east of Byers, approximately 35 miles east of Denver. There is a Kicking Horse Job Corps Center located in Ronan, Montana, that is operated by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation. It is not known if this is the same organization that is depicted on the victim's hat.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Investigator Niki Bales
Agency Phone Number: 303-795-4711
Agency Case Number: 82-4379

Agency Name: Arapahoe County Coroner
Agency Phone Number: 720-874-3625
Agency Case Number: F82A34

NCIC Case Number: U108498859
NamUs Case Number: UP #11387

Information Source(s)​

NamUs
Colorado Bureau of Investigation (Cold Case Files)
Kicking Horse Job Corps
Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Colorado Cold Case Files - Case Detail: John Doe

 

[Romulus]

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Identified...Identified...Identified

 

[Romulus]

John/Jane Doe

www.arapahoeco.gov

John/Jane Doe​

IDENTIFIED as JOHN CECIL EAGLE in December 2025
John Doe 1982, NamUs #11387, ACSO# 82-4379 “Kicking Horse Doe”

Our office recovered photos of 1982 John Doe’s fingers from archived evidence in the care of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office. In November 2025, our office submitted these photos to NamUs. Our office then received a positive identification from the FBI for John Cecil Eagle on December 9th, 2025. Shortly afterwards his family was notified and confirmed many of the circumstantial details in the case as well as that he had been missing since winter, 1981. He has been laid to rest after 44 years.

 

[Romulus]

https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD19820418-01.2.108&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7CtxCO%7CtxTA--------0------

 

[Kimster]

John/Jane Doe

www.arapahoeco.gov

John/Jane Doe​

IDENTIFIED as JOHN CECIL EAGLE in December 2025
John Doe 1982, NamUs #11387, ACSO# 82-4379 “Kicking Horse Doe”

Our office recovered photos of 1982 John Doe’s fingers from archived evidence in the care of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office. In November 2025, our office submitted these photos to NamUs. Our office then received a positive identification from the FBI for John Cecil Eagle on December 9th, 2025. Shortly afterwards his family was notified and confirmed many of the circumstantial details in the case as well as that he had been missing since winter, 1981. He has been laid to rest after 44 years.

Do we know where John Eagle was living when he went missing?

 

[Mel70]

Do we know where John Eagle was living when he went missing?

From what I could find. It just said his family hadn't seen him since winter of 1981. That he was identified by fingerprints. Which seems weird since it was stated he was close to skeletonized. I'm not sure what would have taken so long to match his fingerprints.

 

[Kimster]

From what I could find. It just said his family hadn't seen him since winter of 1981. That he was identified by fingerprints. Which seems weird since it was stated he was close to skeletonized. I'm not sure what would have taken so long to match his fingerprints.

I was trying to figure out if he was found close to where he was reported missing?

 

[Mel70]

I was trying to figure out if he was found close to where he was reported missing?

I can't find anything on him being reported missing. Just the statement his family last saw him in the winter of 1981.

 

[Kimster]

I can't find anything on him being reported missing. Just the statement his family last saw him in the winter of 1981.

Does it say where the family was living? Or if he was living near them? I guess we really don’t know where he originated from, is what I’m getting at. I’m curious if he was found near where he went missing and they couldn’t connect the dots all this time or something.

 

[Mel70]

Does it say where the family was living? Or if he was living near them? I guess we really don’t know where he originated from, is what I’m getting at. I’m curious if he was found near where he went missing and they couldn’t connect the dots all this time or something.

I couldn't find anything where the family was from.

 

[Kimster]

I couldn't find anything where the family was from.

Thank you for checking!