Man found dead in boxcar in 1994 ID’d, CA officials say. Now, search is on for family
Three decades after a man was found dead in a railroad boxcar, he’s been identified, and now the search is on for his family, California officials say.
The man was identified as Ian M. Shepard, who would have been 40 at the time of his death, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office said in a Sept. 9 news release.
However, “despite extensive efforts,” officials have not been able to find Shepard’s family.
Shepard’s body was found unclothed inside a railroad boxcar that traveled into Santa Clara from either Milpitas or Oakland on July 18, 1994, according to officials.
Shepard, who had a thin build and stood about 6 feet tall, had dark gray-brown hair that was about 10 inches long, officials said.
He also had a mustache that was about 1.5 inches long and a full gray beard that was about 4 inches long, according to officials.
When he was found, Shepard “was covered with a light-colored blanket and lying atop a blue aluminum type sheet or blanket,” officials said.
Some items found near him in the boxcar included pants, colors red and green; a sock; a duffel bag; and tennis shoes, officials said.
Anyone with information about Shepard is asked to contact the medical examiner’s office at 408-793-1900, extension 3.
Santa Clara is about a 45-mile drive southeast from San Francisco.
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Man found dead in boxcar in 1994 ID’d, CA officials say. Now, search is on for family."
