Tips Flow In For Case Of Mystery Man With Amnesia At UC Davis Med Center
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Tips have been flowing in for the case of a mystery man who has been at UC Davis Medical Center with amnesia after being hit by a car last month.
There have been two cases of mystery identities in the Sacramento region this summer.
In August, the man was on his bike and was hit by a car. He was found off of Marconi Avenue and taken to UC Davis Med Center for treatment—but he couldn't remember anything about himself.
The California Highway Patrol said it has gotten tips from residents who only know him by his nickname "Paco."
In May, a Jane Doe, 46, was found wandering behind a home in Davis with severe amnesia.
"She just was calm and nothing out of the ordinary—just felt kind of sorry for her," said the homeowner.
It took two months and a tip to connect her to a missing persons case out of the Los Angeles area. Her photo had been plastered on the Department of Justice website, but somehow, law enforcement missed it.
There are tens of thousands of people in the database, some cases dating back to the 1970s.
But Paco isn't on there. The CHP says unless you have a criminal history or someone reports you missing or lost, they won't find him there. A missing person report was not filed on Paco's behalf.
Forensic DNA experts who spoke with CBS13 say law enforcement will need a court order to get permission for DNA.
His body is legally considered private property, and now he likely can't give consent because of his injury.
But Dr. Judy Ho, a clinical neuropsychologist says it's still possible "John Doe" or "Paco" could tell the community who he is himself. She says this type of injury can lend itself to at least some memory recovery over time.
"As they recover they start to recover some of those memories over time," she said.
The CHP says they've tapped the county missing person website too and came up blank. The county uses facial recognition technology, and once the patients facial injuries heal, they plan to try again.