San Bernardino County investigators identified a young man who was killed in a crash along the 15 Freeway near Baker in 1974 after a decades-long investigation and genealogical research, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday.
The man’s identity remained a mystery for more than five decades after his remains were found inside a van that collided with a truck and caught fire on Nov. 8, 1974. The man, who was believed to be between 20 and 30 years old, was one of three passengers in the van.
When the investigation initially began, the man was known only as “Terrance” or “Lee,” and was believed to have hitchhiked to Southern California. Some of the limited information the sheriff’s department had was that the hitchhiker may have been picked up in Iowa and traveled to Nevada to collect a paycheck from a dishwashing job.
Over the years, the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office tried to identify him through different methods, including the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a database that allows law enforcement agencies to compare DNA profiles, but found no matches.
Then, in February 2026, the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit that uses forensic genetic genealogy to identify human remains, partnered with the sheriff’s department.
Volunteers from the DNA Doe Project determined there may be “familial connections” between the unidentified man and people in Indiana with Italian ancestry. They narrowed the region of interest to Porter County, about 40 to 50 miles east of Chicago.
The team of volunteer genealogists soon identified Terrance Lee Ronco as a possible match. Further testing confirmed that Ronco was the man killed in the 1974 crash.
Officials learned that his family had never reported him missing, although he had not been in touch with his relatives for decades, making it harder for authorities to identify him.
It is unclear when and where he served in the military.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Coroner’s Office at 909-387-2978.