38 years later, Solano County sheriff ID John Doe found on the rocks of a Sacramento canal

Norman Lee Creech was last seen alive Nov. 25, 1983. Six months later, it was his body that Solano County sheriff’s deputies found during low tide on the rocks along the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel.

But for nearly 40 years, investigators had been unable to identify the body, which was in moderate stages of decomposition, officials said. He was marked as an average-sized male, and listed as a John Doe.

That changed this month: New DNA testing and forensics techniques allowed the department to positively identify Creech, a Sacramento resident who had previously been reported missing. Creech was 26 years old when he was last seen alive, just five days after his birthday.

Creech had disappeared from his apartment at the 3000 block of Bell Street in Sacramento under suspicious circumstances, according to the Solano County Sheriff Office.

The Solano County Sheriff’s Office is now looking for information about the disappearance of Creech, working with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. People with information should call Solano County detective Charles Olmstead at 707-784-7055 or by email ceolmstead@solanocounty.com.

This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 12:49 PM.